The Best Thing about Kansas

Happy Kansas Day!  I was driving through Western Kansas this evening and was reminded why Kansas is so great.

A picture is worth a thousand words so I think this says enough.

The Wild West

I (Alex) may not be at the edge of the world but you sure can see it from here-- just beyond the barbed wire fence and the tumble weeds blowing by.  I have temporarily relocated to a small town in southwest Kansas for 6 weeks.  I am doing a clinical internship in the physical therapy department at the county hospital. Compared to the hustle and bustle of Kansas City, I have enjoyed a more “laid back” life out here.  Actually, during my first three weeks the adventures never stopped and I am not foreseeing a decrease in excitement in the rest of my time here.

            When people in Kansas City heard I was headed to southwest Kansas for my internship, they expressed their sympathy that I had been assigned to what they considered the middle of nowhere.  I then had to explain that this was actually my first choice and I was excited for the experience. 

My clinical has gone well.  The highlight has been getting the chance to remove 37 staples from a patient’s leg.  Sometimes I wonder about how trusting patients should be if they are willing to let a student with no previous staple removal experience use a tool that looks like pliers to take out embedded metal from their leg.  On this clinical I have also heard more hunting stories than you can shake a stick out as well as watching hours of hunting shows on the Outdoor channel.  One day I assisted with an in-service at the nursing home and one of the men in attendance had on a ten gallon hat, a handle bar mustache, boots, and a vest (I could have sworn he had a badge pinned on his vest as well and was the spitting image of Wyatt Earp). 

            In a small town people often notice a stranger, especially if they hang around a while, so they begin to ask questions.  My friend and her roommate often get asked about who is with them so we have had some good jokes about me being the stranger who is staying in their basement. We thought it would be rather entertaining to start telling people I was a graduate student in prairie biology doing field research about tumble week migration so I am in the area putting electronic tracking devices on tumble weeds.

            This weekend has been full of entertainment and adventure.  On Friday night we drove out to a family’s home so we could practice target shooting—or instead of practice I should say learn how to shoot a gun.  I learned more than I ever thought I needed to know about guns, ammunition, and shooting.  I am certainly not a great shot but now I can say I have done it.  I also might understand the difference between a rifle, hand gun, and revolver as well as what different caliber of bullets are--- maybe.  We also enjoyed some s’mores and staring up into a sky full of stars.  Today we went to the Dalton Gang Hideout.  The Daltons were originally from Kansas City as well and decided to come out here for a change of pace just like I did- or maybe it was easier to rob banks and trains out here (This is not my motive) .  We didn’t go inside to see the two-headed calf in the museum or the escape tunnel but took some pictures outside.  With these activities I have been able to cross a few more things off my bucket list for my time here in Western Kansas. 

Plan B

My friends often joke with me that I have a 30-year plan with outlines of objective personal and professional goals for each decade to make sure I am on track.  This is almost true but not quite.  However, I do like to make plans about the future.  Going into college I was often told it was okay if I changed my major a couple of times since no one really knows what they want to do when they are 18.  I didn’t-- I’m basically exactly where I planned to be my first day as a freshman at K-State.  One reason for this could be that I just never thought about or took the time to develop a plan B.  Since starting grad school I have given more thought to back-up plans just in case I’m not cut out for being a physical therapist.  While studying for big tests or reading mountains of research articles or daydreaming in lectures I find myself thinking, “Well, if PT school doesn’t work out I could always.....

Open a gourmet peanut butter and jelly deli.  This is one skill I feel like I have had the opportunity to hone and master in grad school since I make a PB&J every day for lunch.  Peanut butter and jelly is a classic that everyone loves (unless they have peanut allergies).  There are endless variations as well—different jams and jellies, fancy breads, a variety of nut butters, adding extra ingredients like honey or bananas, and of course even just cutting the bread in rectangles or triangles gives a special look.  Every great restaurant needs a catchy name so the deli would be PB&J Fridays.

Open a gourmet s’more shop.  People go for anything that takes the simple and makes it gourmet.  This is the whole idea behind Starbucks and other coffee shops.  Take something simple like coffee that anyone could make with a coffee pot, switch it up just a tad so it is special, and then people are hooked.  I think this would be the case with s’mores.  Once again a food that almost everyone loves (and if they don’t they have no idea what they are missing) and usually associate with happy memories such a camping trip as a kid.  This is also kind of a spin-off of fondue which is simply melted chocolate or cheese and finger foods.  It is also kind of a do-it-yourself experience like OrangeLeaf where the customer gets to let his or her creativity run wild.  I envision a shop with a few built-in fire pits and a buffet of all the makings of great s’mores.  Of course there are the necessities such as chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers but then options would be fudge grahams, other candies (using Butterfingers makes a mean s’more), and peanut butter.  The business could eventually expand to include more main dishes like pie irons.  The one down side would be the liability issues that would arise from people catching their marshmallows on fire and then waving a flaming object on the end of a pointy stick around in panic. 

Start Spuds-n-Suds.  Spuds-n-Suds is my idea for a potato bar and laundromat.  While potato bars and laundromats really don’t have anything to do with each other, it makes for a great business name—after all, it is all about the marketing.  Plus, who doesn’t get hungry after spending a few hours doing their laundry?  Might as well provide a hearty (and possibly healthy) alternative to vending machine snack food. 

Become a dog groomer.  This is another job in which I do have some experience.  It seems to fall to me to trim our dog Clementine’s fur when I am home on break.  Poor Clem doesn’t get a choice and it is probably a go thing she doesn’t leave the back porch because I would hate for her to be embarrassed about her haircut in public.  This one would be a stretch for me but I think I would do better with dogs than actually being a hair dresser. 

Join the circus.  I think everyone should have joining the circus as a back-up plan at sometime in life.  Think of the adventure of a life on the road.  While I don’t really have any skills to offer a circus—I don’t juggle, I’m not going to stick my head near a lion’s mouth, I am not known for having the best balance, I have a terrible fear of clowns, and I object to wearing spandex—I figure there could possibly be the need for an athletic trainer to travel with the circus.  After all, there are probably some pretty major injuries if someone slips flying through the air from a trapeze or if an elephant steps on someone’s foot. 

Become a test dummy for Gatorade or Nike.  This idea is probably the most realistic and the one I would have the best qualifications for.  Actually, I could probably make it beyond lab rat or guinea pig and be involved in research or product design.  I can’t really think of a better job than getting to work out while drinking various flavors of Gatorade or testing out the latest shoe designs. 

Be a late night talk show host.  Jules suggested this idea. Basically the characteristics needed for this job would be a sarcastic personality and a knack for making fun of people.  She thought that I would be a perfect candidate for those qualifications and I already have a lot of previous practice.  The one downside would be the hours for this job.  It probably wouldn’t be good if the host falls asleep on the set since it is past her bedtime.

This is the list for now.  I expect with another 2 years of school I might have some more brilliant ideas.  I think it is strange that several of my ideas involve a foray into the restaurant and food service industry.  For the mean time I will keep plugging away at school- so don’t get to concerned Mom and Dad.