Taking time out for academics

In case anyone was wondering why I haven’t been writing blog entries, thought I’d let you know I’m working on my thesis.  (Finally.)  Apparently the students who get a master’s degree in school psychology take their classes, do their intern work, and for their final project put together a portfolio of their work — and they get to be called School Psychologists.  Meanwhile, the students who get a masters degree in counseling also attend two year’s worth of classes and do their intern work, BUT  they have to do a research project and write a thesis (about 50-90 pages, give or take) — and that’s only to graduate!  After that they still have to put in 3,000 hours of intern work and pass a written exam, then they get to be called Marriage-Family Therapists.  (This is in California.)  

I’m actually very good at writing reports; I did my first term paper between 6th and 7th grade, on Greek and Roman mythology.  Yet for some reason this Thesis has been a real pain.  I think it is because the professors at Humboldt State University get very uneasy when you mention anything that might fit into the “New Age” category.  They talk a lot about the scientist-practitioner model.  The things that interest me most are on the edge between New Age and proven (to death) techniques.  Life begins where things meet (as in shorelines).  We had a research class that encouraged us to think outside the box and look at things in new ways, but apparently my “new ways” were a little too “out there.”  I had a difficult time finding a Thesis topic they would approve and that held some interest for me.

Then, of course, Life happened.  Our son went to Iraq.  My husband was getting toxic feedback from his job (which he finally quit).  Obviously Life wasn’t in a hurry for me to get my Thesis done.

Things have finally come together (and I’ll have to start repaying student loans in a matter of months), so am devoting myself to working on the Thesis.  About five years ago some undergrads at HSU studied the correlation between tattooing and self-harming behavior, and unfortunately found a significant correlation.  I suspect a flawed survey, and at the time the results made a variety of people with tattoos (including myself) rather unhappy.  Unfortunately much of the psychological literature of a couple years ago still supported that correlation.  So I decided to work with a larger, more general population, and see if I can disprove that idea.

To that end, I have two hypotheses:

“Tattooed participants will report significantly higher levels of deliberate self-harm behavior than reported in previous studies in the general population.”   And,

“A significant proporation of the participants will choose ‘I like the sensation of getting tattoed’ as one of their motivations for getting tattooed.”

I am hoping to disprove these hypotheses.  Am designing a survey that includes a measure for assessment of self-harming bevior, and a question regarding motivation (and some other stuff).  For now I am still in the literature review stage, reading a lot about the history of tattoos and current studies, and the history of and studies about self-harming behavior.  Actually, am glad I waited this long, because in the past couple years there have been more studies that question and even disprove the old psychological idea that people with tattoos are pathological deviants.  (Yep, some of those old studies make my blood boil.)  Am hoping to write about some of my reading here (eventually), because it is fascinating.

Meanwhile, I’m taking time out to begin my Thesis.  Wish me luck! 

A couple Goldie Hawn movies

   Last night I was in a mood to watch older movies and knit.  Decided to watch something light, and as I visually scanned through our collection, “Housesitter” caught my eye.  This 1992 romantic comedy directed by Frank Oz stars Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, with Dana Delany, Julie Harris, Donald Moffat, and Peter MacNicol providing a great supporting cast.  Newton Davis (Martin) is an architect who builds a dream house, puts a big red bow around it, and then shows it to his childhood sweetheart (Delany) and proposes.  She turns him down.  Fast forward to several months later, when Davis has a one-night stand with Gwen (Hawn), a waitress with a real gift for creating stories out of thin air and allowing others to see them as truth.  Gwen decides she would like to see what it is like, living in that house and the community Davis described, so she moves into what was an empty house and makes it her home.  Oh — and lets on that she is Davis’ wife, which comes as a surprise to his parents. 

What I find most interesting about this movie (besides the comedic talents of Martin and Hawn, who are both gifted) is the celebration of Gwen’s creativity.  It’s not just the richly detailed tall tales she makes up on the spot, or the way she decorates her space (even when it is a tiny apartment and she has no money), but the way she takes “average” life and reshapes it into something exciting.  It is a filter, a point of view, that would not necessarily demand lies, just a richer imagination and sense of adventure.  Gwen is inspiring, and her joy (and drama) changes the lives of those around her.

