genetics

i am becoming concerned about my genetic makeup. in order to protect those affected i will omit names from this posting, but let's just say that individuals i am intimately connected with genetically are currently facing procedures such as "bumhole reconstruction surgery" or are allergic to every medication known to man or have shingles (i didn't know people still got shingles??) or ... well, i'll spare you the rest. but let's just say i have reason to be concerned.

i mentioned my concerns jokingly to my mother in an email earlier this evening, & she replied:

"Tell the boss both grandmothers have had bad breast cancer and your parents have health issues and those were the only tickets we could get and didn't know
their rules.

And whine a lot."

i guess that's her advice for keeping the genetic bugs at bay. who knows. The Boss has responded to my whining in the past. oh, my Lord.

i love my family. at least they're cute. ;-)

& for those of you still wondering

for those of you still wondering, i have somehow supernaturally found the time to continue with my ballet classes. twice a week. how does she do it, you ask? pure inspiration, i suppose.

finals are among us

my mini-Christmas tree is up. my house is clean. i watched the last Survivor online. the one thing i'm not caught up on? aah, yes. school. finals? here i come.

there's something about snow that makes me want to nest. i'm sure it's remnants of my evolutionary instincts: snow? time to hole up with the herd, store calories & get caught up on sleep. as a human? i cooked a HUGE pumpkin (& made delicious gluten-free pumpkin bread), did the laundry, ran errands, called friends, danced a little in the kitchen, and got caught up on kitty play-time. if i had a piano, i'm sure i would have played for hours.

i was actually out for a good part of the day, and learned--for the first time--that Chicago drivers canNOT drive in the snow. funny, as they get enough of it.

Chiles Rellenos & the Real Life

Mmm. I love Wednesdays. This is the day I get home before 6pm & have time to cook whatever I please, make tea in my teapot (thanks to Drew who gifted me with it a few weeks ago) and doodle around the house. I made Chiles Rellenos tonight. !Delicioso! This is what I mean by the "Real Life": an evening at home with a real dinner & peace 'n' quiet. Mmm.

My new piano student has reminded me how much I adore teaching children to play. There is something about making a kid excited about learning that thrills me: what an impact you can make! She waited tonight on her front porch waving until I had walked around the corner toward the el. Thank you Alice, I thought, for allowing me to pass along a precious gift. She learned to read notes on the staff today. Big step!

Now off to homework. Maybe. ;-)

Hurricane Noel: the Dominican Republic

Latest Drew Update from the Dominican Republic: in the aftermath of Hurricaine Noel

I thought you would all like to know that Drew made it to Barahona--not on a plane as planned, however, but in a helicopter!! This was the only way for him to get there, as the buses are of course still not running & the planes are apparently unable to land as the runway & roads are still too wet.

I've spoken with many Dominican friends & heard updates from Drew. There are a number of staff members whose houses are indeed covered with water--clear over the roofs (nurses, housekeepers). Many have lost everything. I have heard many times how people "had no where to go except for their church," and from what I hear, the churches are packed! Innocencio & Julio's churches especially, from what I hear Most of the individuals evacuated from the bateyes are staying in staff members' churches. Los Robles was first reached yesterday, where the people were found, in a Dominican's words, "imprisioned." The 2 bridges providing entry to the community are down, and the area around them completely flooded. Contrary to my previous email forwarded from a COTN staff member, Thelma & Innocencio were not able to enter Los Robles, but only able to get to the entry bridge (which had been reached as early as Thursday by our nurse & others). They were met by a youth on the other side of the bridge who explained they were almost out of food & water, already having resorted to drinking filthy water, and needed help. Lucrecia & others eventually waded through the waters in desperation with food & water later that afternoon. I guess it was quite an adventure! Attempts to reach Los Robles Friday were thwarted by the truck getting stuck in the mud, but rains subsided today & Drew was able to make it out there again with others from the staff. Thanks to Alisa for getting us meds, etc.--he was able to have what she sent with him, as well as the nurse to help administer those necessary!

