Themes
Painting (Oil and Watercolor)
Art
Hot Weather
Music--Bernstein's Requiem, My favorite movement of all Vivaldi pieces, sacred acclamations from the Mass
making muesli from grain
Hornflakes
Panoramic Paintings
Hot weather
Meeting Jehovah's Witnesses
NOT climbing tower/s
Good food
Good Thai food
Seeking relief from the heat at a pool
seeing political leaders
Good company, throughout
Good homemade food
Good homemade Thai food
Good Indonesian rice table
assistive technology for exercising
Labels: accessibility, art, dining, exercise, health, list, love, music, painting, shopping, water exercise, weather
Yesterday
Yesterday, I picked up tickets for the symphony tonight (Friday), had breakfast, and then took my prophylactic antibiotics to prepare for my teeth cleaning. Because the dental hygienist is on maternity leave, the dentist himself cleaned my teeth after my regular (digital) X rays. I was happy to find no cavities with my teeth, as per usual.
A trip to the large grocery store for some milk ensued, and then lunch with Mom and Dad. Soon after Dad and I dropped my car off at the repair shop for inspection, etc. We walked home, and I took a nap.
Maureen and I went for coffee smoothies at our favorite smoothie location, chatted, and received a call from Nancy, who agreed to join us and Karina for the symphony tomorrow night, my other two friends being otherwise engaged with a cold and a deadline.
Dinner and then choir practice followed, which was Regina's first practice, in addition to a bass and a (visiting) bass, Craig and Di's son. Snackes were provided by Judi, Ken was back from Paris, France, and I introduced Regina to some fellow choristers. Chatted with Don and Judi afterwards.
Two days ago I attended a particularly productive pastoral council meeting. We were all pleased with the outcome.
Labels: accessibility, automobile, Choir, dine, health, pastoral council, PSO, shopping, singing, St. Paul Cathedral, teeth, visitor
It's Published!
On December 23rd, 2009 the Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today was published. I was lead/co-author on an article which we worked on for about a year, and did minor edits on this fall. I credit my editor and co-authors with doing a fine job of writing and editing the article.
This week I updated my social networking site to reflect the above changes, and am updating this web log.
It's an overview / review article on mental health in the Asian American community. I couldn't have done it without the help of librarians in the (now-defunct) Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Library, and the resources in the library itself. I also have to thank Prof. Fabrega for lending me a textbook of cultural psychiatry. And, of course, I have to thank my family and support network for making this possible.
Labels: accessibility, encyclopedia, family, health, library, writing
Nothing Was the Same
I just finished this week Kay Redfield Jamison's memoir, Nothing Was the Same. She is currently Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.
Her book addressed her life with and without her now-deceased husband and the joyous times they had together, as well as their battle with his cancer, and her ensuing throes of grief and despair from the loss. Definitely an interesting read. She contrasts her grief with the moods of the depression she has experienced.
~ ~ ~
I found some quotes from the book particularly interesting to share:
from "Mourning and Melancholia":
Hope can find a place in a mind missing love. It cannot find a place in a mind taken over by depression. In grief, one finds the absence of a life, not life itself. In depression, it is otherwise: one cannot access the beat of life.
from "Fugitive Dyes":
I had often said to my patients who were struggling in the wake of mania or suicidal despair: We are each an island. It is your task to bring to your own island what you need to live long and well: love, beauty, diversion, friends; work that sustains; a meaningful life. Look at Maui, I would say: everything was brought in by man, insect, bird, or wind. It is your life; it is short. Treat your island with regard. Do not let it go to weed; do not give it over to anyone else. Understand the possibilities. Know the dangers. Keep away the ungenerous and unkind.
~ ~ ~
I have had two students who have lost family members this past week. I found myself listening to their stories, then quietly saying, "He's at peace now," or "She's at peace now" to them, as well as reminding them to tell their lab partners of their loss (they may be surprised to find that their lab partners are accepting, accomodating, and human about their situation).
