I've been vastly more independent in the clinic this last week. I'm beginning to feel more confident, and my CI and I had a discussion in which we sort of ironed out some of the concerns I had with my own technique and that sort of thing, and things are going very well. I don't yet feel ready to be an independent clinician, but I do feel like that is a possibility at some point in the future.
Saturday saw me visiting a coffee shop and going French style for breakfast- a slice of quiche and some (a lot of) coffee, as well as some time spent writing. In the afternoon, I took a trip to yet another state park, the Upper Sioux Agency State Park near Granite Falls, MN. It has some history, being a former government location for the Sioux, an old vocational school, military housing, and even (supposedly) an old chief's tomb. It provided some views that were a bit on the unique side for the part of Minnesota I have been in so far.
However, for the first time since I have been up here, I didn't feel totally safe. I also knew that my fears were completely unfounded- there are really no animals in this part of the state that I need worry about. No cougars, no bears, no moose, no wolves, not even any feral hogs. Venomous snakes are extremely rare. It was also the first park I have ventured into that was almost totally bereft of other visitors, which I found very unusual. That is undoubtedly the source for my fears. It made me reflect quite a bit on how so many of our fears are totally unfounded- we worry, worry, worry, only to come to a place where we realize we had absolutely nothing to worry about. Although, occasionally, our fears are not totally unfounded.
Sunday was a far more laid back day. After church, I watched the beginning of the Iceland vs France Euro match, which turned out to not really be much of a soccer match, but rather a bloodletting. I lost interest in the first half and went to my books, reading a decent chunk of CS Lewis's "Surprised by Joy." Later that evening, a fellow intern at Big Stone came over for dinner. I had prepared some country ribs in the crock pot along with some pasta salad, corn on the cob, and Bush's beans. And, of course, some peach crisp. Which was marvelous. We had some good, meaningful conversation, centered mostly around our shared faith. It was welcome, to be sure.
Monday was also fairly laid back. I went fishing and caught a handful of bullheads, but nothing worth keeping. I also had a tail-less woodchuck come and visit me. He probably sat a good three feet from me for some length of time, not seeming to mind my presence in the least. It is this reckless nature I dare say probably led to the loss of his tail. It was not the only close encounter of the rodent kind I had, as previously, at Upper Sioux, I had the pleasure of being within five feet of a tiny little rabbit. He also didn't seem to care that I was there.
As I fished on Monday, every hour, the local church belltower played out patriotic melodies. I enjoyed that quite a bit, along with the weather, which only improved as the evening went on. I went with my fellow intern to Marshall's 4th of July celebration, complete with a municipal band playing patriotic tunes and a local illusionist. I did watch the fireworks display from my patio, too, and it was almost chilly. Didn't seem much like the 4th, but I kept a checklist to see whether it really was or not. See as follows:
Stereotypically American Things I Did July 4, 2016
-Watched documentaries on History Channel about America
- Wore red, white, and blue
- Ate excessive amounts of red meat slathered in BBQ sauce
- Said 'Murica at least once
-Said "Sun's out, guns out"
-Watched fireworks
Stereotypically Un-American Things I Did July 4, 2016
-Did NOT skip cardio
-Did NOT bench press
-Wore short shorts while not skipping cardio
-Used my bike as transportation
By a score of 6-4, it does seem that it was, in fact, Independence Day.
That was my week. We'll see what the next one holds, as I am planning on a journey to parts east of here. Stay tuned.
Also, in case you missed the title of this post, or weren't able to put two and two together, that bear track is an internet stock photo. Let's see who reads all the way through this post.
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