How can it be only Wednesday?

This feels like it has been such a long week already and yet the computer keeps telling me its only Wednesday morning! That doesnt seem right. Monday I finished my last ethics class, handed in three assignments and celebrated not having to attend anymore 4 hour classes. Yesterday was a day of madness...I started out making a dash to the bank to cash cheques so I could pay bills, then it was straight to work for a morning of copying packets of papers that were grouped together in all sorts of strange ways and had to be kept exactly as they were and copied. Straight from there to the center to coordinate the joint attention assessment for my little man, into feeding where I got to run things for the second half, and thesis which went very well. Went through some sessions and we mastered toothbrushing!!! (a program that has been stalled for some time). Worked on some other programs that weren't going too well and got more great results...only another handful of new programs to create this time...been close to 30 in the last fortnight! Ran the joint attention assessment which didnt go very well so going to change the format a bit and try again today. So proud of this kid we went racing around the center telling everyone how great he is. Once he went home I was in class giving a case presentation on him as part of practicum after which I was informed that I know him very well and my presentation was exactly what a case presentation was meant to be which was great feedback to get. Then it was a race back to my room to run a brush through my hair, change into a dressier top and then out to meet Rotary President Jon to head off to Hanover Manor for the Caldwell Rotary installation dinner. We had cocktails, a dinner that was OK, I tried stuffed mushrooms which apparently contained crab (I didnt feel very good after eating that so I dont know what caused that), and lots of speeches and awards and things. I sat next to Bob, Janet and Geetha and got to hear all about Bob's accident last Thursday when he fell and shattered his wrist and cracked two ribs.. poor guy. At 10pm we left and got back to the college at 10.20, I chatted to mum and worked on some new materials for some of the programs that were mastered so that I would have less to do today. Got to sleep late as always and as usual was woken regularly by the air conditioning kicking in and icing up the room and because it wouldn't be this new room without the weekly early morning fire alarm we had that this morning as well. Lucky us it only goes off in our suite and makes sure it is always between 6am and 8am, thankfully this time it was only going off once instead of 3 times which it has done before. Now its back to doing it all over again...well the office work (I'm playing secretary for the rest of the week), and then another late day at the center with a lot of prep work to do for all these programs that need changing.... seriously are you sure its not Friday?

Best day ever!

Had a great day at the center yesterday, arrived early so that I could see the next step in our feeding program with my little man and ended up being the first practicum student to get put in the instructor chair for feeding with another little guy. Really great opportunity! Then I was put in the chair again with the same kid to start working on establishing a token board one of the most important tools we have with a learner. I have also been put in charge of arranging an assessment of joint attention for both kids which is a really important skill for them to have (its where you see something really interesting and then look at your friend and point it out to them so they can check it out too). Now it sounds like Im going to be doing feeding a lot more regularly AND I am going to be put on that little boy's team once my little man leaves at the end of next week because "he needs to move along quickly and I have the clinical skills to help make that happen". Talk about a great end to the work week!

So there is such a thing as summer break after all

I have recently booked a trip for three weeks in August (including my birthday) which I am really looking forward to. I am starting off in Las Vegas and visiting Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Arches NP, Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse on two short tours from Las Vegas. I am then flying to Miami to check out the everglades and hopefully do some snorkeling, and a lot of sightseeing there. After Miami I will be taking a train to Orlando where I will be spending my birthday week at Disney World, the Arabian Nights Dinner Show and at SeaWorld where I will be doing a dolphin trainer experience (this way I can see another application of applied behavior analysis). Then I’m coming back to the college for a 4 day rest so that I can function for the start of the fall semester the following week.

I have recently found out that Kathleen, who I work with very closely at the center as she is the trainer for the team that I am on, is going to be in Orlando at the same time I am so we are at the very least going to get together for lunch at Disneyland on my birthday.

