Happy Spring!

I've had a lot to blog about lately. My work at Puyallup Tribal Health, my band, an amazing instrument, my 5K. It's been a whirlwind month and I'm giving myself about a measly 15 minutes to write about it.

Puyallup Tribal health
My rotation at has been going well. I've had the opportunity to make some interesting diagnoses and see some true pathology. Patients come in to the walk-in clinic with everything from "I've had a runny nose for the last hour" to "I haven't been able to swallow for 2 years" or "I ran out of my diabetes medications in 1998, I need refills". Of course there has been plenty of people looking for pain medications, but I'm not one to pass those out like candy so I've had some unsatisfied customers. Sorry, but you won't get percocet for your stomach pain if you tell me you have the stomach flu! I refuse to be swindled. Don't let my youthful appearance fool you into thinking I'm naive! The time I have off between the clinic days I've been trying to study for Step 3 of the US Medical Licensing Exams - a two day exam I'll sit for in just a couple days.

The Band
For some reason, as loquacious as I am, I can't seem to find the right words to describe how much the band means to me. I have attempted to describe "community" and how important it is, especially those who have been disowned by their biological families for being who they are. All these attempts just wind up sounding like some sort of corny essay for sociology class. But I feel I have to say something! The band... what is the band? It is more than a group of musicians who get together once a week to toot their horns. It's a place where we know to support each other, accept each other, kick each other in the butt if we need to. The LGBT community is a particularly strong one, bound by events like the AIDS crisis and the fight for civil rights. What inspired me to write about Rainbow City Band is a funeral I went to last week. A member of the band tragically lost her partner. They had recently been married (obviously not in Washington state). And while I had only met her partner on a few occasions, I felt a very strong urge to be there for her, for the community. I wasn't the only one. A portion of the chapel in the funeral home was taken up by band members doing the very same thing I was. I love my band.

On a lighter note. We have a concert coming up. Some of the music a very challenging, and I'm not sure how we sound, some of the songs are fabulous, while some still need a lot of work, and we only have one rehearsal left. But, as I have been struggling to state, it's about much more than how we sound! Come see us if you can!

The 5K
I'll try to describe the race: It was bitterly cold, raining cats and dogs, wind gusts to 50 mph. My feet were soaked, my hands were numb. 20,000 people were there to run (there was a 5K, an 8K and a 15K)! It took me 15 minutes after the starting horn to actually get to the starting line. It was too crowded to actually run at first, but in a while I felt I could go at a decent pace. I was surprised that I passed a lot of people. Not surprised that lot of people passed me. I felt great! The second mile was all uphill. I kept telling myself it was okay, I could walk anytime, lots of people were, but I felt I could push forward and ran the entire hill. On the home stretch I had a great stride, big, fast, easy... then for the last 100 yards or so it was total gridlock. We came to a halt and then shuffled like cattle, gradually approaching, and then finally across the finish line. The shuffle probably took about 5 minutes at very least. My official race time was about 34 minutes. So I figure, if it weren't for the bottlenecks thanks to the thousands of participants I would have finished certainly at less than a 10-minute mile! A very good time for my little legs!

Afterwards I was freezing and soaking wet! The wind storms toppled the starting towers at one point before the races started (thankfully no one got hurt!) I used a porta-potty that almost blew over with a gust of wind. I leaped out of there (pants still on thank god!) and found one that seemed more secure. I could just imagine doing a Dorothy impression and spinning madly around in the wind in my porta potty, my Auntie Em riding by on a broom!

I ran to my car, got my topmost, soaking wet layer off, pulled on my raincoat and jogged back for the complimentary clam chowder. The line for the drink tent was insanely long so I passed on the 9:30 AM green beer. Freezing cold, I watched the first 8K and 15K runners finish and then abandoned the waterfront park and went back to my friend's house to try and feel my feet again.

My only regret is not having anyone at the race with me. I would have liked someone to chat with, to run with, or just to celebrate crossing the finish line (even though the cattle-shuffle was highly anti-climactic). Next time I drag someone to a race with me. And, there certainly will be a next time!

Little Old Ladies from Whidbey
I have told many of you about my amazing story. Out of the blue, sometime in February, I received a phone call. A woman said she read about me int he Seattle PI. She saw I had marched with LGBA in the inauguration. Her partner used to play cornet and, after reading about me in the paper, felt I would be a good recipient for her cornet and some music she had from her heyday at the conservatory in Cincinnati. She had been holding onto these things for some time. She is in her 80s and, since her stroke, can't play anymore. The two of them are retired, one a former nurse, the other a retired psychologist. They live on Whidbey Island (thus the moniker "The little old ladies of Whidbey") and are an adorable couple.

After nearly a month of phone tag we managed to find a date and time we could meet. It worked out they could make it to my rehearsal with the band on Saturday. They came to Seattle and brought their vintage cornet (at least 100 years old! See above!) and some yellowed music nearly as old as well. In fact, mixed in with the music is a 1917 Boston newspaper. A real treasure trove! The cornet is beautiful. After the little old ladies from Whidbey left, I shared my find with the band. Several other women in the trumpet section got a chance to see how this beauty plays - and it sounds pretty darn good!

Alas, my time is up. I have horses to ride (see me and Shilo at left!), a test to study for, and music to practice. I am off of work today but plan to be very productive nonetheless. Here's to the little old ladies from Whidbey, my band, and the coming of Spring!