Getting Ready for a VIP

Laundry - check
Bed made - check
Diet Pepsi in the fridge - check
Workout:
5 rounds (individually times) - 250m row, 25 pushups, 25 box jumps (24")
1. 3:13
2. 3:40
3. 3:35
4. 3:57
5. 3:24
(60-180 sec rest between rounds)
Up to 15 pullups in a row using the blue band. Time to graduate to the red band.

Ready for Hubby to arrive!

It's Snowing

This morning when it first started.


Just after lunch.


Later this afternoon.

Wow, Just WOW! or "They Really Like Me"

As a reservist I'm not usually considered part of the flight. I show up a couple time a year, see patients or work on projects. Usually eat meals alone. Go back home or the lodging at night. Sometimes I do something social with the flight but I don't really know people that well. This time I noticed that something was different. From the first day the Nutritional Medicine Flight at Malcolm Grow Medical Center made me feel welcome, part of the team, a member of the family. When I was here at work, I didn't feel like a temporary employee, I felt like I was a full time member of the flight.









I had the pleasure of working with some very dedicated, enthusiastic diet techs who helped me leave a lasting contribution to the capital region. In less than eight weeks togther we got the clinic fully functioning (certifying a new tech to provide group classes and basic individual nutrition education in less than one month; considered record time in this career field), revised five group classes (two of them are now more effective six week programs), saw over 400 patients. In addition, I was part of the strategic planning team for our career field, a member of the medical nutrition therapy working group (so I've revamped 2 diet tech training modules and 4 diet tech clinical guidelines), created a dozen documentation templates utilizing the nutrition care process protocol, and help the population health team get their diabetes initiative off the ground.

Hey! This isn't our flight meeting!

I've never been given a goodbye party before. When I transfered my unit of assignment from Nellis to Travis, no one realized I was gone except the flight commander since he signed my paperwork. Despite five years at Nellis there was nothing to mark my leaving. When I put on Major (which is a big deal in the military) there was no pinning ceremony, no congratulations from a commander. Just a "go ahead and sew it on" and then when I showed up at Travis for the first time with the oak leaf it was "oh, you're a Major now. Nice." After three years at Travis the Reserve office decided they shouldn't have to pay for me to travel so far when there was a perfectly good military facility in my home town. So I was transfered back to Nellis. My last day at Travis was a 'tag-on' to someone else's last day party.....until the Squadron Commander pulled me aside privately and awarded me her Commander's Coin (Col McCann - thank you!).

Here at Andrews my job was only for 53 days (36 if you only count duty days). To hear the flight members talking it was like I'd been here with them for over a year. I was getting teary giving my thanks. But when one after the other got up to say something, I was flabbergasted. And to give me salutes? WOW! I really felt part of the 779th MDSS/SGSN Team all the way.

Thank you all for the opportunity to serve with you. It's been a pleasure and an honor. The people you feed and care for are in good hands. I'll always consider myself an honorary member of Team Andrews, the Face of Air Force Medicine.

Countdown?

3 days left and still so much to do.

All the data collection questionnaires are updated and electronic (the only set I didn't do was Pediatric, isn't that ironic).

Tomorrow we present our two new outpatient education programs to the department: Winning at Losing (weight management) and Healthy Heart Needs TLC (cholesterol).

The updated diabetes education sessions have been a big success with the Population Health team that is revamping their program. They are still looking for a CDE. Maj Chen approached me but I had to explain their protocol called for an RN-CDE, and I am looking forward to going back to my husband in Las Vegas.

The Diet Tech training module for Diabetes has been sent forward to the Working Group. The Hyperlipidemia training module is in progress (still working on the study guide). I still haven't looked at the Strategic Plan that I helped create last month.

More outpatients on Wednesday. On Thursday (after squadron PT in the morning) I am going on a tour with Public Health at the Pentagon! On Friday the returning dietitian gets to see all the upgrades and I get to show her the new documentation templates.

Don't tell the airmen who have been working with me in the clinic, but on Friday I'm going to present the two of them with AF Dietetics coins. Shhhhhhh.

Then 1 day to get rejuvenated before I get my hubby!!! He's flying out this weekend so we can be tourist for a couple of days before going back home.

Back to the Workouts and Making the Clubhouse Turn

The past two days I've been involved in an AF Dietetics Strategic Planning Video Conference. It was hosted in the Central time zone so we'd finish at 5:30p and then I still had some local stuff to do back in my office. By the time I was done it really was too late for me to go to the gym (not if I wanted dinner before 8p).

