Push

November 18, 2009

The phone rings. The voice on the other end says, "Can we make the trade in the back parking lot by the outdoor basketball court?"

I receive a text, "I need starts. Can you set me up?"

An e-mail asks, "Where will you be at 5:45 and can I catch up with you there?"

I find myself passing baggies at curbside, then driving away. People at church slip things into my jacket pocket as I stand in the vestibule ushering. I meet up with people in strange parts of town after dark, but only for a minute.

If the fed tailed me, I think my behavior would raise suspicion.

What I'm really doing is moving lanyards and lanyard supplies around town. Sometimes I'm a "clucker" and sometimes I'm a "bagman" or a "mule." Mainly, I'm just trying to guarantee "merchandise" and an "easy score" so people will know I've "got it going on."

[NOTE BENE: I looked up these street slang words on the White House Drug Policy website to make sure I was using them correctly. Here's what I think I said: Sometimes, I'm a middleman and sometimes I'm a supplier or a courier. Mainly I'm just trying to make sure that my friends can get lanyards as well as beads and other supplies without having to wait too long so that we raise more money for neuroblastoma research more quickly.]

When I am not "working" these days, I'm actually working. I push my green pen around on exams and push ideas out of my head into my students heads. Unbelievably, I have only four more class days left, plus finals. I hope I don't have work left when I've run out of semester.

Release

November 15, 2009

Many of you don't care, but I got the official release from my three-month vow of silence on The Repore. Read the latest, if you are adventurous.

As long as you are clicking, head over to Erin's Dream Lanyards, too. I have a guest today, who starts her story this way:

Second graders don’t really understand boundaries very well- they love to touch and hug and feel and love maybe a little too much for the comfort of most. But it’s part of what I love about my job. And these little sweeties can’t get enough of my lanyard! The symmetry and shine of the beads, the interesting feel of the patterns, the glimmer of something around my neck. Kids can’t resist. My lanyard gets handled a lot over the course of a typical school day. (more)

Trick and Treat

November 13, 2009

I clicked on the New York Times article, "Good Dog, Smart Dog" with great curiosity. I learned that:

"The matter of what exactly goes on in the mind of a dog is a tricky one, and until recently much of the research on canine intelligence has been met with large doses of skepticism. But over the last several years a growing body of evidence, culled from small scientific studies of dogs’ abilities to do things like detect cancer or seizures, solve complex problems (complex for a dog, anyway), and learn language suggests that they may know more than we thought they did."

That's it. Understanding Teddy and Willie is tricky. I should try harder. Perhaps they had great skills. Maybe they could become seizure alert dogs or follow in the footsteps of "Jet" who can identify his hypoglycemic owner's plunging blood sugar and will either stare at her intently or repeatedly drop a toy in her lap until she snaps out of her dissociative state and does something about it. For a moment I held hope, but I spoiled the moment with google (does this happen to you?). I decided I needed to find the original reference (and accompanying ranked list of dog breeds) to Stanley Coren's work on dog intelligence. My mistake.

According to Coren, author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", there are three types of dog intelligence:

• Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability). This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
• Instinctive Intelligence. This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
• Working/Obedience Intelligence. This is breed dependent.

If you click on the link you will notice that it has 100 dog breeds broken into six categories, from "Brightest Dogs" to "Lowest Degree." Optimist that I am, I clicked from the top down. Penbroke corgi, Uma's category, came up 11th, which just goes to show that intelligence and pleasantness don't necessarily correlate. I finally found Rhodesian ridgeback at 62nd, but had to search to the very last category--number 90--to find shih-tzu. I haven't felt as disappointed since my softball coach put me eighth in the batting order even though I was the fastest player on the team (I was certain I would be a dangerous base runner, and thus deserved the number one or number two slot). I got no comfort when a dog expert tried to explain to me that shih-tzu's didn't need to be smart. They were bred to sit on the emperor's lap and eat from his hand. A nice life, but frankly, Walter and I had hoped for more than "lowest degree" for our precious.

This new discovery led us down an interesting path on Wednesday evening. We returned home around 8:30 that night and found someone had jiggered open the dog food cabinet.

Walter has lived in that house for thirty dog-filled years with sometimes as many as four dogs in residence at a time. For three long stretches, we owned Top Ten breeds (German shepherd, Labrador retriever, and rottweiler). Never, during any of those years, did a single dog manage to finagle its way into the food source.

We began our investigation, photographing everything that looked relevant:


We circled the first object. It looked dragged, but except for the tiny bit of scrap cardboard lying nearby, it revealed no visual evidence of tampering. The fact that it wasn't ripped to shreds gave weight to the non-dog theory of the perpetrator. We moved through the house, considering our prime suspects and accumulated the following line up (based on the facts of the case). None of them would admit to anything (click on each mugshot to personally assess the look of guilt on the faces).

That was before we returned to the first (actually only) piece of evidence. Walter picked it up to return it to its storage place and found that the suspects had cleverly covered their trail. From five of six sides, it looked like an ordinary, off-the-shelf, unopened box of Milk-Bone biscuits. The sixth side was a different story altogether.

Noticing the paucity of treats in the box, we quickly realized we had either been cheated by the manufacturer (cue dramatic music) OR our intruder was also a thief! We tried to interrogate the eyewitnesses, but they somehow seemed to know that "loose lips, sink ships."

Thousands of years of breeding peaked at that moment. How could anyone accuse a shih-tzu--the mainstay of the Chinese Empire and a dog destined for greatness as the comforter of rulers and royalty--how could anyone accuse her of petty thievery?!!?!

We never learned who entered our house and purloined our treats. For some reason neither dog ate their breakfast on Thursday morning. They were probably just exhausted from standing guard all night in case the thief returned.

Click

November 11, 2009

I promise I will update with something fun and enlightening soon, but in the meantime, if you stopped by, click over to Erin's Dream Lanyards and read the latest news on the lanyard front.

Crawl, Fly, or Climb

November 5, 2009

The gorgeous weather has somehow put a strain on the wildlife in the neighborhood.  I don't know.  Maybe the birds, caterpillars, and squirrels have been mesmerized by bright sunshine, clear skies, and exactly seasonal temperatures.  I've heard the geese go by, and I think they were headed in the right direction, but everyone else has been a little out of kilter lately.

It started with a confused caterpillar looking for a place to rest itself and spin its cocoon.  This, of course, happens every fall (I'll ask the neighborhood Master Naturalist for the species, if you are interested).  Unfortunately, the "usual" place this type caterpillar goes for the big transition is not available this year.  So it wandered around, in the middle of the road, no less, looking for a place to (literally) hang out.  The worried Master Naturalist became concerned when it kept crossing and re-crossing the road, so she carefully picked it up and took it to a Likely Place.  The caterpillar rejected that offer, so she carried it someplace else.  It took about an hour, but eventually the Caterpillar Rescue Operation was successfully concluded, with the caterpillar happily hanging upside down, spinning silk and the happy Master Naturalist retired to her lookout post on the porch, ever vigilant.