I have also been emailling clubs in Miami, Las Vegas, and Orlando offering to give presentations while I am there (I know its a holiday but its a great way to get new contacts and tours..besides all my study is staying in my suitcases/boxes hidden in Tim and Nancy's basement). I have already had a couple of clubs in Miami say they would like me to come speak (unfortunately they are both on the same day although one already has a speaker), and one in Las Vegas said that sounds good and get back in touch in July. One of the clubs in Miami has also offered a tour around and found a professional tour group who will offer me "Rotary rates". She even has a friend who is a wealth of information on the Everglades who will hopefully join us when we go on our tour.

Hey look sometimes she does get off campus!

OK so moving away from campus for a bit I have recently been into New York City with my host counselor and his wife and a family friend to visit the 9/11 Memorial and we had lunch at a diner in Greenwich Village. I also attended the “taste of Caldwell” event with my host counselor and his wife where local restaurants gave you free tastings of some of their fare. Recently we also attended the “Taste of Broadway” here at the college which was two stars from Broadway here on campus singing some hit songs from different Broadway shows. It was a spectacular evening!
In January I went with two members of my host club and visited the Thomas Edison Museum (along with the club’s president and his family), and then we went to the Morris museum (http://www.morrismuseum.org/collections/guinness/november.html) where we saw Lego art work (http://brickartist.com/), music machines and anamatrons (living dolls). The exhibitions were really amazing we were even treated to a performance of the machines and dolls. Afterwards I was treated to dinner at the best steakhouse in New Jersey (so I was told…it was certainly the fanciest one I’ve been to they even served escargot). It was a really great day.
I went to a Bon Jovi concert at a huge local festival by the beach on Sunday the 20^th of May which was amazing and can now be taken off my bucket list. I also have tickets to see Meatloaf in concert in July as he is performing only 18 minutes from my campus (I’m also hoping to attend a Toby Keith concert when I go to Chicago to visit RI - possibly at the end of August/start of September depending on price).
Next March I have plans in the works to spend my Spring/Easter break in Alaska visiting local clubs and taking in the scenery (I figure I have to use my winter gear at some point while I’m here and Caldwell doesn’t seem to be in the mood to make that necessary). I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights and the clubs around the area that I am planning to go (right below the Arctic Circle) have sent a GSE team to New Zealand this year.
Today I am going to lunch with two ladies from here at the college who are planning a trip to NZ in November and want some advice on where to go, what to do, what has changed in the last 11 years (which is the last time one of them was down there), and what airlines are best etc. So Im looking forward to being able to tell them a bit about NZ and what I love about it and help them find ways to make it the best trip possible.

... and school

I am still going strong at school, last semester I took three of the heaviest classes available as well as worked at the center for a minimum of 20 hours a week. It was really crazy but now I am definitely on track to complete my degree by graduation next May and I will be able to sit the board certification examination in January because I will have enough practical experience and have completed all of the courses (except finishing the thesis) by that time. At the end of April we had a 5K Fun run (www.caldwellcollege5krun.com) at the ABA center to raise funds. It meant a 5am start but I volunteered on the registration desk and we had a really great day with a few hundred people in attendance. I am still loving my work at the center and received a pink rose from one of the little kids that I work with for Mother’s Day which was really sweet.

I think what really surprises me the most is the fact that I am still managing to maintain my 4.0 GPA which I am very proud of (granted I haven’t really left campus this last semester unless it was Rotary related but that’s OK). The summer heralds new challenges as I am working at the College President’s office helping with conferences and events, doing data entry for other departments, and just generally helping out as a secretary and the likes where needed. It has been pretty interesting so far, in fact I can’t believe it’s already been 4 weeks! After spending mornings at the office I go to spend my afternoons with the kids and work for 2-4 hours at the center and then have classes/study in the evening. I am taking two classes over the summer which is going to be much easier going than the three I took over the spring. I am also starting my thesis this summer which is going to be very interesting (I hope). After this (aside from thesis) I only have one more semester of practicum and one class left to take before I am finished so my last semester before graduation is just going to be thesis. Granted I am going to keep working at the center as a volunteer to make sure that I keep learning new skills and to get more experience in the field. Sadly/happily the little guy I am responsible for (I am now a team leader) is transitioning to a new school at the start of next month which is really great for him but not so great for me as I spend practically every moment I am at the center with him or doing some kind of work for him. Thankfully, if I can find a faculty member willing to be in the center for a few hours each Saturday next semester then his parents have said they would love to have him be a part of my thesis so I will still get to see him (fingers crossed).

