sweatpants

I'm thanking the inventor of sweatpants today. It's interesting that sweatpants' history dates back to runners in the Olympics in the year 1920. Sweatpants became a staple of the American wardrobe during the global pandemic of 2020, a century later. I would love to see a historical photo montage of the evolution of running warm-ups. Instead, here is a historical montage of my sweatpants. These stoned sweats were bought in the aughts after Juicy Couture popularized the bejeweled velour tracksuit. I remember I wore them until they had massive holes everywhere.

Victoria's Secret Pink with Rhinestones on the Butt circa 2008

The new sweatpants I got from Target, as a Valentine's gift to myself this year, are of the brand Universal Thread. I bought them in 4 colors. The green ones say Kindness. The blue ones say Perfect As Is. The red ones say Love. The pink ones say, "it's a good day to have a good day."

Love

One sweatshirt I got this year was a different brand, Grayson/Thread, and it is pilling. It's not as heavyweight. Another sweatshirt I got is the brand Wild Fable, and it is holding up better after many washes. I love the message, too: keep dreaming. It is 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester. I got a sweatshirt last year made of 55% Cotton, 45% Recycled Polyester. Women's Hooded Love Sweatshirt - A New day™. I love the coral logo but it's been hard to keep it clean because it's cream-colored. But the point is that it's been durable and I've worn it A LOT. 

I do remember these pink sweats, which I wore last time I was running long distances. They were pretty thin and I probably mostly slept in them, and I definitely wore them until there were massive holes in them. This is my sister and it was probably the only time in my life where we could wear the same size.

Old Navy? Sweats circa 2010

I don't know why I feel the need to justify these purchases, maybe because they were expensive. But with sweats, I don't buy them often, and I wear them out until it's unsafe to wear them in public because the inner thigh gets holey. I was reading about all the clothing that was donated during the wildfires in Eaton Canyon and Malibu. There were SO many clothes, and because consumers buy clothes so often, the donated clothing was almost new. Unfortunately, what people who were displaced by the fires needed was more toiletries, cash, or food. Some of the donated clothing was probably sent for recycling. So it's interesting that stores like Target use recycled polyester in their new clothes.

Perfect As Is

I feel like I'm driving so hard right now. Like I'm using every possible minute in the day. The semester is wrapping up in some sense, or the home stretch will be a change of pace, but it's not over yet. The track suit was launched in 1939, which included matching pants and top. Adidas adopted the tracksuit in 1967, made from nylon instead of wool. RunDMC's 1986 music video really launched the Adidas tracksuit as a staple of the hip-hop scene.

My Adidas 2020

I get up early, go for my run, do my strength training, or vice versa. Then I go to work. If I have time to grab a shower, I do, get the kiddo ready for school, and walk to school. I am getting a lot of miles, which is good. I'm having trouble getting in all my nutrition, though. And hydration is the worst. I'm pretty much unable to keep up with this. I've had these blue sweatpants for a long time, but I can't wear them to work because the flared leg drags on the ground. But the waistband is super wide and stretchy and it has a real working drawstring.

Dec 2020 Pandemic Xmas

I joined Run Fit Mama in a 30-day program called Royal Core. It's kicking my butt in a good way. I asked my chiropractor if I should consider a breast reduction, and he told me to consider instead being mindful of my posture for 30 days, and then we'll talk about it.

I re-examined the vitamins I'm taking and took out all the ones that were there to support breastfeeding.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039UT7DE  Menopause vitamins

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K1YVMZG  Magnesium deodorant

As of today, I've been taking the Menopause vitamins for a week. Unfortunately, it hasn't been an instant fix for all my symptoms. Besides sweatpants I'm living in jumpsuits. They're not as easy to use the restroom in, but they are extremely comfortable. All these things I can throw over running tights or bike shorts so that I can stay cozy all day at work, and throw in a workout midday if needed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGXVQKBT Muchpow Women's V Neck Sleeveless Jumpsuits Spaghetti Straps Harem Long Pants Overalls With Pockets (XX-Large)

$26.99 army green

$19.99 purple

I think I might be outgrowing my Latched Mama era, my Kindred Bravely era, as well as my LuLaRoe era. I don't need nursing bras anymore, but I'm not sure what my next era will be. Sports bras I guess?

LA Marathon Race Report

This is the official race report following the format of my prior race reports. I will add the official race photos later, and hopefully, some of them will turn out well.

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

This course started in Dodger Stadium. From the stadium we went over to Chinatown. Past Olvera Street and the Courthouse. Past Echo Park Lake. And a long straightaway on Sunset. Through Sunset Junction and Silverlake. Onto Hollywood Blvd, past the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign. Past the Walk of Fame. Along the Sunset Strip, through West Hollywood to Beverly Hills. A fun jaunt through Rodeo Dr. And a long straightaway down Santa Monica Boulevard aka historic Rte 66. Past Century City. Past the VA hospital. Through Westwood and Brentwood. You get to see so much running a marathon because it's incredibly long, and if you're me, you're not going all that fast.

Race day was March 16th. Although we had a lot of rain the week before, the weather on race day was nearly perfect. It wasn't too windy, and it didn't even sprinkle. I felt like it was sunny the whole day. I brought a ski hat and gloves, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt, all of which I left behind at the starting line. I had a great experience with my race day outfit and would not have changed anything about it.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

I do not think that I over-prepared for the marathon. I am glad I made a route sheet, which I used at several points during the race. Knowing when the hills were coming and how my fueling plan lined up with the elevation changes was helpful. I am also grateful that I had a bathroom plan. The restrooms at the early aid stations were absolutely swamped. And I overheard people saying that the toilets at the starting line were horrible. 