A day or two later, a flicker presented itself in need of aid.  M.N. found it, passed out, lying on the ground feet straight up in the air like a wiped out skier who missed the trail marker.  Apparently, it rammed itself into a window and knocked itself silly.  With great patience and tender hands, the Master Naturalist warmed it and coaxed it back to consciousness.

Pretty soon, even I had to get in on the act.  As I walked along the path between our houses, I came across a brown sparrow sitting there, looking at me.  Did I have the healing hands, too?  Amazingly, it let me pick it up and rode along in my cupped hands, just blinking at me.  I carried it towards the Master Naturalists command post, though at the last moment it took flight, healed from whatever trauma it had experienced.

These saves pale in comparison to the young squirrel rescue that happened next.  I was packing or unpacking my car (I have had so many lanyard workshops lately I can't remember which), when I saw a scrabbling squirrel trying to climb up the door to Erin and Davis's shed.  That confused me, but not as much as hearing it scream.  A horrible noise, a squirrel scream.  We (the Master Naturalist and I) observed it--maybe some blood, maybe an injured leg, who knows what else--and tried to make a plan (for those keeping score, the squirrel was not one of Willie's exercise clients).  We found a thick towel and a styrofoam beer cooler, and with a little luck, managed to secure the squirrel into the towel nest inside the cooler.  Amazingly, there is a squirrel specialist at the small animal clinic at Texas A&M.  They promised they would release the youngster back in our neighborhood if they could heal it, and that they wouldn't charge is either way (survival or not).

I felt a little guilty boarding a flight out of Easterwood Airport this morning, headed to Houston and on to Louisville, Kentucky.  Who will be the Master Naturalist's wing woman (or paw woman) until I get back on Sunday?

Tread Water

November 2, 2009

The cruel time of the semester arrived, as usual. Long-time readers have come to expect these longer-than-usual gaps between posts in late October and all of November, just as happens in April. Non-students probably don't think of April and November as particularly cruel, but those of us either producing or processing stacks of exams, papers, reports, and homework assignments know that the lolly-gagging of September always gives way to the dogged run after Columbus Day.

It's not just that I don't have time for a post (though that's absolutely true), but I don't have the brain for it either. I can't seem to notice pithy details or remember witty conversational exchanges. I did listen to an interview about the founders and president of Google on the radio driving home from a lanyard workshop in Spring yesterday, which I thought at the time was interesting and memorable. Maybe it was, but I have nothing to report.

I have permission from Davis to write an update to the Davhee Repore about Ripstick Love, but not only have I thought of nothing beyond the title, I fell asleep on the couch at 8:00 last night and forgot to return his phone call where we might have discussed some ideas. Ack!

I can report that I am six stickers short of being about to provide the women at Phoebe's home eight brand new skillets, thanks to everyone's contribution of Albertson's bonus stickers. And that we have almost two full months left to continue collecting. Keep collecting.

I can also report the arrival of a box of beads destined for re-purposing from Indiana! and continuing interest in beading popping up in various locales. Keep collecting.

Beyond this, I am merely treading water. I am hoping that my former skill of focusing and pushing through the piles in a systematic and orderly way returns soon, because treading water doesn't get the papers graded, the floor swept, or the blog written. For your own good, if I owe you a response to an e-mail, maybe you should send me a reminder. Otherwise, if you haven't heard from me, you can assume it was lost in the shuffle of that cruel time of the semester.

ADDENDUM: I did get to celebrate that I finished I, Claudius finally. Shortly after, I learned that there was a sequel, Claudius, the God. That discovery just reminded how much crueler November could become if I made a bad selection for our next Mother-Daughter reading Club Selection.

Thank goodness for seasonal chocolate or all might be lost.

Train

October 26, 2009

(Disclaimer: no cats were harmed in any way in the research, preparation, or writing of this entry.)

Of course, you can read almost anything on the internet, even from seemingly sterling sources.

For instance, I read in the New York Times that "all the students at Luolang Elementary School, a yellow-and-orange concrete structure off a winding mountain road in southern China, know the key rules:

Do not run in the halls.
Take your seat before the bell rings.
Raise your hand to ask a question.

And oh, yes:

Salute every passing car on your way to and from school."

I also read that "careers in personal fitness training are growing dramatically in job demand and pay range each year. Since people are becoming more aware of health issues everyday and want to change the way they live, now is a good time to seek a career in personal fitness training" (http://www.degreesource.com/articles/82/1/Personal-Fitness-Trainer-Job-Description/1.html, note bene: all quotes below also come from this internet source.)

Why is this important and worth mentioning? Willie has gotten off the dole and has taken a new position as a personal trainer for some feral cats. He takes his job seriously.

"The main responsibility of a personal fitness trainer [apparently] is to instruct and coach both groups and individuals in various exercises and activities." This he does with great enthusiasm, whether the cats are bunched together in a group or fleeing in individual directions.

A personal trainer should strive "to help his clients assess their physical fitness level and encourage and help them set and reach their fitness goals." Willie is willing to go the extra mile, or the extra lap around the garage, to make sure his clients reach their maximum physical potential and their fitness goals.

The article goes on to list a few things personal fitness trainers do:

• "Motivating clients and team members"--I have never seen cats more motivated than the ones working out with Willie. He provides a one-on-one program tailored to fit the specific needs of his clients.
  
• "Assisting clients in breathing exercises"--He is especially adept at raising heart rate and breathing function of his clients.
  
• "Identifying specific training needs"--Young cats clearly need to work on quick climbing to avoid predators and reach their highest potential. He adds the personal touch of working with his clients in the privacy of their own neighborhood.
• "Applying first aid procedures"--None needed, so far.
  
• "Constructing instructional programs"--Willie acts as a particularly forceful motivator who helps push his clients to their limits.
  
• "Leading various recreational activities"--Willie focuses on hide-and-seek and chase rather than on other more complex and equipment-dependent recreational activities. This allows his clients to avoid expensive gym memberships and investment in equipment that will soon end up in the basement, spare bedroom, or on Craig's list.
  
• "Monitoring and communicating client progress"--Believe me, Willie watches his clients' progress during workouts as well as through the sliding glass door during down time. He communicates about it with anyone who will listen.
  
• "Demonstrating each physical activity"--Willie falls a little short here. He is willing to run step for step with his clients. He is even willing to low crawl, following them underneath trucks and cars as the go through the obstacle course. He has not demonstrated tree climbing for them, however. I am proud to say that he did not overturn Marvin's truck when he stood up underneath it yesterday. Maybe, he needs to look into personal liability insurance for those occasions of strenuous.

Like all good personal trainers, Willie knows how to avoid pushing his clients to the point where they injure themselves.

Remind

October 23, 2009

Twenty-three. An odd number. And a Friday. That means lanyard workshop at my house! Come after school or after work. I'm looking forward to seeing you. We start about 4:00 and go until about 7:00, so there's plenty of time--even for busy people-- to fit in a little beadwork.

