Halloween's Going to Be Interesting This Year...

     After months of much frustration and searching, I can finally announce that I have found a place to live! I'm going to be living just north of Boston in the ever so historic city of Salem, Massachusetts! It's a cute little apartment just outside of downtown and I'm very excited. It's especially exciting because I'll be living with some good friends, plus I'll be decently close to the college I attended for my undergrad so I'll be able to see many of my friends there. I'll even be able to return to the church I attended during my undergrad years, which is delightful. 

Cast member of "Cry Innocent" which depicts
the trial of Bridget Bishop

     I'll have to commute into Boston for classes, but that's not really a problem. I did that for a year before, so I know what I'm getting myself into. Boston has a pretty decent public transportation system, so I'll be able to zip around on that and use the time to study. While I would have liked to have been closer to Boston, Salem is a pretty good mix of being within reach of both the city and my undergrad friends. The area is so nice too. I'll be within a mile of the Atlantic Ocean, which is a definite bonus, and Salem is certainly a town full of beauty, character, and history. I sometimes think it's like an older version of Portland, OR but with less hipsters and more witches. I think it'll be quite fun. I'll just have to remember to stay inside on Halloween though because, as I quickly learned during my early days in MA, Salem gets kind of crazy once October comes. There's a million tourists, and the already quirky residents (What Not to Wear did an episode where their subject was a Salem witch and this performance happens everyday June-October, multiple times each day) just get even crazier. It's not all fun and games though since people actually do keep their pets locked indoors on Halloween lest they be used in some sort of ritual, but it'll be interesting at the least. 

     All in all I'm terribly excited to finally have housing settled and I'm looking forward to moving in August! 

PSA: Drowning

This doesn't happen when someone is actually drowning.

     Today I'm taking a brief break from PA school news to share a quick PSA. The weather's finally getting warmer, and the sun is actually making an appearance again, so clearly summer is on its way. This means that a lot of people will be spending a lot more time in or around water. In light of this fact, I found this article very relevant and important. As the title says, "drowning doesn't look like drowning," which means that many of our preconceived notions about drowning (drawn primarily from movies and tv) are false. This is part of why many children drown, even while under adult supervision. I'd suggest that everyone read the article for themselves, but here are the key points of the Instinctive Drowning Response, which is what to look for when someone is drowning: 

• Drowning people cannot call for help. The body prioritizes breathing over speech, so drowning is actually very quiet.
• The mouth of someone who is drowning may both sink and reemerge from under the water, but not long enough for them to inhale or exhale, and thus they cannot shout for help either.
• Drowning people will not wave for help because the natural instinct is to use the arms to press down on the water to push the body up.
• Drowning people cannot perform voluntary arm movements, so they will not be able to grab on to a rope, lifesaver, or even a rescuer.
• Drowning people will be vertical in the water, without any supporting kicks, so they will only be able to keep themselves from being submerged for less than a minute.

     Before someone actually begins drowning, they may enter into Aquatic Distress. This is a bit closer to the public's idea of drowning because a person who is only in distress, and is not actually drowning, will be able to shout for help, wave their arms, and grab onto lifesaving objects thrown to them. The article provides a list of some helpful signs to look for and then ends with a suggestion anyone can do: if you have any suspicions that someone may be drowning (e.g. if they remain in the same spot, appearing to just tread water and stare into space), simply ask them if they're alright. If they answer, they're probably fine, but if they don't reply at all, you might have less than a minute to act. 

I hope you all have a happy, and safe, summer!