Asthma the Kid. Wahoo!

I'm not sure why I haven't blogged about this before now. Maybe I'm a little bit superstitious, although not consciously superstitious, and feared that any mention of the situation might manifest a turn for the worse. Who knows.

One late afternoon a couple weeks back, I arrived at TLO's daycare to find him in a state of respiratory distress. A short while before I arrived, the daycare providers (who are quite good, btw) noticed his little tummy puffing in and out in an obviously exaggerated fashion. I picked him up, listened for a couple seconds, and said, "Yep. That's trouble. We're headed to the doctor ASAP." I hopped on the cell phone and let STK know of TLO's difficulties.*

Halfway to the clinic I glanced back at TLO and found his eyes closed, his head slumped to the side of the car seat. My heart jumped into my throat. I yelled out his name, "TLO!" His eyes opened with start. He'd fallen asleep, something he does frequently on our ride home from daycare. My heart stuffed back into my chest cavity, we completed the short journey to the clinic.

We arrived at our local clinic only to find that all of the doctors were booked. What would you expect less than an hour from closing (It's the Midwest, folks. Everything closes around 5:30, believe it or not). Not to be denied medical treatment, we walked 20 yards to the Emergency Room. Within minutes, TLO and I were in an examining room receiving attention. Temperature. Blood pressure. 0xygen levels. Breathing. Both nurse and doctor confirmed my lay diagnosis: a wheezing chest. TLO received a visit from a respiratory therapist who expertly administered an asthma treatment. TLO, the trooper that he his, giggled and flirted with the therapist while she patiently directed the soothing mist toward his mouth and nose.** The wheezing abated within five minutes. Nebulizer + albuterol = relief. And thank goodness for that.

The proud owners of a Nebulizer 3000, we all made our way home and crashed. After a full week of regular treatments, we went to "as needed" status and have only had to administer one treatment. That's a good thing. I hate to see TLO dealing with asthma at such a young age but, at this point, it's totally manageable.

Asthma runs strong in your family. Your father has it. Your mother has it. You have it.

*Good thing we purchased cell phones, eh? Actually, we've used them to communicate about TLO's various illnesses a couple times. Illnesses, you say? That's a post for another time. For now, let's just say that the phrase "Germ Factory" is an appropriate description of the daycare environment.

**Unlike an adult who treats asthma with an inhaler, an infant can't inhale on command. As a result, a treatment consists of slowly administering the medicine in a very fine mist form. For a period of five minutes or so, you keep the mist swirling around a kid's mouth and nose. It's a slow method, but TLO seems to do just fine with it. In fact, he'll occasionally turn directly to the mouthpiece and start inhaling deeply and methodically. Somehow, he figured out that he receives relief from the treatment. Smart kid!

Quote of the Day

David Letterman to Bill O'Reilly: "I have no idea what I'm talking about. But I don't think you do, either."

Feastolicious

Friday's Feast, October 27, 2006

Appetizer--Create a new candle scent.
Parchment. When burning, the candle fills the room with the lovely scent of a library. Who doesn't love the smell of slowly deteriorating paper? I absolutely love it. Would you believe it's one of my favorite scents? Second to clove, of course.

Soup--Name one way you show affection to others.
I'm a pretty good hugger. Thanks, Mom!

Salad--What is your favorite writing instrument?
Pentel Twist-Erase Mechanical Pencil (0.5). No other writing utensil even comes close. I'm open to using the black, green, or violet pencils. Blue, not so much.

Main Course--If you were given $25 to spend anywhere online, from which site would you buy?
Alibris. Excellent used bookstore. There are a couple books I'd love to get. If I couldn't find anything particularly exciting at Alibris, I'd surf on over to Harriet's Little Soap Company and order several bars of clove scented soap.

Dessert--Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you going to be?
I think I'm going as a scary scarecrow. None of that friendly Wizard of Oz crap for me. In fact, I think I'm going to make a real scarecrow, too. On Halloween night, I'll switch places with the scarecrow from time to time and scare the begeezus out of unsuspecting trick or treaters.