Today I'm back on schedule and got to the Fitness Center tonight for a modified version of "Eva". My WOD was 3 laps around the gym (~500m), 15 kettlebells (25#) and 15 pullups (blue band) x 5 sets. I started out pretty strong (got the first 3 sets done in 15min) but I stopped after set #4 to help a new person with kipping pullups so didn't finish the workout until 32min. I have the feeling it's going to be a little difficult to lift my arms tomorrow. But I love the "tired after a good workout" feeling.

Got my plane ticket for the trip home. Can't believe that it's getting that close now. Sort of like a horse going around the clubhouse turn. So much left to do for the flight and really only two working weeks left (cause next week is so short). Every day coming up is full of outpatient appointments so project time is going to be tight. Guess there will be some "homework" over Thanksgiving.

Row Row Row

No, the rain didn't flood out Joint Base Andrews. But it sure caused a lot of damage up and down the coast (mostly it was the winds). I think the worst is done for now - we're suppose to be clear tomorrow and then it will start again later in the week.

Meanwhile, the gym is still open. So to pass the time today I grabbed this WOD from LasVegasCrossFit.com (from earlier this week).
30 PullUps (used the blue resistance band)
1500m Row
20 PullUps
1000m Row
10 PullUps
500m Row (21:45)

Followed by Overhead Press (65#) 3-3-3-3-3

The rest of the day involved catching up on missed TV shows by finding them online (and waiting through the buffering).

Tomorrow is a fun treasure hunt through Washington DC and the Capital Park area.

Retiree Appreciation Day - Nutrition Table

Joint Base Andrews honors local military retirees today. This morning the 779th Med Group provided health screens and information. Nutritional Medicine Flight was well represented. During the two hours our team spoke with many folks and answered lots of nutrition questions. People really like the food models and visual cues for fat & sugar in foods, and how triglycerides thicken the blood.


Thank you team for helping out on your day off. Don't they all look sharp in their service dress? Yes they do. Go USAF Blue!



{yes, I know I'm short}

Clean Computer! And a Day at Work.

$200 and I get my computer back with a clean bill of health Monday night. Thank you Best Buy. (I still want to shoot the a$$wipes who created that Malware).

Keeping busy at work. Seeing lots of outpatients (diabetes, hypertension, gastric bypass patients are the most common). Getting materials ready for the Retirement Appreciation Day on Saturday (Med Group Health Fair will be in the morning). I am blessed with a couple of active, motivated airmen working in the Nutrition Clinic - such a wonderful breath of fresh air to have self directed diet techs. Just SrA but if I went back to Iraq I would want these two working with me.

Today was a little different with revising the diabetes class slide shows and a couple of non-typical outpatients; gastric reflux in the morning and lactose intolerance (possible Celiac) in the afternoon. I also created a "Safe Food Handling for Thanksgiving" pamphlet.

Getting ready for PT (for me every Tuesday at 3:30p) when I got a call from the ICU with an MD consult for diet education. The patient wasn't going home tonight but this doctor said "patient care takes precedence". While I could have visited either after the workout or tomorrow around lunch time....I just said "Yes ma'am" and gathered materials to bring up to the unit. After that I set up my stuff for tomorrow's outpatients and it was about 6p before I got to the gym.

CrossFit WODs
Monday: 3 rounds - 200m run, 6 Deadlifts/5 Hang Power Clean/4 Front Squats/3 Push Jerk 65# barbell (7:45)

Tuesday: "Angie" broken up. 100 pullups (62 using blue band, 38 jumping) in 9:19. 5 min "rest" (I walked one lap around the gym). 100 pushups (as prescribed, straight legs) in 7:45. 5 min "rest". 100 CF situps in 5:14. 5 min "rest". 100 air squats in 4:00.

Tomorrow will be a rest day (and I'm expecting another long day at work).

One nice thing this month is my husband's work schedule. He's on day shift which means he's at home when I get online so we can webcam and chat. The bad thing is my TV schedule is 3 hours ahead (unless we're watching a sports event). Once a week we watch Poker (WSOP) on ESPN at the same time and share comments. The rest of the week I have to keep quiet about our favorite shows (which include Survivor, Amazing Race, Heroes, The Big Bang Theory) until the next day when he has "caught up".

Happy Halloween

I wanted to be something scary this year.