Here are some other things I want you to remember:

First thing:

Go Green with Erin's Dream Lanyards!

Not crafty?
Don't wear an ID badge?
Tired of being hit up for donations?
Want to help Erin's Dream Lanyards, but don't know how?

Do you have a tangle of beaded trinkets taking up space in your jewelry box? Don’t throw them away; send your old or broken beaded jewelry to Erin’s Dream Lanyard’s to be re-purposed into lanyards, necklaces and eyeglass chains. Just fill a flat rate box ($4.95) from the post office and mail it to 4138 Cypress Road, Bryan, TX 77807 (or a large one if you are ambitious or just an envelop would also work).

Green is the signature color of Erin’s Dream Lanyards and now it takes on additional meaning. Going green by recycling your jewelry is not only good for the environment, it will help raise money for the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

Another good idea:

I will continue to collect Albertson's stickers (as I wrote about at the end of my September 13 post, Ripple), redeemable for cookware to donate to Phoebe's Home and the Twin City Mission, through Christmas this year. If you are not collecting for yourself, consider collecting for others. Send me your bonus stickers (4138 Cypress Road, Bryan, TX 77807) and they will be put to good use.

And here is something else. . .

Laura Kendrick sits at the pinnacle of the EDL Beader Hall of Fame. She has recently launched a Facebook group called BE THE CHANGE, which encourages us to jump in and help out where ever we can in our community. I'd love it if Laura told me that Erin fans joined her group in droves.

And a fourth point to remember (from my post of October 13):

"One thing that is going on from now until the end of the year is the Yoplait yogurt Save Lids to Save Lives promotion. Yoplait will funnel at least $500,000 and up to $1.5 million to the Komen Foundation if you buy their product (This, if you are counting, is a whole pile of lanyards!)

I eat a Yoplait yogurt almost every day. I'm going to save the lids, wash them, and send them in. Every time I send them in between now and December, I'm going to add a letter, thanking Yoplait for its corporate social responsibility and telling them that September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and that they should consider a Gogurt! Save Kids campaign in 2010. I probably won't have much impact alone, but if the rest of you yogurt eaters out there saved your labels (to show your buyer power) and reminded Yoplait that Kids need their support, too, we could start a movement.

Walter, wanted me to make it clear that I don't want you to send me your yogurt lids. I want you to send them in yourself, with your own letter suggesting the Gogurt! Save Kids campaign for 2010."

Still looking for ways to help?

If you clicked on the link for "Ripple" you may have been reminded of the Erin Anthem, commissioned by A&M Methodist Church. There is still time to participate in that effort as well. Email Music Director Sterling Allen for details on how you can help (sterling-allen@am-umc.org).

Other than that, feel free to enjoy the beautiful fall weather wherever you are.

Serve

October 20, 2009

Weekend before last, I had a request to put into a page or two some of the things that Erin did for others. Here's what I wrote:

A POSTSCRIPT TO ERIN’S LIFE

Erin led a normal life and volunteered as her age allowed. She spent time at the Brazos Food Pantry, the Animal Shelter, and as a Habitat for Humanity gopher with her church youth group. She assisted with Hot Shot Soccer (a pre-school program) when needed and served as a classroom mentor to a 2^nd grade class. Her biggest passion was to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research, both through public and private channels. She successfully lobbied Congress and also created artful and whimsical beaded lanyards which she traded for donations to the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. We will posthumously donate the proceeds from her planned cookbook, Erin Cooks, to pediatric cancer research.

Erin lived with joy and vigor. When she died, we changed the name of her website to reflect on both her life and legacy. It became:

Let’s Do It!

Welcome to Erin’s Home

Where Her Family and Friends Follow

Her Example of Living with Gusto Every Day.

What Verb Do You Choose?

The "Let's Do It!" part honors Erin by repeating the phrase I heard her say so often. She didn't want to put things off until she felt better. She didn't want to wait until the weather improved or for the path to clear. I never felt her hesitate once she made up her mind. She always wanted to grab life by the throat and go more places and do more things. The phrase also challenges all of us (family, friends, distant and unmet friends) to continue down that path, to live with gusto, to live with grace, to live like an arrow flying towards its target, AND to do it together. Erin, as inclusive as anyone I ever met, would emphasize the all of us in Let's Do It. The final phrase invokes my favorite metaphor for Erin: she lived like a verb. . .an action verb. Her friends have taken up the suggestion to choose a verb and go do it. They cook, drive, run, laugh, hug, work hard, play hard, and serve and inspire others.

In the wake of her death many people took up the challenge to live like a verb. We received regular messages from folks who were tackling triathlons and marathons and others who were working to improve themselves and the world around them. Groups also got moving. The elementary children at 1^st Presbyterian Church in Bryan, changed the name of their annual mission day to the Let’s Do It! Mission Day. The First United Methodist Church honored her with a weeklong food drive in her honor to show the kids at their Creative Arts Camp what a difference a child can make. Jane Long Middle School established a scholarship in her memory. The A&M Methodist Church has commissioned an anthem in her honor, which will have its world premiere January 24, 2010. By next fall, at-risk middle school students may walk into a newly forming after-school program, past a banner proclaiming "Let's Do It!"

The biggest surprise has been that the ripples have continued beyond the weeks after her death, particularly for the project closest to her heart. What do you suppose connects the following list of people?

· A deaf woman in Minnesota

· A New York City Bat Mitzvah celebrant

· A Santa Fe soccer coach

· A USMC Colonel, retired

· A wheelchair bound girl scout

· A North Carolina rugby player

· Two sisters on a Baltic cruise

· The starting tackle on the Jane Long Middle School “A” team

· A divinity student at Princeton

· A dean at Tufts University

· Teachers in Indiana, California, Texas, and Michigan

These are just a few of the more than 300 people who have logged thousands of volunteer hours in the last six months, creating and distributing Erin’s Dream Lanyards and inspiring others to follow Erin’s example to live and serve with joy and vigor. Workshops, which started in our living room, are springing up all over the country: Seattle, Scottsdale, upstate Pennsylvania, Minneapolis, New York City, Rockville, Maryland, and in communities all over central and coastal Texas. Girl scouts, youth groups, soccer teams, college dorm residents, YMCA campers, and just plain folks have held lanyard workshops and sponsored bead drives. This grassroots movement (read more at http://chooseaverb.blogspot.com) has multiplied the personal effect Erin had on raising money for neuroblastoma research geometrically in a very short while.

If you have any doubt that Erin is a true point of light, take a night walk and look up into a clear sky towards Ursa Minor (RA 17h46m5.68s D80°16’10.76”). If you look in just the right spot you will see the Erin Channing Buenger star, registered in her memory in the International Star Registry by a Carrollton, Texas couple. Her light will continue to shine for a long, long time.

I think we can say that at least some have taken to heart what President Obama said as he concluded his remarks about Erin by observing that we can serve even when we have challenges in our lives: "Each of us has a role to play, and all of us have something to contribute."

