Apartment/Roommate Hunt and Baclofen Pump Update

Today I met with a potential roommate in Cambridge, MA and I feel like we clicked almost instantly.  As I was leaving, she told me she was waiting to hear from other potential roommates, but that she would let me know soon whether or not I could move in at the end of the month.  This apartment is a three bedroom, and with two leaving, there are two "slots" for potential roommates.  I think my chances are good.  I feel like I'm talking about a job interview when talking about the apartment hunt at this time of the year, but it's true.  People "interview" and visit for roommates, the same way they would for a job, except the process is much more personal.  The other obvious differences being rent and a firm deadline.  In my case, my deadline is two weeks away, eek!

Yesterday, I met with the Neurosurgeon at the Brigham who will most likely be doing the surgery to implant my Baclofen pump.  I still need to hear from his secretary to schedule my visit with Anesthesia and have all of my pre-op tests done.  I really like this doctor.  He took time to answer my questions and did not have a "superman" ego.  Talking with him was like talking to an equal.  Dr. A said I should hear from his secretary within 3-4 days, so hopefully I will hear something by Friday after I return from volunteering.  I am really ready to get this going since I have had the spasticity in my toes and ankle for about 10 years.  As ready as I am to get this scheduled, I will probably choose to have it done around mid-September to allow time for me to move and get settled in my (yet to be determined) new apartment.

In other news, I am taking Human Growth and Development through Bucks County Community College.  It starts on 8/25 and goes until the second week of December.  I really hope I can get through this class because for whatever reason, I don't do well when I take one class per semester as demonstrated by my poor approach to Medical Terminology earlier this summer.  I will take another go at Medical Terminology  in October during a 10-week session.  

General Update and Maine Tomorrow

Today is August first which means the lease to my very first apartment ends in 30 days.  I received two leads from a wonderful realtor who finds roommates AND apartments.  The first was too far away, while the second had a weird layout and I didn't get a good vibe from it.  My expectations are much lower this year since time is not on my side and my budget is much lower.  I was going to meet with someone I found on Roommates.com today, but she had to work so we will have to meet when I return from my vacation.

Things have been slowly progressing on the Baclofen pump implantation front.  In Philly, we need to schedule the intake appointment at Jefferson (neurosurg, anesthesia, and pre-op tests).  I need to do the same in Boston at the Brigham, but I am rather hesitant since after multiple messages, I have yet to hear from Dr. L at Spaulding to get the OK to proceed with implantation surgery.

I have made progress in the Child Life practicum/internship department!  So far I have applications for and am planning to apply to the practicum at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, Alfred I duPont Children's Hospital (in Delaware), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (in Philly).  I also have the internship applications for Bristol-Meyers Squibb Children's Hospital (in NJ) and Hershey Medical Center (in PA).  I am slowly and steadily working on these applications as I contact other hospitals for applications.

I leave for Maine tomorrow.  My mom and dad spent the night here in my apartment and I will sleep on my futon.  I have been going to Maine for about as long as I can remember and you can bet I will bring my laptop along so I can blog while I am there.

Back in Boston

I returned to Boston last night after about two weeks at home in PA. While it was nice to be home, it was a reminder that I am not a suburbia type of girl. That said, I need to find a way for me to stay in Boston, which means a job. Finding a job is rather daunting, especially in these times and my lack of paid job experience. I have been volunteering and in school for the past five years.

Perhaps the first thing I should do is update my resume to include my new membership into the Child Life Council. I also need to pick up my degree from Simmons College. I feel rather lame for still not having my hard earned diploma after graduating over a year ago. I also need a copy of my unofficial transcript so I can look up my GPA and start looking at Child Life practicums/internships.

I also need to find an apartment because alas, my current made-for-me-studio was only a one time deal since it is too expensive for me to keep for another 12 months. My lease ends 8/31 and I will truly miss my first apartment because it is in the same area I lived in when I was at Simmons.

Yesterday I finished Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. The ending was not as depressing as I thought it would be. I could have finished the book last week, but I thought I knew the ending based on her previous books and I did not want to finish it for fear the ending would depress and enrage me. I was pleasantly surprised and proud of the author for not ending it in the way she had My Sister's Keeper or in the way I thought. This book does not count toward the 10 I aim to read this summer since I started it long before summer began. This book was however the first of many I will read on my Kindle.

This afternoon I looked through The CLC Directory of Child Life Programs and found 8 Child Life practicums from Boston to DC.  The hospitals offering practicums are Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital (CT), Children's National Medical Center (DC), Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (DE), Shriners Burn Hospital Boston (MA), Joslin Clinic (MA), Floating Hospital for Children (MA), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (PA) and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (PA).  


Internships are more common than practicums because the hours count towards certification, but my plan is to    complete a practicum, then I will have a stronger resume and be more well rounded when I apply to internships the following "semester".  Unfortunately, I have to email most of the institutions because they don't provide enough if any information on their website.  


I also need to look at jobs at the same time, because I need to have a purpose if I am going to stay in Boston.    The deadline for the winter "semester" is September 5th so I need a job so I have something to do if I don't get into a practicum.