Noah

This past Sunday, I was enjoying an evening with my boyfriend and his family watching TV when I got a phone call I never imagined I would get. My sixteen year old cousin was in an accident; there was bleeding in his brain, he was on oxygen, and they didn't know if he would make it. I was completely shocked. How could this be happening? Eager for more information, I anxiously awaited more phone calls. Throughout the evening and the next day, more details flooded in. Noah, my cousin, was being pulled behind a car on a skateboard at thirty miles an hour when he flew off and hit his head. He had always done stupid things, like the “cinnamon challenge”, but never anything as dangerous as this. As a result, he suffered from two skull fractures, a basilar bleed, and a frontal lobe contusion. Thankfully, despite what was originally thought, Noah was moved from the ICU this morning and will begin in-patient rehab soon. While my family can breathe easier knowing his life isn't at risk, the way he lives his life will definitely have to change. We have yet to find out how much damage there is to his personality, behaviors, fine motor skills, or language and articulation which can all be affected by such a serious head injury. Just in case those effects aren't enough, the sports that Noah has worked so hard in will most likely have to be put in the past. He will be a walking example of how one stupid decision in his teens can damage the rest of his life. 

Lights, Camera, Action

When people think about Hollywood, we think of glamor, fame, and fortune. Rarely ever is the first thing that comes to mind stunt-people. In the article "Danger Is Their Middle Name" by Chris Nashawaty, we are introduced to a family of stunt-people with roles that date back to the 1930s and as recent as Transformers. As I read about the Epper family and how they got started, I can't help but wonder what keeps them going. They have beautiful families that need them, yet they continue risking their lives and introducing it into their children's lives, for the sake of Hollywood but without the fame. Are they just a group of crazy, adrenaline junkies or is it all about the dynasty? While continuing the family legacy is indeed honorable, couldn't it be just as easy to honor family with a little bit safer of a pastime? Maybe they have been part of the business so long that fear is no longer a feeling they have, they've adapted to their lifestyle. It is very obvious that they don't fear injury or even death, but made it very clear that they are terrified of special affects taking away their careers. Since technology has enhanced and continues to enhance incredibly, this is a very valid fear. The only difference for me would be the fear that it won't radically improve fast enough for my grand-kids to get out of the business before they face a radical injury. I suppose that's why I plan on entering the health field instead of the stunt-double field.

Addams Family

Morticia Addams once said, “Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.” This philosophy can be applied to many different situations in life such as: how your family acts, how you dress, and what interests you. My family, for instance, seems very strange to my friends; my parents,who actually like each other, often spend time together outside of the home. Although they find that outrageous, to me it seems like a normal, everyday occurrence. Another area of life that people tend to classify as normal and not normal is the way people dress. I abjure wearing revealing clothing because it makes me feel uncomfortable, but for many, low cut T-shirts and short skirts are the staples of their wardrobe. Does that mean I do not dress “normal”? No, it just means that my normal is different from their normal.  Aside from clothing and family, our interests are often another subject on the chopping block. I remember being in primary school and hiding the fact that I liked Star Wars,a sci-fi series of movies, books, television shows, and games; because another boy liked it and he got made fun of, I hid my interests to escape their torment. Our class had decided what was normal for themselves and applied it to everyone they knew. When we take the time to really think about the decisions we have made, we can see that our lives are often wrought from what other people decide is okay for us to like. After hearing Morticia’s quote, I realized all the things that I find normal are very much different from everyone else and that their opinions really shouldn't affect me. I haven’t listened to social norms since. Hopefully others will hear her wise words and experience the same epiphany as I.  

Platform 9 and 3/4

This evening, I had the privilege of reading Stephen King's take on the Harry Potter series called J.K. Rowling's Ministry Magic. Having read the series myself and read a few Stephen King novels, this article really jumped out at me: I was not disappointed. Within the article, King touched on the bad reviews that Rowling's book had received; he made it quite obvious that he did not agree with such views. King reasoned that Rowling accomplished a difficult task by appealing to not only children, but also adults, her talents grew with her characters, and the reader could feel her enjoyment in writing throughout the series. At one point, King even described the series as a "seven course feast", and the people who wrote the poor reviews sucked down all the courses and threw it all back up with no appreciation. While I have never really been aware of any reviews of the series, I have always enjoyed them. My mother and I would read a chapter every night before bed. Since I was so young, the concept of other people not enjoying them never even crossed my mind. Finding out people disliked such a huge part of your childhood can actually be quite unpleasant. It feels like they are insulting a piece of you that you held near and dear to your heart. I can only be grateful that as I learned of their distaste, I also got to hear the great words of Stephen King in supporting the magical words that have shaped not only me, but millions of others.

 

Week Two

Every night, my sister and I meet at our kitchen table and I tutor her in math. I probably sound like such a great big sister, right? Wrong. In reality, she is my big sister, studying for a test that she must pass in order to work within a school. My sister is finishing up her last semester of grad school to become a speech-language pathologist. The last time she has ever had to do algebra or geometry was in her earlier years of high school; over six years ago! So every night I am faced with the same question: Why should a speech therapist be denied the ability to work in schools if they cannot pass a math test? I’m sure there are plenty of supports for this standard like, we want the people educating our children to also be educated, but someone in the position of a speech therapist will never be touching on anything more than basic math, if any math at all. I've had the privilege of getting to watch my sister in action with a wide variety of clients from small children to elderly stroke victims, and while I will admit that I am a little biased, she is incredible at what she does. Unfortunately, math was never one of her strong suits, and I’m sure many other SLP’s feel similarly. What the people in charge need to realize, is the only ones suffering from their testing set-up is themselves. I can’t imagine how many amazing SLP’s have not been allowed to practice within the school realm due to such an outrageous standard, and I will keep trying my hardest to keep that from happening to my sister.