September is SCI Awareness Month!

As the title above indicates, September is SCI awareness month.  Here in California, it is also the month when maybe, just maybe, Governor Brown will sign the Roman Reed Act (AB714) into law.  This act would re-fund paralysis cure research in California.  To learn more about the history behind the law (which is sponsored by our local, Fremont Assemblymember), please read Don Reed's essay.  Don also includes information about how to contact Governor Brown to encourage him to sign this legislation--he vetoed it last year, so it is by no means assured that he will sign it this go round.

Long-time readers are probably well-versed in SCI stats, but for those of you who need a little refresher...

• In the US alone, close to 273,000 people are living with some form of paralysis
• 12,000 Americans are paralyzed each year
• This is an injury that overwhelmingly impacts young men (81% are men, 50% are b/t the ages of 18-30 when they are injured)  
• At one year post-injury, just over 11% of spinal cord injured patients are employed (for comparison's sake, 57.1% were employed at time of injury)
• Estimated lifetime medical costs for a paraplegic injured at age 25: $2.2 million (this is the "cheapest" of SCI injuries...and is one of the many reasons why it makes fiscal sense to invest in a cure)

These, of course, are just facts and figures and tend to obscure the human cost of spinal cord injuries. Little things that able bodied people take for granted become the most precious of activities when rendered physically impossible: dancing with your spouse, throwing your child in the air, swimming with your daughter, cooking a meal on the stovetop, visiting friends without first having to ask them to measure every doorway in their home (assuming, of course, there aren't stairs to get in the house, at which point measurements become moot), or holding hands with your husband while you walk down the street (for some reason, this last one has been especially hard for me of late).  For Jason, and me and Savannah, paralysis has become our everyday reality.  I think we're doing great all things considered, but that doesn't mean we aren't eagerly awaiting the day when J can leave the wheelchair behind.  

From the doctors and researchers we've met and talked with, developing a cure seems to be more of an issue of funding than scientific knowledge.  The knowledge and research is there.  The money is not. Hopefully, the Reed law will be signed into law and CA researchers can be on the way towards developing the cure.  We would certainly be appreciative if you could take a minute to contact Gov. Brown--it's always good for politicians to know that legislation has support.  If you're feeling particularly moved and want to donate money for the cause, the Reeve Foundation does great work.  

Love you all,

Ashley

We're Going on a Bear Hunt!

Savannah (and most of her friends from school actually) is obsessed with bears.  She can recite the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt, often stages full dramatic scenes around escaping from a bear/camping with a bear/etc, and just generally loves bears.  This is a convenient obsession for me because, as luck would have it, I work/go to school at a university whose mascot is...a BEAR!  There are, according to a very convenient walking map I found online, 27 statues/other art pieces of bears all around campus.  Today, Savannah and I set off to find a few of them...

We took BART to Berkeley, which was, in and of itself, an exciting adventure.

We found a bear pretty early on in our "hunt."

And a mysterious paw print that Savannah investigated up close.

We found a log in a redwood glade to stop for a quick snack.

And a picture :)

Up the stairs to Sather Tower, which Savannah calls her castle (any castle is, of course, "hers").

She was very excited to go up to the top, and I was happy that we had a clear day and would be able to see lots of things from the top.  Unfortunately, I didn't keep in mind that the bells in the campanile chime the hour....and we got to the top at 10:58am....which led to a lot of this...

But it was a lovely view...or at least what I got to see of it for the 3 minutes we managed to stay at the top.  Savannah did NOT like the bells....but she recovered quickly once we got back down...and she found another bear!

We had lunch at the Golden Bear (of course) and then took a break for some sketching...

Then, I heard about a fun exhibit that I thought Sav would love.  It was a departure from our bear hunt, but one that was much enjoyed.

After staring at the T-Rex for a bit, she turned to me and said "Mommy, these are so beautiful!"

We enjoyed walking back towards the BART, but had to make one small stop before we headed back to Fremont...

Chocolate ice cream with sprinkles :)

We both had a great day, and it was nice to see Berkeley's campus through Savannah's eyes.  Too often I forget to enjoy the beauty of the campus--I enjoyed slowing down today and having fun.

Lots of love,

Ashley

Staying In

Originally, when I began thinking of activities to do this weekend, I envisioned us heading off to a museum, the zoo, or some other fun children's spot--we're quite lucky in that we live in an area where there are no shortage of things to do with a three year old.  Yesterday, though, I changed my mind and decided instead that it would be even better to stay close to home, especially if we could come up with some fun activities that would make staying home a little more exciting.  I think I've succeeded in making today a ton of fun for Miss Sav.

We began the day with an obstacle course through the living room and into her bedroom.

Savannah began the course by signing in her name on a dry erase board.

Then she climbed through the "cave" and over the "mountain"

Then a big jump over the red "river"

On to some throwing...

After tossing balls into the basket, she had to go on a hunt for a hidden stuffed animal in her bedroom.  This was a hit and kept her entertained for close to an hour.  After which, we got dressed and took a nice family walk to our local playground.

Then, I got to play with a new toy: a Vitamix blender...my prize for finishing my last chapter (which was sent to my advisor last Saturday...woohoo!).  I broke the blender in with an unusual recipe: peanut butter bread.  Most people might try a smoothie or something along those lines, but this recipe allowed me to make fresh peanut butter and grind wheat berries to make whole wheat flour.  I'm a little bit in love (well, maybe more than a little) with this appliance.

Wheat berries, pre being ground into flour; 3/4 cup of wheat berries yields 1 cup of flour.

