The 2nd Ammendment: A Right with Responsibility

By Daniel Taverne

To all those who want to prohibit the ownership of fire arms by law abiding citizens, I would like you to rethink your opinions on the issue. The reasons for your current position are well established within the media, yet millions of Americans still do not want to relinquish their second amendment right that is plainly written, and easily understood.

When I think about future laws that would be passed to create a gun free society, I think about the laws that are already in place that govern today’s gun use, and how those laws do such a good job preventing armed robberies, drive byes and other gun related homicides.

After thinking about this for a while I’ve come to believe that gun laws are only meant for law abiding citizens because crooks and killers obviously don’t abide by them. And, if they don’t abide by laws already in place, what makes you think they’ll abide by any future gun laws. Don’t, therefore, deal with irresponsible gun owners by prohibiting ownership of them by everyone because, as sure as I’m sitting here, the bad guys will still have theirs.

I am a former military man, and I own a handgun. I understand how lethal it can be; especially in the wrong hands. I have no intention of utilizing it in the commission of any crimes, and probably will never have a need for it. That being said, I’d rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. I keep a trigger lock on it, and have the clip and ammunition stored separately from the gun, though they are where I can get to them quickly in the event of an emergency. What Americans need to understand is that with each right granted to us in our bill of rights, comes responsibilities that must not be ignored.

Indeed, the responsibilities that arise with the 2nd amendment is that we properly store our weapons, doing whatever possible to make sure they are out of the reach of children, equipped with trigger locks, and stored in such a way that they can’t be stolen. Doing these things will help prevent accidental injuries and deaths, and may help decrease the number of illegal weapons on the streets.

The right to keep and bear arms is a right that brings with it these important responsibilities that, unfortunately, are often ignored. When that happens, people are accidentally shot, or their stolen guns are used in the commissions of crimes.

While it is true that some of these incidents might be avoided if guns were outlawed, I submit that it is the gun owner’s responsibility for how the weapon gets used, stolen or not. Therefore, irresponsible gun owners should be held accountable if and when accidents occur.

Along with holding gun owners accountable, the most effective actions that can be taken are to continually educate Americans about proper firearm storage and other firearm safety issues.

For example, since curiosity about guns is a well known factor associated with accidental child shootings, it might be a good idea to implement fire arm safety and familiarization courses for middle and high school students designed to remove the glamour and mystique that children and teenagers associate with guns.

Finally, before condemning people for defending their 2nd amendment rights, consider all the other means people use to kill each other, and remember the phrase: It’s not the guns that kill people, its people who kill people.

To Ignore, or Not to Ignore? That is the Question

By Daniel Taverne

While growing up, I can’t tell you how many times my mother told me to ignore something that was bothering me. In fact, I had enough things to complain about back then that I became quite skillful at pretending the things that were bothering me weren’t bothering me at all. Unfortunately, my mom failed to teach me two things: What to do when the situation can’t be ignored, and how to distinguish between situations that should be ignored from those that should not.

If you’re like me and your mom didn’t give you this knowledge either, I intend to help you out by sharing with you a few of the experiences that finally did teach me these important lessons. Ultimately, after reading this, my hope is that you become able to identify similar situations in your own life and avoid unpleasantness.

As an adult, one of the first items I remember utilizing my ignoring skills on was speed limit signs. However, I soon found out that this is one of those bothersome facts of life that must be heeded. Furthermore, I soon discovered, after ignoring a speed limit sign that it is even more undesirable to ignore flashing red and blue lights seen in my rear view mirror. The lesson here is, don’t ignore speed limit signs, and don’t ignore police cars that try to pull you over.

As an adult, I discovered a few other instances when it’s undesirable to ignore things after I got my first cat. It only took two days for me to realize that no matter what I do, I can’t ignore the smell of cat do-do. In fact, it was midnight on the second night when, sick of dry-heaving, I decided to drive to Wal Mart to purchase a litter box and cat litter. Soon afterward, I found myself successfully trying to ignore the scratching sounds coming from the laundry room where I put the litter box. What a mistake that was.

The next morning, after the scent of cat crap had me retching, I checked the litter box to found that the cat poop wasn’t covered with litter material at all, but was instead covered with shreds of flowered paper it ripped from the nearby wall. The lesson here, therefore, is when you hear your cat scratching on something, don’t ignore it, get up off your butt and see what its doing.

