Bibliosphere

 Recently I read a book because I knew that it would challenge me. While the language was a little bit more thesaurus-like than I usually read, it was more the content that I challenged myself with. This book was The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions by Andrew Hacker, a professor of mathematics. First, let me say, I am a strong proponent of math (and STEM in general) education, and it's a huge part of my job. I also love math, and it was a really big reason that I picked engineering over pure science (not to say there isn't math in biology, it's just different). So I expected this book to challenge my views on how people should be taught mathematics. I actually found myself agreeing with most of the book. My biggest stumbling block was the section where it talked about there being too many STEM graduates, over what I've always heard of there not being enough. They presented a set of compelling statistics, from seemingly trustworthy sources. The book is a few years old

 Hippie is an adventure cat. He's an indoor cat primarily, but gets to go outside on a leash or in my friend's family's catio (enclosed patio for cats, where they can't escape). He loves the outdoors, mostly sniffing. The other day he sat in front of a Juniper bush under my neighbor's window for what felt like a very long time. He has his leash, but doesn't walk like a dog. We more explore and enjoy the outdoors together.  

While I used to struggle with talking about my own experiences with my brother and his treatment, since I took a break from the blog and advocacy, I've grown more comfortable talking about my family. I don't know why it really took that long to process, but I no longer feel the lump in my throat, heart pounding, as I think back. Recently I was at work, at camp, with the middle schoolers. I was talking to a parent and she mentioned that her son was in treatment for cancer. And we got to bond over this shared experience. It's always nice to bond with families, and I'm glad that this Girl Scout was able to see that there's a future for siblings too. Because when I was in the thick of it, I couldn't see that. I felt like it was going to be like that forever.  So this is a rambling way to say that I am grateful to have met this family today, and I hope to see them again.

So I've spent a fair amount of time over the past few years learning Spanish. I started on Rosetta Stone (thank you library for paying for that) but had a hard time keeping up with it, so I went back to Duolingo. Previously I'd used Duolingo to complete their entire French course (it has since been expanded). I took French in 6-10th grades, as well as a class in college, but I have always wanted to learn Spanish, starting from a CD-ROM circa 2001. I live and work in an area with a significant amount of Latinx people. Spanish is everywhere, from the refreskeria where I got my first chili and strawberry ice cream fresada to the people speaking as I pass by on my walks. So if there was ever a time to start learning something new, it was 2020. It was hard. It's still hard. I mix up Spanish and French with shocking consistency, slipping between all three languages in one sentence. I don't know the Spanish word for something on the tip of my tongue, so French will do. It&#

Over the past few years, I've been exploring and learning more about inclusion, diversity, equity, and justice. Recently I attended a Zoom on exploring these topics and we watched this video: This video focuses on the "hidden curriculum," or the unspoken principles and expectations in a space. They are usually not obvious. Some examples used in the video include whether you should smile at strangers on the street if you're in NYC vs the midwest, or why all of the summer camp counselors are so goofy. The hidden curriculum is found in pretty much every space, but we may not think about it. When we're in a new space, we may not know the hidden curriculum. Someone may have told you not to smile and greet New Yorkers on the street, or your parents may have read about what camp is like to you before you went, but chances are you didn't learn it all ahead of time. Not knowing the hidden curriculum can make us feel like outsiders, a feeling we usually don't want i

 Listed on my awareness days and months page, under May, is that it is Neurofibromatosis Month. Neurofibromatosis is actually three disorders, all centered around the development of tumors in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves ( x ). Tumors are not usually cancerous, but can develop into cancer. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is the most common type, and usually develops into symptoms in early childhood ( x ). NF is a genetic mutation in one of two neurofibromin genes (NF1 is a mutation in gene 1 and NF2 in gene 2) and can be random or inherited from a parent. NF1 occurs in about 1 in 3500 births, which is actually quite a lot if you think about it. The Children's Tumor Foundation has an annual campaign about NF. This year's campaign is called Make NF Visible ( x ). Here's their video for this year:   From the Children's Tumor Foundation, "World NF Awareness Day, May 17, will culminate with the 4th annual Make NF Visible: A World NF Day Live Event ." You can f

I recently ran an event for work where we planted flowers around our building, among other things. The squeals of delight at finding worms and digging in the dirt shows how much joy we can find in nature. It also speaks to what children need access to: free play and time outside. I finished grad school a little under five years ago and my thesis was on the benefits of nature, specifically for military families. I worked with our local base (one of them) to provide day outings as part of a larger research study on recreation. It wasn't what I wanted to study in grad school, because I wanted to study children or adolescents and mental health more directly, but I got to involve nature and recreation at least. I found many resources along the way, and I'd like to highlight a few: Richard Louv's books, especially Vitamin N, have a really great assortment of nature activities and information on nature and children. Some books are more research based and others are more practical/

 One key part in the fight against childhood cancer is all of the new and innovative research that comes from our fundraising. Awareness is good, but we need the cure. Or cures, with over 100 types of childhood cancer. May is National Cancer Research Month, a time to learn about cancer research happening all over.  Research comes in many forms, from the gold standard of double blind clinical trials to basic research on a lab bench, cancer research comes in all stages. This month was started by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and their official page can be found here . From that page, you can see research reports, more information for patients, and even a cancer prevention quiz. While much of the material online is adult focused, cancer research is the only way we will cure cancer.

 So normally, I do a drawing of my New Year's resolutions, and it's usually basic stuff like taking care of myself and having hobbies. This year I decided to do a little different resolution. Rather than have a bunch of little resolutions, I decideded to have one big one: Have better work-life balance. Now, this is something I ' ve struggled with for years. It's very easy in a profession with nights and weekends, as an exempt staff, to be working just constantly. Checking your phone, checking email, making to dos. It's all part of work and it never seems to end. While I'm not perfect, I've certainly improved this year. I set a boundary about when I will and won't check my phone and email, and I mostly stick to it. I try to not come home only to work more, when I can help it. I manage my hours so that I don't have a ton of 50 hour weeks. And I work on practicing good self care so that work doesn't take it's heavy toll on me like it has in the

May is Brain Cancer Awareness Month. The color is grey. Brain cancer affects about 5000 children and adolescents annually, making them the most common solid tumor in children ( x ). Brain tumors in children are often discovered due to signs of increased intracranial pressure, such as headaches, vision changes, or differences in mental state. Brain tumors can be malignant (cancer) or benign (non-cancerous). They are also classified as to whether they are primary (started in the brain) or metastatic (started elsewhere and metastasized to the brain). Gliomas are a common type of brain cancer, with the most common sub-type being astrocytoma. Astrocytomas are graded and grade four is what is known as glioblastoma. DIPG (diffuse intrapontine glioma) is also a type of glioma, specifically one that occurs on the brain stem. DIPG, accounting for 10-20% of childhood brain tumors, has no cure, and is the largest cause of pediatric death due to primary brain tumor ( x , x ).  Other types of brain