2010!

Oh yeah....that blog thing....

So I finished my first year at Stanford about a month ago. It was a fantastic finish to a wonderful school year. I will admit that it didn't start out amazing. I took Geology classes and hated it, but now after doing some more searching for classes and majors, I finally landed on one that I'm confident will stick and will also give me better options for my future. This new major is called Human Biology. It is a pretty unique major and I had never heard of it until I went out to Stanford. It is a BA as opposed to a BS, and it looks at humans both from a biological and social science perspective. It is also a very flexible major where you can choose a lot of your own classes within the major and choose what your concentration within the major is. There are just a few core classes that you take, which I started last quarter. One was The Human Organism which was basically an intro to physiology and anatomy. The other core class was Health and Environmental Policy Analysis. I absolutely loved all the classes I tool this past quarter and am excited to start the other classes that I need to take next year. I'm still planning on concentrating in Health Policy but after looking in to the Public Policy and Human Biology major I thought that Human Biology would be a better fit for what I want to do. Since it is interdisciplinary, it will be better for me when going to PA school.

This past quarter, I also took a required writing class where the topic was 'Women in Sports' which was awesome. But as part of the requirement I had to write a research paper and then present it in front of the class. I did my research on Title IX and how is represents disabled athletes...or doesn't in this case. My teacher was really motivated by my research and I made a lot of cool contacts and connections; long story short, I'm going to try and start some type of adaptive program next year. Stanford has student initiated courses where students can design and teach classes to other Stanford students and they can get university credit for it. I'm thinking of creating one of those classes, like an 'Intro to Adaptive Sports' class where other students can come play adaptive sports with me. It may be my own selfishness of not wanting to leave campus for hours at a time to play sports with other people in Berkeley or San Jose because balancing school work and recreation time is very hard at Stanford. So hopefully my plan will work out next year.

This Summer I haven't been doing too much. I had a nice TV series marathon of "Bones" and now I kind of want to be a forensic anthropologist. Not really, but maybe it can be my secret identity/profession at night. I'm also planning on going to Finland this summer with some friends. One of my good friends that I met at the Rehab hospital is from Finland and is going back there this Summer to visit and she invited me to come as well. She'll be there for a month but I will be there for a couple of weeks starting at the end of July. I figured that there will be no other time that I will have my own personal tour guide of Finland as well as a place to stay. It should be fun. It will be my first time in Europe with a wheelchair which will be an adventure in itself. But I'm very very excited.

That's it for now!

Hope you enjoy your Summer!!!!

Halftime

I just finished my 5th week here in school, and 6th week living at Stanford. Things are pretty crazy here. There were 23 transfers this year out of about 1500 applicants and I can see why the competition is so high. My fellow transfers have amazing stories and ambishions that sometimes I feel like I need to push myself further in life. They all come from all walks of life all over the country and all over the world.

The first week of school was a bit intimidating, I think partly because it was the transition from summer to school and also because of the new environment and situation that I am putting myself through. But now I'm half way done with this quarter and I can't wait for it to end! haha. I'm currently taking 13 units. 2 geology classes: and intro and the other called earth materials. Earth materials is by far the hardest class I have...or maybe the most intense class I have. We have class 3 days a week and 3-hour labs twice a week, so the time commitment is huge. It is an interesting class because we learn about....material...in the earth...like mostly minerals which make up rocks, and how they are formed. And then we look at them in lab and have quizzes on whether we can identify them or not. We've even started to look at tiny thin sections of rocks and look at the minerals in polarized light, which looks really cool, but now I'm starting to wonder what's the point of looking at rocks underneath a microscope. It's very interesting but somedays I'm so tired. This week was also a pretty good week because I realized that I can't look at rocks in thin section anymore....unless for a test...and therefore I need to change my major. Yay! The other class I'm taking is an intro seminar in Medicine. It's called "Dillemmas in Current Medical Practice" and it is by far my favorite class. Maybe because it's only once a week and as long as I show up and do my work I'll pass the class...but also because the things we talk about and very fun. We started out talking about the current healthcare debate and gaining insight to how healthcare is run in the US compared to other countries in the world. This class has started getting me interested in the healthcare debate and also looking into Public Policy as a new option for a major, and concentrating on health and health policy. It's still an idea right now, but I feel like I'd rather spend time talking about healthcare than rocks. I will also take new suggestions of things to major in as well. Maybe I will make it into a contest and whoever guesses or suggests right, then they will recieve a special prize.

