Book Love of The Moment - Math and Writing Unite

Since we have no book love interview this week, I thought I'd share my current book love with you. I am midway through a fascinating learning experience that came to me by way of Reddit. Yes, you read that correctly, I got a book from a website! Back in February, I signed up for the RedditGifts Book Exchange, a Secret Santa type of game that you play with strangers on the Internet, only this one is all about books. The person who sent my books found out I was a writer and, although she said she had no experience in the matter whatsoever, picked out three awesome books on writing for me. Right now I'm reading the first of the books she bought me, Story Engineering by Larry Brooks and it is literally the perfect book about writing for me there could be!

I'm a math chick. I know I've mentioned this before. I spent twelve years teaching the subject and an entire college career studying it. The thing is, I love Mathematics. I love the patterns in it; I love the truth in it; I love the way all of Nature seems to be built around it. Mathematics is seen by many as this exceedingly formulaic, boring and stagnant subject, but what it is, when you can see all it touches is beauty and art.

I am also a writer. This you have come to know, and I've mentioned this before as well. I've spent a lifetime steeping myself in stories. I read them; I told them; I wrote some of them down. What I always saw was the beauty and the art in each of the stories, but I believed that beneath it all,

there

must

be

a

pattern.

Perhaps this is the inner mathematician striving to make sense of every beautiful thing she comes in contact with. I don't know. What I do know, however, is that Larry Brooks is bringing this pattern to light for me. He is not stripping away the art or the beauty that lies within the worlds our words create, he is simply showing me their underpinnings. He is showing me the math behind the natural world of the story.

In introducing this structure that he argues is present in all stories and screenplays, Brooks discusses the resistance he often runs into from writers who argue this type of thinking is too formulaic. Brooks says he is not instructing the reader how they should write the story - you can still be a pantser, if you like to just let things flow; or be a plotter if you'd rather plan ahead - either way, there is a structure, a core that lies beneath the story no matter which approach you take.

I can not fully express to you how closely this rides to discussions in math education. The argument rallies on over whether mathematics should be taught procedurally (this is akin to our plotting writers - set up the rules ahead of time, then dive in) or through problem solving and discovery (like our pantsers, problems solvers dive in, start working, make mistakes, start over, make discoveries along the way and unearth the rules for mathematics as the problems are solved). Whichever teaching technique is employed, the mathematics at its core remains the same.

There is so much in this book that simply makes sense to me and, I believe, will make me a much better writer as a whole. When I have completed it I will be sure to write a thorough book review discussing Brooks' thesis in full. For today, I simply wanted to share with you my most current book love experience. The book that has currently enthralled me and pulled in my conscious and subconscious thoughts toward it. While I am reading these days, with pen and notebook in hand, I am thinking of stories, of structures, patterns, architecture and the beauty that they all create. It's a wonderful read and I just wanted to let you know!

Writers: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Math Minds: Do you think math is best taught procedurally or through problems solving?

Readers: Do you believe there is an inherent structure in all stories you read? Why or why not? 

7 Fun Finds of The Week

Well, it's been another one of those not-so-wonderful health weeks where I've been doing along of laying around, praying my brains will stay inside my head and just hoping pain-free will be my reality again soon... In the interim, I like to distract myself with flipping through websites when I can't sleep just to see what kind of cool and fun stuff is happening all around the virtual world.

Here were some of my super-cool finds from this week:

My Sing Along/Super-Geek Find of the Week:

MathPi  is a really great song that gives a little history of the number pi and just might help you impress your friends with memorizing a bunch of digits after the decimal point.

My "Now I Have to Read That Book!" Find of the Week:

Amusing Ourselves comparing Orwell's vision of the future in Nineteen Eighty Four and Huxley's vision from A Brave New World quickly put two books on my "must read" list - Huxley's and, the book this site is from "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Stuart McMillen.

My "This is Exactly What I've Been Waiting For!" Find of the Week:

SproutRobot just seems like the coolest thing ever! I type in my zip code and they tell me which seeds to plant and how to do it. What's even more is, if I would like to subscribe to their service, they will send me the seeds I need in time. I love this idea and am squirreling away some pennies right now to become their newest member! 

My Cool Random Trivia Find of the Week:

The Pizza Principle is something I never heard of before, but will likely never forget. Even though I can't enjoy this delicious local fare anymore now that I am gluten and dairy free, it behooves me as a resident New Yorker to know as much about it as possible.

