Interview update

I just wanted to provide an update on how my interview for Army-Baylor went. I woke up on the morning of the 24th (Jan.) and saw had an e-mail (sent only about 15 minutes before) from a LTC Gill (who, as it turns out, is the new deputy director of the physical therapy program at Army-Baylor). He was e-mailing about 5 people who hadn't responded to his previous request to sign up for an interview timeslot to let them know that today was the last day to interview for the program if we were still interested. I don't know how I could have fallen through the cracks. My only thought is that maybe he initially made a mistake entering my e-mail address and only later caught it when he didn't hear word back.

I quickly signed up for an interview timeslot about 5 hours from then and confirmed with him via e-mail that my name was in fact on the list for that time. I got Ishani ready for work and spent some time adding to a Word document I had started a few days before. In it, I included responses to questions I was nearly certain he would ask (based on accounts from current and past applicants) as well as detailed examples of how I embodied the key Army values (many of which didn't exactly fit). I also spent some time working with my father-in-law to craft a good answer to the "biggest weakness" question and finally I added some final points I wanted to make and questions I wanted to ask.

When he called me (only 1 minute past the scheduled time), I was ready, organized and calm. The first part of the interview was a little rocky as I, for some reason, delved immediately into why I chose to leave philosophy in response to the question: "What have you been doing for the past couple of years." From there though, the interview started to go much better and I warmed up. I began to share the reasons why personal training appealed to me (the one-on-one client interaction, not a strictly selfish pursuit like philosophy tended to be) and made the transition nicely to a discussion of why the scientific model of systematic testing and evidence-based practice appealed to me. From there it was an easy transition into his question: "Why physical therapy in the Army." Opportunity to work with individuals at a high level of conditioning, marriage of strength and conditioning topics with rehabilitation, preventative care, the difficulty of practicing with minimal equipment in the deployed environment. I was also able to highlight my military-specific shadowing experience at Fort Knox (and the initiative I displayed setting it up and continuing to volunteer there) in response to his question about military observation.

I did a lot of talking, but with the exception of the first minute or so, the conversation flowed nicely and I felt completely in my element, not artificial. I felt that I left him with my genuine and enthusiastic desire to be a part of Army physical therapy and he (unasked) told me that my interview was the best of all the applicants he'd phoned. While he advised caution (it took him two times to be accepted to the program) he told me that if the rest of my application was as stellar as my phone interview, that I stood an excellent shot of being accepted this cycle.

The only thing I can do now is wait. Wait to see if my medical waiver (for syncope) will be approved; SFC Thomas said that the closer we get to the Feb. 12th Board date, the more the medical waivers are rushed to be included in the packet. And I also have to wait for an admissions decision. In years past, one week after the Board finishes meeting, applicants start hearing word back (at least those accepted do). So potentially, with any luck, I might hear word back on February 21st.

The only other update I have is that I just contacted a local sports training center (akin to Force Fitness and Performance in Bloomington, IN) about an internship opening in strength and conditioning. The original listing (posted on Jan. 4th) was for an assistant S&C coach for their 4-person facility, but the bottom of the ad mentioned an opening for this internship. I really want to perfect and apply the basics of Olympic lifting (which they specialize in) and this looks like a perfect opportunity to get hands on. I will be purchasing the CSCS materials (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) from the NSCA soon and will take the exam later in the summer. This internship would help immensely with the video practical portion (as well as the test questions on form) and will put me that much further ahead if/when I head to Fort Sam for training.

Well, that was a lot longer than I intended it to be. Thanks for your patience and I should have some more news for you in about a month's time.

Updates

I think that most blogs get to be like this. The blogger promises to start writing and then waits months and months to post something new, not because nothing interesting has been happening, but because s/he has been a lazy sod. So with that in mind, I don't promise to change my nature and I will most likely go some time before posting again.

Things have been very interesting since I last wrote here. I took on many more clients through the SRSC in the spring of 2011, I got married (both legally in the US and religiously in India), I took a full science courseload for nearly a year in Santa Barbara and did very well in my classes (even getting to work on human cadavers), and I have decided to try to become an officer in the US Army Medical Specialist Corps (AMEDD). I've been working on that last one for exactly a year now and have done everything in my power to make myself a competitive applicant for the Army-Baylor program (located at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX). I've made weekly trips to Fort Knox, KY from Bloomington, IN to observe physical therapy as practiced in a military setting and have finally finished the medical entrance exams for the military (well, "finished" might be a little bit hasty, as I still have to be tested to be OK'd for my two episodes of syncope). I'm really in a state of limbo though, as I don't whether I'll be deemed physical fit for military service. And even if I am, I may simply be OML'd (waitlisted) and be forced to wait an additional year to apply again.

