Archive for June, 2008
The Orsborn Invasion
OK, not an invasion really. My family is coming to visit us, all the way from Nebraska. They fly in tomorrow, and arrive in SF around midnight. I think with the two hour time difference, by the time we get their luggage and get them to our place, they’ll be silly with sleep deprivation. And one other tiny little thing, there are five of them, all coming to stay in our two bedroom apartment. Granted, our apartment is quite spacious, especially for Berkeley, but there’s going to be a lot of couch crashing and air mattress occupation. It’s a good thing public transit is so convenient in our area, because there’s no way to shove all seven of us into our Mazda3. I’m really excited to show them the area. Most of them have never been to California, so I think the visit will be educational, at the very least.
I’ve been using this visit as a good excuse to finally get off my hiney and do some spring cleaning. The house is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself, and I do. I’m trying to decide if hardwood floors are more or less work than carpet. Now what to cook for seven people? I’m planning lasagna, pot roast, and maybe chili, but after than I’m lost. There’s always take-out!
If you don’t hear much from us for the next week, we’re busy playing tourist in the bay area! Watch out beaches, here we come!
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I’ve been thinking about my career these days, and I started wondering, what was it that I wanted to be when I was little. Then it occurred to me, why is it that people like to ask little boys and girls what they want to be when they grow up? I inevitably do this to my niece and nephew even though it’s a absurd question. I’m 32 and I still don’t know what I really want to do for the rest of my life, and I’m pretty sure a ten year old (or even most 18 year olds) isn’t really going to know either. But people ask little kids anyway, and for the most part little boys always say the same thing. They either want to be a police officer, a firefighter, President or (the correct answer) they don’t know. I also find it funny that most kids want to grow up as fast as they can, and most adults will gladly do about anything to be kids again. I don’t want to be a kid again, but that’s a different story. Anyway, I remember my first answer to that “what do you want to be” question. I wanted to be a veterinarian. Growing up on a farm with approximately a thousand hogs, thirty chickens, ten cats, and a hand full of dogs, my father and our vet were well acquainted. I remember taking our sick dog “Lady” to her. A few days later, we would go back and Lady would be as good as new. A vet was, to the eyes of a child, a magician. Plus, and even to this day, I really like animals, and fixing them up when they’re broken was very appealing.
I am not a veterinarian, and I can clearly remember the incident that really affected me. I don’t remember how old I was, but what happened was that a really sick cat hid in my dad’s workshop. She was not only sick, but mean as hell. No one could get close to her. She would hiss, scratch at you, run away, and all the time foamed excessively at the mouth. A mean as hell foaming at the mouth sick cat … rabies anyone?
Someone trained in dealing with rabid animals showed up and caught the cat. To determine the cat’s problem (in the 1980’s anyway), the veterinarian had to kill the cat and dissect out its brain and perform tests. All I understood was that a veterinarian took our cat and killed it. This incident must have taken place before I discovered why my dad had so many hogs, because the murder of this cat devastated me, and my view of veterinarians at that time dramatically changed. Of course, now I understand completely, but as they say, this is now and that was then.
That’s not what scared this young kid from being a vet. It was what I was told would happen if the cat tested positive for rabies. As a precautionary measure, I would need to get immunization shots. I remember being told that rabies immunization required around 20 shots into the stomach area. HOLY SHIT!! 20 shots! I remember asking my mother if veterinarians have to get shots like that as well, in which she said something similar to “you can’t be a veterinarian without getting shots.” I hate shots, and I hated shots a lot more then. So, lets examine the logic of an child.
To be a Veterinarian = getting shots
Shots = Pain
Thus logically
To be a Veterinarian = Pain.
Even though there maybe some truth to that last statement, the logic was a bit off. Not that it mattered because I had that logic in my head, so I didn’t want to be a Veterinarian anymore. I don’t think I was ever told what was actually wrong with the cat, but I never got those shots.
Of course, as I grew up and become more educated, the negative connotations tied to veterinarians was lost completely. This occasion in my life probably did have some long term effects though because becoming a vet never appealed to me ever again. I imagine that being a vet would be one of the most rewarding occupations. Of course, a Vet’s job is also probably one of messiest (digestive tract problems for example) and having any domesticated patient die under my care would probably wreak havoc on my emotions. I guess you eventually get kind of numb to it, but do I want to get numb to it? Yep, even though the logic of a child was completely off, I think NOT becoming a Vet was probably the right choice for me.
Book Review: The Speed of Dark
It was my turn to select what we would read for the monthly book club to which I belong. Based on some info I found on the internet, including reviews and synopses, I choose The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. The story is set in the not too distant future, and centers around Lou who is autistic. Not too long after Lou was born, scientists figured out how to cure autism either in utero or shortly after birth. Though Lou did not benefit from this technology, the therapies and treatments he received allow him to function very well in society. He has a good job at a company detecting patterns in data; a vocation that suits him and his special abilities perfectly. His company has made adjustments for their special employees that allow them to cope with the world around them and perform their duties with efficiency. Lou enjoys his one hobby, fencing, and has developed feelings for one of the other fencers in his club. Things start to take a nasty turn for Lou and the others in his section when their new boss decides their special accommodations cost too much. This new boss is frighteningly ambitious and thinks he could make a name for himself in the company by turning the group of autistics into the first test subjects in a newly acquired protocol for curing autism in adults. Essentially they become guinea pigs or loose their jobs.
Lou and the others in his office have worked hard to adapt to the world. Lou knows what he should say and what he should do in social interactions, even if he doesn’t understand why. They are understandably nervous that curing their autism will change them into completely different people, despite the reassurances of the scientists that they will be themselves, only without the autism. But the condition is so fundamental to who they are, the jobs they do, the way they perceive the world, how could eliminating their autism not change them? There are others though, who are quietly working to protect the autistics from this harassment, and ensure they are able to make choices for themselves.
In Lou’s personal life he also has a dark problem that he did not cause and finds very hard to accept. To Lou, a person who acts like a friend should always behave like a friend, and you should not think badly of friends no matter what. Lou learns the hard way that friendships can turn sour and that “normal” people have difficulties accepting the world as well. As all these events befall him, Lou realizes that he is changing and growing. And he has some very difficult decisions to make.
This book explores themes that apply to more than just autism. Like autistics, anyone who is different is pressured to fit into a mold, which may or may not be in their best interests. Lou often feels that “normal” people think is not a whole person, some how incomplete, even though he does what he is taught he should and “normal” people often do not. Most of the narrative comes from Lou, which can make this book a little difficult to read because it is so true to his autistic voice. Even his inner monologue is stilted with few transitions, purely logical saying no more and no less than needs to be said. The two other narrators are his fencing coach and a superior at work. These sections show how much Lou has endeared himself to the people in his world, how unique he is, and how people want to protect him because they feel he can’t protect himself. In the end, Lou surprises everyone, even himself, with his strength and resiliency and shows that light can overcome the speed of dark. The ethics of human experimentation is also explored and perhaps the outcomes are a tad over ambitious. I would definitely recommend this book, and that was the consensus of the book club as well, we all enjoyed it. I found it both compelling and enlightening. I have a cousin who is autistic that I haven’t seen in many many years, this book made me wonder how he thinks, and if the world will ever adapt to him if he can adapt to the world. An interesting fact about the author, she has a son who is autistic. This work is apparently much more serious than her other novels, but I imagine she has a unique perspective that allowed for this satisfying read.