Breathe

October 16, 2009


Breathe. That's what I kept having to remind myself this week.

On Sunday evening the bureaucratic wheels in DC started turning, splicing, slicing, dissecting, and parsing the possibility of mentioning Erin in President Barack Obama's speech at the Points of Light conference hosted by former President George H.W. Bush in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Points of Light Foundation.

This was a very low probability event. Almost completely unlikely. Maybe 1 in 330,000,000.

It took most of several days for a final decision.

It happened despite the odds.



Erin was such a political junkie that I have to believe that she would have appreciated all the twists and turns the week brought, and especially the VIP treatment at the talk. to put her fervor into context, here's a selection from the entry I wrote the day after the election last fall, appropriately titled, Junkie (Politics and Pickles).

Erin returned to school yesterday, medicated with tylenol-3, and when I picked her up she seemed washed out and spent. Oh me of little faith. After a brief rest, she started getting geared up for the evening. She began by flipping through all of the television channels, matching the channel number and the network to the television program guide, thus creating a list of which channels were covering the election at what times. Then, she found an internet list of states organized by their poll closing time, which she highlighted and marked with various information about whether they were safe, likely, leaning, or toss up states and if there were contested Senate races in them. By 5:30, she had staked out the prime spot on the living room floor. As the first polls closed and the pundits and analysts started chanting over the numbers, Erin had the remote in her hand, surfing channels, while simultaneously clicking through on her laptop to sites like http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/ and nytimes.com looking for the freshest returns. Every time a state went in her favor (actually Barack Obama's favor), she headed to the kitchen for a celebratory pickle! I wonder what her sodium and potassium levels will look like when she has her labs drawn tomorrow?

Here is a link to the C-SPAN video.

This video begins with President George H.W. Bush, with President Obama following. Erin's story is near the end (Around 26:30), but I think the message of service is one you might not mind sitting through. Of course, you will want me to add commentary and soon, but for now, I'm trying to remember to breathe.

Thanks all around: to Chet Edwards for having the idea that Erin was just what the President needed for his speech and for having the audacity to pursue the idea, to Jim Papa for selling the idea, for the speechwriters to capture Erin so succinctly, yet accurately, and to our President for delivering.

And thank you all for following Erin's point of light.

Role (Actually, Roll)

October 14, 2009

With due apologizes to my many spelling maven friends, I wanted to share what I found when I cleaned out the attic on Saturday (remember, I earned a bonus day when soccer was rained out). This is the cover art Erin drew for her binder for the beginning of sixth grade last fall.

Ideate

October 13, 2009

Okay. Let me admit right up front that I'm not gung ho about the verb I chose today, but I have an idea, and I wanted to share it. Most of us who spend the month of September trying to create awareness about pediatric cancer get overwhelmed when the pink of October rolls in.

I do not begrudge anything that the Susan B. Komen Foundation has accomplished. Walter's mother, Janice Buenger, died when her breast cancer relapsed in her brain after a decade of clean scans. My grandmother endured terrible, and ultimately unsuccessful, chemo for breast cancer back in the early 70's before good anti-emetic drugs were commonly available. I'm not going to criticize any of the awareness building or fundraising efforts for breast cancer. In fact, I'm going to sit at the feet of the Komen Foundation to admire and learn.

One thing that is going on from now until the end of the year is the Yoplait yogurt Save Lids to Save Lives promotion. Yoplait will funnel at least $500,000 and up to $1.5 million to the Komen Foundation if you buy their product (This, if you are counting, is a whole pile of lanyards!)

I eat a Yoplait yogurt almost every day. I'm going to save the lids, wash them, and send them in. Every time I send them in between now and December, I'm going to add a letter, thanking Yoplait for its corporate social responsibility and telling them that September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month and that they should consider a Gogurt! Save Kids campaign in 2010. I probably won't have much impact alone, but if the rest of you yogurt eaters out there saved your labels (to show your buyer power) and reminded Yoplait that Kids need their support, too, we could start a movement.

What do you think?

Walter, wanted me to make it clear that I don't want you to send me your yogurt lids. I want you to send them in yourself, with your own letter suggesting the Gogurt! Save Kids campaign for 2010.

Celebrate

October 11, 2009

If you have a holiday tomorrow (October 12) come celebrate Columbus Day with us and make some lanyards.  We have a growing number of events asking for lanyards and can always use an extra pair of hands.  If you have to work, send some good wishes and inspiration our way!

Read

October 9, 2009


This is the front of Jane Long Middle School. Erin was only two-years old when Davis started sixth grade there. Around the same time, we begin a family love affair with Brian Jacques and Redwall. Over time Erin grew to love those books and would need the next in the series as soon as it appeared (always the hardback version, so our set would continue to match). For the unfamiliar, the books chronicle a variety of good woodland creatures like otters, moles, mice, badgers, hares, and hedgehogs who must battle and vanquish the bad creatures: weasels, stoats, ferrets, rats, foxes, and wolverines (the whole concept of weasels, stoats, and ferrets being the bad guys resonates with me). The good creatures live in or near Redwall Abbey. They sometimes leave there for various quests or missions, and they always enjoy a good banquet which might include these dishes I found listed in Erin's Redwall Cookbook (which includes various recipes for dishes featured in the books):


Spring Recipes

• Hare's Pawspring Vegetable Soup
• Crispy Cheese'n'Onion Hogbake
• Vegetable Casserole à La Foremole
• Gourmet Garrison Grilled Leeks
• Stuffed Springtide Mushrooms
• Abbot's Special Abbey Trifle
• Spiced Gatehouse Tea Bread
• Honeybaked Apples
• Hot Mint Tea

Summer Recipes

• Hotroot Sunsalad
• Brockhall Badger Carrot Cakes
• Great Hall Gooseberry Fool
• Cheerful Churchmouse Cherry Crisp
• Rosey's Jolly Raspberry Jelly Rock Cakes
• Afternoon Tea Scones with Strawberry Jam and Cream
• Squirrelmum's Blackberry and Apple Cake
• Guosim Shrew Shortbread
• Summer Strawberry Fizz

Autumn Recipes

• Mole's Favourite Deeper'n'Ever Turnip'n'Tater'n'Beetroot Pie
• Bellringer's Reward (Roast Roots and Baked Spuds)
• October Ale
• Autumn Oat Favourites
• Hare's Haversack Crumble
• Harvestberry Sunset Pudd
• Loamhedge Legacy Nutbread
• Dibbun's Delight
• Golden Hill Pears

Winter Recipes

• Shrimp'n'Hotroot Soup
• Veggible Molebake
• Stones Inna Swamp
• Savoury Squirrel Bakes
• Outside'n'Inside Cobbler Riddle
• Rubbadeedubb Pudd
• Nunnymolers
• Applesnow
• Mossflower Mulled Cider

Makes me hungry just writing them down.

