One task down

I submitted the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship application at 9:13 p.m. Central, leaving me 47 minutes to spare. I'm really taking a chance with this thing because their focus is ethnic diversity and working in an ethnically diverse space. I have, and I do. Hell, our lab personnel at the moment represents five countries among eight people. I played up that plus the fact that I'm in a wheelchair and only 30% of PWDs in the US are employed and many of those near the poverty line. I also banged on about how one rarely if ever sees a PWD at a scientific conference. The last lines of my personal statement:

"Rarely are PWDs seen in the classroom or laboratory, and almost never are they seen at scientific conferences. I want to change that. I want to be a researcher who does great work that she presents at conferences. I want to be a professor who helps all her students to learn no matter what their backgrounds are. I want to be a mentor who shows by example of her life that a person can do anything s/he wants. I have worked within my own status as a minority to earn scholarships, two degrees, good employment, admission to a Ph.D. program, and a past fellowship; I want to help others have the same successes."

Hopefully they'll give me one of their 35 fellowships.

Now to finish the prospectus and the manuscript -- the latter of which I still have not gotten back from my advisor who said he'd give it to me last Monday.

Sadness and Gladness

I've spent the better part of this month working hard on my manuscript, a fellowship application, and my prospectus. Two are close to completion and the third will be in short order. I've been doing all this work wearing a blanket of depression because today is the one year anniversary of my brother's death. I have days when I'm OK, other days not so much.

For the sake of brevity (because I keep falling asleep due of bad sleep last night and because I need to work on the fellowship that's due Friday), I will say only this for the time being:

To all the readers of Beth's blog who came over here to offer sympathy, empathy, and support -- I can not say thank you enough, and I am humbled by your kindness.

To the Three Musketeers (my new nickname for certain Canadians and their very own park ranger) -- I received your package yesterday, and I cried at all the love sealed up in that box. I never could have thought it would hold so much. You're all going through so much right now that I'm amazed you can find the time/energy to put together such a sweet and loving surprise to help alleviate part of my grief. Thank you.

Attention Downing Street!!!

Thanks to Mark at The 19th Floor for the head's up, er . . . for pointing out, um . . . for mentioning this technique for ratifying the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Birthday Buddies

Happy birthday to my most wonderful mom who is 55 today. I called her at a little after 0700 this morning to sing "Happy Birthday" in my I-just-woke-up-two-minutes-ago voice. Yeah, it was a Grammy winner.

Welcome to the world, Gabriel Alexander! Jonikka left a message on my voicemail about half an hour ago to tell me her and Erik's son had been born at 1:11 p.m. on 11-11. I can't wait to see that natal chart! ::grin:: You're coming into the world at a very interesting time, little one. I can't wait to meet you in person.

Two days of Halloween

Aaarrrrrr! These are from the 30th. Costume put together with stuff I already had.

Front:




Side, to show off my piratey hair tie:






Look! It's a Hummer! It's a tank! It's Supergimp! From the 31st. Thanks to Sarah for making the shirt and to Kim for loaning me my curtain-cape.

Check it out

You have to have to HAVE TO see this photo.

MEH

And that's all I have to say.