I have so much more to tell, but need to get some sleep. If you have specific questions, as I know many of you do, please feel fee to email. I know Los Robles was a concern for many of you, so there's more info! Many homes are, unfortunately, quiet destroyed but those on the hill above the school are in decent condition, just completely wet inside from the winds & rain. Crops are ruined for the year, which should go without saying... which means another financial blow that will affect them for quite a number of months. The staff is exhausted, but tirelessly plunging ahead to help all those they can.

As a final note, a Dominican told me today that God sent them Drew "to be a glass of coca cola in a hot, endless desert." I thought that was cute. ;-)

Dreaming & Fun

I came down sick with a cold a few weeks ago & was forced by friends to stay home and rest. So I did (a feat in itself), finished the last Harry Potter (woo hoo!) & found myself obsessing over ballet. I wanted to dance. I've had this dream of dancing on point since childhood, although I figured I'd never get around to pursuing it. Strange how the minute life calms a bit for me, something new & exciting comes to mind that I simply "must do," no matter how impractical! Ballet isn't cheap (while we, unfortunately, are). Ballet takes time. And I'm 26 years old, with little ballet history & even less time to spare.

So? I started classes last week. And I dropped Physics. I don't miss Physics one bit, but ballet has been an amazing addition to my life! I plie & releve, trying to outdo the flexible, flat-chested little pixies that make me feel matronly, and grasp onto the bar for dear life (especially when we go on tippy-toe). My turn-out is pathetic, but I've got enough heart to compensate. Joffrey Ballet, here I come!

I don't care if I spend loan money to buy my leotard or don't get around to my Neurobiology reading: I'm having a blast.

purpose

There are times when I question my own capabilities: my dreams are large, as is my heart. But I get tired. Very tired. I yearn for stability--to be finished moving around in order to complete degrees, to have the assurance of a steady paycheck for either Drew or myself... really, just one would do. I've got puppies on the brain, and I'm sure babies are next. But they'll just have to wait a bit longer. Up till now in my life I've had stronger skills in remaining patient, knowing that although we lack stability currently, we will eventually be so thankful for how years of hard work & perseverance bring incomparable opportunity. It takes time, effort & $$$ to develop skills, and it is an honor to have this opportunity to learn. Thankfully, hard work pays off.

I see African children frequently during my daydreams. They do not allow me to forget why I work. I've toyed with ideas of changing my career goals, but cannot remain satisfied with any other field for longer than a few days. Something about mental health calls me, and I cannot shake its grip. There is work to be done, and not nearly enough hands to do it. If I want something done, I feel I should do it myself I'm realistic to know that the work cannot be done by my hands alone, and it is likely I'll be able to touch only a small fraction of the lives affected by war trauma, but I will die knowing I've done what I could. This, my friends, is how hard work will pay off! Anyone care to join me?

We are in Spokane for the weekend. Being here I am again reminded of my love for the Pacific Northwest. The air is sweet, the trees full & the community the Straits have developed here is one of the most beautiful forces I've ever been a part of. Being once again with my parents reminds me of how much fun it is to be with them! We have very special people in our lives.

here we go

2 weeks. i need these two weeks: it's been quite the summer. i'm not accustomed to spending my summer months holed up inside libraries & coffee shops, or making a permanent dent in my living room sofa. i'm one who enjoys the sun & outdoors activities. but it's worth it. :) by far.

i finished 2 quarters of chemistry & am so pleased to have decided not to continue on with the third quarter. i can always finish next summer, & my body is telling me it is time for a break. i want nothing more than to enjoy this next week in Montreal (for the SMPC conference) followed by a week with family in Washington. after that, i look forward to cooking real meals for my dear husband, organizing our lives & allowing Drew space to breathe as his classes begin. he has blessed me so much throughout the craziest times this year--i want nothing more than to give back to him similarly. and go on dates. lots of them. :)

so? kitty is with her host family, the house is spick 'n' span, veggies are frozen, mail is on hold. i think it's time to get out of here for a bit. Quebecois, je vien!

insane in the membrane

insane in the brain.