Which led me to watch “Overboard” next.  This 1987 romantic comedy (I warned you I like romantic comedies) is directed by Garry Marshall and stars Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell (Hawn’s real-life husband).  While it was filmed in Mendocino County and Fort Bragg (CA), it is supposed to be set in a tiny Oregon coastal community, and looks a lot like such areas were in the 1980s.  It even reminds me of what Del Norte County looked like then.  Goldie Hawn plays Joanna, a very rich, snobbish, yacht-owning socialite.  When they have to put into this tiny harbor for repairs, she hires Dean Proffitt (Russell) to remodel her closet.  They argue about the materials he has used, and as the yacht leaves the harbor she throws Proffitt and all his tools off the boat.   We learn Proffitt is a single parent with four boys, and he’s having a rough time making ends meet (and the boys are a real handfull).  That night Joanna falls overboard and ends up with amnesia.  In the local hospital, her husband (Edward Herrmann) observes her through the one-way glass, and says, nope, that’s not my wife, and leaves.  (Hawn plays rich bitch very well.)  Proffitt decides to get his money by pretending Joanna is his wife, and having her be their housekeeper and “mother” to the boys. 

What happens is that Joanna (now Annie) sees life from an entirely different perspective, and amazingly rises to the occasion.  Hawn’s wonderful gift for comedy makes this character sparkle, and keeps her believeable.  Again, we see her playing a character who is creative, who turns a real dump into a home.  It reminds me what a difference some effort and imagination can make in a home.  Her determination and assertiveness are channeled in different ways, and again Hawn’s character makes a difference in the lives around her. 

Both movies are rated PG; “Housesitter” runs 1 hour 42 minutes, and “Overboard” runs 1 hour 52 minutes.  These romantic comedies are enjoyable entertainment, and even carry truths that are worth absorbing.    I’d give “Housesitter” 3.7 stars and “Overboad” 3.3.  They are fun movies with a point.

“Healthy Digestion the Natural Way”

  After spending five days in the hospital with a perforated ulcer that I didn’t even know I had, decided I needed more information about how to help the ulcer finish healing and not return.  I found this book: “Healthy Digestion the Natural Way: Preventing and Healing Heartburn, Constipation, Gas, Diarrhea, Inflammatory Bowel and Gallbladder Diseases, Ulcers, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Food Allergies, and More,” by D. Lindsey Berkson (2000, John Wiley & Sons).  Don’t let the subtitle put you off (my first thought was, “Eeewwww!”).   I thought I understood how digestion worked and that I ate a healthy diet.  But the first four chapters of this book gave a wonderful description of how digestion works, and the essential role it plays in the functioning of every part of our bodies.  This is not just a book about healing digestive problems, but about the critical role digestion plays in such things as arthritis, backaches, skin conditions, sleep problems, and even mental health.  I also learned that although I was eating healthy, there was no guarantee my body was absorbing all those nutrients.  A German doctor once told a friend of mine that Americans have the richest urine in the world.  We take vitamins and herbs, but the food we eat renders our digestive systems unable to assimilate all that nutrition, so our bodies break down. 

Dr. Berkson has been a chiropractor and has a master’s degree in nutrition.  She founded a clinic in California where she treated referrals from other doctors who suspected their client’s problems had a nutritional basis.  She has a very readable writing style, and has included an extensive index, references section, and list of resources.  Berkson is also very aware of the mind-body connection in healing, and includes exercises, meditations, and reflexology points to be used in the healing process.

After the initial, general chapters about what optimal nutrition is, Berkson has a specific chapter for 13 diagnoses related to digestion.  There is a third section of three chapters titled “How To Find Out What’s Wrong and Fix It.”  Most of the book assumes you are under the care of a doctor for your condition, but much of it can be done without a visit to your doctor.  She is very good about saying when it is time to see a physician.  Today I took the book along with me to the follow-up visit with my MD, and he was glad to have me reading it and following its advice.  Most doctors today, even the really good ones, do not have the time to go into detailed advice about nutrition (unless they are a nutritionist), so they welcome a good, basic text that gets the information across.

The bad news is that a diet of fast food, donuts, and soda pop is probably going to lead to digestive (and other) health problems.  The good news is that you may be able to continue some of those foods some of the time (even chocolate), as long as you eat more whole foods, vegetables, and fruits most of the time.  Yes, she writes about yogurt, but you can take capsules that provide the same friendly bacteria.  Thing of it is, once you realize how important good nutrition is to the healthy functioning of your body, those donuts will be easier to resist. 

