If you follow me on social media pages I apologize for the repeat post, but I think this story is too fascinating not to share widely. Last week researchers at OHSU announced they’d completed the first map of brain cell glutamate receptor structure. I know this sounds less than enticing as a Monday morning read, but it really is groundbreaking news. You can read the full feature here.
The condensed version is that while it’s know throughout the scientific community that glutamate plays a role in diseases like Alzheimer’s, no one previously understood the complexity of its structure. Mapping the structure is step one in gaining a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and potentially creating new therapies. This is also an example of the kind of research that NIH funding allows scientists to perform and why it’s so imperative that we support encourage our Congressional leaders to back the Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Act. While there’s still a long way to go in understanding Alzheimer’s, it’s exciting to see innovative research like this happening right here.
We have a longstanding tradition in our house that we only read holiday books during each holiday’s official season. Halloween books are cracked open in October. November brings an assortment of Thanksgiving titles like Luke’s favorite A Plump and Perky Turkey or Ten Fat Turkeys. For me, nothing can replace Over the River and Through the Woods–a song and a book. What could be better? There’s one common theme our Thanksgiving titles share: cold weather. Illustrations of snow drifts, woolen mittens and steaming cocoa brush the pages of our November collection. That’s why when we stepped off the plane last week to seventy degrees and sunshine something didn’t feel quite right.
Coffee shops signage touted “Peppermint mochas now in season.” Really? Under a backdrop of swaying palms, perpetual sunshine and Luke bowling oranges in my brother’s backyard it felt more like iced latte season to me. I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective. As we lounged on the beach clad in shorts and flip flops, natives walked past bundled from head to toe in scarves and stocking caps. That’s the joy of travel for me feeling transported, even when in this case we were a mere two states away from home.
So this Thanksgiving we embraced the warmth of the sun, the smell of turkey on the grill, and the delightful taste of peppermint mochas under palm trees. Regardless of location or the temperature outside, the best part of traveling south was spending the holiday with family.
The No Christmas before Thanksgiving debate is already raging in our house. And alas, it looks like I’m losing. The boys have loaded the CD player, our iPods and any other music playing device with Christmas carols. They’ve decked Gordy’s office with a miniature tree and twinkle lights. I continually find an assortment of holiday catalogs conveniently placed next to my bedside table. Rest assured I’m not giving in on this one. Let the retail chains and coffee shops flash their fancy garlands and red paper cups. I’m sticking with my cornucopia and pilgrim placemats.
The one exception to my No Christmas before Thanksgiving rule that I’m willing to bend on is my Christmas list. Now wait. Don’t worry I’m not selling out here. It’s more that I need to buy a little extra time to decide exactly what I want beneath the tree.
It goes without saying that I consume a fair number of books. Living in the Portland area doesn’t help since Powell’s nearly in my backyard. Not to mention the slew of other indie bookstores and big box shops for those times I’ve gotta get a fix on cheap mystery before the weekend. That’s not to say I don’t purchase books online every now and then, but I much prefer the experience of a brick and mortar store. I like to browse shelves and linger over a coffee. I like the low background music and lofty energy found in bookstores. That’s why the Kindle hasn’t appealed to me.
But now, Barnes and Noble is launching the Nook which might tempt me into diving into the world of e-books. The Nook allows users to lend e-books to friends, offers endless shelf space and cute covers. Oh no! It’s easy to envision myself lounging on a plush chair at my local B & N with my Nook in hand, or downloading a title while holding a hard copy in my hand.
Weigh in here fellow readers…To “e” or not to “e” that’s the holiday question for me this season. And, Thanksgiving is still a holiday too thank you very much.
There are many things I love about Luke’s budding Spanish. I particularly enjoy listening to him babble in a string of Spanish syllables in the tub each night. He won’t perform on command, and who can blame him? But, when he thinks we’re not listening his little “r’s” really roll. More than anything I appreciate that his world-view is already expanding. Case in point his class celebrated Dia de los Muertos on Monday. They decorated sugar skulls with an assortment of feathers, beads, and markers. About 15 minutes into the project one of his classmates exclaimed, “This is sugar!” Suddenly the entire class of kindergartners began taste-testing their creations. Glue and Crayola marker laced sugar, YUM.
After the loss of my mother I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate her legacy into our life. I find sometimes that anniversaries like her birthday or Mother’s Day are bittersweet. On those holidays we’ve created new traditions of honoring her memory, but the sadness remains. The Day of the Dead celebration was easy for me to embrace. It’s simply a day to recognize and pay homage to our ancestors. There’s nothing else attached to the day for me, so it was an opportunity to really play up the idea of celebrating my mom’s life. We flipped through photos of her and stopped off for her favorite dark chocolates after school. Luke seemed to easily embrace the day as well, although I’m sure all that extra sugar didn’t hurt.
It’s hard to believe but preseason hoop season has already begun. I’m still in the throes of college football as my Ducks are steadily climbing the charts. No jinx here, believe me I’ve been a fan for way too long. I know there’s still plenty of time left for something to go awry, especially as USC comes to Autzen Stadium this Saturday. Yikes!
But, back to hoops…I’ve been a college b-ball fan since the fourth grade when my dad started taking me to the Far West Classic, a three day tournament hosted here in Portland. We’d purchase peanuts, red licorice ropes and cheer on obscure teams with Cinderella dreams. My dad would critque the referees and my mom would keep meticulous track of the score with a half pencil. The tournament long-ago ran out of funds, but my love of the game has remained steady.
