We had a faculty trip snorkeling yesterday - what a blast!!!
We went to Scott's Head at the very southern tip of this island -which is an isthmus - the Atlantic is on one side and the Caribbean Sea is on the other. We went out just a bit from the shore and there was this huge drop off. Cool!!! BTW - I bought snorkeling equipment on Friday so I am set now. It was absolutely gorgeous - the fish, the coral, I could go on and on.
After about an hour there we went to Champagne Beach for lunch and our afternoon. It is called that because there are millions of bubbles as you are under the water and it looks like champagne bubbles. It is so amazing. You can hear it too. We saw a lot more fish there - gorgeous - big fish, huge schools of fish, squid, turtles. Wow!!!! It is also one of the premier dive sites on the island and I can see why. There are caves and another big drop off not too far off shore. It would be amazing to dive it. I am going to look into lessons and hopefully get dive certified.
According to John L. - the experienced diver - we saw Rainbow, Blue and Queen Parrot Fish, Trumpet Fish, Peacock Flounder, French Angel Fish, Squirrel Fish, Cow Fish and Sergeant Majors - not sure everyone will know what all of those look like, but interesting nonetheless, I hope. I just thought they were all pretty.
It was a great day. Boy were we tired when we got home. It was a lot of activity for the day.
We have a day trip to Les Saintes in two weeks and I can't wait for that. I will tell you all about it after. Les Saintes is a small French Island just off the coast of Guadeloupe.
We are planning a Canadian Thanksgiving too and will have the Canadian gang for dinner. We may let a few Americans join us too. We know where to get a Butterball Turkey, so we will have turkey, sweet potatoes and anything else we can make. We get pumpkin here so we may have to have a stab at pumpkin pie. Should be fun.
As for the rest of the week - it seems to have gone by in a blur again. Wow, we are busy but I am enjoying the students. They are a lot of fun to work with. We had labs again this week and it is funny to have them interview patients. Some are so nervous. We also had them do verbal reports and summaries of the interviews in class - that freaks them out a bit. We just tell them though that they need the practice before their clinical rotations.
Have I tortured you enough for this week? Oh, I almost forgot - another breathtaking sunset last night - it was so clear and the water was so calm. Gorgeous. But, it is very still and hot today.
Ah, yes.......
TTYL
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
New posting schedule
Okay, here it is - I am only going to post once a week from now on because I am so busy at work so PLEASE don't send me email and ask where the posts are. Too funny. At least I know people are still reading.
As I said in my last post - I think I had better stop telling everyone how gorgeous it is here - but I won't. That's half the fun of being here.
Now for my week - OMG - it was so busy but so much fun. Monday lab, Wed lecture (went very well), Thursday lab and Research Day yesterday. I don't know where the week went.
And since Allan and Mary and John all finally moved in on Thursday we had to have a little celebration last night at my place. There was the most gorgeous sunset over the sea again - beautiful pinks and blues and some puffy clouds. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I love it. It also seems that word has leaked out that this is THE place to live and I have had a couple of people at school ask me how to get in here. The waitlist seems to continue to grow. I am sooooooooo glad I live here.
I love my house!!!
OH, before I forget - I saw the old man yesterday as I was leaving work. He was right beside the road at the gates to the campus - just sitting there with his head up, looking around. I wish I had my camera. He is amazing. If you don't remember the old man is one of the iguanas on the campus.
Today is a quiet at-home day and boy do I need one of those. We have a birthday party picnic at the beach tomorrow so that should be lots of fun. I still have some boxes that need to be unpacked but I needed a rest from it for a bit. I will go at it again next weekend and hopefully finally be done with it. It was a big job and took a lot of time and energy. As I said, I love my house and everyday I look around and marvel at the beauty of this island.
Okay, sorry, had to say that again. Talk soon,
Love to all
D
As I said in my last post - I think I had better stop telling everyone how gorgeous it is here - but I won't. That's half the fun of being here.
Now for my week - OMG - it was so busy but so much fun. Monday lab, Wed lecture (went very well), Thursday lab and Research Day yesterday. I don't know where the week went.
And since Allan and Mary and John all finally moved in on Thursday we had to have a little celebration last night at my place. There was the most gorgeous sunset over the sea again - beautiful pinks and blues and some puffy clouds. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I love it. It also seems that word has leaked out that this is THE place to live and I have had a couple of people at school ask me how to get in here. The waitlist seems to continue to grow. I am sooooooooo glad I live here.
