My Job on the Blog

          One of my jobs at Day Treatment Services, or DTS, is the blog.  There are many useful skills that are used while writing the blog.  Some of the useful skills include interviewing, concentration, and many more that I will talk about throughout this article.

          Creating a blog once or twice a week can be a very challenging task for me.  Skills are needed to write the blog, such as cognitive abilities.  These cognitive abilities include brain storming, spelling, forming correct complete sentences, and forming correct complete paragraphs.  I’m able to utilize the brain storming skills while coming up with article topics.  Concentration is another skill that is needed for the job.  It can sometimes be very difficult to concentrate with all the noise that could often be occurring in the background.  Stuff like other staff or a T.V. can be very distracting.  It can take a lot of energy or effort to stay concentrated on the task that I’m working on.   All of these things are good for my brain to handle because they can be tough.

          Another set of skills that is needed to work on the blog are some computer skills.   Knowing the keyboard can help a lot. Knowing where the letters fall can be very helpful. Your computer type must be known too.  For example, the type of computer that is being used must be known.  Like if a Macintosh computer is being used, or a computer that runs windows, determines the programming that must be known.  I work using Microsoft Word, and am comfortable with that program.

          Interviewing people is a required part of working on this blog too.  To interview people, a topic must be chosen.  After the topic is chosen, a question list must be created.  Then a person that is going to be interviewed must be chosen, whether the person is known, or it might be a totally random interview.  A good thing that comes out of this is that time management skills have to be pretty good, which is another thing the blog works on.  Creating a schedule and keeping to it is a great way to manage time efficiently.

          The way I work on this blog is I pull out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil and create a list of possible topics.  Next, I work with my job coach to determine if research is needed.  Then I create a story web using researched information, already known information, or past experiences.  Past experiences may include previous outings or activities that I was able to take part in.  After the web is created, my job coach and I work together on writing the articles.  I then type the story in paragraph form on the computer.   After typing the story, it is proof read by myself and my boss. Then I post it to the blog page and sometimes add pictures related to the topic.

          I enjoy doing the work for the blog.  The work that I do is like a therapy to me.   I am able to work on many skills that are beneficial to my brain injury rehabilitation.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about one of the jobs that Special Tree has to offer.

Dogs Can Help

          Dogs can be very therapeutic.  At the place that I’m staying at, we have a small dog, it is a Chihuahua.  Dogs can be very therapeutic because they can listen to commands.  You also need to be able to judge like when they have to go outside.  

          The dog at house I’m staying at is very nice.  It is very friendly and it will let you know when it needs something.  It does this by not leaving you alone until it gets what it wants.  If she needs something, like for you to let it out, she will keep bugging you and will run at the door.  If the dog is hungry, she will keep bugging you and run by her bowl.  The dog has learned how to deal with us.

          When it comes down to it, I personally believe that dogs are very

 therapeutic.  I think this because it is another living thing you must learn to deal with.  I also think this because it works on your judgment skills.  When I first moved to the house I thought the dog was just doing all of this to be annoying, but it actually does all this stuff because it needs something.

Wayne DTS at Toledo Zoo

            On Friday, May 10th, Wayne DTS made their way to the Toledo Zoo. At the zoo, we were able to see a lot of different types of animals and their habitats. The weather was beautiful that day, which made it even more enjoyable for the group.

    Upon entering the zoo, we followed a path that let us view some eagles. The next animals we saw were the elephants. The elephants have a new exhibit, which had opened up recently. While we were going through the zoo, close to the elephants, we came across two hippos. Apparently they were so comfortable they were catching some z’s in the water. We took our time getting to the reptile house, taking in the animals we saw on the way. Once in the reptile house we saw snakes and various other animals. When we were through the reptile house, we were able to see raccoons and monkeys. They both had newborn babies with them in the zoo.

    The weather outside was very nice. It was sweatshirt weather and it wasn’t raining either. It was overcast, so it was kind of cloudy that day, which kept the sun from shining on us and making it too hot out. The animals were active, since it wasn’t to hot out or to cold out for them.

    The zoo itself seemed to be well kept. It seemed to be clean, which is good because it lets you know that the animals are well taken care of. The zoo’s grounds were very well kept too. All the landscaping was appropriate for the animal that was being viewed. The zoo was also very handicapped accessible. The staff had no problems maneuvering multiple wheelchairs through the exhibits.

    All in all we ended up having a good time at the Toledo Zoo. Before leaving, we were able stop in the souvenir shop. A few clients were even able to purchase some goods at the store.  We were also able to have a good time at the zoo since the weather was nice which let all the animals be a little more active.

Warm Weather

                The temperature outside is going to be nice from here on out in Romulus Michigan, except for Sunday May 12^th and Monday May 13^th.  It is going to be in the 70’s and 80’s through June, which is a decent temperature.  It is going to be nice enough to do my favorite thing, fish.  I also like to watch baseball too, and it’s going to be a good temperature to be able to go to some games.

            I like to fish for fish that fight a lot. I even like to fish for carp, if I am in an area were you can either catch carp or bluegill.  Bluegill sure don’t fight very much, that’s why I like to fish for carp when I’m in that area.  Plus, carp are generally big.  I’ve caught a three foot carp before.  That thing almost broke my rod!  I hope some of my readers enjoy fishing and can tell me about it by leaving a comment.

            I also enjoy watching baseball too.  My favorite baseball team is the Detroit Tigers.  They are doing pretty good, so far this season.  At this point they are first in their division, with 19 wins and 11 losses. Their record makes them second in the American League, with a .633 winning percentage.  That is the second highest winning percentage right now in the American League.  I was scheduled to go to a game already this year, but it got rained out, and the game hasn’t been rescheduled yet as far as I know.

            There are plenty of fun things that can be done in warm weather.  Any kind of sport can be played or watched, as long as it’s not raining.  You could even fly a kite, if you are into that type of stuff. Any outdoor activity can be done in nice weather, except snowball fighting since we just got out of that season.

            I hope I was able to make you think about some stuff you would like to do in this beautiful weather.  If I forgot anything you could let me know by leaving a comment.  Hopefully some of you enjoy fishing as much as I do, or enjoy watching baseball like I do.