Editorial

Hi all,

This post is a little heavier than my usual ones, but reading the news this morning I just had the urge to "talk" to someone about what's going on. It's early here, so this will have to be an adequate substitute. First of all, I was really saddened to see what happened last week in Aurora. People are sometimes truly horrible, and it makes me so angry that innocent people have to die due to one person's mental illness. My heart goes out to their families, and I wish there were something that could have prevented such an awful attack.

Second, I was reading this article this morning about the Penn State sanctions, and found myself desperately wanting a rebuttal. I disagree with this sports writer on almost everything he says.

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/NCAA-sanctions-Penn-State-Joe-Paterno-Jerry-Sandusky-child-molestation-072312

The headline from yesterday is that the National Collegiate Atheltic Association (NCAA) laid down harsh sanctions for the Penn State football team. These sanctions were punishment for the lack of disclosure by high ranking academic and athletic officials at Penn State. The punishment included a $60 million dollar fine (revenue for the Penn State football team for one year), they will be stripped of all of their titles during the time of the scandal, they will not be allowed in the postseason for 4 years, and they will lose 10 scholarships a year during those 4 years as well.

The writer's main argument is that you can never repair the damage done to Sandusky's victims, so therefore Penn State should not be punished. He sees the NCAA and its leadership as bullying and already down and out Penn State because they want to appear strong.

I actually agree with the writer that nothing we do can fix what happened to the victims, but that's where our opinions start to differ. Making things right by the victims was not the point of these sanctions. We have a legal system to try criminal cases and provide justice to people wronged. The NCAA, however, is responsible for the rules and codes of conduct for college athletic teams. They have made it perfectly clear that letting staff engage in illegal and immoral activities without repercussions in order to save face, and funding, is absolutely not ok.

It was determined that even though several Penn State athletic and academic officials knew about the allegations, they did nothing to investigate or remove Sandusky from the company of young boys. They chose to ignore what they had been told in order to protect their precious football revenues and the prestige of their team. It is reprehensible that they chose their image and their money over the safety of these children, and by doing so made it possible for more children to be victimized. That is what the NCAA is punishing them for. They are doing it to show that no team should be choosing their revenue and reputation over the safety of innocent people.

By laying down these sanctions, the NCAA has made it clear that a team will lose more revenue and more prestige (all of your wins, four years of playoffs) for being dishonest than if they come forward and do the right thing. This way, the management will not be tempted to sacrifice morality for other less important things. It is sad that this has to be reinforced by the NCAA. It seems to me that protecting children should be paramount, whether Mark Emmert tells you to or not. I hope that these sanctions show all NCAA teams that your athletic organization is not nearly as important as human lives and wellbeing, and that this changes the culture of these teams to reflect that understanding.

One part of the santions I didn't agree with was removing the scholarships. I understand that recruiting is one of the biggest draws for football teams, and is a sanction that effects their pocketbook and their image, but the students who won't receive those scholarships seem like collateral damage. For some students, athletic scholarships are the only reason they can afford to attend college. Without them there are potentially 10 of those students who won't go. That was disappointing, but certainly adds to the harshness of the punishment.

That's my two cents (or 50, this is way longer than I intended). I am very excited to move back home next week and start medical school. I still can't believe they're going to let me be a doctor. I sure have them fooled =).

More stuff and happier stuff later. I love all of you!

Lynne

Last few weeks in Boston

It's been a fun couple of weeks out here. Work is going pretty well. My boss is on vacation and two other nurses are filling in. It seems nurses really like to gossip, and one of them is hard to motivate, but otherwise it's going smoothly. I can't believe I've only got a month left out here! I'M COMING HOME! I've been trying to tie up loose ends for my replacement before she arrives, but I have a feeling she will have a lot to catch up on. I just hope she is happy in the job and learns a lot.

Jesse's wedding was on the 23rd. It was great to be there and see my friends for a while. He and Heather are great together. The ceremony and the reception were really well organized, and the weather even cooperated. It was hot, but the clouds came at just the right moment. Their house in Westminister is beautiful, and their backyard faces a really nice greenway where they can ride. So happy for them! And on a sightly unrelated note, I'm very grateful that the fires are out and that my loved ones are safe.

My coworkers and I got to go "camping" last week. We didn't stay overnight, so it wasn't really camping, but we had a good time. We grilled, swam, played scatterball and frisbee in Peterborough, NH. It was a really fun day. I enjoyed driving everyone too, which isn't always the case. It was a great opportunity to socialize and get some sun.

The holiday was fun. Since it isn't dry out here and I live by the water, there have been copious amounts of fireworks all week. On the Fourth, the whole horizon was filled with them. I didn't know where to look because there were displays (professional and otherwise) everywhere. The Boston Pops were really amazing, even from far away. We synced the show up to the radio so we could listen to the music while they went off. They were delayed due to weather but were definitely worth it.

This weekend I'm working Patient Activities for the last time (yay!) and hopefully meeting up with friends. I've been itching to get out of the house and have been looking for an excuse to do so. Liberty has been walked every day since I'm feeling antsy. Maybe it's just nerves/excitement about school.

