Bibliosphere

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the American Childhood Cancer Organization has an awareness tree every year. This year you can purchase a ribbon (virtual and one will be mailed to you) until December 11. Check it out here . When I moved out, my mom gave me one of my brother's ribbons and I put it out every Christmas. I don't know if she still purchases one, but it's a really cool thing to do. I'll have to remember to check out the finished virtual tree.

 I finished this book in early November and I found it quite inspiring. I read a lot of self help books, and some are better than others. This one is definitely in the better category. I thought it was a really great look at gratitude and practicing it. There were quite a few things I really liked. For one, it wasn't just memoir style and it wasn't just research style, there were a mix of interviews with experts and personal experiences. I also liked that it talked about putting gratitude actually into practice and how it effected those around her. It did inspire me to set an additional time for reflection in my gratitude app, as well as to try my best to find positives, and to mention them to others. It is a challenge to balance positive vibes with toxic positivity, but I'm sure I'll find the balance as time goes on. It has definitely gotten easier to pick out things during the day of, oh, I'm grateful for this, that feeling, however subtle, is gratitude. I'm e...

 November is Native American Heritage Month and it's important to take time to learn, amidst an long history of misinformation and discrimination. I know that what I grew up learning is no longer something I would be comfortable teaching to children. At work, we're doing a 21-day Indigenous Anti-Racism Challenge. While we can go back and forth about whether we need to have challenges to motivate people towards antiracism goals, I think it's important nonetheless that they exist. I know that they have pushed many people towards learning and knowledge that they wouldn't otherwise have had. So I wanted to share some resources that I've been exposed to this month. First, the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian has this fantastic virtual exhibit to see all sorts of interesting artifacts and information. You can find it here . I also very much enjoyed this podcast from Teaching While White, a podcast dedicated to informing educators. I've listened to so...

 In addition to being Palliative Care/Hospice month and National Marrow Awareness month, it's also Family Caregiver's Month! Behind every childhood cancer fighter is a family caring for them. This movement is spearheaded by the Caregiver Action Network. You can find this year's information here , including the year's hashtag of #caregiversconnect. According to them, celebrating Family Caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month enables all of us to: Raise awareness of family caregiver issues Celebrate the efforts of family caregivers Educate family caregivers about self-identification Increase support for family caregivers Reduce feelings of isolation November is Family Caregiver's Month and the color is plum.

 I'm (slowly) working my way through UC Davis' Anti-racism challenge. Because anti-racism didn't end in 2020. It's been really interesting to read and listen to their resources. I'll admit I'm not actually doing it in 21 days, I've been working on this since September. But so far so good. I'd recommend this if you're interested in learning more about racism and anti-racism, including a ton about intersectionality. You can find the challenge here . I challenge you to learn at least one new thing about anti-racism, even if you don't do the whole challenge.

 I recently received an email from Be the Match (bone marrow registry). I have been on the registry for 11 years! That is over a third of my life, pretty much since I turned 18 minus the amount of time to process my sample. Yeah, that's what I did as a freshman in college. I've posted about the bone marrow registry before, but I'll say it again because more and more people need bone marrow every day: sign up to be a donor! It's gotten easier, it's free, and you would save a life if you get a match and donate. Visit Be the Match here if you're in the US, or research your own country's bone marrow registry. You can also learn about the medical requirements here . Reading this, I actually learned that I only have a few more years before I reach the end of the ideal age range. Can't donate marrow or stem cells? Give a monetary gift here instead.  Coincidentally, November is also National Marrow Awareness Month. What a great way to show your support by join...

 One of the things I think about a lot is whether I can claim something as part of my story. An example is childhood cancer. I stopped posting and raising awareness on this blog in college, but was active in the tumblr community for a while after that. I really stopped when I became friends with a survivor who didn't want to talk about it, and I became embarrassed to be putting up more of a show than they were. That it wasn't enough of my story to justify my activism because I was "just" a sibling, not a survivor. That it wasn't even that bad, because my brother is a long term survivor with minimal side effects. Cancer is not even a topic that we talk about regularly in my family, it's been so long. But I've come to the conclusion that I can't let others get in the way of claiming my story. I am a sibling to a childhood cancer survivor. I come from a community of cancer fighters. I have a right to be vocal. I have a right to speak out, to affect change...

 Alrighty y'all, here's what I did for new things between September 18 and October 31: Made bolani (Afghan stuffed flatbread) Got new glasses in a style I haven't had before Tried mangonada (Hispanic mango beverage with chilis) Tried eskiqute (Mexican street corn, aka elote, but in a cup) Made roasted garlic soup with buckwheat noodles (also the first time cooking with buckwheat) Shaped fresh pasta Stamped a moon cake Cooked a full fresh pumpkin in two different meals Made arepas (also first time eating an arepa) Experienced an annular solar eclipse (!!) Managed a non-summer camp event with over 100 people (my largest event in charge yet) Tried vegan sausage (yes, I'd never had that before and I eat a lot of vegan food) Made khobez bread (middle eastern flatbread, which I looked up and khobez is just bread in Arabic, but this is a round flatbread) Tried za'tar spice blend Read (or tried to read) a satire Cooked with miso (I've had it, just never cooked with it) ...

 I've been enjoying many new recipes this summer and fall, so here are my latest cooking tips: As much as I love it, there is such a thing as too much olive oil in cooking. You will know when it escapes the pan. Don't add the fresh garlic at the beginning when sauteing. Instead, add it in the last minute for the most fragrance and taste. Experimenting with recipes and putting your own twist on them is tons of fun! Once you have your cooking skills and knowledge, push the envelope of what you can create. Spices are worth the investment. Seriously. It's ok to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. It doesn't have to turn out perfect either. It's even ok if you didn't like it. Garlic powder is better than garlic salt. Fresh minced garlic is even better than garlic powder, but don't feel bad if you're not up to mincing garlic with everything you make. I sure am not. Canned chickpeas are delicious and super versatile. Eat them raw, roasted, saute...

 This blog that I found on Tumblr did a daily fact for September this year (find them here ) and I wanted to share with you their last one: "Everyday is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month." That's what we like to hear. Go Gold, 365 days a year.