Anyway, as a younger child Erin always thought we were dropping Davis off and picking him up at Redwall Abbey. She persisted in calling Jane Long "Redwall" long after she knew better, and always looked forward to being a student there (which I am grateful to say worked out for her).

To bring a long and rambling entry to an end, I learned today that the administration, faculty, staff, and library professionals at Blinn College where my mom works has stocked their library with all 19 volumes of the Redwall series and dedicated them to Erin's memory. I most excellent tribute!

Protect

October 5, 2009

So, how do you equip yourself when you walk your dog(s)? A leash? Probably. Non-skid shoes? Possibly.

Willie and Teddy took me up behind the pond to Willie's Wilderness Wonderland after work this evening. We had about four inches of rain this weekend so I let them off the leashes on the theory that I could follow their tracks if they got out of sight. They immediately got out of sight. I heard them, though, moaning the pathetic whimper of dogs on the trail of SOMETHING IMPORTANT. I tracked them back to the sheds and found Willie scuffling with a 15 foot section of six-inch pipe on top of some piled up telephone poles. He was determined not to let the pipe get the better of him.

He was absolutely certain that the pipe contained a critter.

I could not convince him otherwise.

I picked up one end of the pipe and raised it as high above my head as I could. Nothing came sliding out. I let that end down and walked over to the end that Willie was bothering over, shooed him off, and lifted that end. Again, nothing.

As I was lowering it, though, I heard gentle scrabbling, as if something in the pipe was trying to gain its footing. I positioned myself to take a look. Just as I brought the pipe to my face, Willie rammed up against the other end, jamming the end of the pipe against that soft spot between my chin and my teeth, right below my lower lip. Much to Willie's dismay, in his moment of triumph, I dropped the pipe, snapped the leash on him, and dragged him home to investigate the damage.

Note to self:

Add to dog walk equipment list: one rubber mouth guard to protect teeth.

Merge

October 1, 2009

You may have noticed that I finished my volume of Lord Peter short stories last week and have added one of the books I got from Elaine for my birthday to my WeRead list: Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (NOTE: this book is not about people who used to be born between September 23 and October 22; SECOND NOTE: Do you have to get a surgery in Sweden to have your astrological sign changed?). I also continue to slog through the plotting and murders of I, Claudius and the rip-roaring, laugh-a-minute Closing of the Western Mind.

The first paragraph of Ex Libris begins:

"A few months ago, my husband and I decided to mix our books together. We had known each other for ten years, lived together for six, been married for five. . . .[we had mingled most of our possessions] But our libraries had remained separate, mine mostly at at the north end of our loft, his at the south."

I chuckled to myself as I read the idiosyncrasy of this, then I stopped mid-chuckle. Uh oh. It's never good to laugh at the black kettle when you are the equally black pot. You see, Walter and I will celebrate our silver wedding anniversary in less than two weeks. Our book collections (which number in the thousands of volumes) remain segregated, just as they have been since before we married. Ack!

I promise I did not intend to keep them unmerged. Had I the time and space to consider an appropriate schema, I would interlard them in an instant. That's what we did with our record collection almost immediately when we returned from our honeymoon. Never mind that one of us had 200+ LPs and the other had two. Willie Nelson's Pretty Paper snuggled right into the holiday section and Lawrence Welk has always insisted on occupying a space of his own.

Thinking about merging books and music led me down memory lane. Like quite a few people my age, I got sucked into the bold promises of the Columbia Music Club, which you may recall promised you some unGodly number of albums for a penny, and all the subscriber had to do was by a few more piddling albums at the "club price" and then you could quit, having made a great deal. Also like other kids (was I that irresponsible then?), I almost always forgot to mail the little postcard back in, saying that I didn't want the album of the month.

At some point this created a pretty sorry dilemma for me. I had my rock albums organized alphabetically by artist, my classical albums by chronology, my jazz albums by type (fusion, big band, dixieland, and vocal) and so on, with rock comprising the largest section. Lo and behold, one month my (unordered-but-shipped-nonetheless new record was Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits). The lead-off batter for my alphabetical collection became Mr. Soft Rock himself. I didn't mind a couple of his songs, but did I really want the first cover that anyone saw when they perused my collection to be the one featuring "Copacabana" and "I Write the Songs"?

I could only think of two ways to solve my problem. I could either reorganized the way I kept my collection, but since I had made some pretty conscious decisions about lumping and splitting (this as some of you might recognize is a very personal choice and one's choices about lumping and splitting may underlie and explain why certain couples never combine their book collections. . .do you organize histories by regions, eras, or authors first?), I found it difficult to give up my alphabetic scheme. That led me on a search for an album that would precede Barry Manilow in the alphabet: Aerosmith? Too metal-y. ABBA? Too pop-y. Then I hit on The Alan Parson Project. Drop the "the" and it fell handily in front of Barry Manilow and his nose.

Luckily, over time, and with more disposable income, my collection grew, and Barry Manilow got pushed back further from the front. I eventually decided I could have put him back in the M's all along, thus burying him almost completely.

Ah well, I'm sure none of you have similar little compulsions about the things you collect and organize.

That's almost all for the evening, except to remind you that it is a very lanyard-y weekend. Mazel Tov and thanks to Allie in New York who is lanyarding with her friends tomorrow for her Bat Mitzvah and to the ladies in The Woodlands who have arranged a beading extravaganza for Saturday afternoon and to Kristen Smith's rugby team who will do a little team building, socializing and lanyarding on Sunday afternoon. Robby Bennett will launch Where's the Rabbit at Santa Fe High School on Saturday evening and will have lanyards available and on display made by the Santa Fe Lady Indian soccer team before and after the show.

P.S. When I walked Willie and Teddy down to Willie's Wilderness Wonderland this afternoon to sniff out field mice and bunnies, the trees were filled with cowbirds. I had to keep the experience to myself today. Ten years ago, my mom and I took the two-year old Erin on a walk on a similar day, and my mom (always the Master Naturalist) explained to Erin that cowbirds were not her favorite because, instead of building nests, they put all their energy into laying eggs. They leave their eggs in other birds nests, abandoning them to be raised as foster children. Often the nest-builders babies get squeezed or even booted out of the nest to make room for the cowbird eggs. Erin hated that story and for several years after that would often run through the backyard shooing away the cowbirds that flocked there, saying "Go away you mean old cowboy birds. Moo doesn't want you here." Today she wasn't here to chase them away and my mother was on a trip down to the coast. I had to do all the remembering myself.

P.P.S. Walter said that he can't imagine ANY academic couple that would merge books and that's not all, They've been separated twenty-five years, and they will stay separated another twenty-five years if he has anything to say about it.

Realize

September 27, 2009

Do you ever feel like you have bitten off more than you can chew? Really, it's pretty easy to find yourself in the disciple/New testament situation where you've invited 5,000 people over for supper and to your embarrassment, you have nothing to serve except a couple of fish (and who really likes fish all that much, especially when you had your mind set on burgers) and some bread that you bummed off a little kid. (Actually, this never happens to me because as many of you know, I have an oversupply of rectangular salmon in the freezer. Still you get my point.).