Besides actual academic work, the rest of school is good too. THe campus is fairly flat and so wheeling everywhere on campus is not a problem. No hill scares me here at Stanford. I've also noticed that I'm the only manual-push chair on campus. The other people in wheelchairs have power chairs. I feel left out sometimes, so the other day I held on to another girl's power chair and hitched a ride to the union for lunch.

I also e-mailed the Women's Basketball coach out here, asking if I could do anything the help out with the team this season because Stanford is ranked at least in the top 10 for national rankings. So now...I help keep the clock at practices. I've only been doing it for about a week, but it feels so nice to be back in the basketball environment. And all the coaches are happy for my help, which is nice. I got some free bball gear from the nike sponser and apparently some nice perks at the end of the season are that the managers (and I'm hoping the clock keeper) gets to go to the Final Four tournament for free with the team. I also think that this is a good opportunity to network and make connections with the coaches for one of the best women's bball programs in the nation. All the girls on the team are also very nice. They are all so freakishly tall and it's funny to watch them practice together because then they look proportionally sized and normal looking compared to when you're standing right next to them. But the first game is next week and I'm excited to watch them play this season. They even play the Utah Utes during the week of Thanksgiving. When I told the coaches I transfered from there they all perked up and said that Stanford plays them and that I'll be cheering for Stanford this year. I probably will....mainly because they are better than the Utes, but I hope that Utah still gives them a good game.

Tomorrow I'm going kayaking in near San Fran bay. It should be interesting because I've never been sea kayaking. Luckily I have a friend who lives a little north of San Fran and we are tandem kayaking in a charity race. It's about 3 miles total and will be a fun treat.

The weather out here in Palo Alto is amazing. I love it.

Come visit!

Last 24 hours in Utah

So I'm currently packing for my new adventure out to Stanford. I decided that blogging is a good distraction from the anxiety I'm feeling at the moment. I was all excited the whole summer and then the day before I'm supposed to leave to head out there I'm feeling a bit nervous and scared, even though I know that it's the right decision and that I'm going to have an awesome time and be alright, it's just those last minute jitters that everyone experiences. One thing is for sure though and that is that I need this new change in my life. Even going out to Boston this summer made me realize that I need a new environment away from Utah and experience something new and exciting. I leave tomorrow (Sept. 13) and I'm driving out to Palo Alto with my Dad and his new wife Kristen. We're taking 2 days to get out there. Check in day for residence halls for new students is Tuesday (15th) and then there's about a week of orientation and then classes start the 21st. At least I'll have a week-ish to get settled in without the stress of school and classes. Stanford is on the quarter system which means that classes go for about 10 weeks instead of the 15 weeks I've been used to in the semster system. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a single room this first year, which will be nice because you never know how people will react to disabilities and things might be a bit awkward if I'm dressing or whatever. But that dorm I'm staying in was remodelled in the 90's and the architects payed special attention to making things more accessible for students with disabilities so basically I'm probably in the most accessible dorm on campus. It's Kimball hall and it's fairly close to the main part of campus. I'm not sure of my exact address yet, but I will let you know as soon as I know. I'm not sure of the classes I'm taking at the moment, I still have to sign up and talk to an advisor for help but I'm pretty sure I'll be taking an intro geology course, hopefully a medical course talking about health care in the US, and probably a language course. Who knows, but I'll hopefully update you as soon as I know, instead of updating you after the semester is already over. Ha ha. At least I'm consitant, right?

Write you soon!

Short and Sweet

I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming.

July 28-Aug 8.

P.s. I'm transferring to Stanford in the fall.

That is all.

Happy New Blog!

Well....where to start?

I finished my fall semester well and am now in my Spring semester which has been the most intense semester that i've had thus far. I declared my major a couple months ago and it is Geology. Technically it's Geoscience with an emphasis in geology but geology is much easier to explaing. I took a 'Geology of National Parks' class last semester that I really enjoyed. My proffessor also told me that I did well and was thrilled to learn that I was interested in majoring in it. He offered a lot of support in my decision telling me that other people in wheelchairs have been able to go on fieldtrips and do fieldwork just fine and the department is willing to make an accomodations. As far as a career goes I want to be a PA (Physician's Assistant) and for that all you need is a bachelor's in anything plus pre-reqs. So I figure that Geology sounds more fun than any of the other majors that are offered and I figured that if I decide not to do the PA thing, then having a science degree still gives me lots of options. I also think it'd be cool to work for a national park and work on the accessibility of things. It could be a fun and challenging job because you'd walk (or roll...hehe) the fine line between nature and construction. You'd want a place to be accessible for wheelchairs but you don't want to slab a bunch of concrete down on a site and ruining the nature of it. So that's my current plan and who knows maybe I could do PA and National Park service together. So to continue on with my spring semester I'm taking Chemistry, Calc II, Intro to Anthropology, and Power Basics. Intro to Anthropology is an online course so I don't have to go to class, but it also means that I procrastinate on all the reading we're supposed to do which makes for a very stressful pre-week to a test. Also, my favorite class this semester is Power Basics which is taught in the Business department. It's one of the only classes taught in the whole US that actually teaches students how to gain power...mainly in a business context, but it can be applied to any situation in life. Basically we learn how to manipulate people...haha, watch out! One of the reasons I like it so much is because the grade is based on attendance to the class. Basically if I show up to class i get an 'A'. Plus the topics that we talk about are pretty interesting and sometimes controvertial as far as the line between what is ethical and moral. A lot of times when people hear the word 'power' they put it in a negative context but really it can be positive as well depending on the situation. I think that's all I have to say about school right now.

