(no subject)

[falasta]

Anyone here a cast iron guru? I've been using our ancient Dutch oven to make my mother soup the past two months (she's been very sick and it's the only thing she'll eat), and it's looking the worse for wear. I'm seasoning it in the oven as we speak, but I've also been looking around on the internet for better ways to maintain our iron-ware. I've got a skillet absolutely encrusted with carbonized crud. Seems most people recommend burning it off with fire, and another method that involves lye (which I *really* don't want to go near).

Mom's still dragging herself around the house working on about 1/2 of a lung. Her asthma has gotten progessively worse the past few years. I had high hopes we'd get rid of this one before Christmas, but then she *had* to fly back east to visit my brother ... and came back sicker than ever. I've been doing percussion on her twice per day, and after two months she's finally beginning to cough stuff up. She's still on albuterol every four hours, and uses her nebulizer every hour. She was recently taken off the prednisone, however, so that's at least a step in the right direction. The albuterol has destroyed her voice and basically now has perpetual laryngitis. So I've introduced her to Downton Abbey and am keeping her supplied in chicken soup and Raspberry Zinger.

Jennifer signed me up for the running part of a relay triathlon in September. This means I have nine months to lose about 60 pounds and actually get in shape! I'm really excited to do it (after the initial "but I haven't run in five years!". She came down over Christmas and totally got me energized. I love being around Jen--she's such a motivating person. This year, instead of the family complaining about the state of the house, Jennifer cleaned out the entire house, and actually whipped up all her kids into helping! And John went around the house and garage and fixed all our problems (like the garbage disposer, the loose door handles, and the burned out bulbs outside). It was such a kind and thoughtful thing to do--made me so happy and proud.

The last few months have been a big strain because of Mom's illness, but now that I'm working, and she's looking slightly less likely to drop unconscious any moment, I'm hoping things will smooth out a bit more. I finally, finally, FINALLY got my official Faculty appointment at school! (Only took them a semester and about 300 pages of paperwork). I'm working at a friend's Periodontal practice just ten minutes away, which is exciting in many ways. The older dentist is fantastic--not only a quality practitioner, but kind and calm in his manner. The younger (son in law) has actually hired me on to coordinate a research study in the office (more on that later), and he's a great guy to work with too. The office is lovely, and I'm pretty much allowed to schedule/treat my patients as I like. Right now the real challenge is scheduling patients--I'm pretty much starting from zero (the other hygienists in the office already have their patient base). .

Comments

[halocentury.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear about your mom's condition. Asthma is certainly not an easy thing to deal with, but if she's improving, that's defintely a good thing.

Great news on the placement. Well, it sounds like a placement. Is it considered a credit for your program?

[falasta.livejournal.com]

Well, she's sounding slightly less like the Grim Reaper lately, so that's good :)

It's an actual job! I finished the program in April, got my license in August, and applied for this Faculty position in September. It's once a week in the mornings, and is awesome. I ADORE my supervisor, who fought for me and another friend to get this position for four months. The other clinical position is in a private Periodontal office where I work as a dental hygienist. :-)

It's been years and years since I've updated anything properly--I probably need to take my own advice and start from the beginning, not the middle!

[halocentury.livejournal.com]

I couldn't tell for sure in your post if you were speaking of it like a job or a placement. That is fantastic! Great to hear that you're getting along well in your position, even if your client base is a little limited. Or is that normal?

[falasta.livejournal.com]

Well, my job was "created" just recently, so I'm basically starting out from the beginning (instead of, for instance, replacing another hygienist). So it's normal for the position I accepted. Eventually, the client base will pick up :)

[halocentury.livejournal.com]

It's kind of neat that you did get to pick up a new job. And yes, hopefully you'll find yourself with more work soon. :D