In fact, I feel that way a lot. I look at my yard, which by the way has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it hasn't placed that high on the to-do list since mid-July 2002 when Erin first got diagnosed. Truthfully, it had fallen fairly low on the list after Davis signed up for competitive soccer some time late last century. We keep up with the mowing and from time to time the flower beds look okay, but I have neglected the deep work that makes yards and gardens sustainable. So, for instance, if cleanliness is next to Godliness in Louisiana iris beds, all I can say is I wonder what slovenly-ness is next to?

I knew things had gotten bad last Tuesday. Nico (12), Adam (9), and Ian (4) came over to wish me birthday. Adam headed out to the lake's edge to see if the rain had done anything to raise the water level. He came back with this conversation starter:

A: You know the grass at the edge of the lake has gotten very tall. I think out of control.

V: I know. Since Davis was gone this summer, we hire the lawn mowing out, and the person mowing the lawn didn't trust himself enough to get to close to the edge of the lake He was afraid the mower would pull him in.

A; It really doesn't look very good.

V: I know. I need to get out there with the weed eater and knock it all down.

A: I can help.

V: (thinking this was a theoretical conversation and a theoretical offer of help) Okay.

A: What do you have on on your schedule for this Saturday?

V: I have soccer during the middle of the day, until around 3:00 or 3;30.

A: After church on Sunday, then?

V: After church will be fine. I'll pencil you in.

So, my buddy came over today and we made some headway on the yard down by the lake. We used a lawn mower, a weed eater (with appropriate eye-safety gear), two sharpshooter shovels, and a couple of pairs of gloves. We carried four loads of dead sticks and branches to the brush pile, three loads of pulled weeds to the compost, and finished with a grape and a cherry popsicle. I'm not done with yard work, but I'm no longer over my head. You might can even see some eyebrow hairs if you look carefully.

I love this example because it's one that bears repeating.

You can find help for almost anything if you ask nice, if you look in the right direction, and if you accept even unsolicited offers of help with grace. You should also say thank you deep, wide, and frequently (if fact, there is actually no way that you can say thank you too much or too many times), and it's even better when offers of help move up and down a two-way street.

I relearn this lesson almost every week, whether it is the set of Albertson's bonus stickers that came in the mail this week from Margaret B. (She doesn't shop at Albertson, but she knows someone who does and asked for their help in my bonus sticker saving project for getting pots and pans for the abuse victims building a new life at Phoebe's Home) or whether it is the refilling of the lanyard board when new opportunities roll in with a short fuse. Thank you members of the Beaders Hall of Fame!

I'm pretty sure I didn't know this real meaning of this lesson until after Erin got sick. I think back then I thought of help as sort of a quid pro quo thing. I would turn down offers of help, just so I wouldn't incur a favor debt. If I did accept help, I never wanted to stay in favor debt for too long. At some point I realized that no one was keeping score on Help Given versus Help Received, and even if they were, there was no way I could ever even the score back up (much less win). I kept playing anyway, and worked on saying thank you gracefully. It may be the most grown up thing I have ever done.

Choose

September 22, 2009

Announcing the world premier of two new lines of lanyards:

The Pat Lacey Manyard

The Christian Year Lanyard

Wander

September 21, 2009

• I will be 100 or 31 tomorrow, depending on whether you are counting in base 7 or hexadecimal, and that introduction, my friends, signals how this entry will go (hint sort of like the title of the post).

Q: What's worse than driving a vanload of middle school girls to their soccer match?

A: One of them finding a cricket colony in their shoes when they start to gear up (This blog would have to come with a sound track for you to fully understand the mayhem and squealing that ensued as one after another now-deceased cricket came out of its dark and aromatic hiding place).

Q: What's worse than driving a vanload of middle school girls to their soccer match after they discover a cricket colony in their cleats?

A: Eating lunch after the game, when three-fourths of them order a cup of dirt for dessert (chocolate pudding, crumbled oreos, and gummy worms) and then let the worms crawl out of their mouths continuously.

• You probably didn't know but the online order form for lanyards went on the blink over the weekend. I fixed it this morning (using "fix" in the sense of repair rather than the Southern sense of I'll get around to it pretty soon).

Several years ago, the county decided that residents of rural Brazos County needed a fixed permanent address with a street name and house number instead of a rural route address, so they could have a county-wide 911 system and emergency personnel could find everyone. At the time, Walter unilaterally made up a name for our street and the street on the other side of the lake. We didn't really poll our neighbors. he just chose Cypress Road and Blue Heron Road and we had signs made. Davis bought me a Tom Tom. I think it is pretty amazing that the little road that Walter named first showed up on emergency responder maps, than official county maps, and now is embedded in the satellite map that Tom Tom accesses. Very grass roots.

• I listened to Book Notes on C-Span on Saturday and they interviewed Rosalind Wiseman who has written several books including Queen Bees and Wannabes and most recently Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads. She suggests the novel idea that we'd all be better off if we treated everyone we encountered with some dignity and respect. I have heard and overheard a lot of rude behavior lately--on tv and radio, in sports, and around campus. Ms. Wiseman's suggestion made me think about what I teach about influence. I am rarely influenced by someone yelling at me or acting like a jerk towards me. I don't think I ever change my mind about something if it comes with an insult or hostility. Why does that seem to be the currency of exchange in so many instances these days? I'm going to work really hard to dial it back in my world and I hope you will, too.

Please consider coming to the lanyard workshop on Friday afternoon/evening if you are local and not committed to one of our local high school Friday night activities. There are a growing number of opportunities to display more of our lanyards, if we have them available.

• For those interested in ordering we now have three available specialty lines (with more to come soon): the Christian Year lanyard (with special beads denoting important events in the Christian year and liturgical colors), the Pat Lacey manyard (featuring very manly, non-shiny beads like rocks and wood and shells and an emergency bottle opener attachment), and the Colby Ash camo manyard for hunting enthusiasts. I will post photos on the Erin's Dream Lanyards (and Manyards) website in the next couple of days.

If this felt like you were reading Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, you are exactly right. I followed my brain where it led me today.

Drive

September 17, 2009

Did I tell you I named my car Rosie, after Erin's bear?

There is something about Rosie that I think would help a lot of people--even my friends who still need larger, less-gas-consuming friendly vehicles, like space shuttles and battleships to get around town. Rosie has a range of gauges, but one has shaped my driving habits in ways I never suspected it would. Look at the picture on the bottom left: there's a little mock up of a battery on the far left and within the long, flat geometric figure there's the abbreviated word CHG in white one end and PWR on the other. In the center you see a lighted squiggly that reads: ECO. When I brake the CHG lights up and I get more bars on my battery. This requires no skill and not much effort on my part. However, when I accelerate, something else happens. If I start out at a relaxed pace, the ECO light stays on and the light within the flat bar edges to the right. If I take a jackrabbit start, the space above PWR goes all RED, and the lovely, glowing ECO snaps off, irritated with my selfish, perhaps even boorish, behavior.