Bits & Pieces

I don't know who lit a fire under the folks who write/produce Smallville, but the least few episodes have been the best in years. The introduction of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, has been nothing but fun, fun, fun. An EMP arrow? Oh, yeah! Thankfully, Oliver and Clark already know about each other's extracurricular activities, saving us from a year of ridiculously contrived scenes in which secret identities are protected. Now, if Green Lantern would make an appearance. In brightest day, in darkest night . . .

I started reading Barak Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream yesterday. Since the late 90s, I've refused to support either of the major parties and have cast my lot with a no-shot-in-hell third party candidate. I'm fifty pages into his book and, should he decide to run, I might have to give him a serious look.

Starbucks continues to garner media attention, this time as a result of various marketing maneuvers and rhetorical strategies: Starbucks as Cultural Filter; The Starbucks Aesthetic. Despite my love/hate relationship with the franchise, I have to admit they do a terrific job adjusting their marketing message. Their coffee, while better than vacuum packed Folgers, isn't all that great; the big draw of Starbucks is the trendy vibe. People feel hip when they order their skinny, no foam Carmel Cappamachiolatte. Hold the whip. Even though the majority of the Starbucks' roasts possess a subtle hint of burnt coffee bean, the overall architectural aesthetic appeals to the snobbiest of coffee geeks: me. Go figure.

Class Act

Once upon a time, there was a young man who idolized Rush Limbaugh. He read Limbaugh's books, listened to Limbaugh's radio show, and watched Limbaugh's television program. He agreed with almost every single opinion given voice by Rush.

::flash forward thirteen years::

WTF was I thinking? The fact that I saw this snake oil salesman as a legitimate political voice still makes my stomach hurt. I may have even subscribed to the National Review at his televised urging. Ugh! Today, you can see exactly what Rush Limbaugh is about:

Michael J. Fox is faking the effects of Parkinson's disease!

That's low, even for Rush.

Conversational Realities: No More Manga

Overhead while waiting in line for ice cream.

Mom: You've been watching too much manga.
Child: What?!
Mom: Yep. No more manga for you.

Weekly Reader

Science Fiction in the Shadows
Battlestar Galactica is not about exploring new frontiers. It is about survival and the things humans will do to survive. But as Moore has said, it is not merely enough to survive: one has to be worthy of survival. The show has explored some of the darker aspects of warfare, such as torture and the dehumanization of the enemy—something that is supposedly easier when the enemy is not even human to begin with. Like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica has used its science fiction setting to explore current social issues, most obviously the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq. Its stories are powerful, poignant, challenging, and often brilliant.

Another reason why I have to pull together my BSG article. Although Star Trek is clearly THE example of influential science fiction, a darker vision of the future or the human race does not necessarily mean a particular film or movie can't be just as valuable as Trek was back in the 60s.

Popular Culture vs The Flying Saucers!
U.S. pop culture, as with much of westernized cultures, are infiltrated with alien/UFO imagery. Seeing it as a contamination is subjective opinion. What is ironic and insidious -- certainly more insidious than some notion of being contaminated by this imagery -- is the fact that, while we are being infiltrated by these images, we are not addressing them in any serious way.

Nature vs Nurture
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability. And women who heard there were differences caused by environment — such as math teachers giving more attention to boys — outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.

Imagine that. I've been making this argument for years.

Jeffrey Rules! Laura Drools!

I rarely get totally wrapped up in competition style reality television. Until now. Being a fan of Project Runway, I've always enjoyed watching the designers craft something new, unusual, and brilliant (and sometimes old, mundane, and just plain uninspired). Even so, I've never really actively cheered, out loud, during a finale. Tonight was the exception.