I don't know the price of the starting line hospitality, but I did enjoy it. I used the private toilets twice. I used the private gear check. I used the foam rollers and yoga mats. I ate the bagels, drank the coffee, and grabbed two extra Gu's. It was hot and cozy in that tent. They let us in at 4:30 a.m. And I stayed there until about 5:15 a.m. I could have stayed longer but it got increasingly crowded the closer it got to the start of the race. I appreciated sitting in a chair, staying off my feet, and not having to sit on the ground. 

The perks of being an LA Roadrunner were also great. Our pre-race loge level at Dodger Stadium was something that really pumped me up. I used the restrooms there twice and they were nice, clean, and well-lit. It wasn't warm there because it was outdoors, but there was good company and I really enjoyed Coach David's pre-race pep talk. It gave me a feeling of continuity to see Coach David at all training runs, on Thursday zoom calls, before and after the race. I would 100% recommend joining the Roadrunners.

How did you train for the event

I ended up following the LA Roadrunners level 3 training plan. I squeezed in my weekday runs either early in the morning or midday. I did not do any runs in the afternoon or evening. I got a Planet Fitness membership to use the treadmill, which I've written about before. 

Gear and Nutrition

I will do a separate post on gear, but let's say I found a way to fit everything in my shorts pockets and hydration vest. I was actively bleeding (menstruating), so I had to carry tampons and wipes. One Gu exploded in my pocket, so I just ate it in the corral before the start of the race. I wasn't planning on doing it, but I don't think it hurt.

The goal was to get 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour for the first three hours and then increase to 60-90g of carbs per hour afterward. It was good that I had each time and a place marked down to eat, roughly based on my estimated pace. I didn't look at this plan every mile, but there were some times when I did look at it, and it helped me feel calm and situated. I didn't rely on the aid stations for food, water, or electrolytes, but I did take them when it felt right. I didn't take any food or drinks from spectators. Most of the water I took from the aid stations was dumped on my body to cool down. Even though I trained with Stroopwaffles and Fruit strips from Aldi, I didn't end up bringing those on race day. I was trying to keep the simplest possible race day strategy. And Stroopwaffles take too long to eat. 

I made my electrolyte plan the morning prior to race day. I wasn't sure I needed to do this, but also I wanted to make sure I had enough salt tablets. I put them in bags. 4 bags with 6 tabs each. Since I ran a bit slower than I had planned, I almost ran out. But also there was a stretch there where I didn't want to eat anything. It was a good thing I brought the Biscoff cookies. That was something I was considering skipping but at the last minute, I threw them in. And that was a good decision because as some point, that was the only thing I could tolerate, and they helped immensely.

The other items I had in my vest were (1) sunscreen, which I did apply at mile 22 when we turned around and had the sun at our back. (2) a chapstick with SPF, which I did apply several times. And (3) Her chamois butter. I didn't use the anti-chafe but possibly I should have each time I used the restroom. I did get some chafing from the tampon string, which I could have put lotion on. I didn't practice that.

Specific experiences

It was pretty special meeting up with my husband around the half-marathon mark. I think he had to pay $3 for parking. We chatted for a bit and he took a video interview of me. I was so flustered I forgot to include him in my Instagram story. My aunt wanted to be there but I thought logistically it would be too challenging to coordinate. She encouraged me to take lots of pictures, which I did. It did slow me down to get my camera out and pose each mile, but now I can look back and see exactly how I was feeling. 

Finish and associated emotions

I felt like I could still run across the finish line. I didn't start crying until I saw Coach David. I almost feel like it hasn't hit me yet that it's over. My legs are still sore, but also I don't feel injured. I feel there's just a lot of trauma there. Kind of like how you feel after giving birth. Everything is a bit swollen. My body feels like it went through something intense, which it did. I might lose my left big toenail.

Overall evaluation of the event 

Overall, I might do this event again. Others said that this year we had the best weather ever. It's a toss up in the spring whether you might have cold, hot, rain, etc. I didn't know how I would feel. As my friend Yahaira pointed out, doing the same race again helps give you a comparison to know if your fitness is trending up or down. What's funny is that even the list of landmarks ends at mile 21 as if the last 5 miles don't exist. I think most people agree that the last 6 miles was the worst. Partly because that's where people hit the wall, but partly because that part of the course was mentally difficult. 

It would be fabulous if the race could have gone to the ocean. But as I understand, the city of Santa Monica was asking 5x as much as every other city for permits. And I didn't particularly enjoy the Santa Monica Classic. It would have been a full-circle moment to start and end the race season in Santa Monica. 

This season was so impacted by climate change it's actually nuts. The mid-season race, the Rose Bowl Half, hasn't even happened yet. It's been rescheduled for April, so there will be a forthcoming race report for that event. I felt it was insincere to hand out the challenge medals at the marathon for doing all three races when one hasn't even happened yet, but it was easier for the race organizers logistically. They decided to give the medal for the races people were registered for, even if the participants chose to skip the race.

aftermath of the wildfires

Most people I know are starting to unpack their "go" bags. People who have evacuated will return home next week, or the following week. If they have a home to return to. 

My run club is offering four options for this weekend's long run (1) and (2) are in Griffith Park on Saturday and Sunday, which is being dubbed the "Bunny Hop" Half. (3) is a half marathon in Orange County around the back bay. (4) is an entirely virtual run that you can do on the treadmill, which is only 75 minutes.

I've pivoted as best I can, given the circumstances. I'm trying to be easy on myself for missing workouts. I trust my training has been enough to fill the Fitness Bank, as our couch calls it. The theory is that you train to fill the bank and cash out on race day.