But some good news is that Ishani and I are preparing to move to Arlington, VA for her job as the Associate Director of Research at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (that's a mouthful). We're really excited for her, especially given the hard time she's gone through to get to this point. She's generally awesome and will do really good work there.

I'll try to post again when I've learned anything new about Army-Baylor. I'll probably be receiving a call for my telephone interview next month and will let you know then how I thought it went. 

A long time away

I'm sorry that I haven't posted here in a long time. And a lot has happened since I last let you guys (whoever you might be) know that I had opted to leave my philosophy PhD program once and for all. I successfully studied my ass off in preparation for my NSCA-CPT exam and with Ishani's father's help, I passed with an 87% on July 19th, 2010. I immediately knocked on a bunch of doors in Bloomington but the only one that opened was at the IU SRSC. Since then, I have only managed to finish training and work through a three-session package with a client. Somehow, I thought I'd have more clients through the university by this point, but it just hasn't materialized. Classes start up next week though, and I'll probably be inundated by assignments from Megan Amadeo, my boss.

The good news, though is that I've been able to train several clients on my own. I began back in September with a girl named Anne and though she signed up for a month worth of training sessions, her schedule soon became too hectic and she discontinued training (until the new year?). I've also completed a few sessions with a Saudi Arabian mother of two. My best client to date, though, is Connie (Hong Yi Liu) from Hong Kong and while she only signed up for 6 sessions before returning home over break, I believe she fully intends to train with me through spring break.

The other very good bit of news is that I've decided to begin to take the necessary steps to pursue a career in physical therapy. After spending some time thinking about what I like about personal training and a bit more time mulling over what I dislike, I came to the conclusion that physical therapy will afford me much more control over the progress of my clients. The problem with personal training is that it's characterized by a lot of uncertainty. Uncertainty on the part of your clients when it comes to what they really want ("weight loss," "to look good in a swim suit," to improve endurance"). Uncertainty when it comes to what they'll do when they're not with you. The uncertainty of whether your services will continually be in demand.

Put simply, and as bad as it might sound, I want more control over my clients - well, actually their progress. In physical therapy, someone comes to you with a particular problem - an ache/pain/imbalance capable of being treated with an exact regimen. And that's not to say that you can't do this in personal training. It's just that a systematic approach is a difficult sell to cost-conscious consumers trying to achieve weight loss/ hypertrophy. Unfortunately, its only the most financially affluent of clients who can afford the number of sessions it would require to see significant results. A physical therapist in most cases can see a client through to a recovery and can demonstrate clear progress to the client. And this returns me to my earlier point. The goals of physical therapy are much more definite/quantifiable than those which personal training clients often have. Measuring improvements in shoulder ROM is a much easier task than determining the satisfaction of client at how "toned" his/her abs are.

I could say much more, but I'll save it for another post. Suffice it to say that I'm very happy to be taking this new path and that my life will be changing come this fall. I'll use a different post to talk about my educational plans as they stand now.

Moving on ...

So it's official. I've decided to leave the Philosophy department here at UC Riverside and pursue my dream of working in the health-fitness industry. I have one more week of classes here (and two more papers to write) and then I'll be headed back to Bloomington, IN to live full-time with my girlfriend Ishani and work as a personal trainer. We have the tentative plan (provided everything works out on her end) of going to Santa Barbara in one year's time; the opportunities there to do personal training work are some of the best in the country.

I have a little over a month to prepare for my NSCA-CPT exam and plan to apply to as many gyms in Bloomington as I can in the hopes that I can start to gain experience in this field. I will be posting much more frequently as soon as I return and will try to update you weekly on what's happening in my life. (Well, as of now, no one's reading. But in a couple of years it is my hope that that will change ;-) )

Get ready ...

I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've been busy studying for my exam (only a few more chapters to go!) and planning for the future (I'll let you guys know more about this very soon). I'm in the process of adjudicating a dispute with the graduate division about my employment at the Student Recreation Center and this should be resolved by the end of this week. Hopefully all the hours I've worked won't be for naught.

My training has been going pretty well thus far as well. When I experienced some problems trying to up my run volume too quickly (after I purchased a pair of Vibrams), I made an Excel file in which I made weekly increases of no more than 10% in both run and bike training (which I alternate between). Though I continue to have some nagging aches and pains (tight IT band and some tingling in my knee some days), I have been as pro-active as I can be, stretching after each and every exercise sessions, using a foam roller and taking a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.

More soon ...

Update

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote (though of course it could have been longer - I've seen people wait MONTHS). I've been lifting weights religiously since my last entry and as is to be expected, I have begun to put on weight. Though I'm having to learn to overcome the feelings of disgust as the scale hits ever higher numbers, I've always worried only about the aesthetics. So as long as my body fat percentage stays below a certain level (I don't know what that is, but my body-fat pinching method is usually pretty accurate), I won't worry about the weight.