“The Fountain” DVD

  This is another item my husband found and knew I would like: “The Fountain,” (2006) starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, directed by Darren Aronofsky (who also wrote the screenplay, and conceived the story with Ari Handel).  The casting alone would be enough to interest me in the movie, as I admire both actors.  They convey the intensity and tenderness of their characters in a way that invites identification.

This story is really three stories, woven together to convey one idea.  There is the conquistador, Tomas (Jackman), who travels to Central America to find the Tree of Life for his beloved queen, Isabela of Spain (Weisz), who is being beseiged by the Inquisitor.  There is the drug researcher (Jackman), fighting against time to find a cure for a brain tumor before it kills his beloved wife (Weisz).  And there is the holy man (Jackman), traveling to the Mayan heaven, which is a dying star, and trying to make sense of all he has learned.  A very special tree figures in all three stories, and in this last story the holy man may be the character’s Higher Self.  All three stories come together to help Jackman’s character understand the meaning of death.

This is not a movie that plainly gives answers.  It gives hints and visual clues, and then leaves it to the viewer to figure out.  When we watched it the first time, we agreed it is a “strange movie.”  It wasn’t until the next morning, as I was musing upon it after waking up, that the story made sense for me.  I wanted to watch it again. 

It is rated PG-13 (for “some intense sequences of violent action, some sensuality and language”), and runs 96 minutes.  I don’t see it as appealing to popular taste, but it definitely makes you think and is well done.  I give it 4 stars.

The Detective Inspector Chen novels

  I don’t often buy fiction, but my husband does, and occasionally he comes across books he knows I will like.  He was the one who discovered Snake Agent, by Liz Williams (2005, Night Shade Books).  Am not sure if it is set in the future, or an alternate Earth, but the story takes place in Singapore 3, where magic, demons, and celestial beings are a regular part of Detective Inspector Chen’s life.  There is just enough of the world as we know it in the book to make the locales plausible and the characters real.  In fact, you will recognize people you know in many of the characters (the hallmark of really good fantasy).  The characters also visit Hell, and Chen is married to a demon.  In this first book in the series, Chen meets a demon named Zhu Irzh (from Hell’s vice squad), and they wind up working together through this and the next two books. 

Liz Williams has a very readable writing style, the sort that builds anticipation without frustration.  These books are detective stories, with lots of Chinese magic to keep things fresh.  The relationships are well done — real, imperfect, and the kind you can identify with.  All three books are page-turners; I stayed up until dawn to finish reading one of them.

The Demon and the City (2006, Night Shade Books) is the second book in the series.  In this one the characters also go to Heaven, an uncomfortable place for Zhu Irzh (the demon, who is now attached to Singapore 3’s police force).  Who is the mysterious Mhara they are running tests on?  He’s supposed to be a demon, but he’s not acting like one.  Zhu Irzh begins dating a well-connected businesswoman in Singapore 3, and discovers a very interesting secret about who she really is.  And when the goddess of the Feng Shui Practitioners’ Guild gets angry — well, I never realized feng shui could be quite so exciting.

The third book in the series is Precious Dragon (2007, Night Shade Books).  There is a lot more interaction between the dead and the living in these books that we generally see today, and in this one a child born to parents in Hell is sent to live with his Grandma in Singapore 3.  Chen and Zhu Irzh accompany a Celestial warrior on a diplomatic visit to Hell, where they visit the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Lust.  There are dragons, and there is war, and a final sacrifice that is so perfect.

A fourth book, The Shadow Pavilion, is due out soon.  And according to Liz Williams’ live journal ( http://mevennen.livejournal.com ) she is working on book number five, Iron Khan.  Williams’ writing style is so good that I’m looking forward to these books, and am planning on reading others she has written.  (I was recently given her Empire of Bones.)  Meanwhile, if you enjoy fantasy that feels real, and have an interest in feng shui, magic, or the supernatural, her Dectective Inspector Chen novels may be just the escape you are looking for.