The drawback to indoor workouts is that you use different muscles on the treadmill. I realized it myself when you do a "hill" workout on the treadmill, essentially you're always running on flat or uphill but never downhill. Our coach says that it is almost a different set of muscles. And when you return to running outdoors, you will feel sluggish.

The Coalition for Clean Air suggests that outdoor activities should be avoided until we have a good rain. The coalition comprises representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).

These times feel reminiscent of COVID-19 early days because people are masking up. There is a lot of uncertainty around risk exposure.

Upsides to the treadmill, you can control your speed much easier. You can read your heart rate. You don't have to wait for the light to change to cross the street. You can watch TV or read a digital book while walking. You don't have to worry about what street you're on, where to turn, or where you can go to the bathroom. You can be unencumbered by your water and snacks. 

I like to look at the houses when I'm out in the city. I want to smell the smells (unless it's urine). I like the vibe of the traffic and hearing whatever music people are listening to. I enjoy waving to people on bicycles, pushing strollers, or dog walking. I don't like getting cat-called or followed by strangers in trucks. I don't like it when cars run red lights. So, there are dangers (risks) associated with indoor and outdoor running.

For me, the timeline went like this:

Sun, Jan 5 - long run with LARR, got my ass handed to me by running too fast
Mon, Jan 6 - Fit4Mom class without kiddo, walked the steep hill
Tues, Jan 7 - walked the school drop-off (skipped morning workout)
Wed, Jan 8 - ran indoors at CSUN
Thurs, Jan 9 - long walk with kiddo 
Fri, Sat, Jan 10-11 - stayed home with kiddo (no school)

Sun, Jan 12 - ran indoors at Planet Fitness, but not a long run.
Mon, Jan 13 - Fit4Mom class without kiddo, walked the steep hill
Tues, Jan 14 - ran outdoors, new route, didn't feel great afterward
Wed, Jan 15 - walked the school drop-off
Thu, Jan 16 - ran indoors at Planet Fitness, but not a long run
Fri, Jan 17 - rest day
Sat, Jan 18 - Half Marathon in OC

I've spent today mostly making sense of where I'm at and where I'm going. I redrew the calendar on the chalkboard and the white board. I could've done more but I'm going to stop now.

Cloth diapering

How to get started? How many cloth diapers do you need? What are some laundry issues that you may encounter? What type of fabric is used in cloth diapers? How soon should I be getting all this stuff?

For tiny baby, we've been cloth diapering since 3 weeks old. We used 28 flour sack towels (FSTs) with 2 polyester/polyurethane laminate PUL covers and 2 snappi fasteners. I loved this as a supplement to the 8 all-in-one BumGenius size 1 we had. It was possible to do laundry every other day. 

double FST with Snappi in kite fold

Thirsties Cover (Size 2, 9-36 months, 18-40 lbs)

The FSTs were folded in a newborn kite fold. What I would do is fold them in half lengthwise fresh out of the drier then let them sit overnight. The next day I would do the folding into a diaper shape. I have a nice basket to hold them until needed. FSTs are a way to diaper using flats.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap Cover (size small, 8-15 lbs)

We had a set of 4 newborn all-in-ones from bumgenius, but I have already passed those along to my sister. We never used them because we didn't start cloth diapers until our baby was 3 weeks old, he grew fast, and his inguinal hernia when it bulges actually needs a lot of room. Maybe they would have been more useful for a girl.

BumGenius AIOs in Size 1

What I have not used yet are Fitted Sloomb Overnight Bamboo Fleece aka OBFs (Sustainablebabyish) are made from 70% viscose from bamboo / 30% organic cotton.

AI2 - all in two. I don't think I have any of these. They are a cover and an insert that snaps into place.

Soaker - the absorbent part of an AI2, fitted, or AIO diaper.  Lays in or snaps in. For AIOs, the soaker is sewn into the diaper iself.

Insert - the absorbent part of a pocket diaper.  The same thing as a soaker but is inserted into the pocket.

Doubler - used on top of or in addition to a soaker/insert when baby is older/a heavy wetter/at night. Meant to provide extra absorbancy. Thinner and smaller than an insert. Sometimes called "newborn inserts".

Booster - same thing as a doubler, not related to staying dry or wicking, meant to boost the absorbency.

Liner - usually single-layer pieces of fabric laid in a diaper to either create a stay-dry feeling or to make disposing of poop easier or to protect the diaper when using diaper cream. Can be disposable or reusable.

https://www.momadvice.com/post/cloth_diapers

https://mamanloupsden.com/2015/12/16/how-to-cloth-diaper-your-newborn-with-flour-sack-towels/

FSTs from Amazon we bought 30 more!

Cloth diaper sprayer

Toilet funnel, clips, grabber

How often you should clean your washing machine — and how to do it https://www.today.com/series/how-often-should-you/how-clean-washing-machine-t20131 

Washing machine cleaner

Dec 27 - bought new dryer (week 29)

Jan 27 - washed new CDs (week 34)

Feb 4 - washed UCLA used CDs (week 35)

Feb 24 - washed CDs from Mykel (week 38)

Feb 25 - washed CDs from Christiana

You will also get a lot of use from two Pail liners that you can alternate. They can be washed with the diapers (turned inside out) and then I line dry the bag and PUL covers, while the flats (FSTs) I dry in the dryer.

How to properly fit cloth diapers YouTube tutorial.

Postpartum Part 7: pandemic

Watching the boy scouts live camp-in, we heard some advice from NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock. He said that this global pandemic is a unique moment in history and a time to write. They also suggested burying a time capsule. We tried to complete a virtual 5k walk/run/hike but I only got 2 miles walking back and forth in our house. I did set up the tent and make s'mores in the toaster oven.