As regular viewers of the show will understand, Jeffrey has been the guy many fans love to hate. He's arrogant, brash, and alternative; he goes out of his way to intentionally rile people up. Over the course of Season 3, however, he became my favorite. His rock and roll aesthetic, while something of a one trick pony, appeals to me. What appeals to me more than his rebellious attitude is the fact that he's in recovery. I'm not sure I can articulate the connection I feel with other people in recovery, but it's definitely there. It's like I know an intimate part of their experience, a part no "normie" could ever understand.

Last week, in Part I of the season finale, one of other finalists (there were four total) accused Jeffrey of outsourcing his work. In other words, Laura accused him of cheating. As if I needed another reason, Laura's accusation evoked my wrath. How dare she accuse Jeffrey of cheating!? When she made the accusation I turned to STK and said, "She's dead wrong. If he's been sober this long, he understands the meaning of rigorous honesty. You don't stay sober unless you're honest with yourself and with others. If he's really in recovery, and I think he is, he didn't cheat." For the last week, I seethed over this silly show. I scoured the internet for word of Jeffrey's fate, defended him to anyone who would listen, and bad mouthed Laura at every turn (I can't stand that pretentious upper crust snot).

Tonight, I will rest easier. Not only did the producers of the show find Jeffrey innocent of any significant wrong doing, but he won the entire contest! w00t! A victory for recovering people everywhere.

Take that, Laura. Pack up your unimaginative evening gowns and head back to turtle poop lane.

Feastolicious

Friday's Feast, October 13, 2006

Appetizer--Approximately how many hours per week do you spend reading other blogs?
Two or three, I think. I make the regular rounds of my friends, then spend a goodly amount of time reading academic & popular culture blogs. Do I get points for being extra geeky?

Soup--Your community wants everyone to give one thing to put into a time capsule. What item would you choose to include?
A box set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The greatness of that television program should never be forgotten.

Salad--What is the most interesting tourist attraction you've ever visited?
I don't know that this counts as a tourist attraction, but I once visited a Goth club in Utrecht, Netherlands. Very cool experience. For the most part, the styles and music were almost exactly the same as back here in the states.

Main Course--If you could give an award to anyone for anything, who would it be and what would the award be titled?
The Excellence in Art Education Award would be presented to my wife, STK. Seriously, she's an absolutely fabulous teacher. Every person I've ever met from her workplace makes a point of saying, "Do you know how amazing your wife is?" I just smile and say, "Of course! That's why I married her."

Dessert--What do you think your favorite color reveals about your personality?
I'd like to think the color green reveals my deep commitment to non-violence and my desire to honor all life on this planet. Of course, green could also be some kind of reference to the jealous creature I used to be during my late teens and early twenties. Thank goodness those days are long gone.

dilliwag wept

655,000 deaths.

There had to be a better way. There just had to be a better way.

Stay on Target

If anyone wants to help me focus my attention, I'd be open to thoughts regarding which project I should pursue first. The four projects include:

Starhawkian Rhetoric. Based on a paper I wrote in grad school and written as an update/response to an article published in the mid 90s, this essay examines the writings of Starhawk and suggests a new way of approaching the notion of rhetorical visions. I'm using the rhetoric of Barak Obama as a case study for the theoretical frame that emerges from Starhawk's work. This project is realistically about 1/2 finished.

The Dissertation Chapter That Should Have Been Written. One of the realizations that emerged from my dissertation defense 1.5 years ago (has it been that long?!) is that I probably should have written another chapter highlighting the resistant characteristics of the goth scene. While I definitely touched on resistance throughout the work, I never offered a decisive "Here are three major cultural practices being resisted" moment. Unlike many postsubcultural scholars, I do believe spectacular subcultures are more than "postmodern pleasuredomes". As such, the DCTSHBW will sythesize my observations and present a clear, cohesive argument for a goth rhetoric of resistance. This project is probably about 1/8 finished.