Labels: accessibility, color, encyclopedia, farewell, flowers, friends, health, meditate, moving, read, sleep, work
Farewell, Ted Kennedy
Farewell, Ted Kennedy: The last brother in a dynasty. His sister Eunice passed away earlier this month.
Labels: accessibility, American history, farewell, health
This I believe
Found a web log this morning called "This I believe." I went through some of the various headings, in this order:
Respect
Love
Science
Disability
Empathy and Compassion
My favorite posting was one I read under "Empathy & Compassion."
Labels: accessibility, blogs, dreams, international culture, love, philosophical, science
Recount
Just viewed a 2008 Home Box Office movie, Recount, that is a drama about the Presidential ballot recount, starring Kevin Spacey.
Labels: accessibility, American history, cinema, citizenship
Maureen and I went to the final (thirteenth) Tuesday in the Saint Anthony Novenae on Troy Hill yesterday night. Each person present was welcome to a loaf of St. Antony's bread.
I asked Maureen if we could stop at the Newman Center on the way home, to check out the library. We said hello to Jennifer (the MPH student) and settled into the library, reading books about the saints' lives. Then we looked up various saints, and chatted about friends far and near.
As we were departing, we saw the last 13:24 seconds of the Penguins v. Red Wings game--Hey! the Pens are in for the seventh game of the Stanley Cup this year.
~~~
I'm so mad...yesterday afternoon I told Dad to "Wait.." while two young, nattily dressed young ladies attempted to enter his building. Instead, he opens the door, then we have to contend with the process of NOT allowing them in. We explain to them that they need to be buzzed in...Dad departs for the elevators, and I turn around to see them propping the door open as we (supposedly) depart.
"You have to close the door," I politely note to them, whilst pushing the door shut. One young lady was particularly averse to this action, and was heavily leaning on the door. I got a "stoved" digit in the process, and have iced it, but feel very swollen and sore. Time for some Tylenol. Visitors cannot behave like this around residents, it makes the residents feel less secure. K. thanked me for keeping the building secure.
Labels: accessibility, Faith, light, neighbors, pain, philosophical, read, rosary, sports
Checkin' email
Picked up S from the airport this afternoon, amidst rain on the way home.
S. and I discussed issues of my journal from 1990 after a nap/grading (5/6) session. Now we are checking our email before dinner...in the 24 hour computer lab on campus.
I said that there is much useless, detailed information that I wrote in my journal twenty years ago...but it was fun to read. We talked about recording/documenting our teaching to students; how it is very difficult to find the time to document our pedagogy. I shared the Acid Rain Teacher's Guide, as well as the Schubert Lieder and we talked about Les Chansons de Faure, the first-ever CD I purchased.
We talked about the C-leg and how it works (its computerized mechanism) on the way to campus.
We compromised on the rate of walking, as S strides faster and I stride shorter, in order to accomodate our individual handicaps.
We talked about swimming, and other exercise, and voice lessons.
Labels: accessibility, biology, computer, email, excited, exercise, health, humor, school, sleep, swim, teaching, voice, walking, work, writing
No More...
No More...
ballet en pointe (what's new?)
aikido
rockclimbing
ice skating
roller blading
bicycling on city streets
horseback riding
downhill skiing
Can still...
walk
talk (that's for sure!)
carry a stick
Will be able to (after my next surgery)...
run
maybe even hurdle again!
do certain stretches again.
We'll see about...
playing the violin!
I wrote to my friend about a fortnight ago my thoughts:
Sometimes I think of things I used to do in my "former life" which I cannot now do....downhill skiing, rockclimbing, ice skating, running distances, etc. I haven't been able to do these things recently because of the pain, anyway. But part of growing is letting go of those things that may keep me from my focus that I need to focus on NOW.
Labels: accessibility, dance, exercise, friends, light, list, love, pain, philosophical, surgery, swim, talent, thankfulness, walking
Clean, Strong, Straight Teeth
Today I lectored on the memorial of St. Scholastica. I particularly liked the reading from Genesis. Fr. Breier celebrated the Mass, Matt served, and Don provided music ministry from the loft. It rained this morning.