Wildlife report! Fauna: hare, monkey, elephant, lion, bear, mole. Flora: aloe, dracaena, pothos. Candle = campfire. 🔥 #CampIn #ScoutingAtHome pic.twitter.com/ZCJi5GDzz7

— Dr. Kayla A. Kaiser (@hamerk02) May 3, 2020

We can't get Lysol wipes, antibacterial handsoap, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, Chlorox bleach, Dawn dishsoap or Dial bar soap with antibacterial ingredients. The only time I really thought this would be a problem is when I was recovering from my surgery and I was supposed to wash my incision. Our president told people that injecting bleach could combat coronavirus. These are the times we are living in.

I can say no. I will say no. My hope is that I can enjoy the remainder of my maternity leave in peace, regardless of the fact that the country is reopening. My in-laws seem to think that the coronavirus is a hoax, social distancing is unnecessary, masks are a joke and that the country needs to reopen immediately. Already my son's cousin has met up with friends at the beach and had a keg party at his house, so we know they aren't quarantining anymore. They are big fans of Disneyland and I'm sure they'll be among the first to go there when it reopens.

Dear MIL is pushing for us to spend her birthday weekend in Ventura the first weekend in June and possibly take a boat to hike the Channel Islands. While this sounds great in theory, I don't know if I would be able to enjoy it. The next big thing is dear SIL is turning 50 and I am turning 40 in July. I don't want anything. I had seriously forgotten about it until MIL reminded me this weekend. I just want to snuggle with my baby and that's the greatest gift. MIL wants to throw a party for me and SIL, which would mean a big stressful family gathering. Not interested.

I told dear husband that I will be saying no to any and all travel until school starts up again in August. If someone wants to visit with Albert, they are welcome to come here. Traveling was too stressful. I have stated it twice now, and neither time did he repeat back to me what I had said, so I have a feeling that he didn't hear me. I was hoping he would repeat it back to me, but he said that he didn't want to talk about that subject any further so I left it at that.

I think a big struggle is that some people are quarantining hard and other people are less strict. Those who are quarantining hard are bragging about it because it's difficult and requires mindfulness. Those who are more loosely following the guidelines probably don't talk about it. But people who are fearful are getting very bent out of shape when they see someone not wearing a mask. This is leading to violence, which is understandable since people are ferociously protecting their family members, including children.

I use the affirmation "I am healthy, I am safe" and extend that to include my baby and my family. I was very tearful on Friday, leaving my house and seeing the signs on the freeway saying "Avoid gatherings, stay home, beat COVID-19" but knowing that we were taking yet another unnecessary trip to see family.

Pregnancy Part 10

Today dear husband is at a conference. I am at work and grateful to be busy. If I were sitting around at home, I would probably have more time to obsess over symptoms and things that could go wrong. Instead, I am keeping on top of my work and enjoying working with students.

Here goes the symptom roundup:

Week 16 - Sept 23-29 headache, neckache, shortness of breath, abdominal/pelvic discomfort, joint pain, leg cramps, increased thirst
Week 17 - Sept 30-Oct 6 heartburn, nipple soreness, shortness of breath
Week 18 - Oct 7-13 backache, headache, neckache, bleeding gums, tender breasts, increased thirst

We had our 18-week and second trimester screening appointment with the OB last week, everything went well. We had a list of questions that were answered. We heard the baby's heartbeat on doppler, but there was no ultrasound. I gave another vial of blood for AFP testing. I got the insurance stuff all straightened out with the State of CA screening program.

I wrote about the "babycentre" diet in previous posts, part 4 and part 5. I will admit that I have been following it loosely. It does help me see how many times I am eating fast food and not healthy food.

Week 12 - 49%
Week 13 - 26% (one fast food)
Week 14 - 28% (four fast food)
Week 15 - 28% (four fast food)

Week 16 - 26% (three fast food)

Week 17 - 31% (three fast food)
Week 18 - 37% (three fast food)

I don't feel good about these numbers, and I want to get the percentage of "following the diet" up higher, but it requires planning and shopping and with "pregnancy brain" I am really struggling with having the energy to actually sit down and decide what groceries I would need for a week. Then once the groceries are purchased, it is hard to get into that kitchen and cook all of those meals.

Regardless, I am still within normal for weight gained, but I'm starting to be afraid of a 9 pound or larger baby. We have been doing a good amount of walking. I've been monitoring the macronutrients and micronutrients on MyFitnessPal to try to get 40% carbs and 40% fats and 20% protein. More often than not, I end up with 50% carbs, 30% fats and 20% protein. But I am getting all the calcium and Vitamin A that I need.

This weekend we went back to La Quinta in Santa Ana. It was great to escape the smoke from the Saddleridge Fire (thanks climate change). We took our dog to Huntington Dog beach on Friday morning. It was absolute paradise. We went to my nephew's football game at Newport Beach. We went to Crystal Cove State Park on Saturday afternoon with my in-laws. They were escaping some fires that were set in Riverside. It was super to have two beach-walks in one weekend but it did get a bit hot at the end. The baby was kicking on the way down from the parking lot to sea level, but he calmed down once we got out to the area where the water meets the sand. On Sunday, we got to see some old friends from graduate school and spend a bit of time with their two daughters. 

Since I kept track of the items I had wished I had from our last trip, packing for this trip was a breeze. We had a wonderful time away and it was hard to come back. We put down a deposit on our prenatal classes in the Bradley Birth method, which will start around end of October. Tonight is my first prenatal workout class at Bini Birth center in Sherman Oaks. I'm excited but also nervous. I want to be strong when I am in labor. I'm afraid that if I don't work out, I will lose all my muscles that I will need to push this baby out and carry him around both before and after he is born.

