Mold, Belle's, and the Blues

Today was probably the hardest day in lab thus far- emotionally. The most difficult dissection was probably the brachial plexus because it was such slow, tedious work. Today though, we finally had to dissect the muscles of the face. We've had the faces covered since day 2 of lab, so we had to take off the covering and start cutting away skin. A few of the girls were very anxious about it, but I found that it was best to just get in there and start removing skin. You have to treat it like any other part of the body, even though the face is the most recognizable, “human” part of the body. As a Christian, I believe that our soul/spirit is what makes us human- it’s not any feature of our bodies, but that indefinable supernatural aspect of ourselves. Today I had to tell myself: “It’s just a body. The person is no longer there.” I think that made it easier.

On another note, we've been having mini-crises in the lab for the past couple of weeks, as we've discovered mold on several of the cadavers. It’s been unbelievably hot and humid in Richmond this summer, which has made it difficult to prevent the growth of mold. We've been pouring ethyl alcohol on the cadavers when we find mold, but once it starts growing, it’s hard to get rid of it completely. We've managed to contain the problem, but all the mold has only made the cadavers smell worse! It’s a good thing we only have two weeks of class left.

Outside of class, I've been enjoying having a bit more time this week to hang out with friends. On Wednesday, Audrey, Kelly and I went to the river again for a picnic. This time we invited some more people from our class and we all had a great time chatting, eating, and cooling off in the water. We’re thinking about making a Wed afternoon picnic a regular part of the schedule for the rest of the summer. Belle’s Isle is a great little spot and I’m so glad we “discovered” it only a few weeks after moving to Richmond!

I also got to go to a concert last night with my PT friend Alicia. She and her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s brother and sister were all going to the Blues Traveler concert, so I tagged along, even though I had never heard of the Blues Traveler before. The concert was at an outdoor pavilion, so when we first got there it was extremely hot and muggy (Richmond temps have been in the 100’s for the past week or so- it’s almost unbearable!). Luckily we got a spot in the shade! The band was pretty good, I thought. They had a mellow, blues-y sound which was kind of nice and relaxing for a summer concert. My favorite part of that concert though, was the dancers in the crowd. There was a hippie woman with pink hair and a long scarf who was swaying to the music and doing some kind of weird interpretative dance. There was an old guy smoking pot who would get up and do slow, awkward dance moves. Finally there were two women wearing long skirts who were twirling and skipping, often with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other! It was quite entertaining. By the way, I've never seen so much beer sold in one place. I wanted a soda because it was so hot, and had to search for the only stand (among dozens!) that had non-alcoholic drinks.

I hope it gets cooler in Richmond soon! Other than that, I've been enjoying living here for the most part. Two more weeks of summer class to go!