Being inside at work and pouring over social support/depression research is driving me a little nuts. I don't mind doing research but 3-4 hours a day of it makes for a long week. I was given this project by one of the department's epidemiologists. An epidemiologist is a person is like a disease detective--they look for patterns in data to figure out causes of outbreaks (like food poisoning) and how to prevent them. Sounds like a cool job--if you're into staring at data all day. The project she assigned me is to do a literature review of how social support systems in community's affect community depression because Washtenaw County has chosen depression as a main issue they want to focus on. I really like the topic because it is very cutting-edge; much of what health departments do in regards to depression are individual interventions not community-based ones. So I was excited about pushing myself intellectually in finding out more about the subject. The information that I gather is to be put into a matrix (a table) for health educators to look at and analyze. In the matrix, there will be different information on different programs that deal with community-based interventions that focus on different issues that lead to community depression (ex. high rates of neighborhood violence, lack of physical activity) , the outcomes of these programs, and local data that support the implementation of such a program. A lot of information, right? YES IT IS. So much so that I feel I am drowning in information and I'm unsure of where to even begin! So I spend 3-4 hours a day just reading articles about community depression and factors that lead to it. Kind of boring--especially for someone as distracted as I am. I need change, and people, and movement, and talk. I really hope I can get through this project and present the department with something they like/want.
So after a long week, I decided to go home for a couple of days (I was lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend!). I didn't really want to leave James behind because it's not very often that we get this much time off (although he only had three days off) but I knew he needs some time to relax in Ann Arbor and I went home by myself. I rocked out to some Poe (which I haven't listened to in ages) since all I had was some old CDs in my car. Sometimes songs you haven't listened to in a while sound so good. I came home and nestled into watching some "Law and Order" with my parents and life was good.
The next day I went a spent some time with Lyndsey L. and we babysat her niece. It was a lot of fun--Olivia is such a great kid. We spent the day in the park running around with her trying to make sure she didn't get run over by the bigger tweens playing on the playground equipment. One of the middle-schoolers (I think they were middle school-aged because they were so awkward) looked at Lyndsey and said "she looks like so-and-so's mom." Since when do we look like moms?! Listening the fragments of chatter around us was just mind-blowing. Thirteen looks so much different when you're almost 23. The way kids talk, dress, act, and interact with each other is so vaguely different from what I remember. But I have to stop and think about what I was really like as a kid and I remember that I went through a whole range of emotions, maturity levels, and irrational ideas. Even though it seems like you were the most rational, responsible, level-headed kid; you're not. I was trying desperately to try and fit-in in the most bizarre, ridiculous ways. Makes me laugh and shudder at the same time.
Lyndsey and I finally got Olivia home and tried to manipulate her into going to take a nap. This involved us laying on her bedroom floor pretending to go to sleep while she tossed and turned in her bed for 15 minutes. Thankfully she was too distracted by her baby-doll and we snuck out.
Later on that day, I went and visited my aunt, uncle and our cousin's daughter and son. Ethan is 4 and Bella is 1-ish (I think?). Ethan talked my ear off about horses, preschool, stars, and all the work he had to do on Papa's driveway. It was entertaining, let me tell you. He's got a lot of imagination and spunk. Bella on the other hand is very shy. She rarely talks and stays close to my Aunt Jane's side. She's very cute and interesting to watch. The day started with kids and ended with kids.
Saturday my mom, my sister, and I all went to Fort Wayne, IN to go shopping. It was a lot of fun and I ended up getting three pairs of shoes (and I promise that it was NOT my choice--my parents insisted that I needed a "good" pair of shoes because my feet looked horrible from blisters) and some new shorts. I'm always up for new shoes. :)
We went and saw Sex and the City: 2 which I have mixed feelings about. While I loved the show, I am not a fan of the movies. The last one definitely had more merit than this one and should have been the last movie. This movie was full of horribly written jokes (which really let me down because at least the show had some pretty funny banter from what I remember), awkward interactions between lifelong friends, and just a lot of talk about menopause. I'm still undecided if my reaction to this movie was from my changing views on feminism and relationships or if it was just badly made. I'm thinking that it was more so badly made. I will say that the only "sparkle" that came out of the gaudy, jewel-encrusted movie was it's discussion on marriage and what it means for different people. Each woman identified with different struggles in being in a relationship (whether it be marriage or not). Carrie still wanted the "sparkle" that couples have; the passion-driven, crazy-in-love, exciting life despite the fact that Big loved being on his couch at night, eating take-out, and watching black-and-white movies with her. Charlotte wanted to be the perfect mom; graceful, fully capable of handling crying children, baking cupcakes, and praising her daughter without showing an ounce of irritation (which is impossible, by the way) but instead felt trapped in her guilt about not meeting her own standards. Miranda wanted to have her awesome career as a lawyer but also be a great mom but realized that one was negatively affecting the other. Samantha wanted to cheat age and stay young forever--and did it by having a ridiculous amount of hormones (I would consider her the static character). Peel back the Dolce & Gababa, Manolo Blancs, and Tiffant jewelery, and there's what the crowd of adoring fans can relate to. But at the end of the show, everything works out--which doesn't always happen in real life. I guess it's the glitz, girl-talk, and the hardships that attract women to this show--I can completely understand that. However, I cannot understand how 90% of this movie was even considered for multi-million dollar production. I mean Liza Minelli singing "All the Single Ladies?" Come on.
Good day today. But I think James did a pretty good job explaining that.

0 comments