Pregnancy Part 9

This is week 17. I feel like my belly is really stretching out. Mike says next week my belly button will pop out. I feel like my breasts have taken on a life of their own, they are large and veiny.

  

How I feel now is nervous about the upcoming scans. This month we have lots of appointments. Next week is the 18 week ultrasound with our OB, Dr. Marr. I believe she will be taking samples for the second trimester screening. In three weeks we have our 20 week anatomy scan with the MFM, Dr. Incerpi. Four weeks from now we go in for a fetal echocardiogram at 21 weeks, Dr. Nancy Kim. Until proven otherwise, this is a normal pregnancy. The docs are just being cautious.

I got a call from the Department of Public Health yesterday, they say the doctor needs to send them our insurance information to do the billing for the first trimester screening tests. I am definitely handling medical stuff, including billing and insurance, much better than before. It's all just business and something that has to be done. I don't really get as upset and worked-up as I did before. I called my doctor's office and they said that it was really strange. If DPH didn't give me a fax number then there's nothing they can do. I guess I will just try to deal with it at our appointment next week.

A colleague at work said, "pregnancy suits you." I'm not sure exactly what she meant by that, but I can agree. I don't feel absolutely terrible like some people have told me horror stories of pregnancy. I feel calm, for the most part. My husband spoils me. He gives me so much attention and I only really notice how much when he can't be there for me. Last night I had a bit of a sob-fest over just feeling alone when I used to LOVE being at school late by myself and walking/biking home in the dark.

Dear husband was out last night at the City of Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee. I'm really proud of him for doing that work, but it was hard getting myself home all alone. He was also having a meeting with the Community Advisory Group for the Aliso Canyon SoCal Gas blowout Department of Public Health study. I used to be involved in a lot of advocacy and activism, but with this pregnancy, it's just important to rest and keep up with the work I am being paid for.

There is a CicLAvia this weekend but we won't be going. Instead, we will be doing outreach at the Granada Hills Street Faire. I get it. Local is better. Now that we're living "deep in the valley," we don't get out to downtown LA as much as when we lived in Glendale. The following day there is the Encino Family Festival, which is on Ventura Blvd. I guess we could check it out just to get out of the house. Unfortunately, by Sunday it is supposed to be in the mid-90s so maybe we will just stay home in the air conditioning.

Pregnancy Part 3

We are heading straight into the school year. My job officially starts tomorrow. I have one meeting on Thursday and one meeting on Friday, so this week is still an easy week.

I hate how unbelievably slow my internet is in my bedroom, yet I still come here to write blogs. It is perhaps a more intimate space. How I am feeling is resolute. I pledge this semester I will not stress about work. I will stay on top of my grading by creating LESS work for myself now. I will "stick to the script" and not do anything beyond the minimum requirements. I will cease to overachieve. Those are the goals anyway.

In terms of the semester and how it relates to my pregnancy:

Week 11 - Aug 19-25 department meetings
Week 12 - Aug 26-Sept 1 weekday classes begin (semester week 1)
Second Trimester
Week 13 - Sept 2-8 *no classes Monday, Labor Day Holiday (semester week 2)
Week 14 - Sept 9-15 (semester week 3)
Week 15 - Sept 16-22 (semester week 4)

Week 16 - Sept 23-29 (semester week 5)

Week 17 - Sept 30-Oct 6 (semester week 6)
Week 18 - Oct 7-13 (semester week 7)
Week 19 - Oct 14-20 (semester week 8)
Week 20 - Oct 21-27 (semester week 9)
Week 21 - Oct 28-Nov 3 (semester week 10)

Week 22 - Nov 4-10 (semester week 11)

Week 23 - Nov 11-17 *no classes Monday, Veteran's Day Holiday (semester week 12)
Week 24 - Nov 18-24 (semester week 13)
Week 25 - Nov 25-Dec 1 **no classes Thurs & Fri, Thanksgiving Holiday (semester week 14)
Week 26 - Dec 2-8 (semester week 15)
Third Trimester
Week 27 - Dec 9-15 ***Final exam Weds, Dec 11th (CHEM 100 from 10:15AM-12:15PM)
Week 28 - Dec 16-22 ***Finals week ends on Tuesday, Dec 17th
Week 29 - Dec 23-29 ****Grades are due by Monday, Dec 23rd

I tagged this post "beauty" because I can finally see the "pregnancy glow" starting and the acne and dry skin starting to recede. I have had some ups and downs lately with my symptoms. This past weekend I felt really good, but then on Monday I crashed and burned. I had an all night-all day (24 hour) migraine that was really a bummer. Being pregnant is a challenge because I can't just pop a few pills or take whatever I want to ease the symptoms. I have to be really "in touch" with my body and just feel the pain and take appropriate action (just rest). So I spent all day yesterday in bed.

I had my first "teaching" related nightmare last night. Nothing unusual, just showing up to class unprepared with a stack of papers in a folder all crazy (not organized) and no syllabus, no lesson plan, just chaos. So I will try to spend this afternoon on syllabi. Very kindly my department has assigned me the same schedule as usual, 5 different courses, which will be keeping me busy. I plan to eliminate as much homework (grading) as possible so that my "outside of class" workload is minimal. I have spent a few years trying to do what is best for students, and my department threatens me because I was so far outside the norm, so now I will do as they ask and do what is best for me.