I love my house!!!
OH, before I forget - I saw the old man yesterday as I was leaving work. He was right beside the road at the gates to the campus - just sitting there with his head up, looking around. I wish I had my camera. He is amazing. If you don't remember the old man is one of the iguanas on the campus.
Today is a quiet at-home day and boy do I need one of those. We have a birthday party picnic at the beach tomorrow so that should be lots of fun. I still have some boxes that need to be unpacked but I needed a rest from it for a bit. I will go at it again next weekend and hopefully finally be done with it. It was a big job and took a lot of time and energy. As I said, I love my house and everyday I look around and marvel at the beauty of this island.
Okay, sorry, had to say that again. Talk soon,
Love to all
D
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Busy week!!!!!
Were you all breathlessly waiting for a post on Thursday??? I only got one message asking where the post was.
It has been very busy with the first week of school and several people away at a conference.
We had labs and orientation sessions and....... busy, busy, busy. I also had a lecture that I had to scramble to prepare and to deliver on Thursday. I have another two hour lecture on Wed and I have been making powerpoint for that. I haven't had to do that for awhile.
As for the "hood" - only Jen was able to move in this weekend. The others - Allan and John and Mary have to wait a few more days. They are a bit unhappy about it but it is better to let the workers finish everything rather than rush them and live in a mess. John and Carey are settling in after moving in last weekend. They are getting the hang of things. It's funny that I am the veteran here in the neighbourhood.
We had a gang dinner at my place last night even though it wasn't an official moving in dinner as it was supposed to be. It was still fun - I made a nice pasta and we did our own croutons with some left over bread. It was really good.
We also had a euchre game. What a howl that was. Allan and Mary knew how to play but John and Carey didn't, so they got a lesson and then some good practice. They did pretty well. It should be fun to have more games in the future.
It was strange for me this week to know that it was Labour Day in Canada and be at work. Also it was strange on Tuesday knowing that class started at Fanshawe and that I wasn't there to do the orientation for the program. A little bird told me that Cori did an excellent job of it.
I am trying not to torture everyone by saying how gorgeous it is here any more - you'll stop reading the blog. Allan and I went to breakfast at Le Flambeau this morning - it is a cute little place on the water and it was so peaceful - we saw lots of birds - pelicans and seabirds and Frigate birds and watched a catamaran go to pick up people from Ross for a whale watching trip today. I would have loved to go on that trip but I had to go into my office and finish my lecture powerpoint because I am really busy for the next few days at work.
I am going to be attending and presenting at a conference at the end of April in San Francisco and hope to tack on a wine tour of Napa on the end. Woo hoo. There is great potential - and money - to attend conferences and I am really happy about that. There are a lot of great opportunities for research too so once this initial rush settles a little I will be able to concentrate on that too.
Okay, enough torturing you - oh wait - the late afternoon sun is shining on the water and the view from my kitchen window is amazing and I can see little fishing boats in the bay.
Bye............... :)
It has been very busy with the first week of school and several people away at a conference.
We had labs and orientation sessions and....... busy, busy, busy. I also had a lecture that I had to scramble to prepare and to deliver on Thursday. I have another two hour lecture on Wed and I have been making powerpoint for that. I haven't had to do that for awhile.
As for the "hood" - only Jen was able to move in this weekend. The others - Allan and John and Mary have to wait a few more days. They are a bit unhappy about it but it is better to let the workers finish everything rather than rush them and live in a mess. John and Carey are settling in after moving in last weekend. They are getting the hang of things. It's funny that I am the veteran here in the neighbourhood.
We had a gang dinner at my place last night even though it wasn't an official moving in dinner as it was supposed to be. It was still fun - I made a nice pasta and we did our own croutons with some left over bread. It was really good.
We also had a euchre game. What a howl that was. Allan and Mary knew how to play but John and Carey didn't, so they got a lesson and then some good practice. They did pretty well. It should be fun to have more games in the future.
It was strange for me this week to know that it was Labour Day in Canada and be at work. Also it was strange on Tuesday knowing that class started at Fanshawe and that I wasn't there to do the orientation for the program. A little bird told me that Cori did an excellent job of it.
