A Study Getaway

Karen and I are heading to 3-Mile Lake this weekend. Unfortunately leisure will not be the topic at hand as Nick and I are working on our thesis, and Karen will be finishing up her portfolio for graduate school admissions. Just a quiet getaway from the everyday hassles of life in Lafayette to get some work done. It's going to be great!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Go Yankees (AJ was brilliant last night), Go Irish, and Go Saints (we do have satellite!).

Close Calls

guest post by James

Most of the top teams in the land had some close calls this past weekend. Florida struggled greatly against a somewhat tough Mississippi State team. Alabama needed two blocked field goals to defeat Tennessee. Iowa had to score on a last second play to defeat Michigan State. Southern Cal had to hold off Oregon State. What does this mean for the BCS national championship picture? NOTHING BUT CHAOS! If most of these teams continue to have close games they are bound to lose one. If they do lose we could possibly see an undefeated Boise State, TCU, or Cincinnati playing for the national championship. This would be terrible, but that is a topic for the near future.

As for the Irish, it was a tough win against a Boston College team they had not beaten in six tries. The Irish shook off the close Southern Cal loss and found a way to win. They weren't overly impressive in the win, but the offence scored when they needed to, and the defense created five turnovers. Next up for the Irish is the Washington State Cougars. The Irish will be playing Wazzu in a neutral site at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. They're big favorites and hopefully that will be the case on the scoreboard, so that some of the younger players can get some game experience. Enjoy this week of college football and...

GO IRISH!

Are you immunized?

So the buzz around the health care sector (not mention your local news) is H1N1. There is an ongoing debate in every coffee shop regarding why/why not one should become immunized. The list of recommendations by the CDC include the following: pregnant women, caregivers of children less than 6 months of age, healthcare workers, everyone ages 6-24, and person's 25-64 with co-morbid health condtions. For the record, I have been immunized...that sounded kind of creepy.

Anyway, the US Department of Health and Human Services hosted a contest looking for the best video to promote H1N1 prevention. There were a bunch of really good applicants, but Dr Clark of NY took top prize. Check it out. Pretty good stuff:

Here are a couple of my favorites:

We're Back

If you missed it last night, the Yankees won the pennant, and who better to guide them there than Mariano Rivera. Man that strikeout was great. Welcome back to the big stage guys. It's about damn time.

A favorite pastime of mine (Karen's jumping on the bandwagon too) is listening to the game being announced by John Sterling. While he doesn't command the attention of Mel Allen, Harry Carry, Jack Buck , or Vin Scully he does add his own flare to the game. It's impossible to find audio of him announcing anything as the Yankees own rights to everything, but a clip did make the air. It's classic John Sterling.

So Clsoe

The number one ranked team in the land should clearly be Alabama; however, after further review by none other than the “old ball coach” their victories may be tainted. As per ESPN, Steve Spurrier was reviewing some of the film from their game against Alabama, and noticed that the holder for field goals and extra points was placing a small piece of white tape or paper on the ground under the ball. According to the rules… (Rule 6-3; Article 10; subsection d) says:"Any device or material used to mark the spot of a scrimmage place kick or elevate the ball makes the kick illegal." The penalty is "illegal kick" and is five yards from the previous spot. We will see if anything comes of this, one thing I do know is if it was Notre Dame doing this you would never hear the end of it.

As for the Irish, it was a heartbreaking loss against their hated rival, Southern Cal. Down 20 pts. in the 4th quarter Jimmy Clausen and the rest of the Irish mounted a comeback that if completed would have been remembered forever in Irish lore. With 1 second left the Irish just could not put the ball in the end-zone to tie the game. I think the pass would have been completed if our receiver did not slip on his route. Now the Irish need to pull themselves up and destroy another rival, Boston College (Fredo). The Irish have not defeated the Eagles in the past 6 tries. I think the Irish will be mad and ready to stomp the Eagles in the ground. Enjoy the games this weekend there are definitely some great match-ups.

GO IRISH

Back on the road

After a mile today the lungs were screaming for a break, but the legs were asking for more, so the run continued. It's not going to be an easy recovery, but Mark's back on the road, taking stretches a mile at a time. Today's run was a full 2.5 miles nonstop, and the completion of that marathon-like distance left him with nothing but joy...the legs felt great. A little sore and tight, but a sense of satisfaction in making it over the hump was felt.

Goals have been set. The eye is on the Cajun Cup on November 14. New Orleans half-marathon/marathon on February 28.

Officiating will resume this Wednesday.

It feels good to be back, however limited it is.

Rivaling the hoveround

If you've ever taken a Medrol Dose Pack (Z-PAck) before then you're aware of the havoc it can wreak on one's body. With two days (and three pills) left Mark is wondering how the population with steroid insufficiency copes. Jittery, upset stomach, constant thirst followed by constant bathroom breaks...the list is endless and will continue for another day. On the plus side coffee is no longer a staple in Mark's diet. He found that out the hard way on day 1...reminiscent of the 10 year old kid he diagnosed with ADHD in the clinic last week.

Nevertheless it has proven to be a benefit as Maggie and Karen accompanied Mark for his first mile run in about eight weeks. The hamstring/tendons are still a little tender, but no excruciating pain felt. A few more weeks of self-imposed physical therapy coupled with a jogging pace that rivals the Hoveround and Mark SHOULD be good to go.

New goal = Cajun Man...to finish that is.

Onward to Victory!

guest post by James,

As the games ended this weekend I had to take a fresh look at who is the best in the land. In my opinion the team that has played the best and most consistent is Alabama followed closely by Florida, Texas, and Virginia Tech who’s only lost is to Alabama. The LSU/Florida game was in a word “boring”. LSU had no offense and showed that they will most likely lose at least two more games, and Florida was not impressive at all. They will probably get through the rest of their schedule easily but lose to Alabama in the SEC championship game. By the way how creepy was that Tim Tebow/Urban Meyer Eskimo kiss. Yikes!