I had great dreams about buying an iPad this summer and learning how to use Explain Everything and make my lectures great, but it didn't happen. I don't even think I will use PollEv or Sli.do for in-class polling. Let someone else do that work, I'm going to use the slides from the textbook and just be as boring as possible. The only problem is that for SCI 100, there is no textbook and no slides. So I plan to just make that class a discussion every day. I am giving up on taking attendance and making food for the students. They can come if they want or not.

I added "bikethevote" and "climate change" because I'm really sad that my fellow cyclist and CSUN professor Loraine Lundquist missed the LA City Council seat by just 2% of the votes. Considering having a baby and raising him here in the valley, I am more motivated than ever to get local change here. More bike lanes! Better transit! Human-scaled street designs! We attended two transit-related events in August (1) regarding the light-rail through the Supelveda Pass (2) regarding the North Valley Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). There were so many people there just to show their outrage about these projects, it's just sad.

On a more positive note, we spent some good quality forest bathing time at the LA County Arboretum, Bee Canyon Park, as well as O'Melveny Park in the Santa Susana Mountains of Granada Hills. I found Bee Canyon and O'Melveny completely by chance. I was at Trader Joe's and zoomed out and drove to the nearest large patch of green on the map. I love the way we had such a wet year that all the trees and plants are blooming like crazy and there are tons of butterflies. When the early-morning weather is in the low 60s and the forecast is not above a high of 85, I rush out into nature and get my 30 minutes of "light walking."

I have been weighing myself daily. The weight has been pretty constant over the past month and a half. I guess that's good. Our last ultrasound was just last Friday (Aug 16th) and baby was measuring 10 weeks 6 days. The fetal heart rate was 165 beats per minute. My estradiol level was 2520 pg/mL and the progesterone was 24 ng/mL. I was cleared to stop all medications (except prenatal vitamins of course). I am still taking Vit B6 for nausea and Vit D.

I learned some acronyms from reddit:

FTM - first time mom

TIC - today I cried

NIPT - noninvasive prenatal testing 

cfDNA - cell-free DNA

REI - reproductive endocrinology and infertility

NT - nuchal translucency

As far as I understand, next Monday (8/26) we will have the NT scan with a perinatologist. The following Wednesday (9/4) I will see my obstetrician for NIPT blood work. The OB also wants to do a pap smear and possibly a cervical measurement. She referred me to a nutritionist, but I have not contacted them yet. Also, I am supposed to have a teeth cleaning at my dentist during my 13th week of pregnancy. So two of those appointments still need to be scheduled.

I seriously just spent about an hour deleting all the spam emails from the summer. My armpit sweat turned into a smelly stress-sweat, so I guess I need to work on maintaining my "OM" mindset when school gets underway. All I can do now is preparation. Finally, I tagged this post "meditation" because I have been doing some calming breaths and guided meditations. They are great. I am considering joining a group called Fit4Moms that meets in Sherman Oaks once per week for a Tuesday evening fitness class. Not that I am seriously worried about working out, but I think the camraderie with a group of other pregnant people may be a very good thing.

Fertility Part 2

We finalized the loan on March 4th. We completed the consent forms electronically, which was super-streamlined but also pretty terrifying. We had to read through all the contingencies and make decisions about our eggs, sperm and any fertilized embryos under a variety of possibilities. I decided to donate them to scientific research in the event that we didn't use them.

I started my regular period on March 5th (full flow). Day 3 of the menstrual cycle is considered Day 1 of medication to stimulate egg production. I went in on Thursday, March 7th to have a transvaginal ultrasound and got blood drawn for estradiol testing. The estradiol results came back 19.96- within normal limits to start! So that day was our first injection of 300 units of Follistim- DAILY and Menopur is 75 units DAILY – at a consistent time every night. We ended up doing the first one at 8:30pm because we were having an "environmental / sustainability" committee meeting for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and that's when we got home.

Thursday was a bit stressful because I waited too long to start working on a poster. I spent the afternoon finishing it up and got it submitted to the printer by 5pm. We went to FedEx down on Ventura Blvd to pick it up in the morning and then made it to school by our usual time. We had all our bags packed on Thursday evening, which is great because then we could get on the road by noon on Friday.

Luckily, we had reserved a wonderful hotel in Fresno for the weekend. I attended the CSU Symposium and presented a poster on what I have changed in my teaching as a result of participating in 170 hours of professional development. There was a kitchenette with a great long marble surface that was exactly like our kitchen at home. It made me feel very comfortable doing injections there each night. There was also a sofa with a chaise that was a great place to rest while the medication sank in.

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Since we have a dog, we have been loyal customers to La Quinta Inn and Suites. They are dog friendly, have consistently great service and free breakfast. We got this wrap around king suite for being loyal customers. Dog lovers--stay at La Quinta Inn and Suites. Thank you @laquinta_rdu #dog #dogsofinstagram #instadaily #instagram #pic #photography #instaphoto #best #motivation #life #lifehacks #love #malteseofinstagram #poodlesofinstagram #poodle #malteseofficial #poodlesofficial #dogs #dogsarefamily #pets #petfriendly #petfriendlyhotels #laquinta

A post shared by mike kaiser (@mike_thinks_photos) on Mar 8, 2019 at 10:08pm PST

We went in for another ultrasound and blood draw on Monday, March 11th (Day 5). The estradiol level was 219.2 and Dr. Kolb saw 8 follicles on the right and 6 on the left. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, but this was great news. To be sure, I was tired. Each night, I would go to sleep right after my injections (8:30pm) and I had no trouble sleeping through the night. We were waking up very early (around 5am) to be at the doctor's office by 6:45am for 7am appointments. HRC was fantastic at getting us in and out of there since I was working 5 days a week at that time.