After getting married, as many men do, I learned how to tune out the voice of my wife as she talked about things like her mystery pains, the particular lady who cut her hair, the current episode of The Guiding Light, or what ever else I wasn’t interested in. In my mind I’d be listening to my movie on TV, but my head would be nodding to my wife. Shamefully, it was after my wife cut all the crotches out of my underwear, leaving me a note saying, you better start listening to me that I actually started to. You should have seen my wife laugh as I pulled that first pair of underwear all the way up to my arm pits.

Finally, I always thought I could ignore anything; that is until I became an adult. I have, therefore, become a more understanding person when my daughter comes home from school complaining that someone was messing with her. Instead of ignoring her by absently stating, “Ignore it”, I listen to what she has to say then I give her informed advice that makes much more sense.

To sum this all up, parents utilizing the stock phrase, “Ignore it.” could be doing their children a disservice if a situation actually merits attention. So instead of teaching your child ‘how’ to ignore, maybe what aught to be taught is ‘when’ to ignore.

Our Culture of Little Demand

By Daniel Taverne

How many times have you or someone you know angrily turned the house up-side-down searching for the television’s remote control? How many times have you or someone you know cussed at the car in front of you because it was moving five miles per hour slower than the speed limit? Have you ever heard anyone complain that they need to wash their clothes? I know I have. Is it me, or are complaints such as these a huge indictment of our current values?

How ungrateful we are for the lives we’ve been given by our fathers and grandfathers, and their fathers before them, that we not appreciate the fact that although we are traveling 65 miles per hour, that we might cuss someone in our way who keeps us from driving 70. In this same respect, how ungrateful we are that when we say we have to wash clothes, that we in fact don’t have to wash them, all we have to do is toss them into a machine that will do all the work for us.

Now I realize I’ve begun this article with a lot of questions, and I know they sound rather rhetorical, but I believe that more often than not, we are all guilty of this type of behavior. In addition, even at the point of being unhealthy, our quality of life is measured not by our endeavors, but by how few things we actually have to do. That being said, at the current rate that our culture is “improving”, in another 50 years everything will be done for us.

After infants exit their mother’s wombs, they’ll be placed in an automated incubator that will automatically bathe, feed, change, and rock. Then, as children all that will be required of them is that they eat and breathe. Well, that’s almost the way it is now, but in the future, school won’t even be a necessary place to go since kids will be able to learn by placing a gadget over their heads and going to sleep. They won’t have to run and play because they will have a video game that will do that for them too. In fact, the kids won’t even have to play the video games because a machine will play the games for them. All that will be required of the kids is to turn on the auto mated game player through the use of a remote control that’s surgically implanted at birth.

Adults will have it just as easy. No longer will adults have to cook or clean, and they won’t have to cut the grass, or wash the car. They won’t even have to get out of bed! In fact, they’ll be able to lay in bed for weeks having everything done automatically by remote control or by programmed machines. Amazingly, a machine will be available on the market that will roll the adults in bed allowing for automated bedding changes. If these machines break down, not to worry, another machine will be dispatched to make repairs.

Eventually, food will not be necessary because there will be a feeding tube implanted at birth that will make eating obsolete, and feeding will be scientifically controlled by computer and automatically performed by other bed side machines.

Progressing at our current rate, it won’t be long until Americans become a society of invalids complaining that we have to open our eyes in the morning, and that we actually have to breathe. Do you think these thoughts are absurd? If so, consider how absurd the complaints levied in the first paragraph of this article might sound to someone from 200 years in our past.

Finally, before wishing death on the driver in front of you, before yelling at the children because they lost the television’s remote, and before taking any of the advantages this day and age offers for granted, remember this article and count your blessings. Doing so will set a good example for your children, will prevent some stress, and will help you move through life a more pleasant and gracious person.

Spanking Techniques for Frustrated Parents

By Daniel Taverne

Are you sick of your kids yet? Do they make you angry because they need constant guidance, supervision and seem to require food every single day? Do you comply with their needs only to hear them whine that you don’t do anything for them and that you should be more like the parents of other kids? Well, I intend to help you out by illustrating moments that are appropriate for giving a kid a good whack, and point out whacking implements that are touted to work wonders.

Spanking methods are numerous and require little training. Therefore, any frustrated parent should try it. If, however, you need some coaching here are a few common techniques that are used by all the good parents.