After catching some breakfast from the William Pitt Union student cafeteria, I attended a presentation for Helping Distressed Students sponsored by the campus Counseling Center and the Student Affairs Division. After presenting Counseling Center intake and outtake data, issues related to student behavior, the Student Code of Conduct, and strategies to best help students were raised. Questions were fielded at the end. Dawn, a counselor from the center, offered to email me the PowerPoint presentation afterwards. I chatted briefly after the talk with the advisor seated behind me and with James Cox, the Director of the Counseling Center.
After lunch, I took my antibiotic therapy before heading to the dentist's office. L, my dental hygienist, and Dr. D, my dentist, were pleased with the condition of my teeth and gums. My teeth were declared clean, strong, and straight. I did a little shopping and picked up a menu for a restaurant before heading home.
Time for some organizing of my paperwork, and some grading (after dinner, I say).
Tonight's meetings will end as my day began---with a lector meeting at St. Paul Cathedral.
Labels: accessibility, biology, cleaning, dining, lector, Mass, read, school, shopping, St. Paul Cathedral, surgery, teeth, walking, weather, work
Philippine Nationality Room Meeting
Today, V and I went to Whole Foods for lunch. Before dining, we checked out the lip balm and I found my favorite kind...now I know where to get it! I dined on jasmine white tea, unagi sushi wrapped in bamboo leaf, and half a chocolate croissant. V enjoyed a quesadilla. We stopped by the East Liberty Library branch to drop off items, then shopped at Trader Joe's.
I went to physical therapy then. It felt like a spa in the pool today---warm water, gentle exercises, mmm.
I headed back to get a quick bite to eat, then headed to the Austrian Nationality Room for our Philippine Nationality Room Committee meeting, as our future PNR classroom was occupied until approximately 19:15. We had from Popi, our Filipina architect: A photo collage, 2 perspective CAD drawings, and 8 elevation drawings. I noted---soon after starting our discussion in the future PNR---that "I was expecting a room that looked more like a classroom, but was pleasantly surprised that it looked more like a home. I like the general feeling of the room." Myrna noted that she liked the "simplicity of design."
Our discussion of design elements focused on various issues:
Dated elements
Socioeconomic status of the homeowners
Provenance of room fixtures
Light in the room
Use and functionality of the room, including heat and furniture sturdiness
"Spirit" of the design vs. staying v.v. close to elements of two houses examined for study.
It snowed quietly and collected while we were in the rooms for two hours, discussing and raising questions for Popi. Mark, Warren, and I discussed the element of the windows and balustrade and light and heating. I gently suggested a "hint of a wall" for a design tweaking of the breezeway element (versus the current renderings, which suggested walls which obscured more windows/light/heating elements), which solved several problems posed by several of us.
~~~
I caught a bus home, after waiting in the soft, cornstarch-like snowy quiet.
Labels: accessibility, art, balm, dining, exercise, international culture, light, Philippines, Pilipino culture, Pittsburgh, PNR, school, shopping, surgery, volunteering, water exercise
"You've got a Cadillac...I've got a stick."
I saw a woman in an electric wheelchair while waiting today, and I said to her,
"You've got a Cadillac...I've got a stick," and brandished my cane.
This drew a laugh from her, nodding in agreement.
~~~
I had two lab sections in the past two days, and physical therapy early Monday morning, with a new PT student in partial attendance, too.
Labels: accessibility, BAD, exercise, humor, philosophical, Pittsburgh, surgery, water exercise
First Draft Reworking II
I'm spending ~two hours at Hillman library editing, moving text, and annotating my 3rd version of my manuscript since reviewer's comments...I want to make certain that it flows for Irene when she reads it. I have until the 5th to rework it, but don't want to take that long with it, as she has the manuscript only until the 14th. I want to get the bulk of this done by the end of August, as my lab teaching starts up again then.