I noticed my mood improved dramatically. I was very easygoing, much more than usual. It was like being on an antidepressant and antianxiety medication. I was extremely cool-headed, thoughtful, supportive and nice. Very unlike me. I also had dramatically different cravings for protein. I didn't want ANY carbs or dairy. I wanted no fruit. I craved leafy green vegetables and eggs. I will post another blog about my diet.

On Wednesday, March 13th (Day 7) at 9pm we added a third injection to the regimen. Ganirelix comes in a prefilled syringe, 250 mg in 0.5mL, which made it easy. Follistim comes in an ampule that you put into a "pen." Menopur is a powder that you reconstitute in saline solution and then inject it with a syringe. Mike was an absolute champ at administering these injections. We developed a routine where I would set everything out on a clean surface, I would sterilize my skin, and he would do all the mixing and injecting. We made a great team, but I think we were both getting tired of it by day 10.

Saturday, March 16th (Day 10), we had another ultrasound and blood draw. I never got the results of this one, possibly because it wasn't so important or maybe they didn't want to scare me with the number. It was a good time to ask questions and we found out that although after egg retreival, we would get a break from injections, the pregnancy would be carefully orchestrated with a new regimen of injections. Knowledge is power and I'm glad Mike spoke up and asked about that. We did our last injections of Follistim, Menopur and Ganirelix on that evening.

We were given the "trigger shot" medication (Lupron 4mg + hCG 2500 units) premixed in an ampule which we were told to store in the fridge and administer in the usual way at 8:30pm on Sunday, March 17th (Day 11) which I felt was lucky since it was St. Patrick's Day. We were instructed to do only that injection and not the others, so it was nice to do just one shot instead of 3. At this point my mood started changing away from being that easygoing, wonderful person that I got to experience for 10 days of bliss.

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Images from the water briefing

A post shared by Kayla Kaiser (@hamerk02) on Aug 17, 2018 at 11:15am PDT

On Monday, March 18th, Mike had the awesome idea to go wildflower viewing since we're in the midst of a superbloom, but the flowers were in Lake Elsinore. Unfortunately, that is a 2 hour drive (about 100 miles away) and I just wasn't feeling up to it. We ended up at the Japanese Garden in Van Nuys, that is a 15 minute drive (about 7 miles away). It was a fantastic way to unwind and do some walking meditation. We were both feeling a little anxious about our respective procedures of egg retrieval and sperm production, so doing something outside of the house but nearby the house was a great way to spend the day.

Victory for Safe Streets

I could do with a longer holiday break. If I had to go back to work next week, I could. But I don't want to. Luckily, there are still two more weeks.

The problem is that there were a litany of action items that I wanted to work on over the break. Maybe it would be helpful to write out an exhaustive list below:

clean the closets
clean the garage
create some paintings
do some sewing
tie-dye some fabric
go for walks/bike rides
go swimming
lift weights @ home
lift weights @ gym
do some sit-ups
dance @ the disco
rollerskate
hang out with friends
hang out with family
shop for a new laptop
plan for classes
write reflective reports
write a scientific paper
write poster for a meeting

Some of this we did. Some of this will not get done. With only two weeks left, I have to be strategic.

Yesterday, we went to a meeting of Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils where a few people had tried to pass a motion with the following text

Meeting of 12/01/18 WHEREAS, after two and a half years it is clear that traffic calming modifications to highways, roads, and streets within the City of Los Angeles, as being imposed under the city’s Vision Zero initiative, are public safety hazards, WHEREAS, such traffic calming measures include, but are not limited to, “road diets,” which involve narrowing roadways, replacing traffic lanes with bicycle lanes, and installing physical barriers, WHEREAS, these traffic calming measures pose a litany of safety, health, and environmental hazards, including but not limited to: Violations of state, county, and municipal fire codes as well as California case law, including but not limited to: Sections 503.4 & 503.4.1 of the California Fire Code; Section 21101 of the California Vehicle Code; Sections 503.4 & 503.4.1 of the Los Angeles County Health and Safety Code; Sections 57.503 of the Los Angeles Code of Ordinances; and City of Hawaiian Gardens v. City of Long Beach (2d Dist. 1998) 72 Cal.Rptr.2d 134. Increased emergency response times as a result of impeded fire apparatus access roads; Dangerously narrowed emergency evacuation routes; Increased emissions due to cars idling and stopping-and-starting; Increased pedestrian fatalities and overall accidents, according to the city’s own statistics and available California Highway Patrol data; and Violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the LANCC demands that the city enforce the laws and within 30 days of our demand to start the process to remove all traffic calming measures, including but, not limited to road diets, from: Current and former state highways; Designated emergency evacuation routes; Thoroughfares that qualify as “regionally significant streets or highways”; All thoroughfares that have seen an increase in accidents since July 2015; and All thoroughfares with two or more lanes of travel in both directions. with a presentation by Chris LeGras, Keep LA Moving

Thanks to the efforts which I suspect went on behind the scenes the language that was officially adopted is the following:

Meeting of 01/05/19 The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition (LANCC) (XXXXXX Neighborhood Council) takes the position that there shall be no blanket prohibition of road diets or other road calming measures. Communities that will be impacted with a potential road diet or other road calming measure, including neighborhood councils, shall be consulted extensively about public safety and other important issues both before the road diet is proposed and after it is implemented. where a presentation by Aneesa Andrabi and Wajenda Chambeshi, Great Streets did not happen

I'm not saying that it was any action on my part that precipitated this shift, but I'm super happy about it. A few observations from the meeting are that there was:

lack of engagement (only 15 votes from 96 councils) 

lack of representation (few women and people of color in the room)

lack of information (people struggled to define the terms "equity" “road diet" and "traffic calming")
That's like saying the opinion of 3 people represents the opinion of 20 people. I think it's particularly pathetic that a group of old white men thought that they could remove and prevent future safety infrastructure. The majority of traffic deaths are happening in neighborhoods of color.