I don't know if you ever played little mental games with yourself: not stepping on cracks in the sidewalk (to keep your mother's back healthy), putting on your left shoe and left sock before you do your right shoe and right sock, or just in general competing with yourself. I read a blog entry this week about a man who assured victory for his basketball team one evening by keeping his tongue inserted in the opening of his beer bottle for an entire quarter of the game.

I have not started driving with my tongue in a beer bottle to assure my safe arrival. However, I have become obsessed with interested in Rosie's gauge. It's a comfort to know that I can have PWR if I want it, say when I want to drag race with the car next to me as the light turns green, but under ordinary driving conditions, it has disciplined me almost into a Stepford driver. No more jackrabbit starts for me. Gentle is the driving word of the day. I studiously avoid having the ECO light blink off, disappointed in me that I couldn't control my heavy foot. I can't help watching it.

Others probably have more spunk than me, or at least a healthy disregard for authority, but if you are like me, this gauge will trick you into being a more economical driver, just by showing you the red.

Ripple

September 13, 2009

I fit this morning's dog walk in between downpours, and Willie and Teddy pranced happily along really appreciating the loamy smells that follow a good drencher. I ended up putting Willie on the leash a little earlier than I expected because he was certifiably sidetracking, and I wanted to make the loop before I got caught in the next wave of storms and would have to blow myself dry again before Sunday School. We turned the corner onto Charlotte Lane, and Teddy paused (pretending, I suppose, that she was a bird dog). I followed her gaze and saw what looked like a smallish flock of songbirds pretending to be buzzards. I immediately thought that I had come across of game of birdy charades, and they were acting out the vulture scene from The Jungle Book (I don't remember the scene exactly, except the vultures had bangs that covered their eyes and Liverpool accents) or maybe they were doing impersonations of Wallace and Junior from Hank, the Cow Dog. I watched a little longer, and they were indeed, lurking, hopping on one foot then the other, and circling something in the middle of the road. I don't know a whole lot about songbirds, but I am pretty sure they don't usually dine on road kill. Our trio moved a little closer, me hoping to catch a glimpse of what they thought they had captured; Teddy and Willie hoping the birds were so intent upon their flat breakfast that they would become a couple of mouthfuls for the dogs.

Alas, they flew off before Teddy and Willie had a chance for a schnacken, leaving my line of vision clear. I discovered the intrepid birds investigating the roadkill had found something even better: a Lunchable. I think I saw a bottle of Ripple in the ditch they were going to wash it down with.

No, that story wasn't a set up just so I could use the word ripple (especially because that would be as a noun and not a verb). Actually, the whole rest of the post is about how a tossed stone can send out ripples. Back in July I told you about a College Station church (A&M United Methodist), where some of Erin's friends and doctors attend, planned to commission an anthem in her honor and memory. I got an update on that event this week. The composer, Dr. Dan Forrest, and Sterling Allen, the Music Director at A&M UMC have started tossing texts around and find Erin an absorbing and motivating subject. The world premier of this chorale work will be Sunday morning, January 24, 2010 at 8:30 and 11:00 with Craig Courtney conducting. If you would like to support this effort with a donation towards the commissioning, you can send a check payable to A&M UMC and memo'ed to "Buenger Anthem Commission." Checks can be mailed to A&M UMC at 417 University Drive, College Station, Texas 77840. The absolutely cool thing about this giving opportunity, is that if (when) the church exceeds its commission needs, all the leftover money will go to a permanent arts program honoring Erin to benefit children like her who love to sing and create through the arts.

Lanyards are also continuing to ripple, splashing enough that I have had to drive traffic over to the http://chooseaverb.blogspot.com website that I have set up for Erin's Dream Lanyards (and Manyards). I am launching two new lanyard lines and a new manyard line this week, so you will have to remember to click over later in the week and check it out.

Last Friday's lanyard workshop at the house was a great success again. Magician and performer, Robby Bennett drove up from Houston to make a lanyard, perform some sleight of hand for the kiddos, turn down my offer of tamales, and talk about some of the logistics of putting Erin's Dream Lanyards in the lobbies before and after his shows. Locate the next odd Friday (September 25) on your calender and make plans to come and string some beads. If that doesn't work think about the 9th or 23rd of October or the 13th or 27th of November. If we can't coordinate schedules, just give me an email, and I'll come to your place, on your schedule. I have at least two new groups who can't make it to my place that have started their own lanyard workshops. Thanks Terri, Amy, and Michelle.

Not only have things gone great on the "making" side, but there was a mini-bead drive yesterday at The Bead Fountain. Thanks Jennifer and all of you who donated a string of beads to our cause. There is also a tentative bead drive sponsored by the Holy Cross Youth for Christ group from Holy Cross Lutheran Church. When they launch, I will let you know the details. We are also sending an increasing number of our creations to homes all over the country (I shipped 30 to Indiana and a dozen to Michigan last week). I have a couple of specialty venues that I will tell you about as I nail down the details.

I have to say, that all the do-gooding inspired me so much that I have started my own little project. When I was a kid my grandmother collected Green Stamps. This was a double win for me, because she let me lick the stamps (mmmm, tasty) and put them into the little booklets AND she often let me use some of the stamps at the Green Stamp redemption store for little gifts for myself. Albertson's has their own version of green stamps (on a more limited basis). You get little (non-lickable) stickers with each purchase and you can collect and redeem them for cookware.

My idea is to collect the stickers and redeem them for pots and pans and give them to Phoebe's Home/Twin City Mission to help people who are trying to start new lives. If you shop at Albertson's and are throwing your stickers away or declining them at the check out, grab them for me. It will give me a double thrill. I love to stick them in the little booklet because it reminds me of my grandmother, and I will love to get freebie cookware for people who literally don't have a pot to cook in. If you like this idea, pass the ripple on.

Also tune in to Doug Vance's radio show Family Affair, on 89.1 KEOS this Friday from 6:00-7:00 where I will attempt to talk about Pediatric Cancer Awareness month for the fourth year in a row, but this time without my wingwoman, Erin, by my side.

Donate

September 11, 2009

Did your outdoor plans get scrapped because of the weather today? Jennifer Fountain at the Bead Fountain is having a bead trunk show. She is setting up a display to ask customers to buy a string of beads and donate them to Erin's Dream Lanyards. Here are the details in case you have an itch for beads:

College Station Bead Show

Saturday, Sept. 12

10a-4p

1804 Brothers Blvd # D
College Station, TX 77845-5474
(979) 694-2323
Get directions

Semi-precious Gemstones, Freshwater Pearls, Czech Glass beads.

Simulate

September 9, 2009

Note: I updated the facts I list below to reflect that actually two new cancer drugs have been approved for pediatric use in twenty years. I will change the actual PDF tomorrow, so you can print it again if need be.

Today presents another satisfying calender opportunity: 09/09/09 (right, Erin F?).