My first summer class is nearly finished and practicum has stepped up the requirements so I have a lot more to do regarding that which has added somewhat to my work load but it hasnt been too bad so far. Admittedly I am looking forward to August when I will have no more work, center, or classes. Thesis is driving me a little nuts at the moment as it has been really hard to get time with my thesis chair due to summer and other factors. Apparently the faculty arent too concerned about me as I can clearly manage the work and do so to a relatively high standard (its nice that they have faith but sometimes that doesnt help me over much). No doubt it will come together... besides I need to make sure that I am still working on it in the Spring so that I am still a college student and get to stay in the country until May (right now I dont think that will be an issue). I also figure that if I do finish it at the start of the Spring semester it will give me time to work with my thesis chair to turn it into a journal article and/or a conference presentation or two.

Where I'm at with Rotary

Alright so since my last blog update life has become even more insane (clearly or you wouldn’t have had to wait 6 months to get an update). I have now been to 9 different clubs to present and on the 19^th of Ma) I attended the Rotary District (7470) Conference and played the role of Breakfast speaker addressing around 260 Rotarians for 15 minutes. My presentation was a real hit and has resulted in a influx of new presentation requests both to Rotary clubs and non-Rotary organizations (e.g., SNAP – Special Needs Athletic Program). One of the Rotarians that I have become close friends with has organized for me to go and have a personal tour at Rotary International Headquarters for whenever I am in the Chicago area, which I am very excited about. I have recently been spending a lot of time with the district’s past district governor who has been taking me to different club meetings, gave me a tour of a more rural county here in New Jersey (we even walked along the Appalachian trail for about 15 minutes which was really great. We also attended a beef steak dinner that was held by one of the Rotary Clubs as a fundraiser. Basically you sit at a table and someone just keeps bringing over bowls of fries and slices of baguette with slices of steak until you can’t eat anymore and have a nice little tower of bread. It was really interesting and I even ended up having my photo taken with a local congressman. There is also a plan in the works for me to go along to a county fair (which sounds pretty similar to the A&P shows back home) in August so that will be very interesting. At some point over the summer I will also be attending Camp Merry Heart for a day to help out. It’s a camp for children with disabilities so should be really interesting to see.

I have recently (June 7th) attended the Caldwell Rotary clubs Golf Outing. We got there at 10am and worked the registration desk for 2-3 hours, then I sat down by the "get a hole in one and win a car" tee to make sure everyone was following the rules for the next 5 and a half hours before walking back to the country club for cocktails, dinner, and raffles. We got back to the college around 9.30pm... it was a really good day...despite the golf ;). On Tuesday (12th June) I attended the photo exhibition of one of the honorary Rotary members (her husband is a Rotarian and she is the official photographer). The photos were really great. I definitely recommend checking them out - janetmarkmanphotography.com/. Thursday 26th June I will be attending the Caldwell Rotary club's installation dinner which is when they make the switch from their current president to the new president etc etc.

Beach Boys

On December 2nd I took a bus to Newark and a train to New Brunswick. It took 2 hours. Why did I do it? Well because I had a $30 ticket to see the Beach Boys and John Stamos (Uncle Jesse in Full House) live. What a night! I waited in the cold for two hours (thats what happens to people who arrive early), spent 30 minutes in an overcrowded lobby, and 40 minutes in the seats waiting for the concert to start but the second they came on stage none of that mattered anymore...it was AMAZING!! They even had John Stamos perform Forever just like on Full House. I got a bit worried at the end when they did their 'goodnights' and walked off stage because the two songs I had been looking forward to the most hadnt been done. Then boom they came back onstage and belted out 'Little Saint Nick' and 'Kokomo'. Man what a perfect ending! After that I made my way back to the train station only to find out that the train left at the same time the concert ended so I spent an hour reading my new book in the cold, left there at 11.30pm and caught the last bus back to Caldwell (at 12.20am) which meant I got home at 1.30am....like I said what a night!!