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Roy and I made a wee date to stay home in each others presence and watch a NetFlix movie. After watching Airplane! and realizing we knew that there were parodies of Saturday Night Fever that we IDed but didn’t “get,” we decided that we should watch that one.
So, we watched it, while eating delivered pizza.
And then I watched the “King of the dance floor” scene about 4 more times.
But, to be honest, I was really happy to see it. I’ve been in a rut of watching movies that I’ve seen before and realizing they’re pretty crappy, or worse than I remember. But this one, maybe I was distracted or confused or just had less experience and didn’t get what was going on, but I remembered it as being mediocre when actually it’s really well done. It looks at really important and pervasive issues of abusive family systems, women’s lack of options in the ’70s (which aren’t as obvious but are still in effect today), racism and bigotry.
Roy put it well. To paraphrase him, we were worried that the depiction of spousal abuse, racism, aggression, and objectification and use/abuse of women was being portrayed as normal and not a problem, but in fact they addressed it and showed that those things are terrible even when they are widespread.

Also, the men dancing look goooood. I love it when men aren’t afraid to show off their skills for fear of being labeled effeminate or homosexual.
Also, I bought the soundtrack this morning.

I got more shading work done on my half-sleeve tattoo yesterday. 2 hours of continuous work. Hint/tip: to avoid hyperventilating, just exhale twice as long as you inhale. (not medical advice!!!)

I come home and hang out in a short-sleeved dress and wrap, to avoid anything contacting my ouchie arm. I’m riding out the circulating inflammatory cytokines. (IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) They cause depression, introversion, malaise, and all-over myalgia.

Roy comes home with a friend, and they both exclaim over the work.
“Oooh,” says Roy, “that coloring work you had done looks great!”
“Coloring work?” say I. “It’s just black.”
“Well, what’s that metallic reddish purple color then?”
“That’s called erythema.” (Our friend, who is pre-nursing student, then nods. He gets it.)

Later in the conversation, “You should take pictures while it’s that awesome color!”

Hey! My violaceous erythema is awesome looking! Apparently I look cute when I blush, too.

I’m writing about 2.5 hours before my first ever clinic shift starts. Last night Roy had some lovely things to say about how I’m totally meant to be a doctor and that this will be the first day of that future.
I’m excited, but I know that this day will mostly be a tour of the clinic.
But still, I’m excited.

Oregon residents, hear me! while I quote liberally from the Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians‘s press release.

Background:
Oregon is dramatically transforming the Oregon Health Plan in an attempt to reduce health care costs and improve health. Changes to the OHP will impact all insurance companies, including PEBB, OEBB, and private insurers.

The new OHP will be based on a new model of healthcare, called a “Coordinated Care Organization.”

Insert by Electra: According to the stated goals, as seen in it’s brochure, the reforms seek to (1) Improve the lifelong health of all Oregonians. (2) Increase the quality, reliability and availability of care for all Oregonians. (3) Lower or contain the cost of care so it is affordable to everyone. Naturopathic medicine as a system of healthcare accomplishes all three of these and then some.

This transformation process provides an opportunity to fix a broken system by focusing on prevention and treating the whole patient rather than just a set of symptoms – all of which match naturopathic principles. But if they set up the new system based on status quo, it could shut the door on access to naturopathic doctors and erect more barriers to quality patient care.

The Oregon Health Authority received over 300 emails asking that it prevent the new Coordinated Care Organizations from discriminating against NDs, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other providers.

That’s fantastic! As a result, the OHA is now looking at non-discrimination language.

They have released their 2nd draft of the CCO implementation proposal for Oregon Health Plan patients, and a new public comment period is now open, only through Wednesday, January 18.

Keep up the drumbeat!

Non-discrimination language is great, but we also want the draft implementation proposal to specifically define Naturopathic Physicians as an eligible provider for the CCOs.

The 2nd draft of the CCO plan still does not define providers, does not specifically include naturopathic physicians, does not (yet) prevent discrimination against NDs, and may require OHP patients currently seeing an ND to find a new doctor.

Public Comment Ends 1/18/2012
Contact them.

Message Points:
(use some or all of these, but remember that your own story is the most powerful, and you need to keep it short!)
The Oregon Health Authority must include a definition of “provider” that ensures that the new CCOs cover Naturopathic Doctors as primary care physicians no differently than MDs or Nurse Practitioners.

I see a Naturopathic Doctor. Their services improve health without relying on expensive drugs or procedures.
If a CCO covers a service for patients, it should cover it whether it’s done by an MD, DO, ND, NP, or any primary care provider acting within their scope of practice.

