Hi Everyone!
I arrived in St. Louis on Tuesday night in order to be here for the OTA program director's meeting on Wednesday and Thursday...let me tell you what I have done so far.
The cab ride in was fun...four of us shared a minivan cab that totalled about $48.00 for the four of us. Not too bad when you split it up four ways...In the cab on the way to the Renaissance Grand in downtown, I saw the ARCH! WOW it is huge! you can see it from miles away. I snapped a couple of pics with my camera phone and quickly sent them to my children so they would believe I am really here (not just running away to avoid homework duty <<smile>>---which I am, but that is a different bolg).
On Wednesday I attended our PD meeting which was, as always, a great way to network and visit with far-away collegues. The highlight of my day was the exhibit set up by AOTA Press that highlighted some of the most recent releases....for the first time I saw Chapter 10 of Ina Ashers 3rd addition OT assessments book....what a glorious chapter---dedicated to motor assessments--a real joy to read--- (wonder who wrote chapter 10??---you will need to go to the Marketplace and check it out).
Today (Thursday) the PD meeting concluded at 11:30 --leaving me with some free time-- I think it will be the only free time while I am in St. Louis... I was able to hook up with a few friends to take a walk to the ARCH...Yes, I saw it!! I went INTO it and rode the train to the top....Fun fun fun. The Arch is a pleasant 15 minute walk from the convention center (it was a tiny bit on the chilly side today, but may warm up by the weekend). You enter the Arch complex from an underground passage near one of the legs--homeland security needs to check your bag, but that was not a problem. Once inside, you can buy a ticket to the top for $10.00 and then wait until the next avaialble train heads out. The ride is fun, reminded me of Disney World; we were lined up at doorways while watching a short film. The "pod" is a lttle bit small, so hopefully you will like the people you are riding with. If you are claustrophobic, you might want to close your eyes. After about 4 minutes of what feels like being on a ferris wheel, you reach the top where you continue up a few stairs to make your way to the observation room...there you can lean over to look out windows--giving you the sense of flying or floating above St. Louis. Today was a bright and sunny day--the view was beautiful.
While in the observation room, we ran into some OT students from Mississippi University who were practically giddy about this being their very first AOTA conference. (See their picture at left). I love to see future OT's who are so excited about their chosen profession! Keep it up girls!!!!
On the way back the hotel, we stopped for lunch and had....yes we did.....Toasted Ravioli!!!! It was yummy....all the food so far has been yummy!
Well, that is all for now, I need to get ready for the SIS Networking reception...hope to see you there!
Have fun!!!
Debbie Amini
I have a daughter, Rebecca Derrick (now Campbell) who is attending the AOTA Conference and is a poster presenter- "Pratice Approaches and Evaluations Used by Occupational Therapists Working with Adults with Senosry Processing Deficits"- scheduled for 4/21/07 2:30 p.m. Session No. PO292 @ AmCtr Washington Ave. Complex G. She is from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC OT School. She is excited to be there. Please look her up and tell her that her Dad said "Hi and I hope you are having a good time!" Thanks,
Conrad Derrick
Posted by: Conrad Derrick | April 20, 2007 at 11:56 AM