My "Truth is Stranger Than Fiction" Find of the Week:

13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True  is funny, sickening and, in one case thoroughly delightful, but I still can't believe it!! Out of all of my finds, this is probably the one I've been talking about most to whoever will listen. 

My Coolest Cake Find of the Week:

Leprechaun Trap Cake is quite possibly the coolest cake I have seen on the Internet in awhile (and that's saying something!). I don't want to spoil it, I just want you to check it out. It is super, super cool and I don't think I would ever be able to do something so awesome! 

and finally....

The "This Guy Is My Hero" Find of the Week:

The Guy Who Owns Only 15 Things is pretty much my hero. In this post we see him pictured with those 15 things and can read about what kind of life one can lead while armed with them!

"I'm Not Good At Math" Says Too Much

This post is written as part of the What IF? Project hosted right here on the Rivera Runs Through It Blog. Each week a new "What if?" question is presented, and, if we so choose, we respond to the query. (If you have a What IF? question you would like to submit as a possible future prompt, please do so in the Rivera Runs Through It Community What If discussion.) This week's "What if?" was

What if saying "I'm not good at Math" had the same stigma as "I can't read"?

The Reader versus The Mathematician

I can read. I love to read, in fact. Saying such things does not necessarily imply that I hold Ph. D. in literature, or that I am a master of all of the classics or that I can speak, with any type of authority, on the expanse of books in Bloom's Western Canon. I am a reader in its most basic function: for the purposes my own entertainment, edification and to get around in society. That is all that is meant by the statement, "I can read."

created by Susan Barker

I can also do math. Believe it or not, I also happen to love doing math! Personally, I have studied Mathematics professionally and while I do not hold a Ph.D. in this course of study, I do have a B.S. in Mathematics and have taken countless hours of graduate level Mathematics courses from various institutions of higher learning. I do not believe, however, that all of this is required for one to state simply, "I can do math."I believe, on the other hand, that one can say, "I can do math," if they have the same sort of relationship with the subject as I do with reading: basic functionality for the purposes of personal entertainment (yes, that is possible), edification and to get around in society.

What "I'm Not Good At Math" Really Means

When we say something like "I'm not good at Math," this is the same as making the ridiculous declaration, "I don't eat food," just because we don't eat one particular type of food (for example, I don't eat dairy - I can't - this does not, by any stretch of the imagination mean that I do not eat food!). When we go around saying "I'm not good at Math," because we struggled in Algebra or Trigonometry, or because we are confused by theorems put forth in Chaos Theory, we are making a similar unrepresentative statement. It is important to remember that "Math" is short for Mathematics - a plural word (this is why I love that outside of the US, it is shortened "Maths") representing many disciplines within!


What's the Big Deal If Everyone Says "I can't do Math"?

I believe that nearly all of the people who walk around this planet declaring to anyone who will listen, "I can't do math," are, in fact, quite mistaken! What saddens me is that I am not sure that they believe so. The ability to "do Math" has for so long been accredited solely to the Mathletes, Mathematicians and the elite group becoming casually known as "math people" that everyone else has started to believe that, without those types of academic successes they are devoid of all skill.

This, on its own would not be such a huge problem if the words spoken by Henry Ford did not ring so true:

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." ~Henry Ford 

Once the seed has been planted, the idea will sprout. Millions of people are leaving their formal educations believing they can't do math, and, so, once free of their homework, they don't. They grab a smartphone to figure out a tip, they let an online service or a computer program balance their finances, they buy the ELECTRONIC BANKING EDITION OF MONOPOLY for the family (can I start an angry petition about this one?! Please, someone tell me it doesn't do ALL of the math for you!), the list goes on... The huge problem that comes from all of this is the fact that math is definitely a subject where you use it or lose it!

I Propose A Culture Shift

In order to save us all from losing our abilities to do Math and raising another generation that believes it's OK to say "I'm not good at Math" or "I can't do Math," I propose a simple challenge to those of you who truly believe you can't do math:

JUST DO IT!  

Not all of it. Remember, Mathematics is plural, find the piece you like. If fractions and decimals scare you or the thought of figuring out a percentage gives you the chills, I am not suggesting that you do anything that will cause you to seek the aid of a therapist. I am simply suggesting you s-t-r-e-t-c-h your expectations of yourself.

