Bibliosphere

 Recently I took a trip to northern Montana. So far north that the signs pointed you to Canada. I was there for a wedding of a close friend from camp, and two sunsets and a rainbow. I drove, by myself, the 10 and a half ish hours each way. I rented a little cabin outside of town and got to read and see horses and a field of clover. I saw the downtown of this cute mountain town, got to drive by a beautiful lake not once by twice, and listened to two audiobooks, four podcasts, and much music. It was a lovely trip.

 As we probably all know, June is Pride Month here in the US (among other things). As a queer person, this is a special month, but this year it's a part of a trend to remove the rights of queer and trans individuals. From hormone treatment restrictions to drag bans, the LGBTQ+ community is being attacked.  I live in a "red state." This means that my rights are more tenuous, and have indeed been decreased over the past few years, as a woman and as a queer person. I am concerned for the future. What will happen if the Supreme Court overturns gay marriage? What will happen if they decide to support discrimination in the name of religion? What is my future in Utah and in the US? Obviously I have no good answers to these questions. I'll just continue to work and play and live here, because what else can I do.

 Recently I read a book that was less self help and more about the concept of self help - Help Me: My Perfectly Disastrous Journey through the World of Self-Help, by Marianne Power. Overall I found the book interesting, but there were definitely points where I went, do I need to keep reading this? The summary is that Marianne goes through a self help book a month (sort of) and write about it, creating this book. In practice it got messy and she went through a lot of trials with it. I sometimes cringed at what she was doing, because while I would consider myself a pretty regular reader of self help, these books she was using were out there. Obviously they have a following, so some people ascribe to them, but Marianne really did. It was written really well, even if I didn't like all of the content. It was conversational and engaging, and fairly fast-paced. Overall a decent book. 3.5/5.

 In a new, multi-institution collaboration, the first of it's kind open source analysis platform for childhood brain tumors has been created: Open Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas (OpenPBTA). Thanks to the support of Alex's Lemonade Stand researchers , data from a pediatric brain tumor database that started in 2018, plus additional samples, is now open for scientists and researchers. We hope that this will usher in a new era of collaborative research for pediatric brain tumors like glioblastoma and DIPG. Read more about it here .

In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, my lease was up and my neighbor was being difficult, so I made the decision to purchase a home. When I was first saving up my goal was a modest 2-3 bedroom single family home. What I ended up with was a 2 bedroom townhouse/condo thing with some quirks. Built in the early 70s, this condo boasts aluminum wiring, inconsistent plumbing, and DIY'ed upgrades. Nothing against DIY, all my upgrades have been like that. This weekend's project was the upgrade the garbage disposal. It had died and the sink kept backing up. I had ordered a new one from Costco, and also needed to install an outlet under the sink, as the old one was hard wired. According to my dad, it was, "sketchy."  So I'm off to the races. I disconnect the old disposal. I unwire it, clip the wire, and install a new outlet. I put the new disposal in, after much finagling, and turn the water on. The water runs straight through a crack in the bottom between the motor housin...

  June 15-21 marks National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week for 2023 ( x ). This awareness week was started by the FDA in 2021. From Ashley Rankin Collins, "By partnering with community-based organizations, the week is aimed at helping to share information about cancer research and genetic testing and to raise cancer awareness among our Black population, which disproportionately shares the cancer burden." ( x )  This year, there are daily themes: Thursday, June 15: Close the screening gap Friday, June 16: Understand and address environmental exposure Saturday, June 17: “Engaging the Generations” for Juneteenth Holiday Weekend and Father’s Day Sunday, June 18: “Engaging the Generations” for Juneteenth Holiday Weekend and Father’s Day Monday, June 19: Juneteenth federal holiday—Decrease the impact of preventable cancers Tuesday, June 20: Bring cutting edge research through the pipeline to patients and communities Wednesday, June 21: Support patients and caregivers  ...

  ... I am a huge fan of libraries. That $52 on my property tax bill that funds the library system is my favorite part. I get a huge amount of use out of the libraries, from books to programs. Libraries aren't the quiet places of my childhood. They are full of laughter, music, learning, and more. Last year I read 13 library books. This year I've already read 12, with two more unfinished and another sitting on my couch waiting to be read. The week of Memorial Day was a week of libraries. Starting with Zumba on Tuesday, I visited four different libraries, including a new one. I also got to introduce my friend to the world of our county library when we went to our summer reading kick off, playing games, making a kindness rock, and then getting tacos (ordered in Spanish I might add). Libraries are pillars of the community. If you haven't been to yours, get your library card this summer and explore reading, events, and resources.

  I love a good infographic and this one from Alex's Lemonade Stand is excellent and up to date. The header of the page on the website states that 47 children are diagnosed with cancer daily, which is up from the last statistic I had of 33 per day. The site links to the sources for these numbers. From the United States' fact section: Each day, 47 children are diagnosed with cancer in the United States, which means more than 17,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed each year. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American children, resulting in the death of approximately 1,800 kids each year. As of 2018, there are approximately 483,000 survivors of childhood cancer in the U.S. This number is projected to grow to more than 500,000 in 2020. In the United States, 84% of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years after diagnosis; however this does not mean they are cured or free from long-term side effects. Even those who are cured may s...

 Summer is here (unless you say summer doesn't start until the solstice, but it's been over 80 here for weeks, so it's summer) and there's tons of great outdoor activities. After six summers working at camp and a grand total of 24 years of Girl Scouts, I've gotten to know a ton of great activities and resources. Here are some of my favorites: Build a bee hotel - buy small bee tubes and stuff them inside of a TP or paper towel tube Stargazing - start with the big dipper and work your way to harder to find constellations, or check out a local star party, as many of them are free and open to the public Go on a scavenger hunt hike or walk - make a list of things you hope to see then check them off as you go Do a soil experiment - using an egg carton, plant seeds for the same plant, then do something different to them such as using different fertilizers and natural additives Pressing flowers Pine cone crafts - literally so many to choose from Bird feeders - tons of optio...

 June is Cancer Survivor's Month, with the first Sunday in June being Cancer Survivor's Day. The color is lavender. As of 2018, there were 483,000 cancer survivors in the US who were diagnosed before age 20 ( x ). About 85% of childhood cancer patients survive 5 years, but many will point out that this statistic doesn't account for childhood who pass away after the 5-year mark, such as those with multiple relapses. It includes many children I know who survived and continue to survive, like my little brother, and many children who did not. The Long-Time Follow Up study, administered by many hospitals, is the longest running study on childhood cancer survivorship, beginning in the 1970s ( x ). It has revealed much about how chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments effect children as they grow up. From secondary cancer to mental health struggles, there are many late-term effects. The American Association for Cancer Research has a list of opportunities for advocacy this mo...