The county (HCHD) had learned of the popularity of ‘Poke-n-Stick’ parties, house parties at which people get tattoos and piercings from, most often, amateurs. There is a substantial risk of many blood-borne infections from body modifications performed at these parties. HCHD’s goal was to implement a health communication plan to raise awareness of those risks. I spent the summer working to help HCHD meet that goal. The program that I designed included several public marketing pieces: Posters, cinema screen ads, brochures, flyers, a press release and more. Employing my newfound skills enabled me to create some materials that look quite good. One example is this brochure.

Many thanks go out to the photographers who allowed their work to be used in the materials: Chris Willis, Scarleth White and Jhong Dizon. Thank you all for giving me some great art with which to work!

Misty is working at a pet grooming salon. For those of you who know her, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that she really enjoys her job. This is a girl who, throughout her life, has brought home every stray – and strange – animal that she could find. Even after working with them 40-hours per week for the past few weeks she hasn’t tired of them. Something else Misty really enjoys is Halloween. Thankfully, she wasn’t scheduled to work that day. She and Dave spent most of the day decorating our front yard, porch, and entryway to thrill the kids she knew would be by for treats later in the day. When I say decorating, I don’t mean lighting a couple of Jack-o-lanterns. Misty goes all out! She has a skeleton, a huge spider web, three or four disembodied skulls staked four feet high lining our sidewalk, spooky music, a fog machine, and more. She also dons a costume prior to the arrival of our annual visitors. We ended up not having a lot of visitors this year, but those who did venture down our court were provided with sweets that made it worth the walk.

I voted last Tuesday – and hope that YOU did so as well. The election didn’t turn out the way I wish that it had, but there’s always 2012, right?

 One of my nieces, Mackenzie, celebrated her birthday last week. As usual, I enjoyed spending time with her and the rest of my family. We had a great time…and ate cake! What can beat that?

 I spent the first half of Thursday volunteering at a free clinic. Scott Grimes, a fellow MPH student and Public Health Corp member, served with me as we convinced community members to sit for their flu shot and assisted them in the completion of the required paperwork. Some folks needed more convincing than others, but I think Scott and I did a fine job of persuading them. At the end of the day, only five doses remained.

A fun part of the day for me was when Scott began feeling guilty about telling everyone else to be vaccinated when he, himself, had no protection from influenza. So, one of the volunteer nurses, Janet Zetzl, put Scott into her chair and poked him too!

Scott Grimes receives his own influenza protection

 Don’t let Scott’s face fool you… he was hamming it up for the camera. Janet is an excellent nurse and we didn’t receive a single complaint. Hopefully, those who weren’t vaccinated will visit us at one of the upcoming clinics. If you’re in need of a flu vaccination and want to know more about this opportunity, visit the Gennesaret Free Clinic site for more information.

 School is going well, exceptionally well, actually. I aced my last biostatistics course and have strong A’s in all of my classes. Of course, I have research and papers due in a few weeks, not to mention final exams. I’m in good shape though, so I have no worries in that department. I’ve registered for Spring classes now: Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Advanced Epidemiology, and Applied Multivariate Statistical Methods. Sound exciting? It does to me, and that’s what counts! I’ll complete my internship in the summer, take one more class and complete my thesis in the fall, and then I’m done, unless, of course, I decide to pursue a Ph.D. My school makes saying no to that proposition quite difficult as my tuition would be fully comped in addition to an annual stipend. I have a bit of time to make that decision so, for now, I’ll worry about completing my current courses and just cross that bridge when I come to it.

 After a somewhat hectic week, Dave, Misty and I were invited to hang out with a good friend in Broad Ripple yesterday evening. We sure couldn’t pass on that offer! Thanks for the invitation, Ange! We took a quick walk around the Indianapolis Art Center, spent some time at the Ashland Gallery, and finished off with dinner and cocktails at Flatwater Restaurant on the canal. After such a busy week, this evening was much appreciated.

 It’s certainly good to break away from your work and worries for a brief respite. I recommend you do the same. Spend some time with family and friends, take a walk, enjoy yourself, and don’t forget to breathe!