• If you typically use a calculator or a smartphone APP to figure out some mathematical calculation, then try to see if you can start to predict an estimate of what the answer will be before you use it.
• If you have children heading back to school who are taking Math classes, ask them to teach you something from that class that they feel comfortable with.
• If you are a seamstress, a quilter, a carpenter, contractor, electrician (oh boy! this list goes on...), recognize that you are DOING Math all of the time! (Probably even more than I am these days!!)
• The next time you get a phone bill, or a cable bill, or something else with a ton of number-y stuff on it - double-check their sums, just for kicks (maybe you'll catch them stealing from you!)
• If you're bored, do a Sudoku puzzle, a logic puzzle, or  play any one of these cool math games.

As you can see, there's lots of stuff you can do, but it shouldn't feel like homework. It should feel as natural as reading does when you pick up that menu in a restaurant, just find the math in your day, and recognize that you are doing it and that you are probably good at it.

If you really can't, if it confuses the heck out of you, if you're stumped, stymied and thinking about giving up - DON'T! Please feel free to come back here and ask me for help - believe it or not, I enjoy that kind of stuff! And if it's too advanced for me (that can totally happen), I'll find a resource we can both tap for furthering our math-y knowledge!

Do you consider yourself a "math person," a "non-math person" or neither? Why?

Did you like Mathematics in school? Why/why not?

Do you believe this challenge is possible for all people?

What if #3

This post is an invitation to you to think about the word in the middle of life: IF (L-IF-E). Each week the Rivera Runs Through It blog will present a different "What If...?" question for you to explore. Some will be serious, some will be silly, some might be political, religious or historical.

You can either write a response of your own, or just tune in to see what everyone else has to say about it. At the bottom of this post will be a place for you to link up your own post about the question, so feel free to share. If you have arrived at this post and the inlinkz tool is closed, or you don't have a blog, then please leave your response (or link) in the comment section below using DISQUS.

***If you have a What IF? question you would like to submit as a possible future prompt, please do so in the Rivera Runs Through It Community What If discussion.***

Happy pondering to everyone...


Getting ready for back to school, here is our

What IF #3:

What if saying "I'm not good at Math" had the same stigma as "I can't read"?

Let me set the scene: You go out to eat with a large group, when it comes time to split the bill, suddenly everyone starts averting their eyes - some fumble for smartphones with calculators, some start up conversations with the nearest friend, but then someone, inevitably, grabs the bill, with a tired, "I'll do it." Everyone else exhales - thankfully, one of the attendees is a "math person."

Situations like these are all too commonplace, and the fluidity with which people will admit, "I can't do math," is even more so. Yet the opposite is never even a consideration. What if we behaved similarly when the menus showed up? Would people be as comfortable saying, "Someone else grab the menu and order for me; I can't read." Reading is fundamental, society seems to agree upon this fact, we work hard to ensure that our citizens can read well enough to function in our world of words, but, for some reason, we fall short in empowering each other in our world of numbers.

Why is it socially acceptable to not be a math person? What if it wasn't? What if numeracy was as valued as literacy?

This week What If prompt challenges us to think about a different world - one where numeracy and literacy are equally valued in social circles. As you respond, think about how this would change your perspective of the two subjects, how would it alter children's perspectives? Would this be powerful  enough to have an affect on the education system, or do you think it is not that important after all?

I'd love to hear (read) your viewpoints no matter what they are! For readers without a blog of your own, I'd love to see your response here in the comments section. If you have a blog, use the in linkz tool below to write your post and link it up!

For a list of all of the What if questions asked so far, 

see The What If Prompts

Happy SUM Day!

It all adds up today. Whether you write the date the American way (mm/dd/yy) 08/03/11 or the European way (dd/mm/yy) 03/08/11, today is one of those very special days that I like to call a SUM day!

Can you see why?

Well, first you need to know what a sum is. According to MathIsFun.Com a sum is

"The result of adding two or more numbers.

Example: 9 is the sum of 2, 4 and 3, because 2 + 4 + 3 = 9."

I agree with this definition 100%! In fact, I couldn't think of putting it any other way. That website even has a picture with some other fancy vocabulary that makes it even clearer (and unbelievably appropriate for this blog post)

So, according to this picture, when you add 8 and 3, the answer (or sum) you get is 11.

Any guesses why I am wishing you a happy SUM today?

Today, as I write the date (8/3/11), is a sum day because it all adds up to me! 