We are All Cylons: Battlestar Galactica and Fandom’s Fitting Response. This is a project I started thinking about last year and submitted as both a convention paper and book chapter. Denied in both venues! I'm tweaking my abstract and proposal in another attempt to present this work at a convention. The old version follows. This essay positions Ron Moore’s contemporary reconceptualization of Battlestar Galactica as part of an on-going public dialogue concerning ethics and human rights. Touching on such thought-provoking issues as terrorism, torture, and rape, Battlestar Galactica offers a dialogic hail that requires a fitting response. Message board posts provide an opportunity to examine the way in which fans acknowledge the hail and participate in the dynamic moment of communal discernment. This project is about 1/20 complete.

Chocolate Madonna as Spiritual Communication. As I wrote a while back, I'm totally obsessed with the communicative aspect of the appearances of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Arabic script for Allah, ghosts, etc. Even if they aren't real--the skeptic in me says there's nothing miraculous going on here--what does this phenomenon communicate to us about our culture? I'm just in the process of conceptualizing this research project so I'm guessing I'm about 1/100th of the way finished.

The sensible approach would be to work on the project that's closest to being finished and move on down the list, right? The problem is that I'm WAY more interested in working on the BSG essay. There's a fifth piece that's also waiting in the wings that's probably about 1/2 finished, too. I'm reading a book that could add a dimension to that essay so it's on hold until I find some time to read (which is amazingly difficult to find, believe it or not).

phwned

My hatred of cell phones is well known. Friends, family, and students have heard me curse, berate, and deconstruct the profileration of cell phone technology. If you own a cell phone, listen up. I don't need to listen to your conversation while I'm trying to read or grade papers at the local coffee house. I'd prefer not to listen to you negotiate a good rental DVD with your significant other at Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, or wherever. I also don't want to listen to you put together a verbal grocery list while you're wheeling your cart up and down the isles of King Soopers. I'm sure someone will read my reactions and say, "These conversations go on when people aren't using their cell phones. Quit being silly." People do hold face-to-face conversations about these very topics. The difference is that they seem to be better at monitoring their volume during conversations in a shared space. Cell phone users shout their conversations.

And another thing: what is so freakin important that you can't wait until the end of dinner, or a movie, to talk to someone? It drives me absolutely nuts when a friend, colleague, or student stops a conversation to take a call. Watching students reach for their cell phones the moment class ends--maybe even before if they're really rude--receives a shake of the head from this professor. I made it through ten years of higher education without ever missing an important call. Somehow, every important message made it to my email box or home phone. Seriously, are people so much more important today that we must be available 24/7? As a culture, we've become overly accessible. The damn things drive me nuts.

Did I mention STK and I purchased cell phones a few days back? ::hangs head::

The Feast

Friday's Feast, October 06, 2006

Appetizer--Name a song you know by heart
Blackbird, The Beatles. I sing the song to TLO when he's distressed and it always seems to soothe the savage beast.

Soup--What will you absolutely not do in front of another person?
Put an exam together. Exams are super secret, classified material and should never be shown to the eyes of another.

Salad--How often do you use mouthwash and what kind do you like?
Never. I'm in recovery and most mouthwash has significant amounts of alcohol. You might as well be mouthwashing with peppermint schnapps. Bleh.

Main Course--Finish this sentence: I am embarrassed when...
I don't embarrass easily, but I guess I feel a little weird when I totally blow it in front of my students. For instance, I misread the syllabus one day last year and covered the wrong lecture material. Students were mystified as to why I was talking about an article we weren't supposed to read until the following week.

Dessert--What was the last food you craved?
Coffee. Every morning.

Conversational Realities: Ditch It

Earlier today, I encountered one the local neighborhood hooligans (he's a nice kid, actually) kickin' it in front of his house.

Me: Hey, aren't you supposed to be in school?!
NH: Nah, I home school.
Me: Good thing. I totally thought I was going to have to bust you for ditching.
NH: If I was in public school, I'd definitely be ditching.

Classic.

I Told You So v2.0

Okay, so I knew my recollection of my race time had to be off. 37:40 does not translate to a 7:04 pace. The official results are finally posted and I actually ran the race in 35:13:0. That looks even better!