Rape crisis organizations

I’ve been volunteering with the North Coast Rape Crisis Team for almost five years now.  I joined the team for two reasons: 1) I wanted to be a therapist, and wanted to make sure I could deal with difficult issues and still sleep at night.  (I can.) And 2) it seemed so important that such an organization should exist to help people deal with personal violence in such a way that they can heal and continue to live their lives with hope.  The training was not easy.  The organization wants to make sure we can deal with difficult issues and keep our wits about us, they want us to know what we can and cannot do and say, and they want to make sure we know how to take care of ourselves when we get a rough call.  Our training group began with ten, four actually finished, and three were still volunteering six months later.  Those of us who volunteer or work there are still there because we care.  We want to help every woman, man, and child who has dealt with rape, molestation, and/or sexual harassment to get the help they need, to be supported in their decision to report it or not, and most of all to move toward healing.  

The North Coast Rape Crisis Team (NCRCT) works in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties (CA).   Each rape crisis organization may be a little different, but each of them are there to help survivors of sexual assault/harassment.  NCRCT maintains offices in Crescent City and Eureka, CA, which are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm.  To maintain confidentiality they do not advertise where they are, but you can reach the Crescent City office at (707) 465-6961, and the Eureka office at (707) 443-2737.  Both offices also have a 24-hour hotline, which you can call any time, any day and talk with a rape crisis counselor.  (Outside of office hours it is channeled through an answering service, so after you ask to speak with a counselor you might have to wait 2-5 minutes before someone comes on the line to talk with you.)  The Hotline number in Del Norte County is 465-2851.   In Humboldt County it is 445-2881. 

NCRCT provides telephone counseling, information, support during assault related medical exams, accompaniment during law enforcement interviews and court dates, ten free counseling sessions for survivors, education presentations for schools and organizations, and connections with other agencies that offer relevent services.  We are advocates for the survivor and their immediate family members.  That means if you choose to report the crime, we help you with that.  And if you choose not to report what happened to you, we support you in that decision.  Most of all, we are a listening ear when you need to talk.  We believe you and we will not blame you.   The Hotlines (and some of the services) are available to survivors and to their immediate family members. 

Hopefully neither you nor any of your family members or friends will need services from a rape crisis organization.  Yet it can happen, even to people who are being careful and aware.  It happens.  And if it does, remember that life can go on, and you can heal.  It takes time, but you can heal.  Give the people at a rape crisis organization a call — they can help. 

Visiting Fort Lewis, WA

   Fort Lewis is a large Army post about an hour south of Seattle, WA.  We have family stationed there, and visited them last week.  It wasn’t our first visit, so there are some things we’ve gotten used to over time.  Other things strike me as interesting every time I see them, such as this street sign in a residential area.  One of the things I very much like about Fort Lewis is the abundance of trees all over the base.  They are a mixture of deciduous and evergreens, and most of them have been there for a long time (so they are large). 

Fort Lewis covers about 87,000 acres.  It began in 1917 as Camp Lewis, a training center for soldiers going off to World War I.  The original main gate, built of stone and logs, is still in place near the main gate they use today.  I’ve only seen bits of the base, but it is fascinating.  Many of the residential areas have houses built of brick, and even the newer houses have brick features.  Was told by a former Army “brat” that the PX  (post exchange or department store) is the best one on the West Coast.  It certainly is large.  Besides the commissary (grocery store), there are a variety of fast food places on base, and even a Starbucks (though they close at 3 pm — morning people).  There is a lake, and a very interesting military museum. 

Each time we visit, I make sure I know where my registration and proof of insurance is for my car (necessary to drive on base).  They issue us a permit for the car, which we have to show along with our driver’s licenses each time we enter the base.  Not having grown up around the military, it is interesting to see all the people in uniform.  The military people are all very polite, though most of them seem to look very serious.  The commissary is interesting — all the aisles are one-way, with arrows showing you whether you are supposed to go up or down them.  While the obsessive-compulsive in me appreciates the organization, the rebel in me caused me to go against the flow a couple times.  (Good thing I don’t go to that store often.)  :-) 

One thing you can’t escape at Fort Lewis is the awareness of all the families.  Am not sure what percentage of people in the Army have dependents, or what percentage of them live on base at Fort Lewis, but it is a lot.  There are schools and hospitals and day cares and churches and recreation centers and all the places that go with family life.  And these are just people, whose main support is someone in the Army.  Some of them are happy, pleasant people, and some are jerks, just like anywhere else or in any other job. 

