Week One - Task #01. "Welcome to Bridgeton"

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

Your first full day as a Bridgeton resident begins with burnt toast and a nervous glance at your borrowed Muggle phone. A text message from the Ministry reads: “Blend. Observe. Report.”

The café is quiet in the early morning, save for the whirring espresso machine and an elderly woman who insists her coffee tastes better when served by “someone with the proper auras.”

You smile and nod.

A young boy outside kicks a football that bounces twice, then floats five feet into the air and hovers, spinning lazily. You snap a picture with your phone just in time as the ball drops with a thud. The boy stares at you. You shrug.

“Static electricity?”

You don’t think he buys it.

Task:
Write and post below a piece of Poetry in a minimum of 80 words that is an ode to a real or imagined café, or any favorite foods and/or drinks you love from a café. You must pick at least eight of the following words to include in your poem: Steam, Linger, Golden, Crave, Murmur, Sip, Glisten, Drizzle, Nestle, Swirl, Bask, Froth, Crumble, Slurp, Jitter, Puff, Dollop, Swig, Mingle, Bloom. You are welcome to change these words slightly to fit the piece, such as writing Sipped instead of Sip, or Blooming instead of Bloom.

Alternatively you can share any HOL appropriate experience you’ve had Working at a job, on a project, or doing homework or chores, etc., using a minimum of 150 words for full credit.

[Janne Halla]

A bardic poem for Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

O gather round, ye travelers bold, and hear a tale I sing,
Of Legends & Lattes, where weary souls take wing.
The hearth is warm, the air a whisper, gentle, low,
Where steam from cups of courage makes the candlelight glow.

I sip the brew of barley-dark, its froth a crown so fair,
A dollop sweet of cream atop, no treasure can compare.
The cookies crumble, sugared dust, they glisten in the light,
While laughter mingles with the lute that plays into the night.

The golden scones, the swirl of foam, each story they crave to tell,
And adventurers who linger here find rest from questing well.
So raise a cup, ye wanderers, let weary hearts bask free,
For Legends & Lattes is the song of home to you and to me.

[Phoenix Ocean]

In real life my job is a clinical veterinarian, specifically in emergency and neurosurgical departments. As you can imagine, that comes with all sorts of interesting (and sometimes weird) stories. My absolute favorite case is one about a small dog named Bebe.

I was working in neurosurgical and it had been a crazy day full of MRIs and seizing creatures. We had a call come in at 4:30pm (30 minutes before we called it a day) from a referring general practice veterinarian that reported a dog had lost all motor function in all four legs following a routine spay (ovariohysterectomy/alter). My first thought was the dog had woken up from anesthesia, flailed in its cage and fractured its spine. We told the referring vet to send it over and we would do a consult.

The owners arrived with the cutest (and floppiest) little, white dog. Upon physical exam, she was noted to have absolutely zero motor in all four limbs and decreased respiratory ability. Highly concerned for spinal fracture, we recommend to start with spinal radiographs. The owners agreed to the plan and we moved her very carefully on a backboard to radiology.

We obtained several spinal radiographs, but I didn’t see an obvious fracture. I consulted with a more senior neurosurgeon and he immediately told me there was a bigger issue. I was so confused but when I stopped looking for an obvious fracture, I found the problem!

It turned out when the referring practice spayed the dog, they also placed a microchip device (this is a tracking device used to reunite lost creatures to their families). This is a very common practice to do while a patient is under anesthesia because the needle used to implant the device is rather large and can be painful to such a small pup. When the device was implanted however, the needle was held at the incorrect angle and the microchip went squarely between the 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae (neck bones about mid way down). This instantly caused the paralysis and the increased respiratory effort we had noticed on physical exam.

We prepped an operating room (theater) immediately and rushed her into surgery. We managed to remove the device but unfortunately irreversible damage had been done. We were unsure if Bebe would ever be able to walk again.

She stayed with us in hospital for about two weeks and did physical therapy twice a day. She was discharged home and the owners brought her back to clinic every day for physical therapy. After three months, Bebe did regain some motor control and is able to walk, albeit very wobbly.

It was one of the most unreal and crazy surgeries I have been a part of.