Today I was filmed answering the question, "Why do you love speech-language pathology." I told the man who interviewed me that it was because it was so creative.  Also it bridged disciplines that were scientific, mathematic, and literary. And I talked about how I like how it leads ever outward because I never seem to know enough. Like when I wanted to learn more about stroke and so got involved on the listserve NEURO that's really for neurologists. But they were kind and let me on where I stayed for five years, and I loved it. And how that led to my studying emergency response to mass events including chemical, biological, explosive, radiological and nuclear. Which then led me to joining the Dutchess County Medical Emergency Response Team for a year--until I moved to North Country. And also how it led to the writing of Jolt.

And the interviewer wanted to know where I was practicing now so I told him I worked in a residential setting for emotionally disturbed children. But then he asked me to tell a story about doing therapy with one of them, and I couldn't because on the one hand,there are so many, while on the other hand, the population is so small it might breach confidentiality.

So I decided to tell him about how the key thing is that the kids with whom I work are like all children. You have to know what there functioning level is and start there and how because they've had so much failure in their life they appreciate any evidence of progress. So if I can show them they are learning, they're happy. And they behave. And they improve more.

Well, it could have been better, but he had me talk for so long, hopefully they will find something in the interview worth showing. Otherwise how are they going to be able to show it on the ASHA website and UTube, where of all things, they tell me it will go on f-o-r-e-v-e-r.

And I do hope the crew left in some of my references to Jolt: a rural noir.  A boost for it about now might help its distribution as printer should be ready with it soon.

Roberta in New Orleans, Lappin' up CEUs

Weather's grand. Cool, but not too cool. Dry. The walk to the Convention Center is about a mile and quarter and the walk to the short courses within it is about the same.

Estimates run that there are some ten to sixteen thousand speech-language pathologists and audiologists here for the convention to lap up our continuing education units. As for me, today and for the next three days, I will sit in class six hours a day and then fly back.

But hey. Not all is work.

Last evening three SLPs from Mississippi and a seventeen year old exchange student from Belgium and I wandered down Poydras, over St. Peters, up Canal, and onto Bourbon Street to view the night life.

We stopped at Oysters. We took a table in the backroom where it was more quiet. We all ordered something different, but D. and I shared a dozen raw ones. It was my first time eating them.  They were way better than shrimp for texture and taste and I became their instant apassionata, finishing off my half of the plate in record time.

But you gotta chew'em or you miss out on just how good they really are.

We also stopped at a store to try on Mardi Gras masks and took pictures with our cell phones. The masks were lovely. All sparkles and feathers. Mine was red.

On Bourbon Street we stopped on the corner to too listen to some overly loud music with a lot of soul. D and T waited outside with the exchange student while R and I went in, me to stand listening with my fingers in my ears and R to stand, listen, and purchase a plastic cupful of beer which she took with her when we continued our walk. You can do that in New Orleans. Nobody even notices.

So when R. stopped for some pizza after which we continued our walk, I took and carried the beer for her until she could throw away the paper plate and finish the slice using only her right hand.

D.'s great. She has a great sense of humor and lives in Mississippi. With her I talked culture and I learned about different word usages, pronunciations, and Creole cooking. I learned that ticks is what you do with cell phones when you want the other person to read rather than hear what you have to say. And that jumbalay is made of shrimp and sausage and a thick sauce with tomatoes and chili greens and rice thrown on top. 

But best of all, I learned just how much fun Southern women can be. Together we talked about all kinds of things, some serious and some not so serious. And we laughed. A lot. 

I liked being with these Southern belles because they seemed to take care to keep everybody comfortable. Sometimes that involved checking out how somebody else thought so-and-so was feeling. Usually the query was initiated with a non-malicious small gripe or concern followed by a 'what do you think?' Then we'd would move in to do whatever seemed best at that time. This translated into food being shared, differences accepted, and miscommunications remediated. 

It was only because of the kindly style of communication used by D., T., and R. that the ticks lesson could be taught. It began when I didn't understand something T. said and I had to ask if she said 'ticks'. In response sort of repressed a laugh and kept walking, But then T. told D. and D. talked to me and explained how down here you don't kill'em with DDT, you just read'em in you cell phone.

