Spring Semester Begins

It had to happen sometime. My hiatus from teaching has come to an end. I've been spoiled by having the fall semester off. And now I'm teaching more than ever -- a class at Rutgers and at Kean. Today was my first day of class -- I only taught at Kean today. I took this job as an adjunct back in the fall in the hopes of securing a tenure-track position there should one open up. Now that I have a tenure-track position at Penn State, I don't really feel like hauling my butt all the way up to Kean two days a week. But the commute wasn't bad -- I got to listen to my book on CD the whole way up and back (a new David Baldacci, so the ride went really quickly). The most exciting part of the experience was learning that there is a coffee stand in the building that sells -- you guessed it -- Starbucks! It could have only been better if they took my Starbucks gift card. But it's nice to know that if I should get a craving, all I have to do is pop downstairs.

I was pleased to note that it wasn't too bad getting up in front of the class today. Dare I say that I am actually getting comfortable teaching? And getting everything ready over the last few days has me almost excited to start my Rutgers class on Thursday.

But enough about me. The kids are doing well. Oliver had a quick trip to the doctor today -- he had a swollen eye that turned out to be no big deal. Tomorrow we head down to CHOP (I knew we'd never make it all the way to 2/20 without going back) so that the doctor can look at his feet and tell me why the braces are rubbing. I've had him wearing them for only a few hours a day, and so far the redness hasn't come back. Hopefully the doctor can give me some answers so that Oliver can start wearing the braces all the time. Mac is, as always, a crazy little monkey.

Meeting Someone with Spina Bifida

I've developed a bad habit of wondering if everyone I see that is in a wheelchair has spina bifida. I guess that's not a bad habit -- the bad habit would be if I actually went up and asked everyone. In my orientation seminar at Kean University (I'm teaching one class there this semester), there was a girl named Millie, who was in a wheelchair. My first thought was "Does she have spina bifida?" But to my credit, I kept our conversation limited to niceties. However, when we went around the room to introduce ourselves she mentioned that she had just finished her graduate thesis on "identity and living with spinda bifida" which is what she has. Ooh-di-lolly -- I didn't even have to ask. It was all I could do not to interrupt and say "My son has spina bifida, too." I waited until break and went up and introduced myself. I asked if she would mind sharing her thesis with me, and explained about Oliver. She was very nice and said she would e-mail it soon. She also gave me some good information, including the fact that she is on the board of directors for the tri-state area spina bifida associaton. I've been on their website, and have always intended to go back and check it out when Oliver is a bit older. There are lots of events and news and other stuff that has to do with the social aspect of living with spina bifida. We've been so caught up with his immediate medical care that social issues got put on the back burner. It's nice to know at least one other person who is involved with these issues -- it might make getting involved that much easier.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, it was really exciting for me to meet someone living successfully with spina bifida. When I think about Oliver's future, I don't see it with limitations. Even if he is in a wheelchair, I fully expect him to be independent, smart, and even athletic. I know -- those are high expectations for any kid. But you know what I mean. However, there are always times when I get a little scared and wonder if I am being naive. It's always great to receive positive reinforcement, which I got from meeting Millie. I'm also aware that being the family of a special-needs child enters us into a new community -- now I've made my first friend in that community. Even if we aren't active in it for a while, this was still a first step to rounding out all aspects of Oliver's life and helping to make it the best we can.