I am trying not to torture everyone by saying how gorgeous it is here any more - you'll stop reading the blog. Allan and I went to breakfast at Le Flambeau this morning - it is a cute little place on the water and it was so peaceful - we saw lots of birds - pelicans and seabirds and Frigate birds and watched a catamaran go to pick up people from Ross for a whale watching trip today. I would have loved to go on that trip but I had to go into my office and finish my lecture powerpoint because I am really busy for the next few days at work.
I am going to be attending and presenting at a conference at the end of April in San Francisco and hope to tack on a wine tour of Napa on the end. Woo hoo. There is great potential - and money - to attend conferences and I am really happy about that. There are a lot of great opportunities for research too so once this initial rush settles a little I will be able to concentrate on that too.
Okay, enough torturing you - oh wait - the late afternoon sun is shining on the water and the view from my kitchen window is amazing and I can see little fishing boats in the bay.
Bye............... :)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Too much fun
Oh, man this is too much fun here. Friday night we had 8 or so people at Tomato - Whitney reserved tables for us - she said I am a VIP, so I teased the others that being Canadian is the thing to be. What a hoot. We had a really nice time all chatting and laughing...... I love this place.
On Friday I worked with our MD's - they are the new docs who have graduated from the program and then can work for a year or two with the students and the labs. We met with the professional patients in two groups and got things set up for the start of the labs this week. I am really going to like working with them - they are young and energetic and lots of fun, and they really like the fact that I am going to work with them. I met with them and talked about working as a team, etc. and said I would give them lots of opportunity to practice their skills. They are not technically allowed to lecture the current students - I am in charge of that, but I said I'll let them do some of it. They are thrilled.
Yesterday we went to the market in Portsmouth again and shopped for breakfast and dinner last night. We had six of us - me, Allan, John and Mary and John and Carey. John and Carey moved in yesterday so they needed to be fed. We did a big breakfast again and then Lee and I attacked my study for a good part of the day. It looks pretty good now. I had to take a little break after a week of unpacking and I was motivated to get at it again.
For dinner - we were celebrating John and Carey's move-in - Allan made an amazing watermelon and cucumber gazpacho, Mary made salad and marinade for the fish, I made a rice pilaf and plantains sauteed in rum (yummo) and we had grilled tuna - the two Johns were on bbq duty. It was great - everyone pitched in for both cooking and clean up. What a great way to do things. We also went through a few bottles of wine - no surprise there huh??.
I just love this neighbourhood and it will be even better when Allan and John and Mary move in next Saturday. We will do it again. Carey and John should be a little more settled by then and we will be in charge of dinner. It is so much fun to go to the market and buy stuff on Saturday mornings. Oh, I almost forgot - I bought a bunch of flowers - ginger lily and bird of paradise - a gorgeous bouquet for $5 EC - get that. That's about $2 Canadian. That bunch would have been at least $30 there.
If you can't tell, I am totally at home here. Keisha - our Community Clinic Coordinator in our dept. (a lovely Dominican girl) called me Dominican again on Friday and yesterday when I saw her at the market. I take that as a big compliment.
Today is going be a quiet, at home day. I need one. I'm going to do laundry and stuff and sit on the deck and read a book. Things will be crazy at work tomorrow.
Off to laundry now.
Take care everyone.
On Friday I worked with our MD's - they are the new docs who have graduated from the program and then can work for a year or two with the students and the labs. We met with the professional patients in two groups and got things set up for the start of the labs this week. I am really going to like working with them - they are young and energetic and lots of fun, and they really like the fact that I am going to work with them. I met with them and talked about working as a team, etc. and said I would give them lots of opportunity to practice their skills. They are not technically allowed to lecture the current students - I am in charge of that, but I said I'll let them do some of it. They are thrilled.
Yesterday we went to the market in Portsmouth again and shopped for breakfast and dinner last night. We had six of us - me, Allan, John and Mary and John and Carey. John and Carey moved in yesterday so they needed to be fed. We did a big breakfast again and then Lee and I attacked my study for a good part of the day. It looks pretty good now. I had to take a little break after a week of unpacking and I was motivated to get at it again.
For dinner - we were celebrating John and Carey's move-in - Allan made an amazing watermelon and cucumber gazpacho, Mary made salad and marinade for the fish, I made a rice pilaf and plantains sauteed in rum (yummo) and we had grilled tuna - the two Johns were on bbq duty. It was great - everyone pitched in for both cooking and clean up. What a great way to do things. We also went through a few bottles of wine - no surprise there huh??.
