The world is full of incredible, gifted people who, despite heartbreaking challenges, have contributed much to their society.
I lack even the cleavage with which to apply lipstick.
Feb 23, 2010
Feb 20, 2010
"There, there...shut up, Boy."
After an hour on the phone last night with the professor, I'm feeling better. First, because I am very grateful she would spend an hour on a Friday night with a petulant, sulking grad student. Second, it didn't sound like there was so very much wrong with the paper, more like she was distracted while grading it.
Today, for school, I went to a "Speaking Frankly about Colorectal Cancer" presentation by a local medical oncologist and a nutritionist. The MD was an amazing public speaker: measured tones and cadence, minimal hand gestures, clear voice, comprehensive language when talking about some pretty complex medical stuff. There were 3 people there currently undergoing treatment, one woman with stage IV. Another woman was there from a patient advocacy group. Most everyone else (~35 ppl) seemed to be survivors and family members. I was such an interloper. I don't know how journalists do this for a living. I was self-conscious the whole time, like I was wearing a fedora with a "PRESS" sign stuck in the hat band.
Things I learned:
genetic tests for colon cancer only help the family members of the affected
some people treated with Erbitux (the drug for which Martha Stewart went to jail over insider trading) develop an acne-like rash which is a good indicator that the drug will work
vitamin C can cause a false negative fecal occult reading
Today, for school, I went to a "Speaking Frankly about Colorectal Cancer" presentation by a local medical oncologist and a nutritionist. The MD was an amazing public speaker: measured tones and cadence, minimal hand gestures, clear voice, comprehensive language when talking about some pretty complex medical stuff. There were 3 people there currently undergoing treatment, one woman with stage IV. Another woman was there from a patient advocacy group. Most everyone else (~35 ppl) seemed to be survivors and family members. I was such an interloper. I don't know how journalists do this for a living. I was self-conscious the whole time, like I was wearing a fedora with a "PRESS" sign stuck in the hat band.
Things I learned:
genetic tests for colon cancer only help the family members of the affected
cancer in the ascending section of the colon is harder to detect b/c the stools are still liquid in that section so there's less likely to be any evidence (i.e. blood) in stools; tumors in the ascending section are usu. quite big by the time they're detected
some people treated with Erbitux (the drug for which Martha Stewart went to jail over insider trading) develop an acne-like rash which is a good indicator that the drug will work
vitamin C can cause a false negative fecal occult reading
I approached the woman from the patient advocacy group and asked her if she was acquainted with any patients who would be willing to talk to me and share their story. She immediately introduced me to the woman sitting across from her. After a handshake and 15 sec explanation, she agreed to let me call her tomorrow. I'm completely humbled. How incredibly invasive! And she didn't hesitate to make herself available. Her comment was "anything to help out other people." I felt bad to tell her the only other person who is going to read this is my prof. Maybe I'll post the full article here, at least, to honor her generosity.
Feb 18, 2010
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
I so pissed I am chewing glass. I got another "C" on my writing assignment for my journalism class. This feels oddly similar to the professor who gave me Cs in college in my advanced Spanish class. His comments were that my essays weren't written the way people would talk. No duh. That's why I'm taking the class! I'm getting poor marks in this journalism class b/c my writing is not journalistic, it's scientific. Right. That's b/c I'm trying to LEARN how to write in a journalistic style!
This is why telling me something is wrong does not help me learn. My Beloved has such a hard time with this, and I have historically done poorly in classes with teachers, like him, unable to explain their reasoning. I get that it's wrong; I can see the "[not an A]" grade written in red ink on the assignment. What I don't get is *why* it's wrong. I can only understand why your reasoning is right by understanding why my reasoning is wrong.
I'm really surprised and disappointed at how poorly I'm doing in this class, frankly. My sister always said I didn't know how to write when I forced her - an excellent writer - to proof my assignments. It must have been pure torture to her, like asking a surgeon to play Operation. To be honest, I expected to discover an inherent talent for lay language. I was hoping, anyway, because I don't believe you can be taught to be a writer; it's just something you is or you ain't.
So now I'm pissed and I'm disappointed.
This is why telling me something is wrong does not help me learn. My Beloved has such a hard time with this, and I have historically done poorly in classes with teachers, like him, unable to explain their reasoning. I get that it's wrong; I can see the "[not an A]" grade written in red ink on the assignment. What I don't get is *why* it's wrong. I can only understand why your reasoning is right by understanding why my reasoning is wrong.
I'm really surprised and disappointed at how poorly I'm doing in this class, frankly. My sister always said I didn't know how to write when I forced her - an excellent writer - to proof my assignments. It must have been pure torture to her, like asking a surgeon to play Operation. To be honest, I expected to discover an inherent talent for lay language. I was hoping, anyway, because I don't believe you can be taught to be a writer; it's just something you is or you ain't.
So now I'm pissed and I'm disappointed.
Feb 17, 2010
Feb 14, 2010
Feb 13, 2010
30 Years of Not-So-Much Change
What little kid wasn't cursing Nature last weekend when our areas was felled by over 2 feet of snow....on a SATURDAY?! What a waste, right? It only resulted in a delayed start on Monday, but no cancellations.
Cut to Wednesday when the skies once again blessed us with the white stuff to the tune of an additional 14 inches: classes cancelled Wednesday, and Thursday. *And* most schools were off on Friday for President's Day and have an in-service on Monday. Total count? FIVE DAYS off in a row. Now that's more like it! Plus, we're expected to be hit with another 4-8in on Monday. Here's hoping for another delay on Tuesday for those poor souls. School sucks.