If you would like more information about Fort Lewis, check out www.lewis.army.mil/    .

What makes your heart soar?

  For me, it’s mostly music related.  Throw in a beautiful vista of Nature, and it is guaranteed.  My optimum combination is “Variations on the Kanon by Johann Pacheibel” as played by George Winston on his “December” CD (Windham Hill Productions, 1982), and driving through the meadow at Prairie Creek National Park while approaching an old redwood forest.  Heaven.  Any other beautiful vista would probably do it, too, but that’s the combination that gets me every time.

It is amazing how music taps so directly into our souls.  Even when I was a practicing Christian, it was the music and singing that moved me the most.  I have other friends who find that with opera, or Celtic music.  And anything with a good beat evokes the primal in me. 

What makes your heart soar?

When the electricity isn’t there

A pretty big storm swept thru here on Thursday night — wind gusts up to 80 mph, and lots of lightning.  Living on the ocean, and along a cape that juts out into the Pacific, we get plenty of storms and wind, but this one was a bit much.  Our power lines come down from Oregon, and they went down about 4:45 Friday morning.  The whole county was without power for a while (except those with generators), but the people in town had electricity again by early afternoon.  The power didn’t come back online for our outlying area until about 12:30 last night, and I imagine there are smaller areas that may still be without electricity. 

We are on City water and sewer, so that wasn’t a problem.  Now that we have a gas stove, we could still cook and have our tea without dragging out the camp stove.  But we have electric heat, so it got a bit cold (it got down into the 30s F at night).  We solved that by staying in bed most of the time (though my husband had to be out working in it both nights).  I got some knitting and reading done, mostly by candlelight.

Back about 22 years ago we had a big storm on 13 November.  I remember that one, because we didn’t have electricity for five days that time.  We had a gas stove then, and a wood stove for heat, but our well had an electric pump, so water became the problem.  We solved it by filling gallon jugs with water down by the harbor (which had City water).  A friend’s electricity came back on after four days, so I went to her house for a hot shower.  :-) 

Situations like this make you think about what life would be like if we didn’t have electicity.  The nights would be darker, for one thing.  I understand a couple smaller stores were broken into and robbed right after the power went out.  We’d be back to water heated on the stove for washing.  No TVs, DVDs, or computer use (I’d miss that last one).  Printed media would be more popular again (but more expensive).  Home-made entertainment (such as singing, playing music, playing games, etc.) would also come back into style.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg . . . think how it would change our economy.  Our environment (for better and for worse).  Interesting things to think about …

Personal tarot card for 2008

   Last May I wrote a blog entry ( http://judithornot.wordpress.com/2007/05/05/whence-a-name/ )about using numerology to determine your Soul and Personality cards in tarot.  Each year, at the beginning of the calendar year OR at your birthday, you can also compute what your personal tarot card will be for the year ahead.  Again using Mary K. Greer’s Tarot For Your Self, you vertically add the number for the month of your birth, the day of your birth, and the current year.  Using her example, October 14 in 2008 would be:

     10
     14
+2008
———–
  2032   Which you then add horizontally (2+0+3+2) to get 7, the Chariot.

My personal tarot card for 2007 was the Wheel of Fortune, and it was an interesting year.  There were various ups and downs, often unrelated to no obvious choice of my own.  But I heeded the advice to keep my balance at the center of the wheel (via meditation), and it helped a lot.  I was better able to see the lessons in the changes, and grow from what happened rather than feel victimized. 

My personal tarot card for 2008 is Justice (shown above from the Hanson-Roberts Tarot).  The astrological correspondances for this card are Libra and Virgo, suggesting issues of balance and methodical work (working on my thesis immediately comes to mind).  There are also issues of paying attention to personal balance — not only what is right or wrong in general, but what is right for my balance (food, rest, activity, etc.).  There is the idea of reaping what you have sown, being accountable for what you have done in the past and how it affects your future.  Some sources suggest this may also include past lives, and the idea that what you are doing/experiencing now may be balancing what happened in a past life (karma). 

I see my personal tarot card for the year as being similar to paying attention to my astrological forecast: A guide post, something to keep in mind in the back of my head, as perhaps a sort of filter through which to view things in my life.  If it helps me make sense of things, and leads to growth, it is a worthwhile tool.