Hi again! I can't believe I've been here over a month already! I miss everyone back in Colorado, but am loving it here. We are finally starting to catch a glimpse of summer, and the freckles are blooming quite nicely. In an attempt to lure visitor and possible future residents I have compiled the top 5 reasons why Oregon is fantastic: 1. No sales tax! It's weird to get used to, but super cool. If something is 99 cents, you pay 99 cents. Apparently sales and property taxes are higher- but hey, I have no property and no income, so I'm cheating the system. 2. They sell booze in the grocery store. Ok, this isn't just in Oregon, but it's new to me, and i think it's cool. 3. Nudity is legal. Now before you go judging me, I will first say that i have NOT exercised my new found right to go sans pants. I will however say that i think it's funny and a good story if nothing else. 4. The most microbreweries per square mile in the country. There's even a brew bus that takes you around to a bunch of breweries and gives you a city tour on the way. 5. Greenery. It's green here and things actually grow. Coloradoans know the value of this, so i need not say anymore.
Yes, the sun has come out! It has not rained for almost a week, and we had temps in the mid 80's this weekend! It was beautiful and so nice to just hang out in shorts and tanks tops like you should be able to do in June. I have been outside alot, and thought I would put up some pictures so everyone knows 1- the sun does come out and 2- that I have friends out here. I went with Emily and Brendan to the dragon boat races on the Willamette river, then to watch Chris race in Mississippi with his lady friend, Sheri. Emily and I went hiking in the Hoyt Arboretum (still don't know how to pronounce that) and I took detour on my way home to the Pittock Mansion. It was gorgeous and had tons and flowers and great views of Portland. I think I'm starting to see the charm of Portland. I can't wait to see if I get to stay here longer!
Pittock Mansion Arboretum hike/ Jurassic Park jungle At Chris' race Blue sky!!
So I went into this whole adventure and my internship with the plan to get as much out of it as i could. Well, I'm sure I've told almost everyone I know by now, but I got to see open heart surgery today! And by see I don't mean from another room, I'm talking about standing on a stool above the patient's head for a bird's eye view of everything. I thought for sure that even though I'm strangely calm and excited about the gory, bloody details of such a thing, I would for sure pass out or at least want to gag a few times- but no! I didn't. So here's the details, and I'll try to keep it PG.
The patient was having surgery to replace his tricuspid valve and have a double bypass. To repair the valve, which controls the flow of blood between the right ventricle and artium- the surgeon inserted a ring into it and did some other stuff ( which i didn't get to see because it was on the under part of the heart).
The double bypass is just creating a 'bypass' around a blocked coronary artery. For this they diverted the blood completely away from the heart and into a machine, which kept the blood pumping throughout his body, while the surgeon worked on the heart- which was completely dead for the majority of the surgery. They found the blocked artery, cut out the blocke portion, and then inserted one that they dug out of his leg. They connected it to either end of the block, so it was a whole new tube and went around the block. They did this with another blocked artery with the vein that runs through the chest. It was incredibly intricate and they were working with veins and arteries about the size of a toothpick.
I'm a bit sad that I didn't get to see the initial incision and sawing of the sternum, they brought me in right after they did this. But I did get to see them close up the sternum, which was pretty gross. Think of trying to close a book that's filled with water. ok, bad analogy- but there was an enormous amount of blood that came squirting out when they forced the sternum back together. I still had a big smile on my face under my mask, which now seems very dark and messed up...
I could talk for an hour about all the cool stuff I saw today, but doubt many other people share my enthusiasm. It was something that I'm sure I will remember for a long time, and I'm still a little giddy about it 8 hrs later.
Hopefully this won't be the last cool thing I get to see while I'm here... it'll be hard to top though!
I'm sitting in the coffee shop, watching it rain. I'm strangely happy. I just had a long conversation with the barista about the awesomeness of chai ( and yes, the word awesomeness was used). And I think, maybe, that I'm finally back to my old self. I think all the goodbyes, tears, stress and anxiety of the last month took it's toll on me. I haven't been eating, sleeping, and having fits of horrible stomach aches. But now, for whatever reason, I am back to feeling like Kelly. I have always considered myself to be a spiritual person. I think letting yourself believe in the unknown, that there's some sort of force in the world you can't control is both amazing and terrifying. I have always believed in karma, and was reminded why recently. It wasn't anything big, and probably means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but just knowing that the energy and good vibes you put into the world will somehow make it back to you has been incredibly comforting to me. If I have learned one thing from moving out here by myself, it's that good things are worth fighting for. Nothing is meant to come easy, and if it does, it isn't what it seems. There are good things and there are bad things, but how it changes you is all a matter of how you look at it. Maybe it's unrealistic, maybe it's bullshit, but maybe it's what gets me up on the mornings I'm still reeling from a memory, or feeling particularly down. It's what made me move 1200 miles away. The concept that I choose to believe in- that when you muster up the courage to close your eyes and jump- someone will be there to catch you- even if it's not who you thought it would be. Everything happens for a reason, but how many people can say they waited around long enough to see what that reason is?