That’s why I’m thrilled that the University of Portland is teaming up with the Alzheimer’s Association-Oregon Chapter to host Dunk Alzheimer’s next Saturday, November 7th at 7:00pm as the Pilots take on the Linfield Wildcats. Click here for more information about the event or to purchase tickets, which are a mere $5 bucks with the code “DUNK.” I’ll be eager to introduce Luke to college hoops, the smell of a freshly polished court and buttered popcorn, frenzied fans, and for the most part spirited players who truly love the game since they’ve yet to be tainted with big signing bonuses and multi-million dollar salaries. Hopefully the event will morph into a new family basketball tradition.
The steady sound of beating drums and soaring symphonies have been blasting at our house for the last couple weeks in preparation for dun, dun, dun-dun-dun-dun: Star Wars in Concert. That’s right, Luke donned his Halloween costume a little early, spent hours meticulously crafting posters with cutouts of Yoda and Boba Fett, and stayed up way past his bedtime on (gasp) a school night.
Luke eagerly posed for pics with the massive collection of Star Wars memorabilia on hand, with the exception of the Stormtroopers which apparently were a little too true-to-life for his taste. While they cheered to the iconic scores of the Imperial March complete with lasers and exploding light shows, I ran a hot bath, poured myself a lovely glass of red wine and tucked in with a mystery. Since Luke first discovered Star Wars, he and Gordy have carved out their own “boy zone” around the classic saga. There are no girls allowed when they break out Lego sets on Luke’s bedroom floor, or battle with foam light-sabers. I’m fine this utterly sexist mentality. I love that they have their own traditions, and let’s face it a night by myself in the bath is a very good thing.
My feature story on Richard Jones appears in this month’s issue of Climbing magazine. Which is nearly to the day one year after I sent my editor at Climbing my original query letter. This particular feature is a classic case study in the process of writing. Writing takes times. And, I mean all writing. My monthly column, freelance features in magazines and writing opt-in articles for publications at work require care and effort. From initially brainstorming an idea, to hours of interviews and edits, it can take weeks, months, or in this case a year before a feature goes to print. For me it’s totally worth the wait. I love seeing my by-line and the evolution of a story over time. Most of you know that patience isn’t my foremost virtue, so please remind me of this fact the next time I complain about waiting for a feature to arrive on newsstands!
[singlepic id=168 w=150 h=150 float=]No I’m not referring to the 1960’s anthem, but yesterday’s Memory Walk in Portland where the streets were literally packed with purple.
[singlepic id=170 w=150 h=150 float=]The first year our family participated in the walk, I pushed Luke in his baby jogger and my mom strolled by my side. The walk wound along sidewalks and spilled into the park blocks that year. In the later stages of Alzheimer’s, the walk was one of the last events my mother participated in. She was easily distracted, but enjoyed the energy of the event. “Look, look Kate,” she would say pointing to all the people around us. “We’re doin’ it! We’re really doin’ it!” She couldn’t articulate the impact of seeing so many come out in support of the cause. She couldn’t articulate that we were building a movement, building the kind of momentum it takes to really create change. But, I know she understood why we were walking that day.
[singlepic id=172 w=150 h=150 float=]Flash-forward five years to yesterday. I so wish my mom could have seen the crowd that jammed downtown Portland. The energy was electric with drummers, festive balloons, a cheering crowd, camera crews, and Luke and his cousins dancing in the streets. The walk has exploded over the past few years. Sidewalks couldn’t have contained us. City police shut down the streets to accommodate the massive crowd. At one point I paused yesterday, looking up Broadway at a sea of purple and back behind me came a continuing wave. I thought of my mom’s words. She was right. We’re doin’ it.
Now listen ladies I know Hollywood hottie, Bradley Cooper, has been receiving all sorts of buzz after his summer smash hit The Hangover (which by the way was hilarious). I though, was a fan long before any of his bad boy comedies scored him top billing at the box office. I swooned over him in Alias, where he played Will Tippin, best pal who secretly pined over super-spy Sydney Bristow played by Jennifer Garner.
Cooper, along with seven other celebrities like Seth Rogen and Soleil Moon Frye, is teaming with the Alzheimer’s Association in the “Who Wears Purple Best” campaign. You can click here to vote for your favorite celeb and sign-up to become an Alzheimer’s champion. It’s a fun and easy way to support the cause.
My man Bradley needs your help. He’s running in fourth place. Seriously David Hyde Pierce is ahead in the vote. No offense to Mr. Pierce who is an incredible advocate for the cause. But the former uptight Dr. Niles Crane wears purple better. What? Come on and help get out the vote. Polls are open through September 30th.
Can it really be true? The Portland Memory Walk is a mere thirteen days away. For my faithful blog readers you know what this means, this post will be littered with shameless plugs and calls to action. So, without further ado…Team Dyer needs you! Click here to join our team, make a donation, or find a walk near you.
There’s never been a more important time to engage in the cause. While death rates from other diseases have been decreasing nationally, deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s are dramatically increasing.
Major cause of death statistic changes from 2000-2006 look like this:
- Heart disease deaths decreased by -11.5%
- Breast cancer deaths decreased by -.6%
- Prostate cancer deaths decreased by -14.3%
- Stroke deaths decreased by -18.1%
- Alzheimer’s deaths increased by 47.1%
Memory Walk is a fun and easy way to rally together and shed much needed light on this growing public health threat. On Sunday, September 27th we need to paint Portland purple. Grab a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or classmate and join us at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
On top of purple people we need dollars too. The reason that other causes of death are decreasing is simple: money. When we as a nation invest in research, major gains are made. Alzheimer’s research is currently underfunded, as are programs and services that help to support families and caregivers of those with the disease. I understand that times are tight these days, but every dollar counts. Consider forgoing your daily coffee fix or recycling a stack of soda cans. We’ll gladly take your change!
Shameless plugs for spare change and two hours of your Sunday morning aside, I’d sincerely like to thank all of you who’ve participated in the past. Even if it’s a simple as forwarding an email or passing along this blog post, every action helps.