Quoting someone’s comment on Ms. Alyssa Siegel’s sharing of her article, “I liked your point about coming to monogamy from a point of self-knowledge vs. conformity.”
Word, I say. Word.

PsychologyToday article, guest columnist:
My father, the ethical slut.

The original post, by Ms. Siegal’s father who is a regular columnist on PsychToday: In Defense of Casual Sex
I feel this is a little more about ~~~Casual sex, when done right, wouldn’t be demonized if we didn’t consider Monogamy to be the be-all-end-all standard for relationships, which is stupid. Entering a relationship ignorantly and unrealistically whether its casual sex or monogamy makes for unhappy people.~~~

Roy and I have gone to a 10-day meditation retreat and successfully emerged on the other side; emotional upheaval and misunderstandings cannot stop us! We did indeed depart less miserable than when we arrived.

I encourage you –Yes! You!– to visit the site of the course to understand more about what we experienced. You can find it here (Vipassana Meditation at dhamma.org) or in the side bar from now on.

Here’s what I want to say about it.
- The course material recordings were made in 1991. Since then, even more research into physics and physiological psychology has developed. I have found that everything that was discussed in this course can be explained/supported/backed up by research done in neurology and behavior studies. It speaks to how much we the in modern Western world have dismissed what trained observation can learn, considering that the oral traditions attributed to Gautama Buddha came up with the same conclusions as modern-day brain science, though explained slightly differently.

I encourage you –yes! you!– to carve 10 days out of your life to go and do some guided self-cultivation. It costs you nothing but the travel to get there, and that might be free if you can get a ride.

Speaking of guided self-cultivation, that brings me to the second thing I want to say about it.

- S.N. Goenka says he was a businessman before devoting his time and energy to teaching Vipassana meditation. It shows in the excellent logistics and presentation. If I were to guess, I’d say that the order of the lessons, the order in which the curriculum is set forth, is based on the Burmese Vipassana meditation tradition. However, the way that the meditation centers are run, the website, the recordings, the course content (translation of Pali and recitation of metaphor-stories backing up the technique), were largely set up by Goenka and his colleagues. Masterfully done!!! Truly. Those who have experienced SuperCamp (I’m looking at Ed and Emily, mostly) will appreciate the craftsmanship put into how these retreats are organized and how the course materials are presented. Really, any event planner or teacher would appreciate it, I think.

Vipassana meditation gives each person, one by one, through their own efforts, the tools to reduce or eventually eradicate the misery in their life. Do you have any sadness, frustration, anger, pain, blockages, nostalgia, or thwarted dreams? Then I highly highly highly gold-star Google Plus One this course!

You –yes! YOU!– should go look up your nearby meditation center or Vipassana association and find a point in the schedule of your next year or two and plan to go!

It costs nothing but your time and willingness to try! You are fed generously and well, housed comfortably, and cared for. Do it do it do it NOW!

Here’s a link again: Vipassana Meditation As Taught By S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

If you have other questions about my specific experience, or if you had already experienced Vipassana, feel free to leave a comment or contact me (if you already know how) and I’d love to chat!

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

My husband and I are at a 10-day silent meditation retreat –from Dec 22, 2011 until Jan 2, 2012– and will not have internet or phones. Feel free to email or leave a voicemail to contact me if it is not an emergency, and I will respond when we return the first Monday in January 2012.

If there is an emergency, you can contact the organizers of the retreat via the location (Cedar Ridge Retreat & Conference Center) at (503) 429-2801 and they will forward your message to us. Please refrain from doing this unless it involves life/dire illness/death situations or something that requires our immediate action.

Cedar Ridge phone (for use the day the course begins (12/22/2011) and for emergencies during the course): (503) 429-2801
Organizers email: registration@or.us.dhamma.org
Oregon Vipassana Association

Depressed, mopey, weepy and sleepy is not how I want to spend my winter vacation. Snap out of it, psyche.

Roy and I are out in Depoe Bay to celebrate his birthday, our belated anniversary (actually May 28), and me finishing one of my most difficult terms in medical school. we’re staying at Harbor Lights Inn, which is a really sweet place. I keep asking Roy how unreasonable it would be to get the carpet in the halls of the Inn (a lovely large leaf print) in my future office. We drank the whole 200ml (or so) of cream sherry the first night.
Now we’re off to clothe Roy.

On a more festive note, you should check out this holiday music:

http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/shira-castle/

http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/kitka-wintersongs/