The month + day = year (in two digit form)!

Oh! I can hear you now!! "Nicole!" you say, "That's not fair! What about all of the Europeans? They write their date differently! Why is your SUM day only an American holiday? I thought Mathematics was universal!"

I understand your dismay. I, too, would be upset if I thought that there was some sort of maths celebration that I was excluded from. However, calm your fears my global guests - mathematics is universal and can be celebrated by our entire global community today!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to: The Commutative Property (or Law) of Addition!

According to this law, swapping the numbers you add will not change their sum. The MathIsFun.Com website has another cool picture that might help you see that this is true, but, trust me, it is all of the time (it's a pretty amazing law!).

 Can you see what this means for us???

It's a happy SUM day for everyone!

I am so excited about this. These types of things don't happen every day, so we have to take note when they do and we have to celebrate.

How Do We Celebrate SUM DAYS? 

If you don't know where to begin, here are some ideas:

• Find the math in your day. So many people go through their days, their LIVES, trying to avoid mathematics, not even realizing what a beautiful part of their day it actually is. Look for the beautiful mathematics that surrounds you today, and rather than dread any bit of the unknown... wonder at it!
• Have a get-together! A sum day marks a day where numbers are coming together to make larger amounts, so why not get together with other people and see what kind of greatness you can come up with.
• Play games that require sums! Can't think of any, how about: Scrabble, Dominoes, Monopoly, Boggle, or any game or sport where you have to keep score!
• Learn how to really use your calculator. Today's the day, if you bought yourself one of those super-fancy scientific or graphic calculators and you haven't even opened it up! Take her for a whirl, even if it is just to add a lot, no calculator likes to be neglected.
• Read a great math book with your family! For picture books you can try Math Curse, Sir Cumference: And the First Round Table (A Math Adventure), or The Grapes Of Math. For a chapter book, I highly recommend The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure 

Alrighty! You are all set for your day of celebration and mathiness. I am so happy I had the opportunity to share this with you! Now, keep in mind, if you already had plans today because you simply were unaware of the type of day today was going to be, don't fret! There are more sum days to come! That is part of what makes them so exciting, so just plan ahead for next time!

When will the next SUM DAY be here?

Did you miss your birthday being a SUM DAY? 

Do you think you will get a chance to celebrate a birthday SUM DAY (I can't evn imagine the über celebration required for such a day!)?

Do you have any other suggestions for SUM DAY celebrations?

Are you a fan of Celebrations of all sorts? If so, check out the Celebrate With Us Link-Up over on the Laugh With Us Blog!

The Number Devil - A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Mangus Enzensberger

The following post is taken directly from one of my hand-printed Reader's Journal. I will be sharing these reflections each week on the Rivera Runs Through It blog. The date at the end of each post is the date of the original writing, which is typically the date I completed the book. The reflections are short, but represent my initial reactions to a book, a brief summary of the book or the questions it raised for me at the time. I hope you enjoy this segment in my blog and feel free to comment on what you read here.

The Number Devil - A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Mangus Enzensberger

What a fun book! A boy, Robert, dreams of a Number Devil that takes him, humorously, through many mathematics topics. While the official names of Mathematics and terms are not given, an index in the back of the book refers to all of the correct terms. I will read this again and possibly read it with my students as part of this Spring's (2001) MP2* curriculum!

Dated: 01/28/01

*MP2 was the second semester of a "Math Foundations"/PreAlgebra course that I taught to ninth graders. (I DID use the book and the kids liked it!)

Have you read The Number Devil? 

If so, will you be my friend???

If not, how do you feel about reading a novel centered around mathematics?

Overworked, MisUnderstood and Feared

This post was written in response to a Red Writing Hood writing prompt from the Red Dress Club. This week's prompt is as follows:
The most frequent advice I come across for amateur writers is, "Write what you know."

"What you know" doesn't necessarily always mean "your comfort zone." For this week, take what you know out of your comfort zone. Try a new genre, a new time period, a geography you've only dreamed of, fantasy or historical instead of contemporary fiction, try the male POV if you usually write women. Or vice versa.

Switch it up. See where it takes you.


I switched it up. Here's where it took me.

Here I am again. On every notebook page, in the textbook, on the whiteboard, projected onto the SmartBoard  and even in the classroom decorations. The teacher gets me, but these kids, oh these kids, every single year they get so stressed every single time I am around. I keep hoping they’ll start using someone else in my stead - the pressure is too great, the feelings of hate, fear and anxiety all pointed in my direction are more than I can bear.