I just love this neighbourhood and it will be even better when Allan and John and Mary move in next Saturday. We will do it again. Carey and John should be a little more settled by then and we will be in charge of dinner. It is so much fun to go to the market and buy stuff on Saturday mornings. Oh, I almost forgot - I bought a bunch of flowers - ginger lily and bird of paradise - a gorgeous bouquet for $5 EC - get that. That's about $2 Canadian. That bunch would have been at least $30 there.
If you can't tell, I am totally at home here. Keisha - our Community Clinic Coordinator in our dept. (a lovely Dominican girl) called me Dominican again on Friday and yesterday when I saw her at the market. I take that as a big compliment.
Today is going be a quiet, at home day. I need one. I'm going to do laundry and stuff and sit on the deck and read a book. Things will be crazy at work tomorrow.
Off to laundry now.
Take care everyone.
Friday, September 3, 2010
I have office furniture finally!!
Well, my office furniture has finally arrived. Yahoo. A desk came last week when I was home unpacking but Dave (my Chair) sent it back - he said it was crap (it was better than what I had).
The new stuff - and I mean new - came and was set up - a nice big desk with locking drawers, a chair and a bookshelf. Geez, little things sure mean a lot when you don't have them.
Anyway, it looks much better now - I just need to get my pictures hung and it will be done.
It feels really nice. I sit right beside the window and while I can't see the water I can see lots of green - palm trees and a mountain.
It has been a whirlwind week with orientation. I have attended a lot of the sessions so I could learn too and it has been really helpful - not to mention fun.
We have also been out to dinner almost every night this week because of new faculty coming in and welcoming them. It will be nice to cook at home tomorrow night after going to the market again tomorrow morning (bright and early). We are out at Tomato tonight because they just reopened after closing for two weeks. Whitney and Rob (the owners) are Canadian ( I have talked about them before) and they needed a holiday.
I have also been busy preparing a lecture that I have to do next week for a faculty member in our dept who is ill and off island - yee haaaaa.... Not a problem - I just made a few changes to her lecture. I have also inherited the Life Cycle lectures for week two - which will be mine permanently. As well, there is a new conflict of interest policy in force so academic faculty can't counsel any more - I will now be assigned a lot of the Behavioral Lab work and some work in the community clinics to replace the counseling piece. It should be fun - I think I will like the labs - we teach them how to conduct interviews with patients - the patients are from the community and have been trained to have different chief complaints, etc.... Also, the community clinics are real clinics with local people where the students are supervised in working with the patients.
I am looking forward to this, although I do like the counseling piece too. Oh well, best to go with the flow.
Speaking of going, better get moving, I have a meeting.
Please comment or email - I am not hearing much from people.
Later,
The new stuff - and I mean new - came and was set up - a nice big desk with locking drawers, a chair and a bookshelf. Geez, little things sure mean a lot when you don't have them.
Anyway, it looks much better now - I just need to get my pictures hung and it will be done.
It feels really nice. I sit right beside the window and while I can't see the water I can see lots of green - palm trees and a mountain.
It has been a whirlwind week with orientation. I have attended a lot of the sessions so I could learn too and it has been really helpful - not to mention fun.
We have also been out to dinner almost every night this week because of new faculty coming in and welcoming them. It will be nice to cook at home tomorrow night after going to the market again tomorrow morning (bright and early). We are out at Tomato tonight because they just reopened after closing for two weeks. Whitney and Rob (the owners) are Canadian ( I have talked about them before) and they needed a holiday.
I have also been busy preparing a lecture that I have to do next week for a faculty member in our dept who is ill and off island - yee haaaaa.... Not a problem - I just made a few changes to her lecture. I have also inherited the Life Cycle lectures for week two - which will be mine permanently. As well, there is a new conflict of interest policy in force so academic faculty can't counsel any more - I will now be assigned a lot of the Behavioral Lab work and some work in the community clinics to replace the counseling piece. It should be fun - I think I will like the labs - we teach them how to conduct interviews with patients - the patients are from the community and have been trained to have different chief complaints, etc.... Also, the community clinics are real clinics with local people where the students are supervised in working with the patients.
I am looking forward to this, although I do like the counseling piece too. Oh well, best to go with the flow.
Speaking of going, better get moving, I have a meeting.
Please comment or email - I am not hearing much from people.
Later,
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