Sylvia's Journal

Tessa told her that she is re-establishing human domination in her household, over the dogs that is. We are dog sitting tonight and Tessa gave us a little mini training on how to deal with the dogs in a way that makes it clear who is the boss. Things had slacked off a bit and the dogs were thinking that they were in control. They are finding out they are not.

And we, poor grandparents, are worried about doing the wrong thing – being too emotional, confusing the beasts about their place in the universe. I wonder whether the same thing happens with grandchildren.

I completed four days of training in a software package that lets you model various public health intervention scenarios. It is a complicated thing, this modeling, and it requires good data. For our practicum I chose to work on Afghanistan but the files were full of 99.9 or 0.00 values, code for missing data. I sat down with a colleague to try to fill in those cells about coverage of child and maternal health interventions t and realized how little we really know about what actually happens in Afghanistan, in its far flung corners especially.

I am starting a new physical therapy regimen, picking up where I left off with the same therapists and working on the same issues – the crash is not entirely behind us and maybe never will. We have yellow rubber bands all over the house, clamped between doors and their frames. Axel is also working out.