There is the suspend-the-child-from-the-floor-by-one-arm, while using the other hand to strike multiple blows to the legs, back and buttocks. There is the over-the-knee-method with a supplemental step of bearing the Childs bottom for maximum smack pain effect.

There’s the whack-the-kid-as-he-passes-bye, sending him crashing into the wall ahead, or the boot-in-the-rear-end resulting in identical post contact injury.

Some parents are familiar with the snatch and roll where the child is violently flipped onto his/her stomach then multiple powerful blows are administered to the Childs back side.

All these methods are subject to modification by replacing the hand or foot as the striking implement with readily available objects such as a paddle, belt or switch.

Target areas are numerous on children and can vary depending on which implement is used to whack them. For example, the face is a good place to whack a kid with your hand; especially if the child is sassing you. What is sassing? Sassing is an art form children use to point out the ridiculousness of certain phrases made by parents. For example, a dad might say, “You better straighten up or I’ll tan your hide.” The kid might stand up swiftly saying, “Is this strait enough for you dad?” Or, the boy might say, “Dad, I’m an albino, so my hide can’t be tanned.” In each case, the child is sassing and a quick smack in the face is most certainly in order.

If however the boy is not in reach, you can pick up the nearest object not nailed to the floor, and hurl it at him. If the kid dodges the object, a flurry of many different objects ( a toaster, a microwave oven, a clock, a statue, a picture, a cat, a puppy or anything else should immediately follow.

Road trips provide ample reasons for spanking children. After all, a parent can only take so many, ‘Are we there yets’ and ‘I gotta pees’ before parental sanity must be rescued by unleashing frustration with a torrent of cuss words and a flailing arm reaching into the back seat.

To keep you from looking like a mad fool, and for safety reasons, it’s actually much better to pull over to the side of the road to beat on your children. This way, you can benefit by being able to turn, reaching farther back increasing your accuracy, or you could even exit your vehicle so you can reach into the back seat with both hands providing you with multiple, rapid and accurate swings that will leave your child whimpering quietly.

Other opportunities to beat your kids present themselves when a child is crying because something desired is not provided in a timely manner. For instance, at grocery line check outs I regularly observe peoples children throwing tantrums because a candy bar or a pack of gum is not provided immediately. This is a very good time to roll up a magazine from the rack beside the gum and whack the angry child right over the head. Furthermore, if the child has the audacity to ask, “What was that for?” Without hesitation, follow up that first whack with four or five more in rapid succession while calmly stating, “Because I felt like it.”

You can tell when you’ve done an adequate job of beating up your kid when the child begins crying, wets his pants, or is bleeding. However, it is not necessary to stop at these points. Indeed, there are circumstances when beating a child into unconsciousness is appropriate. One such circumstance might be the dinner table where, after cooking a delicious meal, a child says with a disapproving sneer, “Yuck! I don’t eat that!”

Tools that can be used to beat children are limited only by the parent’s imagination. My mother for instance often used kitchen utensils such as wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, and wet dish towels. Additionally, she would use our toys against us. I can’t tell you how many orange Hot Wheels tracks I threw away because I was whacked with them. Consequently, I now believe I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because now when ever I see the color orange, I involuntarily put my hands on my butt. This is particularly troublesome because when ever anyone throws me a basket ball, I get hit in the face!

The most common place to whack kids is on their buttocks, and you can use just about any thing you want. You might even practice your game, what ever it may be, while whipping the crap out of your kid. Why shouldn’t you?

For instance, you can practice your golf swing by teeing off on your child’s backside with a 1-wood. If, however you think this is too harsh, you might instead try whacking with a putter instead. Or, you can practice your baseball swing and whack the kid with a bat.

Finally, there are times when the assault levied upon a youngster must be related to the infraction. For example, if the child neglects a chore such as vacuuming the floor, a proper assault might be to beat the kid with the vacuum cleaner.

After reading all of the above, you are probably asking yourself if I am serious. Well, in all actuality, I’m not. The above ‘instructional’ material simply illustrates some repressed desires of many parents I know. I do not actually encourage or condone abusing children, although occasionally entertaining the thought of it does bring with it a measure of satisfaction, and depending on how it’s worded, a laugh or two. Keeping that in mind, please don’t go around beating up your kids, just be a loving parent who punishes only when necessary, but doesn’t abuse.