And as far as my knees go, unfortunately my LEFT knee has begun to hurt in the same place as the RIGHT one. I've scheduled an appointment with a physical therapy clinic here in town for tomorrow (Wed.) and will see what they have to say. If it weren't for this pain in the other knee, I would say that McConnell tape is my best hope for getting back on the bike. My rudimentary attempt to correct the patella tracking in my right knee with hospital grade adhesive worked remarkably well; I can only imagine that super-strong tape designed to alter the patella's movement will be that much better. The only thing I need to worry about is making sure that my LEFT knee doesn't get any more out of wack.

I'll be visiting the student HR office here on UCR's campus tomorrow to see about a job for next quarter. I've already turned in an application for a job working in the Athletic Center, but probably won't hear back from them until I either call or the quarter ends and they begin to turn over staff. Any money is good money at this point (well, maybe not any money; there ARE certain things I won't do). I plan to purchase the personal training certification course materials in the next couple of days and the total will come to just under $700. I need to try to make as much money as I can, especially given the fact that I was denied the opportunity to TA over the summer here.

And for anyone reading this (I know there's probably no one at this point), I'm sorry to blather on about admittedly boring things. I could argue for particular positions on contemporary issues, but I have the sense that others have that sort of thing covered. From time to time I'll try to sneak in philosophical references when appropriate, but at the moment I'm content to fill you (whoever you are) in on the mundane trivialities of my life. Perhaps the only thing this will be good for in a couple years is personal edification. In that case, I'm sure I'll be glad that I kept a journal.

Over and out.

PS: Ishani (my girlfriend) asked a couple of weeks ago about the significance of the blog title. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to envisage all of the potential problems that an idea or plan might have. In fact, I do this so much that people might get the impression that I see the world through crap-tinted (or should it be "smeared"?) glasses. My blog title is an attempt to demonstrate that on the inside I really do hope for the best, it's what helps me get out of bed every morning. I qualify, negate, question and doubt only in an attempt to temper an overwhelming sense of optimism about the future. The sun is just about to peek out from behind the clouds.

That was a long PS, I know, but it was something I wanted to share.

The waiting game

So the rain continues to fall, but fortunately it looks like it might be exiting the area by early tomorrow morning.

I went to the bike shop today to pick up my good 'ole time trial bike come road bike and on the way back swung by the hardware store to pick up some screws to fasten my speedplay spring assembly and metal plate to the three-hole adaptor. I found the screws, but as it turns out they won't stay tight. Long story short, I've called Speedplay and after talking to a very nice guy named Steve in customer support/tech, I'm getting the screws I need ... for free! Speedplay is in the business of making their customers happy and even though I ordered these pedals/cleats used on Ebay, he still recognizes the value of taking care of a potential future customer. Now I just have to wait until the screws reach Riverside. Until then, unfortunately no biking for me (not that that's a huge change from the status quo, though).

And unfortunately, me knee continues to bother me. Although I've spent no time on the bike for several months now (with no serious training since the end of October), my knee can't seem to get its act together. The strength training I did in India, McConnell tape from the physical therapist and these new Speedplay pedals ought to give me the best fighting chance for pain free cycling.

The other update is with regard to my personal training certification. I've tentatively decided to go ahead with certification through the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association). Even though the certification is difficult to get (only roughly 9,600 have been awarded since 1993), with it in hand, my odds of being employed vastly improve. The certification lasts for three years (as opposed to two for several others), allows me to work with special needs populations (elderly, sick, injured, etc.), and provides me with materials which will prove valuable when I begin to take on clients (personal training plan formatting instruction, video demonstrations of proper exercise technique, etc.).

I've already begun to prepare for the course (which I will sign up for in mid-February) by reviewing human musculature diagrams and muscle-specific exercises. Today I'll be headed to the gym for the first time in a long time to put some of the knowledge I've been acquiring to use. Though a big part of me still recoils at the thought of putting on muscle (cycling is all about power to weight and I'd like to weigh as little as possible) , I know that in order to be respected by clients, I'll need to have at the very least improved muscular definition as well as a bit more mass. Plus, doing as many of these exercises as I can on a regular basis will only improve my retention of their names and the muscles they work.

Interesting note: I think by far the coolest muscle I've come across so far is the sartorious muscle in the leg. It wraps like a snake from the outside of the hip, across the top of the rectus femoris (the middle quad muscle) and attaches to the inside of the knee. I've only ever seen it in runners or body-builders. I think it's pretty safe to say that you won't be seeing it in my legs anytime soon!