I finally settled on a place to live with a PA student and her fiance. The house is really close to campus, in a safe area and it's really nice. I am excited to show it off in my tiny amount of free time next year. Megan and Marco have a dog, so that's a plus too. I don't know how often I'll be home, but hopefully it will be enough to enjoy it. School will be tough and I'm a little nervous. I can't believe they are going to let me be a doctor. Heaven help us ;). I keep thinking of my boss Saio saying "you do your best, and that's all you can do." Maybe I'll put that on a sticky note somewhere so I don't forget.

I think that's all the news from here. Love to all!

Lynne

David S. Lynch Park and Miscellaneous

Hi everyone.

For starters, I've added more photos to my last post, "El Nido Escondido." While gathering photos for this post I found some I hadn't posted yet from my Memorial Day trip to the Adirondacks.

The photos in this post are all from my trip up to Beverly, MA. It turns out I have some relatives who grew up there. It is a charming little town on the "North Shore." Yesterday there seemed to be a parade or something in downtown. My guess it that it commemorated Flag Day, but I don't know for sure. My favorite story about Beverly and the relatives is the one about David S. Lynch Park. I'll let you read the history on the link I've posted below.

http://www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html

David S. Lynch was Grammy's uncle, I believe. He is the one they talk about in the history section. Yesterday was chilly and foggy, but the view was pretty anyway. And there were quite a few people in the park, even though it was cold. They charge for parking, but Beverly residents are exempt. I guess that preserves the spirit of David Lynch's gift. Here are my photos.

Entrance to the park



The statue of the Falconer next to the water.

Beach access from the park

Rose Garden from the side

The rose garden. The inscription warns people that once they enter, they will never be free of its "spell."

I sat and played my ukulele in the park for a while, then headed home. I made a few stops. I found a school called St. John's, but I don't think it was the St. John's prep where Grammy's relatives went to school. I decided not to stop in Salem, but I may go back if other people come along with me.

After I got back into the Boston area, I went to a potluck in Cambridge with my coworkers and some of their friends. We played wiffleball and kickball in the park. It was like being 10 again. A few of us saw a movie afterward to get out of the cold. All in all it was a pretty fun day. Today will be a catch-up kind of day and the weather should be nice.

I'm praying that Colorado gets some rain (or a lot of rain) to help stop that fire west of Fort Collins. I'll be headed back to Denver for Jesse's wedding this coming week, so hopefully there will be some good news when I get there. Can't wait to see the family and my friends again!

Love to everyone,

Lynne



El Nido Escondido

UPDATE!! I've added pictures from this trip that I just found on my phone. Enjoy!

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Van. It burned down in the 80's but they rebuilt it. Their factory was one of my favorite stops in Vermont.

Cider was awesome, cider doughnuts were even better.

On the ferry to Vermont.

Christina and Talia on the edge of the dam - washed out by Irene. Sharon says it looks totally different.

Another shot on top of Phelps Mountain

Awesome view from Phelps

Hi everyone,

Hope you all are well. I wanted to share a few pictures from my awesome Memorial Day weekend in the Adirondacks. I had such a good time! The cabin we stayed in has been in Sharon's family since 1914. They call it El Nido Escondido, or "The Hidden Nest." The view is beautiful, and we had a great time thanks to her. She also took us on an awesome "food" tour of Vermont, which included Ben and Jerry's, the Magic Hat brewery, Cabot dairy farms, a wine tasting, and a pretty sweet ferry ride. Hope you enjoy these. Love to all,

Lynne

Christina and me on top of Phelps Mountain after the hike.

This is me while we ate our lunches.

On the way down the mountain

Talia, K.T. and me at El Nido Escondido

The whole group (from left, except for dog) at El Nido. Sharon, Talia, Christina, Lynne, Kody, K.T. Ryan and Ron. The dog is Crichton.

Decision Time

This morning I officially contacted Creighton University and told them I won't be coming to Omaha next year. That means it's the University of Colorado for me. I'm excited and nervous, and can't wait to come home. It's a great school and I think I'll be really happy there.

I had planned to make a final decision sooner, but there has been a little issue with my in-state classification for tuition purposes. May 15th is the deadline where students can only hold one acceptance, and I couldn't wait any longer. I still have no answer from CU, but I am relatively confident that I will be classified as in-state. Even if I am not, I have a strong case for appeal. I pay my taxes in Colorado, I'm registered to vote there, my driver's license is from Colorado and I've only been gone about 7 months.

The next couple of weeks will be really busy. I am heading up a quit-smoking event on the 31st. I will be out of town the weekend before, so I will have to get a lot done before I leave. Sharon, Talia, Christina and some other friends are headed to the Adirondacks for Memorial Day weekend. It should be a lot of fun. We will be hiking, cooking out, and just enjoying the outdoors. I had my first orienteering training on Saturday, and I will try to practice some of my new skills.

I'm enjoying the weather out here this month. There has been a lot of rain, which is sorely needed, broken up by lovely, warm weather. Today could go either way.

Not much news here. Love to everyone!