Eleven Pictures of Hippotherapy

Click the following link then scroll down to view hippotherapy pictures: http://dtaverne.blogspot.com/search?q=hippotherapy . A couple pictures are simply captured moments after the session.

The link also pulls up all articles on this site with "hippotherapy" in the text.

The following pictures were taken in West Monroe, Louisiana at Melanie Massy Physical Therapy on a sunny day in March. During a session, there is a lead walker, and two side walkers. The side walker on the horses left side is the therapist who is conducting the therapy by instructing where the horse will go, and what positions the rider will assume. The right side walker is there solely for the rider’s safety.

Hippotherapy horses at Melanie Massey Physical Therapy 

Hippotherapy Picture: Hippotherapy in session 

Hippotherapy session in progress 

Hippotherapy Picture during a session 

Hippotherapy session in progress 

Brian, side walking, ensuring rider safety 

Brian, the side walkerhelps ensure rider safety 

Robin the Hippotherapy horse and Mary 

Robin the Hippotherapy horse 

The stairs in this picture are where the therapist helps the riders mount the horses 

Horse named Beauty  

Uncontrolled Children Become Uncontrollable Citizens

(Note: The author of this article is in Australia, but doesn't this sound familier"


By Philip Atkinson

Uncontrolled Children Become Uncontrollable Citizens

How the Australian community's failure to discipline its children has resulted in uncontrollable citizens—monsters.

Teachers Lose ControlIgnoring the wisdom of the ages, the minister for education in Queensland issued a directive in 1992 that corporal punishment was to be phased out of all state schools within three years, with every subsequent incident in a government school of a pupil being struck by a teacher to be reported to the state's Criminal Justice Commission (see also U.K. example). How state schools were to control their charges was left to the schools imagination, with the unavoidable result of a growing number of uncontrollable and violent pupils, enough to consider the creation of special schools.

The Impotence Of Teachers The impotence of teachers was emphasised by the Queensland Teachers Union banning 8 students from being allowed into class, these pupils were beyond the ability of their members to control. In the Brisbane Courier-Mail of 5th November 1994 Queensland Teachers union president Ian Mackie declared this decision and called for urgent investigation into deteriorating behaviour in schools because of what the Union saw as an unprecedented rise in poor behaviour among students.

Teachers Repeat Role Of Indulgent ParentsIn 1994 The Australian newspaper reported the case of a teacher charged with assault after striking a tiresome child with a wooden rule. A blow only struck after the student had ignored many previous reprimands. Though the case was dismissed the warning was there to all charged with control of minors (see also 1999). Such professional minders are forced to repeat the same behaviour of the indulgent parents. They no longer command and demand, but entertain and appease. If they can't keep the class amused they are regarded as failures, which clearly reveals that it is the pupils not the teachers who are in charge of the classroom.

Schools Reinforce Parents Message The teacher is obviously at the mercy of the whims of their pupils, so replacing indulgent parents with impotent teachers merely reinforces the lesson of selfishness , while confirming authority is to be despised. This must be the most significant message communicated by the education system, all else is trivial. Whether it is mathematics or morality, no pupil will give more than scant regard to assertions made by people they do not respect. Schools no longer teach duty and obedience but the opposite.

Why we have Inept ManagersContemporary child rearing with its lack of discipline does not just promote irresponsibility but contempt for authority. How could authority maintain respect when fooling parental authority is the first lesson of life? And when this lesson of infancy is reinforced by the education system it is not just selfishness that is taught, but the impotence and hypocrisy of authority. Children have repeatedly been shown that rules and regulations are just a pretence, and with the right behaviour all restrictions can be ignored with impunity. So control of such citizens is in name only. Executives and politicians must repeat the example of parents and teachers; they cannot command and demand but must please and appease; anything else will result in them losing their jobs.

Disorder the Inevitable ResultThe inevitable result of selfish citizens licensed by an impotent authority is public disorder.

Forward Observer: The Job; The Mission

I've noticed that many people log onto my sight here at forward observer because I suppose information is needed on the forward observer. The forward observer is an entity that breaks off from the main body of an artilary unit to pass information back to the big guns. If I am wrong about this, let me know with a comment...

The forward observer will observe where the rounds are landing, and radio back exactly what is needed to 'adjust fire' so that the target can be destroyed.

In addition, the forward observer will radio back intel.to his unit and give information such as

enemy size, activity, location, unit, time and equipment.