I am only a letter. Why am I the one given all the responsibility? Why am I the one that has to represent all of the lost numbers of the universe?

“Find x,” they say. “Solve for x,” are the directions from others. Don’t they know I AM RIGHT HERE! It is not I who needs to be found! And I am smart enough to solve my own problems!

I mean, sure, sometimes y gets called to action, but everyone knows which one of us comes to mind first when humans are having their post-traumatic stress disorder flashbacks of Algebra - no one is getting fooled here! I understand that e and i have other responsibilities in the realm of mathematics, and that o, l, and t are often avoided for their ability to be confused with other members of the mathematical symbol army, but that still leaves so many others to choose from!

ANY LETTER CAN BE A VARIABLE! Why is this lost on so many?!

I am one letter, I stand for whichever number you want me to. I also represent the horizontal axis of the coordinate plane (I recognize I can give that responsibility to no one). I am feeling overworked, misunderstood and feared. I did not agree to this.

I became a variable to expand my horizons. I became a variable to stand in for numbers. Numbers that could be anything -  a measurement, a monetary amount, a place in space, a quantity, or anything else that you can quantify. I did not become a variable to become the trigger of the math-phobic’s nightmares!

Through it all, though, I love my job. I just wish more people could understand it... could understand me. I have so much to offer and I am not scary. I just show up when I am needed to stand-in for a missing, unknown, or ever-changing value.

It is really exciting work. I have seen the world, heck, I’ve seen the universe. People who don’t understand each other’s spoken or written languages can still share me when I am in my role as a variable. I have been doing this for a really long time, so I’ve seen what humanity is capable of and, I am proud to say, that I have played my part in some fabulous discoveries.

So please don’t take this as my resignation. Just try to understand where I am coming from. It’s a really big job and sometimes I feel like I’m all alone out here.

I am a letter, but I can represent any quantity in the universe. It’s a big idea to pack into one little x, but that’s it in a nutshell. Don’t over-complicate me, I’m abstract.

My Teaching Appreciation Day

I loved more deeply than I ever thought possible. I gave my everything - my heart, my soul, my free time, my thoughts, my money, my dreams, my creativity; my best. Every day I showed up ready to share all that I knew and I prayed that they could understand. This is what I mean when I say I was a teacher.

My students weren't my biological children, but they were all my kids. I cried for them and with them, I fought for them and against them, I cheered for them and supported them and I held their hands as we walked through the dangerous valleys and peaks of high school mathematics.

It was my calling. It was what I was put on this Earth to do. I know this because it was amazing,  I was amazing. Not every semester, of course, or with every class, but when the chemistry was right I simply could not deny that I was walking the path God had set out before me. It was beautiful, it was euphoric.

No one could stop me from pouring my entire soul into every lesson, every question, every activity and every child on my path. I would walk around the hallways with hand-written math problems hanging around my neck, I would invent fictitious civilizations that we would have to save with our math, I would stay up all night answering e-mails, updating blogs or websites and printing full-color worksheets, homework calendars and "goodies" for my kids and I would wear every ridiculous, nerdy math t-shirt I could get my hands on (or create!). My goal was to shred the fear and anxiety surrounding the subject I had come to love and to build a community of shared learning where we could all discover new techniques in problem solving. 

There were connections outside of the classroom as well. I tutored after school, chaperoned the prom, played paintball, bingo and dodgeball with students on their Senior trip, and spent countless days of my life at all types of sporting events (including the wildly popular Thanksgiving Eve Basketball game) and supported our theater and music program each season. And then there were the clubs... of course I advised the Math Tam/Math Club for years, but then there were others - Asian American Awareness Club, Karma Club, Anime Club, Animal Rights Club and the funniest one of all: Video Game Club.
  
At the end of the year, when the state tests came, I would call every single house of every single student I had to tell them their grade - good news or bad news - and have our last conversation before summer. It was the last of many, because I had the annoying habit of calling up the houses of my kids (especially the forgetful ones) for all types of things, "Hey, how's that homework going?" or "Any questions about tomorrow's test... Yeeeess, the test is TOMORROW," or, my favorite, "Hi Mom/Dad/Grandma/Grandpa, did your child tell you how awesome he/she was in class today?"