3. Here they are overlaid on one another: the overwhelming majority of pedestrian deaths are taking place in formerly redlined neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/4merNp8DII

— LA Bike Dad (@LA_Bike_Dad) January 4, 2019

This is definitely something to consider.

7. Are our actions going to show that we value those lives more than we did in past? @bikinginla @lacbc @LosAngelesWalks @laura_nelson @StreetsblogLA @LADOTofficial @VisionZeroLA @gilcedillocd1 @KeepRowenaSafe

— LA Bike Dad (@LA_Bike_Dad) January 4, 2019

Mid semester Report

Changes are afoot here. The season feels like fall with a Santa Ana wind. The low relative humidity has the air very crisp, and the winds have revealed the mountains that are usually hiding in plain sight behind a curtain of smog. And I've overhauled CHEM 101.

Lecture is 75 minutes twice per week, Discussion is 50 minutes once per week

I've been trying out a new paradigm in my CHEM 101 class. During "lecture" we are doing POGIL-type activities and we are doing them in groups. Students take photos of their Contribution Form and upload it to Canvas. I've used the Objectives feature of Canvas to create rubrics and track alignment of assignments to topics covered on the exams. Grading by Objective and turning on a feature called the Learning Mastery gradebook gives students a way to guide their studying on things they need to work on while leaving those topics they've already mastered alone.

I've flipped the classroom to lecture only briefly (20 minutes every other period) during "Lecture" and even more briefly (20 minutes every period) during "Discussion." I thought students may feel more comfortable asking questions in "Discussion" because it's a smaller class size and a more intimate classroom setting (as square footage goes).

The rooms are so full, there's no way to collect/pass back papers so students turn in everything electronically, with the exception of the exams. I can give feedback electronically. For group work, the comment (typed once) is sent to all members of the group (3-4 students). For individual assignments, I can identify misconceptions and send corrections and suggestions to students one-by-one.

The groups have been assembled to mix over- and under-prepared students, I used an alphabetical system based on plants/names/colors. I got the idea staring at a box of crayola crayons. I made this random group picker wheel to call on groups, but I haven't used it yet.

I've been using Sli.do to capture anonymous feedback. The types of questions I ask this way are regarding Did you read? What are your fears? Suggestions for the course. Anything I think students wouldn't want to admit to. They can also ask questions of me and I can answer it online.

In the open-ended portion of this survey, one student wrote
"Didn’t know there were KEYS for discussion"

On a recent survey regarding Exam 3, 63% of respondents said that if they had more time, they'd come to office hours. In addition, 50% of respondents said that if they had more time, they'd meet with their group to study AND make chapter outlines for the chapters covered by the exam.

I've been using PollEv to capture non-anonymous content knowledge. The activity is NOT worth points but it gives me an idea of what they are already understanding and what I need to plan to teach them that week and the next week.

I chose to use an OER, called OpenStax. It's something a colleague suggested to me a few years ago but I didn't feel secure enough in my job to do something like that unilaterally. Now, I feel more empowered to do what is best for students regardless of how my colleagues may react. So far, I like the change. The quality of the book is equivalent. There's no free online homework, but as part of the "flipped" model, I'm having students do problems DURING class instead of at home. The book (online or offline in .pdf) is FREE for the students.

Creative Exercises started out as an in-class exercise but have become a take-home assignment. Students are practicing showing their work, making their thoughts easy to see, writing down everything they know about a writing prompt. This goes together with one of my goals for the students which is teaching them about "Writing to Learn." In the process of writing down your thoughts, you can teach yourself things, which is why I strive to maintain this blog. Maybe in the future, I will have them upload their Chapter Outlines.

There's a YouTube playlist where students can go and watch the lectures that I would have done during class. I learned how to put hyperlinks in the video description so that students don't have to watch the entire video, they can skip ahead to topics that they want to know more about. I'm not sure how this is going, most of the feedback says that the videos aren't helpful.

The exam involves re-working. The in-class exam time is for students to show what they know in that moment without any help and with only a small set of reference information. Then they have a few weeks to revise their work and resubmit. This revision is submitted online. I'm giving 6 exams instead of 3 exams and 3 quizzes. The last two exams are comprehensive, with the idea that the first one will prepare them to do better on the second one.

Everything is available online to print and turn in. The due dates aren't rigid. The groupwork allows for flexibility if a person misses one class here and there. I've had a much easier time accommodating students who miss class for a religious holiday or doctor's appointment. Students perceive me as being more understanding, but in truth I just have a more flexible approach to assignments.

I also don't feel pressured to grade all 75 at once. I can sit down and grade for 10 minutes, then walk away. This takes the pressure off of me to do "marathon grading." Clicking the rubric is pretty effortless and then I can type comments faster than I would have been able to write them. I feel like having a rubric removes some of the bias. Also, since students upload their work, they aren't writing their name on it. I could do anonymous grading in Canvas to further remove bias.

Clearly there were other topics I thought about writing about: transportation, chemistry, climate change, community, Metrolink, politics, weight loss and vitamins. There just isn't time now. But seriously, GO VOTE.

It's taken me a long time and a lot of soul searching to get to the place where I could overhaul my CHEM 101 course so dramatically. I've been attending a Faculty Learning Community about taking an equity-minded approach to course design. What I can see is that these changes have had an equalizing effect on my class. I no longer penalize students for what they can't do. Instead I enable them to do more.