DIY Windscreen tinting

Decided it was time for some upgrades to 'ol Mean Green. Been checking out other guys with the smoked-out windscreen, and liked the way it looked. But, if you know me, I'm not about to pay $80 for an aftermarket piece of plexi-glass, when I can do-it-yourself (myself). Did a little research, and consultation (thanks, Maria - who happens to be the same Maria in the art projects waaaayyy below) with my resident Art expert, and got the same look for a cost of

• $8 Rustoleum High-Gloss paint (Hobby Lobby)
• $4 custom Monster logo (eBay)
• Allen Wrench (thanks, Josh)
• Tape (me, I'm an Athletic Trainer, remember?)
• Newspaper, old posters (thanks, Marcus, for not posting up orgs. events in the Village)
• Face-mask (work, from when we had that small H1N1 scare)
• Plastic medical glove (stll, an Athletic Trainer)
• Plastic knife (community kitchen, Village)
• Old Towels (Athletic Training room)

Step 1. Remove the windscreen from your bike. Since I originally had trouble finding an allen-wrench, I thought about painting it while still attached. Ehh, wouldn't have worked out...

Step 2. Do not lose your screws. There are a total of (4), with two of them being longer than the others.

Step 3. Find an open area to paint. Since I live in a college resident hall, I just used the parking garage. I used a small plastic knife to lightly scuff up the inside. Keyword, lightly!!! Then, washed it off with some hand soap, and a squeegee. Those particular steps aren't necessary. In fact, it is recommended to use window cleaner, and an old toothbrush for what I just did.

Notice how there is newspaper covering the front side. Yes, people were stopping and staring, and seeing what I was doing. Especially while I had the mask on =)

Step 4. This is where the screws go. I covered this part with newspaper, too. Probably isn't necessary, but I did it anyway


Step 5. Paint. Which ever type of paint you use, read the instructions for application. I used light strokes side-to-side, holding the can about 8 inches away. The paint went on quite thick from that distance. Yet, had I gone any further, the paint may have gotten all over my jeans. Not happy

Step 6. Stand back and admire. It's recommended you let it sit for about 30min-1hr., but I didn't have time for all of that, so I just applied the second coat after about 10mins. Also, I live in a very humid climate. Even at this time, about 8:30p, it was probably 85 degs. outside.

Step 7. Let it dry. I just placed it in my bathrooom.

Step 8. The next day, pull off the paper and check her out. This was approximately 9 hours later.

Step 9. Ready for a test spin!!!!

Women's Soccer: There's nothing like this! - Journal 1

SFA vs Univ of Houston, which should have been a Home game for us, but instead, turned out to be an Away game because Nacogdoches recieved over 10inches of rain the past few days. So we traveled the 130 miles south to Robertson Stadium, Home of the Dynamo as well, to kick their butts. Nuff said

Prior to this assignment, I knew very little of soccer. I have a feeling that by the end of my time with this sport, which is the seasons' end, I'll be so into it, I will not want it to end. Maybe even buy a jersey. I must admit, soccer is by far the best sport to have as a season assignment. I originally wanted Men's Basketball for my sport; it was first choice, but I am glad I was assigned soccer instead. Truly!

There are many aspects to this assignment that make it, I personally believe, the best assignment. Most important aspect, as Trey Younger, my Head Athletic Trainer, states, "you will be thrown into the flames," which is a figurative way of saying I will get a chance to make decisions on my own, and apply the knowledge I have learned in the classroom, to real-life situations. Other students agree with this particular approach to instruction. Sean Fields and AJ Val Valkenburgh, both whom had heavily-invovled internships over the Summer with the New England Patriots and Texas Rangers Minors respectively, said, "it is something you need," referring to being handed the metaphorical "keys to the ship," and steering it on your own.

And it started from Day 1. Trey literally said, "this is your team, and I will allow you to decide for yourself what to do, and when to do it," of course not without his supervision. But even then, it is not as if he is breathing down my neck at every moment. He made it clear that, "as long as we have an open communicaton," then what you do is fine. Meaning, if there is anything I have a question about, whether it is new treatment methods, or rehab, or questions regarding evaluations; as long as I let him know what it is that I am thinking, then it is fine.