The observer will maintain light and noise discipline at night especially, and will practice using camoflage, cover and concealment.

The internet is a vast knowledge source for your information hunt... good luck!

Mission: Healthier U.S. Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have joined forces in an unprecedented manner in an effort to improve the health of the nation.
The focus of this joint initiative, HealthierUS Veterans, is to educate veterans, their families, and communities about the health risks of obesity and diabetes.
By focusing on these conditions and the population of veterans and their families, these two federal agencies can reach up to a quarter of the entire U.S. population, about 70 million people.
-------------------------------------------------

I believe the idea of the above iniative is to lower the debilitating effects of major health conditions affecting veterans today by preventing them. For more information on this great idea, please visit: http://www.healthierusveterans.va.gov/Default.asp

Protein Losing Enteropathy (Case Study)

By Daniel Taverne

First of all, let me explain why I’m writing this, and why I’m disclosing so much of my personal history. You see, as my doctors searched for the cause of my condition, I can’t tell you how many times I listened as they said, “There is just no literature on your condition”. In addition, doctors who were introduced to me in different areas of the hospital would say stuff like, “I’ve heard of you! You’re the interesting case.” Or, “You hit the lottery with this condition because you’re case is so unique.” This is where my reasoning for this disclosure comes in.

I don’t want any other person hearing that no literature exists on this condition. This, therefore, is my effort to begin some discussion on this idiopathic protein losing enteropathy (PLE). Maybe someone else will be helped more quickly than I had been.

In the spring of 2002 I began experiencing severe muscle spasms of just about every part of my body you can imagine. Spasms would render my hands useless at work, and they regularly paralyzed me with pain in my abdominal area as well. Even my scalp and facial muscles would involuntarily contort my face into some interesting yet painful positions. I didn’t have to do anything strenuous to experience them, and regularly woke from naps on the recliner to sudden severe and painful abdominal spasms that would last from 10 to 45 minutes..

Then, late summer 2002, I had an episode of swelling in my lower extremities as well as some scrotal edema. This prompted me to seek out medical evaluation where I soon discovered my serum protein was very low. Before the doctor explained anything to me, she asked me, “Do you eat?” Of course I said, “Yes.” I then listened closely as she informed me of how I had “the protein level of a child in an impoverished country”. She explained about my low albumin and its importance in regulating fluid equilibrium. Even if her scientific explanations didn’t sink in, I soon discovered for my self how important it, and other proteins in the body are.

Within a few weeks, I began feeling tearing sensations within my groin area where I was beginning to feel an inguinal hernia forming. I also felt pressure around my umbilicus as I developed some umbilical hernias. As this was happening, I began to experience pain in my toes that pegged the pain scale. This pain felt to me as if someone had a hold of my toes with a pair of pliers and was squeezing them like crazy. The smallest toe on my right foot began to necrotise.

I felt full all the time, and could only eat small portions of food at a time because fluid in my abdomen (acites) was interfering with my ability to breathe properly. I fought off bouts of cellulitis and bronchitis as well as some yet to be explained severe joint pain in my hip and knee.

I felt exhausted most of the time, and being a brick layer, I had to force my self (amid all these problems) to go to work. That’s right , even when I felt the tearing in my groin and my feet hurt like hell I still showed up to work and did the best I could.

Soon, I referred myself to Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center for further workup. Test I’ve had are numerous and consist of dopplars, cat scans, endogastric duodenoscopy (with biopsies), colonoscopy, interabdominal exploratory surgery with several full thickness biopsies of small intestine, heart cath, CT of entire digestive tract, tested for polyarteritis nodosia, ciliac sprue, you name it. To no avail, my doctors tried and tried to find what was causing this. I had a fecal test that showed alpha-1 antitrypsin which indicated I was losing the protein through my bowel.

Secondary to the Protein losing enteropathy (PLE) was the fact that I had hyperlipidemia, meaning that my cholesterol and triglicerides were through the roof. I additionally had a very low testosterone level which requires biweekly injections.

Over the next 2 years, I tried a number of medications, including high dose prednisone, cytoxan amuran, as well as one or two others none of which made any significant improvement. Fortunately, my doctors decided to try the drug adalimumalb which seems to have done the trick. My albumin has gone from .8 to 3.5 and my total protein has risen significantly as well.