Labels: accessibility, encyclopedia, science, teaching, work, writing
New Cell Phones; Encyclopedia Article, First Draft Reworking
Today, Mom and Dad and I went to Eat and Park at the Waterfront for lunch. We then went to Verizon for our new cell phones, as our first cell phones were not holding a charge. The gentleman who helped us indicated two other brands that were better at holding a charge. We selected a model that has Bluetooth capabilities, though we rarely used a similar option on our first phones. It has photo capabilities, as well. Mom was nonplussed that the phone could not play the "Skater's Waltz" ringtone (Miranda's favorite), and I was not pleased that it wasn't obvious how to record sounds, and turn those sounds into ringtones, as was obvious on our first phones. Other than that, we were happy with our new phones, and I requested that we transfer our address books to our new ones.
~~~
After a stop at CVS, I spent ~two hours at Hillman Library reworking the first draft of my encyclopedia article after editorial comments. Dinner was leftovers, and Mom and I watched some Curb Your Enthusiasm (the restaurant opening), as well as the episode of Wife Swap in which the New York househusband family swaps with the pet crematory family.
Labels: accessibility, Curb Your Enthusiasm, dining, encyclopedia, New York, phone, writing
Encyclopedia Article, First Draft; Cleaning/Organizing/Purging VII
This afternoon, I went to Hillman Library on campus. I spent a short time looking at the Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore--I looked at the "Blues" entry and the information on the entry's author...just as a comparison. I also printed up the reviewers' first comments to me about my encyclopedia entry. Marissa, who used to edit for a large, renown encyclopedia published in North America, was surprised that the editors were requiring the entry authors (in this case, me) to revise the documents to fit the encyclopedia's standard format. I was surprised, too.
After dinner and Jeopardy! Mom and I spent three hours moving my HEAVY coffee table, cleaning the living room and the refrigerator, and, after Dad arrived, cleaning out my cupboard in the basement. Whew! By the end, my unoperated hip had given out. I used the cart as a walker. I may have to use the crutches again tomorrow.
~~~
8am Tuesday 29th of July 2008
I can get by this early morning with just a cane.
Labels: accessibility, cleaning, dolls, encyclopedia, health, home, organizing, photos, surgery, writing
Encyclopedia Article, First Draft Reviewer's Comments
Today, near the end of five hours of cleaning out my master bedroom closet with Mom, I received a call from one of the encyclopedia editors. The call was to prepare me for the first draft reviewers' comments, and other related discussions. A serious, but necessary talk.
Labels: accessibility, cleaning, encyclopedia, organizing, writing
A Group Meeting
This afternoon I attended a research group meeting at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. We discussed a research article in Molecular Psychiatry that discussed human blood genetic biomarkers related to mood. This led to a general discussion of mental health research.
Labels: accessibility, health, research, science, Wellesley, work
Encyclopedia First Draft Update
After handing in my encyclopedia article's first draft earlier this month, I received an email early this morning from one of the editors that feedback would be forthcoming by August first. I look forward to finishing the succeeding drafts of this article, and seeing it in print.
Labels: accessibility, encyclopedia, health, work, writing
First Draft In, Early
My first draft of my encyclopedia article is due on Tuesday, the fifteenth. Today I spent an hour and a half working on this first draft. I have emailed the two editors my article (with two figures and references list) and my contact sheet about an hour ago. What a good feeling!
I was debating whether to include all my middle initials, and settled on my given names, along with my surname initial and family name. As we prepare lunch today, Mom and I discussed over boiling (Anne Boleyn pasta?!) pasta the fact that as I get older, more of my name is important, as my maternal grandpa's cousin was a national hero. I talked to Marissa about it via phone while I was at the library, typing. She said if someone were to do a general Google.com search for me, they would find me, regardless of my initials.
For about half an hour before writing/editing today I chatted with Arif. He indicated how to make a faculty request to purchase a book (in my case, the encyclopedia). We talked about work, my surgery, and other campus issues. He expressed an interest in writing an encyclopedia article, too.
The current version (4) of my article and references list (version 5) have 3872 and 959 words, respectively. I expect Grace Y. and Edith C. to edit it down...
Labels: accessibility, BAD, encyclopedia, health, library, name, Philippines, philosophical, Pilipino culture, politics, surgery, work, writing