Teaching is the single most rewarding profession on this planet. The only thing that I can imagine holding a candle to it is parenthood. I am proud I was a teacher. No, let me rephrase that: I am proud that I AM a teacher ~ whether I am ever healthy enough to be able to re-enter the classroom, or achieve the greatest I once so mindlessly lived in, I don't believe anything can take away the teacher's soul within.


This post was written for a RemembeRED Prompt.

"Tell the story (without any trivialization or modesty) of something in your life that you are proud of."

Look easy? I'm guessing it will be a bit tougher than you think.

We are so used to downplaying ourselves, of apologizing for pointing out our own accomplishments. And? We'll have none of that here!

Your word limit is 700 words.

Think IH on Rare Disease Day

I was in high school when I read Flowers for Algernon and the story absolutely broke my heart. I've seen the movie, but film seemed unable to capture what Charlie's broken down language could convey. Yesterday, I had a "Charlie moment." I've decided that's what I am going to call them now, since a "senior moment" doesn't quite fit a 34 year old, or the nature of the event. Nope, I gained a great knowledge, used it, flourished in it and now, sit back, helplessly as I watch it all slip away...

It began earlier this week when my husband and I were watching the movie 127 Hours in preparation for the Oscars this weekend. My husband asked, "127 hours - how many days is that?" This is a simple question. He may have even had an answer before I said anything, all you have to do is divide 127 by 24, or decide through multiplication (or even repeated addition) how many 24s it takes you to reach 127. I said, "It's more than five days, but maybe even more than six. I don't know. Let me think about it... Could it be seven? I don't think it is seven. I think it is more than six, though."

I honestly don't think my husband even cared anymore, but throughout the movie I was multiplying 24 by six, then by five, then by seven... all in my head and never able to get an answer. I gave up and watched the movie. A day passed. Then last night, while we were driving home I said, "127 hours is five days with seven hours left over. It is not even six days. What was I talking about?" I couldn't believe this was happening to me again. I continued, " I feel like Charlie, from Flowers for Algernon."

My husband is an English teacher, so he didn't need much further explanation. You see, by career, by passion, by life calling, I am a math teacher. I have been since I graduated undergrad with a BS in Mathematics and Education. I have taught pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and advanced placement statistics over the course of the last twelve years. On my desk here in my office is an article from a 2001 edition Congressus Numerantium a Canadian Mathematics journal, that I was a co-author on. It goes without saying then that I should be able to tell you how many days pass in 127 hours, and I should be able to tell you quickly. However, in the last year, simple calculations seem to elude me.

It should come as no surprise to you that I am on medical leave from my teaching job, or that yesterday I began the process of filing for disability benefits. I can no longer do my job, because like Charlie and Algernon before him, I am losing the great intellectual gift that was once bestowed upon me. Whether it is due to the medication I have to take to keep my Intracranial Hypertension in control, or it is as a result of any damages the pressure may have had on my brain before I was I diagnosed, I have difficulty with some of the most benign tasks related to my profession.

This is merely one of the personal obstacles that IIH has placed before me. There are numerous others and every patient with IH has their own story to tell you. There are a lot of us out there, not as many as some other diseases and, at times, that puts us in a precarious situation. For this, IIH is deemed a Rare Disease and, in turn, does not receive as much attention as other diseases. The type of "attention" we patients desire is not necessarily some sort of media-blitz or lots of people suddenly knowing what IH is - the most desperately sought after attention we seek is that of the researchers. We would like the men and women in medical research to take some time out for IH to find better treatments, preventions, or, we hope, someday, to find a cure.

This picture was created for IHRF Wall of Hope Project for Rare Disease Day 2011.

So while you may have never heard of Intracranial Hypertension (IH) before reading this, you can know at least this for now:

• IHave it,
• IHate it, and
• IHope for a cure.

It's not great, it is life-altering and can sometimes, like all chronic conditions, be a bit lonely. You should also know that February 28th is Rare Disease Day, an annual, global event to raise awareness about all rare diseases. I kindly request that you take a moment to spread the word about some rare disease close to your heart this year, and if you have none, then tell someone about IH. If you want to learn more about it, check out the Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation - the only non-profit dedicated to raising money and awareness about this disease.

Just think IH for Rare Disease Day!

If you are a fellow IHer, well then, my friend, I know you will already be thinking IH for Rare Disease day, so I'll leave with something more: I wish you a pain free today and tomorrow!