Function Words

I've been fairly busy with work and planning for my China trip so I haven't had much time to put any thought into my blog.
Actually, I haven't done much about planning China, more about figuring out how I will cope with the aftermath. I get back on Monday at 5 and then I have to teach two classes on Tuesday.
So what else? I've been reading an interesting book called "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" which is a report about ongoing collaboration between some prominent neuroscientists and the Dalai Lama.
The reason this book interests me is that I have been talking about brain plasticity in my language development class. The results of a variety of experiments seem to indicate that the brain is far more malleable than was previously believed. The real estate of the brain that seemed to be permanently occupied has been shown to change function or expand due to increased training.
I have worried about stroke as my most serious health risk. When I read about brain plasticity it gives me a little bit of hope that it might be possible to recover some function if it should happen to me.

Kaaterskill Falls is a falls in upstate New York. The name is used as the fictional setting for a novel by Allegra Goodman about the world of orthodox Jews. This is a closed community that I certainly know nothing about. I found Goodman's story-telling to be very rich and completely engaging. I really did feel as though I could understand this community a little better. She manages to put the reader inside the mind of these people in a way that makes their everyday life very interesting.

Okay, so I went to the Chinese consulate in LA to obtain our visas. It is on the third floor of a Korean school building in central LA.
Finding the building was fairly easy. Parking was a little more difficult. The first place I parked had a meter. I got out and put a quarter in. For some reason the quarter didn't drop into the compartment. I figured I could push it through with another coin. That didn't work. The quarter was stuck and the meter didn't register. There is a sticker on meters now which gives an 800 number to call if the meter is broken. I called them. She took the information about the jammed meter and then she said she would notify the meter maid and I shouldn't park there because I would get a ticket! Annoying.
I did my good deed, reporting the meter and now I couldn't use the parking space!
I eventually went a block over and found a place that didn't have a meter so in the end it only cost me one quarter.
It's a good thing I was in an unmetered spot because when I finally got inside the consulate the line for visas was around the corner and out the door. I waited for over an hour. When I finally got to the window the woman looked to see if there was a "free" page in both passports, wrote a 2 on the receipt (that's about all, no name or other identifying info that I could figure out) and said I should come back to pick them up on Friday. She said it will cost $50 each. There was a notice at the entrance which worried some. It said that you must pick up your passport with visa in person. I asked her if I could pick up both of them. She said "yes, because the receipt says '2'" We will see!
Fortunately, the pick-up line is a lot shorter than the drop off line. Maybe Friday will go fast. I hope so!

So here's a crazy idea. Why not go to Beijing for the weekend?
Actually I will be "on the ground" from Thursday to Monday. I guess that is a long weekend.
The reason it is so short is because I teach on Tuesdays.
On the other hand I couldn't turn down an opportunity to go to a new place.
I will get to see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and a lot of other stuff.
I haven't looked at the possibilities much yet. I am just getting used to the idea of doing a crazy thing like this.
I do have to obtain a visa in the next week and also plan all of my teaching before I go because the day when I return is going to be a doozy! I will be completely jetlagged with 2 classes to teach.

My second art class was painting. What fun!
First she went over all the materials: oil paint, acrylics, watercolors, brushes, canvas.
Then she talked about the basic shape and features of the human face and the color wheel.
Then she handed out prepared 11x14 canvases, mirrors, brushes. She started us with dollops of 2 blue acrylic paints and then guided us to create a self-portrait. She took up through the build-up of colors step by step. In an hour we each had a very nice self-portrait. I had no idea it could be this easy. I love acrylic paints!

I saw the doctor about my breast pain today.
He said that there is no evidence of cancer either in my most recent mammogram or in the physical exam.
He said that I should have my annual mammogram in June and then come back for a follow-up appointment to confirm.
It was a very satisfying consultation. I got all my questions answered and I felt that the doctor-patient interview went very well. I like this doctor a lot. I should probably submit an evaluation to Kaiser for his personnel record.
I am a satisfied patient.

We went to one program of a film festival.
The 15-year-old son of a friend of ours, Mishka Kornai, had his short comedy "Seller's Remorse" accepted for the BH Shorts Festival. The festival runs over this weekend with the films grouped into 4 or 5-film programs according to topic.
Mishka's film's Program topic was: Time's Almost Up
It was about the consequences of telemarketers who will do anything to make a sale. Very funny!
A great evening all the way around. After the premiere we went to a party at Kate Mantilini with Mishka, his mom, the cast, and a bunch of other people who produced, or worked on the film. The party was also really fun.

Probably the most amazing thing about the evening was Mishka. He was the cinematographer for the film. What makes him remarkable is that he was able to do this quality of work at only 15! I can only imagine what the future holds for him.
After the 5 shorts the producers/directors/cinematographers were invited up front for a Q&A. They talked about techniques that they used, costs of production, inspiration for their films and time to produce them. I don't think that anybody in the audience realized that Mishka was half the age of all the other people up there. He handled himself beautifully.
He is only a sophomore in high school. The rest of the filmmakers were easily in their 30s or older. He seemed completely at ease with them. Somehow he didn't seem like a teenager at all. I heard that on the set he has no problem at all setting up his shots, directing others who are twice his age.

He wants to go to film school at USC. This was at least his 4th film. Between now and highschool (!) graduation he will already have an enviable body of work. Someone last night said "he could bury himself in a hole for ten years and then come back and still be a youngster." He has a real head start. With a portfolio like this I think he should not have any trouble getting into USC.
I think that a big reason that he is the focused, confident person that he is is because of the amazing support he gets from his family. It is great to see them together. I feel lucky to know them.

Talk about flip-flopping emotions on this blog! I think I have mostly used my blog as a place to talk about things that are happy or that amuse me. I know, I know, once in awhile there has been a rant.
In this post I am going in another direction.
I talked to my mom today and I recently read a family blog about my aunt so my attention has been focused on my family and on my family history. Two of my mother's sisters have died of cancer. Another of her sisters is having cancer treatment right now and my mother was successfully treated for melanoma. I guess I should acknowledge the familial tendancy toward cancer.
Now my worries:
Over the past few months I have noticed some pain in one of my breasts. I had decided that 1) cancer isn't usually painful and 2) I've had similar pain on the other side from time to time so it's probably nothing to worry about. But recently, over the last month, I am having a different sensation in the same breast. I wouldn't call it pain, more like pulling or stretching. I notice it intermittently but especially when the seatbelt pushes against my breast.
Every time I did my self-exam I couldn't really feel anything unusual. My breasts have always been rather lumpy, I couldn't locate a specific bump or sore spot. At first I figured the pulling would go away. It hasn't. Today I did another self-exam and decided that there may be a difference between the lumpiness of the two breasts.
I decided that given my family history I should take this more seriously.
I made an appointment for Wednesday to find out more. I really hope that I am worrying for nothing but I must admit that I am scared.