Anyway, it was great night.

Roberta away from Po-Town, And feelin' fine

With Jolt at the printer, I'm looking to get out the kids' book I wrote called Yell'n'Tell. It's the story of two boys who are playmates and two wise mothers who work to find a way to discourage the one boy's bullying.

Kids between five and eight will enjoy Yell'n'Tell, if for nothing other than for Dan Dyen's lovely watercolors. And maybe a few moms or dads might like it, too. Just gotta get it together and out there. What reminded me of it was the conflict and mediation comment in my Sunday blog--sort of a reoccurring theme.

But for now, I've got some jam-packed days ahead and may not get back to blogging before next week. Should that be the case, it will be fun to do some catch up on the Crown Point Disaster or the NYS Budget cuts.

Word has it that NYS's Governor Paterson will make every effort to prevent the loss of Federal Matching Funds.

In this economy, sounds good to me.

Robin, Crunched for time 

In response to the NY Governor's ten per cent across-the-board budget cut proposal I made a comment to the Albany timesunion.com at http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/19872/paterson-agreement-for-all-nighter-not-much-else/?flv=1. The representative from the governor's office who responded complained about special interest groups as a problem in getting support for the idea--as if a ten per cent cut is the same to all programs. Just consider those that receive Federal Matching Funds. For them a ten per cent cut converts immediately to a sixteen point eight per cent one due to the associated loss of paired Federal Matching Funds. Further these cuts would affect mostly those among whom even the Federal Government recognizes the need--among individuals in nursing homes or HeadStart and special education programs.

Sort of like shooting oneself in the foot twice when in a state crying for revenues the governor in one fell swoop  cuts both ten per cent in an across-the-board cut and close to seven per cent in matching funds. Such programs that care for our neediest already run on tight budgets. 

But then yesterday on NPR I heard that Governor Paterson was going to try to preserve Federal Matching Funds. That makes sense to me. Has to do not only with common sense, but with priorities. Budget cuts are fine, but a ten per cent hatchet cut is not. With revenues in the state coming in at a thirty-seven per cent lower rate due primarily to all the losses on Wall Street, the last thing we need to do is to further raise New York's unemployment rate by further cutting Federal Funds. 

So I do applaud any effort by the governor to preserve Federal Matching Funds. Hopefully he will follow through and the Legislature will support the wisdom of this approach.

Speaking of Federal Funds, I heard the people around Crown Point Bridge sent a couple of busloads of people to Albany last Tuesday to express their concerns. Hopefully one of them got through and suggested to the Governor that he should be applying for FEMA funds to help get the area through the Crown Point Emergency created by the Crown Point Bridge closing. To do that he has to ask President Obama and the Federal Emergency Response Agency (FEMA) to declare a Federal Emergency for the area. By so doing he might not only help who suffer personal financial losses, but also further relieve the tax burden on New York for the Crown Point Emergency Response efforts.

Yes. Save State money and by declaring the area around Crown Point a Federal Emergency the Governor would permit small businesses and individuals who have lost income and work time because of the emergency to recuperate some of their losses. Were a Federal Emergency to be declared for the area then individuals and small operator/owner businesses might apply online as individuals to FEMA requesting reimbursement for their personal losses.

As for Jolt, everything is now at the printer's. There had been a problem with the measurements for the cover and dust jacket, but that's been resolved and they have regained what I see as a kind of elegant balance that I hope you'll like.  Also, for all who no longer write hard copy checks, I put in a PayPal button on the http://alvapressinc.com website for use in ordering your copy of Jolt. As for postage, I included a flat rate for the lower forty-eight states and will work on finding a way to individualize it for potential readers other areas. At this point, however, you can do that through an email to RobertaMRoy@alvapress.inc through the website itself. So if having to write a check on paper is what has been preventing you from ordering your pre-publication copy of Jolt: a rural noir, you can do it now. Just click on http://alvapressinc.com and go to the Contact Us webpage and wait four to six weeks for delivery.

Roberta in Po-Town . . . On second