Sports! I started skiing again and I'm doing pretty well. I've recently graduated from the bunny hill and now am going on the easy hill...which is very steep in my mind. I had a couple of harsh falls but I recovered okay. Nothing a few aspirins can't fix. Last year I was still tethered to a teacher and now I'm off tether completely and going it on my own. It's been a new adventure for me since I never went downhill skiing before my injury. If I can get someone to take pics I'll have to upload some.

Bball. I started playing games and I have to say that I am once again in love with the sport. Playing again brings happiness to my soul, but now I just need to get a fancy bball chair so I can dominate! I actually applied for grant from the Challenged Athlete's Foundation which gives people money for sport's equipment every year. It's about a 95% acceptance rate for whatever equipment you ask for. Considering the chair I want is about $3,000 it will be great if I get accepted. One of the big differences in the sport's chairs is that the wheels are cambered giving the chair a wider base for better stability, control, and turnability. Right now I've been playing in my regular chair, which when pushing feels like a tank compared to the sports chairs which are lighter as well. And no, Nike, Reebok, and Adidas don't make sports chairs Brian. Right now I'm playing with middle school kids and we play on an 8 foot hoop. There is only one other wheelchair basketcall team at the same level that we are playing in so we play the same team from another town in all the games we play. Right now it's a good start to help develop my skills and get my feet wet in wheelchair basketball but it's become very apparent that I have a lot more experience knowledge of the game than the rest of the kids. Now I just have to transfer my skills and knowledge into a wheelchair game and I'll be playing the competive women's league in no time. I also need to lift weights and get more muscle on me. I think that'd it'd be way cool to go to the Paralympics someday. My dad also took pictures of one of the games that I will try and upload soon once he gives me his camera so I can downloas all the pics.

Cycling. We are also still cycling and are training for the SLC Marathon coming up in April. I have a goal not to crash this year which I feel is very reasonable. Plus when I finish I'll look like a hotrod because I'll have shaved 2 hours off my time from last year! Right now we are just cycling indoors because of all the snow and the coldness but in a couple weeks I'm sure we'll be outside.

In other news, my dad is engaged and is getting married April 11th. I'm one of two bridesmaids and we bought my green dress and green heels. I'm sure you can imagine this all.

That's all I have for now! Thanks for reading!

Also! I'm planning on a trip out to Boston this summer and I'm trying to make arrangements to stay with people because I don't want to pay lots of money for a motel, but it's been kinda interesting to try to find people who don't live 3 flights of stairs up (sorry Ellen) and who have big enough bathrooms for me to get in. If anyone knows or has suggestions let me know. We have about 6 months to plan. I think I'll be out end of July beginning of August sometime. I'm really excited to get out there again because I miss it so.

Fall Semester

I decided that the reason I don't blog as often as I should is because I want Ellen Patton to get a good nights rest. If I blogged everyday she would be up all night reading my blogs. I can't just sit by and let her get bags under her eyes. It's for the best. For her sake and all our sakes. That is why I must resort to my usual 3 month updates.



So, It's my fall break so I really have no excuse to sit down for 10 mins and update you.

The fall semester is going well. The only real complaint I have is that my calculus teacher speaks with an accent and writes in cursive so sometimes it is hard to understand her which is frustrating when you want to be as clear as you can when explaining math concepts, but I think I'm doing well in her class. Also my film class is from 6-10 at night once a week. We talk about some film concept, watch a movie, and then talk about the movie. Sometimes it is hard after a long day to stay awake after the movie at 9 pm. I'm also thinking about maybe transferring the Stanford University. Their campus is a lot flatter and has less snow than the U...besides the fact that it's an awesome school. The application is due in March, so I have some time to decide.