I figured Swine Flu was a good bet.


Here are a few more around the hospital today.

Sunday in the Street(s) of Joint Base Andrews

After all the rain the sun finally appeared and I was able to follow my daily driving route to work - on foot. The access to the Virgina Street gate is not friendly to foot traffic, but there were very few vehicles so I felt pretty safe.


The first intersection (from Virginia Avenue I turn left onto Perimeter Road).


The Andrews Golf Club is here. Lots of parking places near the clubhouse for Generals and Secretarys (the Cabinet members) and Chiefs (Top Enlisted).


Examples of newer base houses and the colors of fall.


Quick, he doesn't want you to find his nut stash.


This is where I'm working these days.


The view from my window, to the East, close to sunset.

What to do on a Rainy Day

Laundry: I've only lost 1 sock so far. And I can eat a free breakfast in the hotel while the machines are running ($1 per wash, $1 per dry).






CrossFit Workout: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of WallBall, 45# Push Press, 45# Sumo Dead Lift High Pull, 18" Box Jump (time - 18:30).






Navigation: Become familiar with the freeways & interchanges, roadway naming systems, and lack of speed limit enforcement during heavy downpours. But it was worth it because at the end of the drive was a lovely homecooked dinner with Maj Blakeman & her husband. Thank you for welcoming me into your home last night.

Ladybugs

What does it mean when there are 4 ladybugs in your hotel room, flying around the wall light fixture?

CrossFit at Andrews

There is a great set up in the gym at Andrews, called the Tactical Fitness Area. Organized classes on M & W at 6 & 7 am and 3 & 4 pm. But they post two different types of workouts for every day of the week (with and without weights). Or I can copy what is being done at CrossFit Las Vegas.

Saturday: I did a modification of "Workout with the Girls" that was posted for Friday at CFLV.
400m jog in the warmup
20 Pullups (red band), 20 pushups, 20 situps, 20 squats
400m run, 21 overhead squats (35#)
400m run, 21 kettlebell swings (25#), 20 pullups
400m run, 21 thrusters (35#)
400m run, 21 deadlifts (75#)
400m walk cooldown
Didn't time this, but it was about 30 min.

Sunday: 500m row warmup. Then 5 rounds for time of 12 deadlifts (70#), 9 burpees, 6 front squats (45#). Time: 11:32

It's hard to push when you are the only one doing it, but I'm glad I'm at least doing it. Hope I can actually attend a class & workout with others while I'm here.

Working Space

We'll start at the back dock, entry into the basement of the hospital where the Nutritional Medicine Flight is located.




Walk down the hallway and around the corner to elevators (who takes elevators for just one flight) and go up the stairs near the main hospital entrance.

Then follow one of the many "bowling alley" hallways inside Malcolm Grow Medical Center. It's about 150 steps to the other side where the outpatient Nutrition Clinic can be found.

And we're here! This is my primary working location for the next two months.

404 - Room Not Found

So if you know anything about me, you know that I'm sort of a computer literate geek. And all my Alternate Reality friends will get a kick out of my assigned hotel room.


Full fridge, flat screen TV with most of the decent channels (no Bravo or Food Network, though), free wifi (slow) and ethernet (worth the $12 for the cable in order to get streaming video), clean towels twice a week and full cleaning on Fridays. Downstairs is a small free breakfast bar, Monday Night Football pizza & wings (not until 7:30p here on the East coast), indoor pool & hot tub (haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking about it tonight since it's been so damn cold this week), laundry room (that's my plan for Sunday morning), and free delivery Chinese food (dinner tonight).



Only good things about traveling by yourself: You control the remote and you control the temperature in the room. Otherwise it is just a damn big bed for only one person (extra pillows included).

Every Journey Starts - The Airport Departure

McCarron has new gates in the D area with food stations, newstands, Starbucks and a classic Vegas mural. Nice and airy, laptop stations (free wifi!!) and, of course, slot machines/video poker.

The flight to Dulles was overbooked when I went online to get my seat assignment.

What's this button "upgrade"?

How much do I have on my MileagePlus account?

Only 8000 to upgrade?

CLICK.

First Class.

Nice!

Malcom Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB

This is where I'll be in a week from tomorrow.

Maj Brewer Goes to Washington

I'm getting ready to perform another manning assist. This time I'll be at Andrews AFB in Washington DC.

As before, lots of pictures and impressions to follow.