We Love PT

Oliver learns to sit during PT

Now that Oliver is getting a bit older (5 big man months!), his physical therapy is getting so much more important. In his first assesment, I was told that he had a weak trunk and that we would really have to work on his muscles. Of course, he was barely 2 months old, so it was hard to see necessity or improvement because he wasn't really doing much. But now that he is older and starting to reach milestones, the benefits of PT really show. Our physical therapist, Ruth, comes to the house for an hour once a week and shows us ways that we can play and also give his muscles a work out. We've had to work on getting him on his tummy, stretching out his thigh muscles, and getting him to rotate his arms forward (he has a tendency to hold them back). It's really cool because she uses stuff from around the house and shows me how to fit in a few stretches/play times a day that give maximum benefit. Sometimes we roll him back and forth on a blanket; other times we give him a baby massage. Today he sat up alone for the first time! He was leaning on a toy, but he was still able to do it. It's such a joy to know that he is really mastering his upper body skills. My hope is that he will really be able to compensate for his limited lower-body use. Sometimes I don't know if I should picture him walking in the future -- you know -- aim high and don't give up. Or maybe I should just accept his limitations and give him as much self-esteem and ability as I can with what I know he can do. Which serves him better?

Either way, I know that his PT is giving him a very good start.

Starbucks goes Comm Theory

It seems as if Starbucks is not only interested in brewing a good cup of coffee, but they are also interested in cultivating the public sphere. Long a place where people could come together and share ideas to a democratic and rational end, the public sphere was famously defined by Jurgen Habermas and rooted in the theory of communicative action. Basically, he stated that the public sphere was a place where people could congregate and discuss issues relevant to the public in hopes of influencing each other and/or reaching consensus. This is supposed to be a rational, inclusive, and status-free place. Coffee shops represent a classic venue through which this could take place.

Of course, in this day and age, I would be hard pressed to walk into a coffee shop and strike up conversation with anyone other than the barista (note my professional terminology). I don't talk to strangers, and most other people don't , either. Unless they are online, of course. But the movement of the public sphere to the Internet is another story. Starbucks, in its brilliance, has realized that people don't talk to each other. So what do they do? They put conversation on their cups.

When I went to my local Starbucks the other day, I picked up a pamphlet titled "The Way I See it," which details their "The Way I See It" campaign. For anyone who doesn't go to Starbucks, all of their cups are printed with "The Way I See It" and a quotation underneath. They use writers, musicians, philosophers, etc. I always wondered what that was all about. Now I know --they are trying to stimulate thought and conversation! But now, they've taken it one step further -- anyone can write in and either respond to a "The Way I See It" quote, or submit one of their own. And sure enough, my coffee cup from yesterday contained the one woman's musings about her parents. Hmmm.

So I got to thinking -- because Starbucks corporate is obviously selective about what they publish, they are clearly trying to cultivate a certain image of what a "Starbucks" public sphere would be, and by extension, what mindset is indicative of a Starbucks public. Wouldn't it be interesting to go through all of their cups and quotes and see just what that image is? My guess is that it is some kind of liberal, intellectual, somewhat self-important kind of public. No wonder I like Starbucks so much -- I fit right in! Okay --sort of -- but I'd still like to see exactly what kind of image they are trying to cultivate. It will take a lot of cups of coffee, but I'm up to the challenge.

In the meantime, I've found a way to save money at Starbucks. Whenever I bring in my travel mug, they only charge me for a tall even though my travel mug is a venti. It is one particular person who works behind the counter, and I'm wondering when she is going to realize that she is only supposed to give me a $0.20 discount. Hopefully not for a long time. However, by using my travel mug, I may be saving the planet, but I am removing myself from the conversation.

I realize this whole post makes it seem like I have a ton of time on my hands, but really, think I just have adult ADD.

Easy as 1-2-3

In what is absolutely no surprise, Olivers braces have started rubbing at the skin on his feet. Our vigilence about watching for signs of wear on his skin was short-lived considering it took only 3 days for the breakdown to start. On Saturday, his physical therapist told us that we had to keep the braces off, since wounds on the foot are slower to heal. So he has been braceless since Saturday (again -- very aggravating since this totally works against the effects of the surgery). I did my customary Monday morning thing of calling (insert doctor here -- sometimes a pediatrician, sometimes ortho, but you get the idea), and was told to call the brace shop. So I did, and you'll never believe this, but that have a local office only 10 MINUTES AWAY that I can go to. I almost wet myself I was so excited. I had no idea when I was going to fit in a trip to Philly this week, and now, I don't have to. Aaahhh....