My phone rang yesterday. I looked at the incoming ID and expected Elaine's voice to come cheerfully piping through the receiver. Instead, it was my friend, Adam's sweet voice, inviting me over for a play date this afternoon. I'm going to knock off work a little early and go to his house to play X-Plane, which mostly involves Adam skillfully maneuvering planes through flight simulation software and me watching carefully trying to figure out how he can keep track of so many different instruments and gauges at the same time.

I have known Adam most of his life. When he was a little guy he didn't smile much for the camera. A couple of years ago he had shifted to the cryptic "Mona Lisa" smile.


Now, I get even more:


But it his broad, rarely photographed smile that comes when he has just completed a tricky landing that makes me want to hang out with him and play X-Plane.

Tonight the US Men's team plays another World Cup qualifier, this time against Trinidad & Tobago with kickoff at 6:00 Texas time. I sure hope the game is in hand after the first half so I can switch to President Obama's Health care speech at 7:00 without having to weigh to merits of major policy speech versus soccer.

AND speaking of planning ahead, please put this week's Lanyard Workshop on your calender (Friday, September 11, 4:00-7:00 at my house). September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.

I have created a Neuroblastoma Cancer Fact Sheet to support Erin's Dream Lanyards. (Click here for your own PDF). Here's what it says:

Neuroblastoma Fact Sheet

What is Neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a common but overlooked cancer in kids. It is a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, and usually presents as a solid, malignant tumor that manifests as a lump or mass in the abdomen or around the spinal cord in the chest, neck, or pelvis. Neuroblastoma is often present at birth, but is most often diagnosed much later when the child begins to show symptoms of the disease. In the majority of cases (73%), neuroblastoma has already spread to areas outside the original site at the time of diagnosis.

Some Statistics about Neuroblastoma:

• 5%-7% of all childhood malignancies, but 15% of pediatric cancer deaths

• about 1 in 6000 children will be diagnosed with neuroblastoma by the age of five

• 1 in 100,000 per year in the US

• average age at diagnosis is two

• about 25% of newly diagnosed neuroblastomas are found in children under the age of one

• children under the age of one have a cure rate as high as 90%

• children with high risk disease have a five-year survival rate of around 55%

• relapsed neuroblastoma has no known cure

Why does Erin's Dream Lanyards raise money for neuroblastoma research?

• Over the past two decades, only TWO new cancer drugs has been approved for pediatric use.

• Only 3% of the National Cancer Institute budget goes towards pediatric cancer research.

• Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children with cancer have disease that has spread at diagnosis.

• There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the US invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of peditric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.

• Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-known adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.

• In 2005, the American Cancer Society provided only 2.5% of funded grants , or 1.85% of dollars spent on research to pediatric cancer.

Note: I updated the facts to reflect that actually two new cancer drugs have been approved for pediatric use in twenty years. I will change the actual PDF tomorrow, so you can print it again if need be. I have to leave for soccer right now.

Laugh

September 7, 2009

I spent the weekend with the team formerly known as the Mystic '97 (ASIDE: it is almost impossible to cheer for them by their new name, the Dallas Texans Aggieland 97 Girls Red. Even with my fertile imagination, it's hard to figure out a good acronym or nicknack name for them). The little, but growing, former Mystics got roughed up pretty well in the tournament, though they did manage a game where they both scored and won.

I know that some of you think I must be masochistic to hang out with Erin's old teammates and their increasingly stinky bodies (only after playing, otherwise their bodies smell quite lovely), but frankly they make me laugh. What other way could I spend my time, engaged in a 6:15 a.m. breakfast conversation, where a group of girls adamantly demands to know, "which stooge (of the three stooges fame) do you think I'm most like? Which stooge do you think Lexie is? Do you think I'd make a good Moe?" Fortunately, they never figured out that to make the grade as stooges they would need to slap and poke each other a lot more than they actually do.

Overall, the weekend went well. I check quite a number of family-duty kinds of items off the checklist:

Visit with Aunt: check
Dinner with mom and both sisters: check
Brunch with cousin: check


But was missing on some other items:

Utensils at dinner with mom and sister (Medieval Times): oops
Map to soccer field for first game: oops
Ability to judge whether the person at the convenience store would be able to give accurate directions to soccer field: oops

Otherwise, I made it home in time for a nap on Sunday afternoon.

Game

September 4, 2009

I got out of the habit of posting and recognizing great folks who have chosen great verbs in honor of Erin. Earlier this week I received an email from Janine Rodriguez. In part, it said:

I am going to be taking part in the Extra Life fundraiser for the Texas Children's Hospital-more specifically, to benefit the Texas Children's Cancer Center (More info on the fundraiser:
http://extralife.sarcasticgamer.com/ ) and am doing this in honor of Erin.

We exchanged a few more e-mails to decide the most Erin-esque name for her team. In the end, we chose Erin's PPR Club (I think in this case the PPR stands for something like Power Players Rule, not the original slightly scatological meaning. And, in case any original PPR Club members are wondering, I don't think this makes those games members of the official, real PPR Club.). Here's the full skinny:

"Extra Life is a 24-hour charity video-gaming marathon to raise money to fight pediatric cancer. Every penny of the money raised will go directly to benefit pediatric cancer treatment and research at Texas Children’s Cancer Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. TxCCC is one of the largest pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the WORLD, and sees kids from all 50 states and over 80 countries. Every child gets the same ground-breaking treatment, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

Extra Life begins on October 17th at 8am and ends on October 18th at 8am. During this time gamers from around the world will pull together at the same time and play video games for 24 straight hours. All games and gaming platforms qualify from Nintendo, to PS3, to poker on your cell phone. Each gamer can raise money individually or as part of a gaming team, and the goal is to find at least 4 people who are willing to sponsor them at $1 an hour to raise a minimum of $96.

I have created a team (Erin's PPR Club) in honor of Erin. We will have an Erin power hour about 18 hours into the game-a-thon where we will play all the Wii games that Erin loved so much. Our team is open to anyone who wants to join in on the fundraising/gaming so pass this info along to any Erin fans you know who might be interested."

Once again, I'm amazed and honored that Erin has inspired people like Janine to go the extra step and do more. Thank you.

It also gave me a new experience, since I don't think I have often had the chance to use "game" as a verb. For people my age, "game" has served great as a noun for decades, and I believe it's useful to expand my horizons and stretch from time-to-time.

On the whole the semester got underway without too much unpleasantness. I admit that I was out of teaching shape, and tireder than I should have been at the end of the day on Tuesday and again on Thursday. I have had a little time to continue on various projects, and am slowly putting together a website devoted completely to the Erin's Dream Lanyards (and Manyards) project, with the build happening as I can squeeze it into my schedule. It's a work in progress, so I would appreciate feedback of any sort.

In about an hour I am headed to Dallas for a combined family visit and soccer weekend. I hope some of the rain I am driving into makes it down to the Brazos Valley. If I have weather the storm, I think my yard and gardens should too.