Of course, I, too, was doing the snow dance Wednesday night. I had a major paper due for my Thursday evening class for which I was struggling to find a good ending. I got a reprieve at 11pm when my phone rang with an automatic call from KYW 1060AM announcing that college had cancelled evening classes for Thursday. Ask My Beloved, I was ecstatic! I reverted in time by 30 years to my 2nd grade self. Joy! Nirvana! Hot chocolate!
However, that delight was short-lived when we got an email from the prof Thursday at class time asking for all papers by Friday morning. Ce la vie. Apparently, you do have to grow up sometime.
Cut to Wednesday when the skies once again blessed us with the white stuff to the tune of an additional 14 inches: classes cancelled Wednesday, and Thursday. *And* most schools were off on Friday for President's Day and have an in-service on Monday. Total count? FIVE DAYS off in a row. Now that's more like it! Plus, we're expected to be hit with another 4-8in on Monday. Here's hoping for another delay on Tuesday for those poor souls. School sucks.
Of course, I, too, was doing the snow dance Wednesday night. I had a major paper due for my Thursday evening class for which I was struggling to find a good ending. I got a reprieve at 11pm when my phone rang with an automatic call from KYW 1060AM announcing that college had cancelled evening classes for Thursday. Ask My Beloved, I was ecstatic! I reverted in time by 30 years to my 2nd grade self. Joy! Nirvana! Hot chocolate!
However, that delight was short-lived when we got an email from the prof Thursday at class time asking for all papers by Friday morning. Ce la vie. Apparently, you do have to grow up sometime.
Scout mocking me that she gets to sleep in all the time, snow day or not. Little stinker!
Snowmaggedon II
The downed limb that, thankfully, did not crash the internet cable!
28.5 inches of snow last Saturday
+ 14 inches of snow this past Wednesday
+ 4-8 more inches of snow this Monday
= a good excuse to get a massage on my aching shoulders!
Feb 7, 2010
On Family
Family is Numero Uno in our house (and that includes close friends who we consider family.) Need someone to ride shotgun on the 10hr trip to Atlanta from NYC in a U-Haul with your family's entire belongings? Sign us up! $800 for last minute air tix for a funeral? We don't even bat an eyelash. Two days of coast-to-coast travel for 6hrs at a baby shower? We're so there!
My MIL was in hospital last week and my family quickly moved into place to back each other up. My Beloved stayed with her, then my SIL, then me, while my BIL kept the house running smoothly back home and took care of all the arrangements to make sure my SIL still got to celebrate her 39th birthday (again!). My MIL is home now and, fortunately, this was not a magenta-level emergency (on the color wheel of terrorism/national disaster rainbow). The feeling is like one of those silly group team-building exercises where everyone stands in a circle facing the person to their left and sits back onto the legs of the person on their right...
This reminds me of a time* when we went hiking in some back woods in PA with My Beloved and Actor Friend. We were bushwacking up a very steep hillside full of scree, mud, and debris when Actor Friend started to slide back down. It all happened very fast. My Beloved was in the lead, with Actor Friend behind him and me trailing. "Fishboy!" Actor Friend said - not shouting, but in a serious tone. Without hesitating or even turning his head, My Beloved shot his arm back and locked hands with Actor Friend, saving him. Actor Friend recovered his footing and we all kept climbing, like it was just the most natural thing to reach out and save a friend without pause. Which, of course, it is.
Isn't that the best feeling to know someone has got your back?
* Update: Apparently, according to My Beloved, I was not actually there and they were fishing in a creek bed. They'd ridden their bikes to the creek and were climbing back to the road after fishing, hauling the bikes, when Actor Friend started to fall. Neither of us has an infallible memory, although mine is a much less reliable witness, so who can say if I was present or not. Regardless, it doesn't detract from the point. Which is: family rocks!
My MIL was in hospital last week and my family quickly moved into place to back each other up. My Beloved stayed with her, then my SIL, then me, while my BIL kept the house running smoothly back home and took care of all the arrangements to make sure my SIL still got to celebrate her 39th birthday (again!). My MIL is home now and, fortunately, this was not a magenta-level emergency (on the color wheel of terrorism/national disaster rainbow). The feeling is like one of those silly group team-building exercises where everyone stands in a circle facing the person to their left and sits back onto the legs of the person on their right...
This reminds me of a time* when we went hiking in some back woods in PA with My Beloved and Actor Friend. We were bushwacking up a very steep hillside full of scree, mud, and debris when Actor Friend started to slide back down. It all happened very fast. My Beloved was in the lead, with Actor Friend behind him and me trailing. "Fishboy!" Actor Friend said - not shouting, but in a serious tone. Without hesitating or even turning his head, My Beloved shot his arm back and locked hands with Actor Friend, saving him. Actor Friend recovered his footing and we all kept climbing, like it was just the most natural thing to reach out and save a friend without pause. Which, of course, it is.
Isn't that the best feeling to know someone has got your back?
* Update: Apparently, according to My Beloved, I was not actually there and they were fishing in a creek bed. They'd ridden their bikes to the creek and were climbing back to the road after fishing, hauling the bikes, when Actor Friend started to fall. Neither of us has an infallible memory, although mine is a much less reliable witness, so who can say if I was present or not. Regardless, it doesn't detract from the point. Which is: family rocks!
Feb 1, 2010
LMAO
Shows you how much I know: this Monday morning I walked into work to discover a humongous prayer plant dead in a forgotten corner of the cube farm. Oh yeah. I'm an invested worker!
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