The only game that matters to me this coming weekend happens to be the only major cross-sectional rivalry in the nation. Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal. As some of you know this rivalry was established back in 1926 when Knute Rockne was the coach. The Trojans have won the last seven meetings; however, I think this is the year that comes to an end. It will definitely be a tough upset for the Irish to pull, but this victory will go a long way in ensuring that lost respect is renewed and The College Football Program of America is back on top where it belongs.

Go Irish beat Trojans and Onward to Victory!

Roids it is

Mark finally saw the orthopedist the other day. Diagnosis is severe tendinitis. Unbelievable that inflammation never crossed Mark's mind (not an NP yet). Unbelievable that he never took any type of anti-inflammatory in the past month because last night two Ibuprofen had him feeling invincible. Can't wait to see what a week of steroids will do. Scoot over A-Rod...

A week of a Medrol dose pack coupled with continued stretching while easing back into training over a month or so should have him back in the saddle again. If not it's a more intense workup.

A view from a different perch

Mark's been spending a little more time at the soccer fields lately. Mentoring and assessing and mentoring, but very little officiating (we'll get to that later). Last night was a pleasant evening for a couple of reasons. First, an great performance by three of Lafayette's up-and-comers, and the game was definitely a challenge, pitting the top two teams in the Men's Open Division. A couple of send-offs and a couple of game-critical moments coupled with three qualified officials (all different grades) made for a very interesting game.

Tim and Trevor with Emma in the background...always giving her two-cents.

The other reason had to do with a couple of brand new officials coming out to watch referees perform on a higher level...to see what they're capable of achieving. It allowed for teaching moments, discussions, and growth without being directly involved with a game. It was something Mark had done many times himself, but never been a part of in this capacity, and to have such a brand new referee show such interest is definitely encouraging. Lafayette Referee Association is heading in the right direction...slowly but surely.

Off to the clinic for the day, then a 12-hour shift tonight...what am I getting into?

Just Win

guest post by James

Week 5 of college football concludes this week with some memorable wins. #4 LSU continues to find ways to win. They have one of the worst offenses in the country but continue to make plays when they need to in order to win. LSU defeated the Georgia Bulldogs between the Hedges and are on a collision course against the #1 team in the land, the Florida Gators. They will be playing LSU in Tiger Stadium at 7:00pm this Saturday night. LSU is currently on a 32 night game win streak in Tiger Stadium. Will it be a special night for Tiger fans? Another great finish happened between Michigan State and Michigan. Thankfully Sparty beat the Skunk Bears in overtime. I could not stand hearing any more about that cocky little freshman Forcier. By the way Forcier threw an interception in overtime.

As for the Irish, Junior quarterback and Heisman hopeful Jimmy Clausen, lead the team to an overtime victory over the Washington Huskies. Clausen and Tate were great on offense, but what won the game was the defense. Although the defense gave up too many yards, they did not break. In the third quarter Washington was on the ½ yard line with 1st and goal. The Irish team held them out of the endzone on 4 downs and got the offense the ball back. Late in the forth quarter the defense made another unbelievable stand. Washington was on the one yard line and the Irish defense held them to a field goal attempt, the kick was good but the Irish were flagged for “roughing the snapper” I have never seen anyone flagged for this, ever. Washington was given a fresh set of downs and it was 1st and goal all over again. After a pep talk from former Irish great, NFL pro bowler, and defensive line coach Bryant Young, Notre Dame summed up the fortitude to hold them again to a field goal. That’s right, the Irish held Washington for 10 downs on the one yard line. Unbelievable. The Irish improve to a 4-1 record, but are still not ranked in the top 25. I don’t know why, but what I do know winning cures all woes. “Just Win”.

Next up for the Irish is a well deserved bye week, and then time to prepare for the USC Trojans. If the Irish can beat the Trojans, watch out, because no one can climb the polls like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Enjoy the highlights and final play that sealed the victory.

Go Irish!

Baby steps

Baby steps was the mantra this past weekend as Mark sought to re-introduce himself into two activities that used to define him as a person. As he was out, mentoring the youth at Moore Park a bit of a dilemma developed...a no-show on a U-7 girls game. Unfortunately the gear was in the trunk, and the game was started ten minutes late...that's right. First game back since the injury and it's a U-7 girls game. What's better is the response that was given when asked how to restart at the quarter:

Coach: "However the ball went out. Don't worry, you're doing a great job out there."

And with that reassurance Mark finished the game, zero bookings to note.

The second baby step was more of a challenge to for the legs, but they passed beautifully. 21 miles on the bike averaging 17 mph. Mark didn't want to push his luck, so lay off! 17 mph is an accomplishment for someone who can barely turn on block on foot without having his knee fall off.

Anyway, Mark's finally deciding to go to PT this week for his follow-up eval, which he's expecting to be sent to an orthopedist.

...and yes, the whole post was done in third person! Enjoy your Monday!

Life as a student...revisited

It's no news to anyone that I've decided to pursue grad school (NP) ambitions full time. Started clinicals last week at a community health clinic in the area, and completely love it. Treating the underserved is a challenge in itself, but doing so with limited funding (medicaid) is a noteworthy challenge. Emphasizing lifestyle changes is easy to do in a research paper, but telling a 300+ pounder to watch the sodium intake (in South Louisiana much-less) is like telling...well a 300+ pounder to watch sodium. IT"S NOT HAPPENING!

That being said, it's been an extremely challenging/rewarding two weeks. It'll be nice when I get paid for such services, because regressing back to a college budget is difficult, especially when one's trying to book a trip to Las Vegas in December.