Another thing that makes this the best assignment is the players. When 2-a-days began, I noticed I did not recognize many of the girls from last season. It turns out that over half of the team are 1st year players. We began the year with 32 players. That number decreased to 28 by the end of the first month. Only one of those four involved a player who actually quit the team. It is still unknown as to why exactly she quit, although many speculate it had something to do with her boyfriend (pshh!), but it could have been any number of reasons. In fact, listening to Dr. Jevas' lectures on Psychosocial Aspects of the athlete makes me think if her nagging injury to her quad, coupled with poor performance, and any thing else she had going on personally, could have all played a role in her decision to leave the team, and if we (Athletic Trainers) could have had an influence in that. That is something I think about, but I tend to not let myself dwell on it for too long. It is a questions I may never have an answer to. Ironically, she is one of my residents (I am a Community Assistant in the resident halls), so maybe I can ask her next time we cross.

From a fans perspective, this assignment has been exciting because I have gotten the opportunity to travel, eat with the team, share laughs and stories, and really be a part of the family. From an educational perspective, it has also been fulfilling. To date, we have experienced

• Two grade 1+, 2 inverson ankle sprains



• Three grade 2 quadriceps strains



• Foot contusion



• Three spasming backs



• General knee stress



• Mild concussion



• Wrist sprain



• Possible meniscus (waiting on MRI results)



• Syndesmotic ankle sprain



• ...and other smaller maintainence conditions (tight hamstrings, illnesses, etc.)

I really enjoy the girls and love being around them. I do what I can for them, and try my best to provide them with the best care and service. I do not hide the fact I love this assignment, and it shows.

T'was love at first sight

Went out to the bike this morning, and noticed Kawi had a new friend =)

BurnWatch '09 - Day 20

Significant progress! Soon, maybe in about 1 week, I will remove the dressings for good, and just go out with it uncovered.

Practice shots

Just happen to have the camera today, chilling in my bag. Decided to break it out and get some snaps. This is a really fun team and I am happy to be working with them. The practices are fun and the games are intense. Prior to this assignment, I wasn't much of a soccer fan, if at all, but I have grown to like the sport.

BurnWatch '09 - Day 15

Warning: Cool shots of a burn follows (I'm tired of issuing these warnings)



I'm no dermatologist, but I believe it is healing very well. What I do know for sure is, the first time when this happened to me (when I was 8yrs), I don't remember it healing this quickly.




You can see the skin beginning to form again. This is very exciting. Kind of looks like leopard print, no?

I haven't really done much research on burn treatments; just kind of been relying on my own knowledge and the advice of the nurses at the health center, although I've only gone to see them once. I haven't had any reason to go back and see them. The process is going well and I have had absolutely zero complications. Today was the first day I went outdoors with it uncovered, which was a little nerve-racking, but I didn't worry too much, I was just walking to the parking garage across the road.

I did happen to look up (and by 'look up' I mean Google) images of burns. My exact search terms were 'exhaust pipe burns' and some interesting things came up. More pictures of exhaust pipes, than burns, but I cam across one woman's blog where she is strongly considering surgical procedures to rid her leg of the burns. My take on that is "live with it." Allow it to be a reminder to respect the machines. Although her circumstance is a little different than mine, simply being she appears to be a housewife/mother, and doesn't want the appearance of an 'ugly' scar on her leg. Me, on the other hand, I am a guy. Kind of sexist? Probably not! I'm not implying 'I like scars' because I am a guy, it's just that in my lifetime, I will probably be wearing more long pants than her (easy one), and not subject to social ridicules of "women needing to have perfect skin," therefore, I can get away with having a "cool" scar. Plus, I am a biker, and the way I see it, it's a sort of 'right of passage' thing.

-Silly me

BurnWatch '09 - Day 10

WARNING: Wild shots below (okay, not that wild)




As you can see, it is healing quite nicely. Still, there is some redness toward the center, with the majority of the outer surroundings a healthy pinkish color. That is a positive sign of the skin cells being properly regenerated. I'm not a lizard.



This is a shot immediately after removing the dressings. The above shot is after I washed it and cleaned a little bit of excess gunk off. I just used soap and warm water.




This is also a shot after immediately removing the bandages. I like this shot because it is a good map of just where it is the most sensitive. The center-red portion is the most sensitive, and less, obviously, as you head outward. Also, I like this shot because you can began to see the little dots of skin beginning to return.