I am still handcycling at least twice a week. I was actually supposed to go up to Yellowstone to cycle a bike tour this past weekend but it was supposed to snow and be very cold so it ended up being cancelled. I was disappointed but was glad that I didn't go up and cycle through 3 feet of snow...considering I'm about 3 feet off the ground when I'm in my cycle.

I also started playing wheelchair basketball which is very exciting. I'm playing with a bunch of middle school/barely high school kids which makes me laugh when everyone's parents comes to pick them up and I just hop into my car. But it is really fun and good to start out at a younger age level so that I can work on my skills and the best part is that the hoop is 2 ft lower, so it's at 8 feet instead of 10. That'll help me work on my shooting skills. It was funny the first time I got a ball in my hand to shoot, it felt so natural and of course I naturally went to shoot and use my legs but it was like I was stuck. I figured out that I need to use a lot of wrist and follow through to help the ball get lift to get in the basket. I've gone a couple of times and each time I feel like I'm improving. I can now make a layup that feels as close to natural as before my injury. We also work on pick and rolls, which sometimes gets really crowded underneath the basket with a bunch of chairs in the way. But it's really fun and I'm loving it.



Also a bit of news about my Dad. He just got engaged and is planning to get married sometime in April.

Delayed Summer Update (Sorry)

Well Everyone, thanks to Brian calling me and getting mad that I don't blog enough, I finally am updating my blog.
This summer I'm taking an architecture class which is a design studio, so basically I make little buildings and spatial structures out of cardboard. So far it is a lot of work which is a little off putting if I want to major in it because I'll have a bunch of other classes that I will have to do on top of playing with cardboard. I'm liking the class here and there but all in all it is very interesting and is a good experience. If I do end up majoring in it, I would want to work with architects designing new buildings and work with the accessibility and the ADA aspect of things. But the way it's looking now, I'll have to do at least a Masters in architecture to be hired by anyone. The thought of having no social life and sleeping under my work bench for 4 years isn't sounding too appealing at the moment. But I am planning on looking into some other majors in the fall. I'm going to take an Intro to Film, National Park Geology, The Universe, and Calculus. My other two ideas for majors are Film Studies and Geology. If neither of those work out I'm going back to the drawing board.
Besides taking a class I am also working part time in an animal research lab up at the University of Utah Hospital. They work with sheep and lambs and study pre-mature lung development in babies born too early. I mostly cut slides of sheep lung to be studied under a microscope. I know it sounds grosser than it actually is. But it pays well and I can go in whenever I want for however long I want, which is good because the architecture class takes a lot of time.
Let's see...other updates....OH!
I took my first plane ride via wheelchair a couple weeks ago. I went to Las Vegas with my Dad and we met up with my Auntie Laura who lives in Canada. She was down there for a conferance and we decided to meet her there and hang out with her. It was very fun! We went to a production of Cirque du Soleil and it was the Beatles' LOVE. Basically trapeze artists dancing to Beatles' songs. It was awesome. We also went to Spamalot, the Broadway version of Monty Python starring John O'Hurley who is most famous for being Elaine's boss in Seinfeld. All in all it was a fun trip. The plane trip was a new experience as well and it was only an hour away from SLC so that was nice. But now I know what to expect as far as travelling on a plane goes. Me and my dad are also planning to take a plane ride to California at the end of August to go see a band called 'YES'. It will be a longer ride but it's just the next step to flying around the world....or to Boston.
Yes I did watch the NBA Finals with excitement, especially watching the Lakers get slaughtered in game 6. Good stuff. I was definately missing Boston and wanted to be out there so badly. Luckily Brian sent me a T-shirt so I can show my pride out here in Utah.
Some other recent stuff that I did was go on a river trip for the 4th of July weekend. It was 2 days with a company called SPLORE. SPLORE caters to people with all different kinds of disabilities, where as TRAILS, another organization that I do recreational stuff with as well, is geared towards people with specific Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI). So there was one other person who had SCI besides me on the trip. I decided to go it alone or at least without my dad on the trip, not only to get a much needed break from him but also to see if I could do the trip by myself with only help from the SPLORE people. It was a great experience and was of course very fun. We went down the Colorado river near Moab, UT. I was pretty bummed that my friend, who is river guiding with SPLORE this summer, couldn't make it on the trip because she has Mono. But it was still fun.
I think that's all I have for you for now.
Hopefully I will write to you in less than 4 months. Ha!