Unfortunately, I soon discovered another problem. It was discovered that I also have osteoporosis when I reported to the emergency room for wrist pain. The doctor who looked at my wrist x-ray told me my ulna looked like I had osteopenia. It was after I had received a lumbar compression fracture while attempting to help up a fallen elderly man that I was given a bone density scan. This scan indicated severe osteoporosis.

Another problem that crept up on me my vision was diminishing. The diminishing of my vision seemed to coincide with my prednisone treatments. I had begun this prednisone treatment 3 separate times, and each time my vision suffered. The first time, my vision began to falter I took myself off the drug and my vision came back. This was the time that a Dr. McMurray of Sonny Montgomery VAMC prescribed it to me at a dose of 50 mg/day for 5 weeks.

The second time, I kept a running log of my visual changes that indicated a decline of my vision. This time I was taken off the prednisone because the doctors were considering laproscopic exploratory surgery and didn’t want my immune system weakened.

Soon, my vision began showing some improvement, though I was still legally blind. After the surgery, the 3rd round of prednisone began with IV pulse doses of 1000 mg for 3 days, then I was put on 60mg/day by mouth. My vision almost immediately started turning for the worse.

I am currently working on improving my bone density through a combination of injections and vitamins. I’m scheduled to take the injections for 1 year due to its associated risk factor of bone cancer.

Finally, my quality of life has improved much over the past 2 years although my poor vision keeps me dependant on others for transportation. I’m taking a number of drugs, in addition to a number of fat soluble vitamins such as ADEKS in multivitamin form. I have gained about 60 pounds while taking prednisone and now that I have had the dose decreased to 2.5 mg every other day, my weight seems to have begun a downward trend.

Any questions or comments can be directed to the rheumatology clinic at Sonny Montgomery VAMC in Jackson Mississippi.

The only damage other than a few hail pings is right here in the front of the car... but that grill section can be replaced from a car in the junk yard, and I'm not worried about the hood. 

another view 

The front is in perfect condition too... not a blemish on the dash or the carpet 

The back seats are in perfect condition.. I don't think anyone evere sat in them 

here is that front q-panel 

The front quarter panel is in another picture 

Two Middle School Girls Set School Fire

By Daniel Taverne

WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA- Two 7th grade female students started a fire in a Riser Middle School 2nd floor bathroom yesterday by igniting paper and a roll of plastic bags in a trash can. After witness statements and several rounds of questioning, the two girls finally confessed to planning it earlier in the day, then carried it out immediately after lunch.

The entire 2nd floor hall was filled with a toxic smoke, forcing the evacuation of the entire school, witnesses say. Although no serious damage occurred, custodial staff said it will take “A long time” to get the smell out of the school.

Two students and one school employee were taken to an area hospital for smoke inhalation and the assistant principal was treated at the school by the school nurse. The two girls were taken into custody by Ouachita Parish deputies, and could be facing arson charges.
-------------------------------------
The Commentary:

I am very close to someone who works as a house keeper at this school, and I can tell you that the kids going to school there need better parenting bestowed upon them.

I am regularly informed of how nothing can be done about children who regularly urinate or defecate on bathroom floors, then smear the material all over the walls using their hands. Additionally, I’m informed on a regular basis of girls not throwing away their feminine napkins, but instead stick them to the walls beside the commodes.

Why are we a society of adults who can not control our children? It seems to me that we absolutely have to go back to earlier forms of punishment because the current one that preaches ‘time-outs’ and Rewards’ and ‘finding their currency’ simply does not work on the average kid by average parents.

These days, spanking seems brutal, and old fashioned, and flies in the face of social workers who believe children’s bottoms are too sacred to be smacked. Guess what, though? Regardless of what they believe, or want you to believe, it works. Sometimes I think social workers are largely against spanking because they know the result will be pure misery within non-spanking families hence creating social worker job security.

***UP DATE*** I Begin Volunteering Next Tuesday

I called Melanie Massey PT today in an attempt to ratify my participation in their clinic on a volunteer basis. After ensuring that I realized this gig is a non paying one, we hammered out my beginning day as Tuesday March 7th at 1300 hrs.

I'll be volunteering 2 days per week Tuesday and Thursday and will be doing an assortment of tasks ranging from giving hay to the horse used in hippotherapy, to being a 'side walker' for the safety of the rider, and even participating in some therapy sessions.

Well, I hope I enjoy my time there because sitting at home has really become old.