Student Blog
Alix
Napa Napa Napa ⟩
February 15, 2012, by Alix
I’m excited to be heading north for the long weekend! I’ll be spending time with some college friends in the Bay Area, including a couple of nights in Napa. This will be my second time in wine country, and my first opportunity to spend time in Napa. I’m looking forward to hiking around the area, relaxing with my friends, and possibly taking a guided tour of some wineries. Either way, I will definitely be returning with some bottles of wine. I decided to drive there, so it will be a bit of a long haul all by myself, but I’m hoping to find some good books on tape to entertain myself along the way. If anybody knows of any riveting books on tape, leave them in the comments! 😀
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New Year, New Teachers ⟩
February 2, 2012, by Alix
Since moving to LA a couple years ago, I’ve been faithfully going to Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, a great yoga studio in Santa Monica. Some of my favorite teachers — Shiva Rea, Saul David Raye, and Erich Schiffmann, to name a few — teach there, and it’s really close to my house. But for 2012, I wanted to branch out and try something new. So I’ve started going to a new studio, Santa Monica Yoga, and I’m remembering now just how much a new teacher helps to revitalize my practice. The classes are smaller and more intimate, so I’m getting lots of great adjustments. And I’m learning even more about teaching techniques, which helps me to be a better instructor for my students. (Also, the teachers at SMY have really good playlists, which helps.) With the help of one of my new teachers, I’ve even able to achieve one of my 2012 goals: freestanding pincha mayurasana!
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Penny the Kitten ⟩
January 25, 2012, by Alix
Last week we adopted a new kitten! Her name is Penny. She’s extremely adorable. She’s also completely fearless, which makes her the opposite of our other cat, Jimmy. (He is afraid of anything bigger than a bottle cap and/or anything that moves.) We read a lot of horror stories about two cats living in the same household and hating each other, so we were nervous about how Penny and Jimmy would get along. But I am happy to report that they are best friends already. They follow each other around all day long and play hide-and-seek. The only problem happens when Penny tries to play with Jimmy’s favorite toy, a fuzzy plush tick (yes, a tick), which he would protect with his life. Here’s a picture of Penny in her favorite little house. Welcome to the family, Penny.
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Welcome to 2012 ⟩
January 11, 2012, by Alix
Happy New Year! This week marks the beginning of a new semester — the home stretch of the Master’s program for myself and my fellow ambassadors. Winter break was (as always) much too short, but it does feel good to be getting back into the swing of things. I’m taking five classes this spring: two core courses focused on quantitative and qualitative research, a course about Lifestyle Redesign, an elective focused on OT’s role in the primary care setting (kind of like a mini-fieldwork), and a course about motivational interviewing and therapeutic communication.
I’m definitely looking forward to the Lifestyle Redesign course, especially because I’ve decided to stay here at USC for my clinical doctorate, and I’ll be focusing on Lifestyle Redesign. (Yay OTD!) Some other things I’m looking forward to in 2012: Learning how to surf, finding a good gluten-free bread recipe, exploring California even more (Joshua Tree and Yosemite are two goal destinations), and, of course, getting married. I have high hopes for a busy but very fulfilling year. 😎
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Winter Break! ⟩
December 12, 2011, by Alix
I’m almost done with the Fall 2011 semester — one more final left tomorrow, and then I’ll have three weeks of break. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of movies, skiing, and possibly knitting a few scarves. And I’m glad that I won’t be braving the airports at all this holiday season, which is a nice change for me. Next semester is going to be a busy one: I’ll be taking four classes, teaching yoga, and working, along with all the usual craziness of wedding-planning and trying to fit in some fun. I’m especially looking forward to one of my courses, “Therapeutic Communication for the Healthcare Practitioner,” taught by one of my favorite professors, Dr. Linda Fazio. She’s going to teach us about how to use motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness in our occupational therapy practice. I’ve always been interested in the psychosocial elements of therapy, so it should be a particularly useful class for me. But first: relaxation. Happy holidays to all. 😎
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