Lynne

Unite For Sight, New Haven and Home

Hi everyone,

I had a really nice weekend, and things are going well. My coworkers and I went to New Haven, CT for a conference called Unite for Sight. The presentations/workshops were all about health care in rural and international clinic sites where supplies, money and manpower are scarce. I found it really inspiring, and actually picked up some ideas I can use in working with the homeless. I was really impressed with all of the different people that attended. Business people, public health workers, students, physicians, artists, journalists and professors were just some of the groups presenting and participating. I learned a lot and had a really good time with my friends. It's amazing what they've been able to do abroad and right here at home with limited funds and few people. Sometimes it's not a new vaccine or health care facility that's needed, it can be something as simple as a few horses to get medicines from one place to another.

New Haven is very pretty. We stayed in Hartford with one coworker's parents, and it was also really nice. They were very good to us - they gave us a place to sleep (all 10 of us!) and left out snacks, breakfast and coffee each day. I am so grateful.

Now that I'm home I'm getting excited for the next few weeks. My mom is coming to visit Friday and I can't wait! I have a whole itinerary planned out for us and I want to show her where I live and work. The weather has been great, the flowers are blooming and it should be beautiful. We will be going to the Common, the Public Gardens, walking parts of the Freedom Trail, the Museum of Science, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, and the Top of the Hub. Hopefully that's not too much stuff.

I plan to inform Colorado and Creighton of my final decision about medical school this week. I've drafted a letter and will probably mail it today. I still have three weeks before the deadline, but I've made up my mind I want to let someone else start planning the next step in their life too. I didn't get one scholarship I applied for, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another. I should know in June. I'll keep everyone posted.

Work will be busy in the next few weeks too. I volunteered to take on a big project that's supposed to happen in May and there is still a lot to be done. We are trying to do a repeat of our quit smoking event from the fall and donations should be hard to come by. We've had a lot of events this year and I am sure our usual donors are sick of requests. I've found a couple of other vendors willing to donate though. We should have some good stuff to give away. I'll be leaning heavily on my coworkers too, since it is a large undertaking.

On the home front things are good. Liberty, the dog that lives here, was sprayed by a skunk on Sunday. She still smells and is so miserable. I want to cuddle her, but can't because I don't want to go to work smelling of skunk too. Poor little thing. Susan and Dave will keep bathing and cleaning her, but she won't like it.

That's about it from here. Hope you all are well. Love you so much!

Lynne

I Love Our Patients

When I started at Transitions, one of the first things I heard (and heard many times since) was to lock up all my valuables. Nurses who turn their backs for even a second find pocketbooks, medications, etc. gone. Our patients are newly sober, and many have come into a pattern of manipulating or even stealing to get what they want. You have to be really careful with your things.

Yesterday was a little crazy. I wasn't feeling very well and there was a lot going on. The doctor normally sees 6 to 7 patients in the morning but we had 9 on his list. I was trying to prepare for my group and get all of these patients into the clinic, all while the nurse wanted me to go to a party for a case manager who is leaving. I managed to get it all done. Just as I was leaving my office for my health education group with the male patients, the nurse's boss said she wanted to speak to me too. They had just been in her office for 45 minutes. I assumed it was bad news because, let's face it, that's the only reason management ever comes to the Island. I told her I was on my way to a group, and she said she just needed 5 or 6 minutes of my time. I told her that it was ok, and asked the operations staff to delay my group until 1:40, ten minutes later than the original start time.

She sat me down and walked me through recent Medicare cuts, how many patients the clinic sees at any given time and other justification for whatever it was she was about to tell me. Since I was in a hurry, I was almost tempted to say, "You don't have to justify your actions with me, just tell me what is going on." I think she wanted to talk to me as a way to clear her conscience, or maybe just to make sure she covered all of her bases, or to make sure someone hadn't told me before she did. When 1:40 came and went, I really wanted to run and start my group. Starting group late and being flustered is not the best way to approach 20 newly sober gentlemen who can be a handful anyway. She finally told me what was going on, but asked me to keep it "under my hat" until everyone knows the news. So I will. I'll let you know when everyone knows. I thanked her for telling me, and when I didn't have any questions or concerns she asked to use my phone. I told her to feel free, and that she could make herself comfortable. I ran to my group and made it just in time. The operations folks had started taking role for me, and were just going to do a check in until I showed up.

Group was actually surprisingly successful. We talked about stress and they were really open to talking about relaxation techniques, things they had tried and things that didn't work for them. When I got back to my office I was feeling a little better, but then I saw the door. It was wide open, and my bag was sitting on the desk where anyone could see it. The big boss had just left the door open, probably not realizing what we worry about with some of our patients. I went over to the desk where my things were sitting. As I dug through my bag, I found that everything was still there - my cash, credit cards, ID and phone were all right where I left them. The only thing missing was the candy from the bowl sitting next to my bag.

The fact that my patients cleared out the candy bowl but left all of my things made me really happy. They have enough respect not to mess with my things, even though they clearly had access to all of it. I won't let something like this happen again, but I still feel like I underestimated their integrity. Even though they did take the candy, it made me feel really good that they didn't take my stuff. It's just one more reason why I love these crazy characters.

Love to all,

Lynne