i'm finishing up week 5 of general chemistry--an entire year's worth of information, labs and demonstrations jam packed into 9 weeks. not to mention three finals and six midterm exams. and 9 other mid-week tests. i'm beginning to wonder: am i really as capable as i had hoped??

i met with two ladies from my class today--both of them consistently make top grades. i thought it would help me to study with them. i suppose it did, although not in the manner i had anticipated. it helped me to better-understand my unique motivations for pursuing continued education... after spending two hours listening to discussions about who's getting what grades and why or why not one point should/should not have been deducted from a final score... i was tired. i don't define myself by points. i define myself by my Creator: who has given me a dream. in this, i am secure. the group disappated when one girl stormed away in tears due to not understanding an equation as well as our other study mate... after which her friend turned to me and said, "dana, i wish we could be like you. if i miss a point, i feel like i'm not worth anything. if i can't be the best, i shouldn't be here."

so what did i learn? not much about chemistry. but i did learn that i don't have to be the best to feel valued. I. Love. People. I want to help. and i am willing to sacrifice for that. that makes me feel valuable: making a positive difference in our hurting world. so it's back to the books. but the books do not define dana.

affluenza

i almost didn't post this. maybe you'll see why. i have become a bit more careful, aware that i can offend people--especially those very comfortable with affluenza. i cannot, however, apologize. we have responsibilities as human beings to look out for one another: how can i live so comfortably knowing the conditions suffered by the majority?

Yet Another Reason to Root for Chicago

tribute to: The Office

I'm here in the lab until who knows when... I actually brought my toothbrush & a change of clothes with me and may be making a night of it. While I wait on the computer, what do I do? Thank God for the creation of YouTube. And The Office. So... why not post my two favorites for you to enjoy with me?

The Office "Thriller"


Jim as Dwight

NYC: i will bike you

NYC, i'm on my way. my joy was stolen for a bit yesterday, thinking about the energy it would take to get there & missing out on the happenings here in chicago. my new plan, however, rekindled the excitement and will carry my through this hellish week: i will bike the city. final tomorrow, final presentation tuesday, data presentation wednesday, subjects thursday and friday... but next week. next week i'm going to bike NYC.

my neighbors were evidently viewing titanic this evening. i experienced strange flashbacks, remembering awkward high school dances and my date who wore a Michael Jackson suit and tried to kiss me but i turned my head during that epochal song. flashbacks of playing the titanic theme on my flute with the rest of the band geeks. listening to the song again and again while mooning over boys with my girlfriends, eating from the endless supply of animal cookies and fruity-o's stashed in the hamblet home. remembering is fun. but i'm still at loss as to why anyone would want to watch that movie again. i'm pretty sure they've watched it twice so far today.

not very funny

i'm not feeling very funny today. the crazy course load i've been denying all quarter by doing the *minimum* work required has, I believe, caught up with me. but what's one week without sleep? i can make it through. you can encourage me & send presents if you like. :)

i'm becoming a killer bike rider. really, i am. as long as speed isn't a requisite qualifier. and i've found it makes me happier: there's something very satisfying about moving from point A to point B all by my own physical exertion rather than permitting my dependency on the train or bus or--not that i have one anyways--car. i suddenly have all these plans: ride to milwaukee over the course of a weekend & take the train home. do the century ride to kenosha in september. most urgent, however, is completing my goal to run 26 miles at 26 years of age. i think i can do it. but the marathon is in october and i currently have the study-body: stick-skinny legs and stick-skinny arms and neglected, atrophied muscles. come april my opportunity will have passed and i'll regret my lack of discipline. so i think i'll register this weekend, even if i have to walk half of it. anyone want to join me?

on another note, my physical therapist told me this morning she's decided to move to africa for 2 months and volunteer in a clinic. i've been overjoyed ever since: there's something so satisfying in knowing that your story has encouraged others to do the same. world: wake up! there's so much good that can be done.

PS lost my phone. that's 2 important things lost in one week. if i were recording my own brainwaves presently, i'm sure they'd be insignificant. cortex is on OFF.