Peanuts--I had a little under 3 cups of roasted peanuts, which yielded about a cup of peanut butter.

I love this cookbook and its ingenious design--it stands on its own!

Finished product--I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding some chocolate chips.  This was a really good, and easy bread (only peanut butter, flour, milk, baking powder and a little bit of sugar needed).

While I was trying out the new blender (and, in reality, I'm still playing with this new toy--I've made dough for fresh bread, will make our dinner--black bean soup--in it later, and plan on making chocolate ice cream for dessert...it's getting quite the workout today), Jason and Savannah have begun some fall crafts.  She did an owl mosaic first (thank you, Target), and is now in the midst of helping us decorate the house for fall.  We've got pumpkin garlands, window clings (her favorite) and we'll go through her folder of artwork later to select fall colored works to display for the season.  I've been hesitant to welcome fall.  I'm having a hard time acknowledging that summer is over, mainly because that means I'm in the final year, the final push for this PhD.  Scary.  But the cooler weather this morning, and introduction of fall drinks at our local Starbucks, not to mention the influx of 30k undergrads at Cal, means I can't hide from it any longer.  Fall is here. T minus 8 months til dissertation must be done.  Oh boy.  Instead of stressing over that right now, though, I'm going to go hang some garland with my girl and bake some more...       

Happy weekend!

MomMom

Earlier this week, Jason’s grandmother, Barb Leyba, passed away after a courageous battle with brain cancer.  The loss of our matriarch will be deeply felt in the Leyba family.  I first met MomMom not long after Jason and I began dating in 2000, and I was struck by her warmth and generosity of spirit.  It was very clear that she adored her boys and her grandchildren, just as she would come to adore Savannah after she was born.  She welcomed me into the Leyba family with open arms.

She was an artist, and I’m quite certain she is the reason why Jason is one too (for those who have only recently met Jason, this might be something you don’t know about him, but he is a brilliant artist).  She was politically active and outspoken about her beliefs, which I greatly admired (and, as an aside, it is always fun when someone in their 70s is the most liberal person in the room!) And she was a letter writer, which has become a lost art form in this age of digital communication.  She sent us so many letters, especially in the aftermath of Jason’s accident.  These never failed to uplift and encourage us.  She encouraged me to keep writing about Jason, SCI, and our post-injury world.  So it seems fitting to memorialize her here.

I’m sad for my husband, who has lost someone he loved dearly, but I’m also sad for Savannah, who only got to know MomMom for three years.  

Rest in peace, MomMom.  We love you.

On Dissertation Writing

In an effort to get this thing finished, I'm going to provide an update on my dissertation on the first of every month from now through May (when, knock on wood, I'll be done).  I'm hoping that being responsible to you, dear readers, will force me to keep moving forward (and resist the urge to take a day or two off...which inevitably turns into a week).

But first...

What exactly is my dissertation about?

The short answer is that the dissertation explores how Calvinism  changed over the course of the eighteenth century.  To show these changes, I am focusing on theatre crises in two of the most Calvinist of cities: Edinburgh, Scotland and Geneva, Switzerland.  My argument is that the theatre crises were proxy debates about much bigger issues within the church--namely how (and if) the Church should respond to broader socio-cultural changes.  Depending on your familiarity with eighteenth-century Europe, what I just wrote may or may not make much sense...Apologies :)

The dissertation outline is as follows:

• Introduction
• Chapter One: Theatre Amongst the Reformed: History of how the theatre was used as part of Catholic worship pre-Reformation; why (some) Protestants had problems with this; how branches of the Reformed confession changed their stance on the stage b/t the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries; ends with recognition that, by mid-eighteenth century, most Reformed cities had made their peace with the stage.
• Chapter Two: Eighteenth-century Calvinism; A lot of the bigger arguments re: Calvinism will be made here--18th century Calvinism is not the same as 16th century; theologically, more or less the same, but lots of practical changes in terms of how worship services conducted, disciplinary practices and, ever so slowly, the Church becomes more accepting of civil/secular society
• Chapter Three: Edinburgh: Case study re: the Douglas crisis in 1756; the Church of Scotland is divided about many of the changes made to worship/the Church (i.e. the things mentioned in chapter two, but will go into more detail here about the changes specific to Scotland); Douglas crisis becomes the catalyst for a debate about much bigger issues within the Church
• Chapter Four: Geneva: More or less same arguments from Edinburgh, but in the context of Geneva and the Encyclopedia crisis of 1757
• Conclusion

Progress, thus far:

• All research is complete.

• Introduction: Will write at the end, once I know how the rest of the dissertation shakes out
• Chapter One: Draft complete; no more edits/revisions until the remainder of the dissertation is drafted (for reference, a chapter is approximately 50 pages in length)
• Chapter Two: Drafted, but not in great shape..will need to return to this after chapter four is drafted
• Chapter Three: Draft almost complete--should be done this week and sent to my advisor; assuming he likes it, I'll leave it until the full dissertation draft is done
• Chapter Four: Nothing yet...next up to work on, though, once draft of chapter three is complete
• Conclusion: Will write at the end

My plan at the moment (as is somewhat evident from the above list) is to have good drafts (a good draft is normally the third or fourth actual draft of the chapter) of the four substantive chapters by the end of the fall semester (December).  This would give me the entirety of the spring to write the intro and conclusion and do all necessary edits and revisions.  I think this is a manageable timetable.  

Next time, I'll write more about how I approach writing.  It's something of a scaffolding technique and it took me quite a while to work out what works (and does not work) for me.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!