It's our wedding anniversary month.
I wonder this photo might embarrass my husband, but I love looking back our special day in Japan.
It was in 1999. I don't have any digital photo data at all. Recently I show these wedding photos to our son intentionally. Funny? I'm not so sure whether he is curious about them or not. But I want him to know how it looked like in 1999.
October
Entry#477. 10/31/2025. HAPPY Halloween!!
This year, I really feel "I'm surrounded by awesome biologists. Biologists are wonderful." They are fun and joyful to be around really. Don't you think?
It's Halloween today and I want to share these photos. I didn't ask their permission to use photos here. Hope they don't mind. Their Halloween door decoration contest was a great success, I can tell.
One of professors was fabulous!!! See?
Entry#476. 10/29/2025.
You might wonder about the actual purpose of this trip to Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) has the department of biological sciences. They have seminar series that the invited speaker presents his/her research to the department people. Yes, my husband was the presenter this time. I was lucky enough to observe his talk again. The seminar room was bigger. As usual, I was glad to see the accessible room entrance with a ramp. The speaker doesn't need to use stairs at all. It went well with several good questions from the audience. You should see how much his speech tone was joyful.
Entry#475. 10/28/2025.
Libraries Part2:
I love libraries. Any type of library. Just wandering around the buildings makes me joyful and cheerful. It’s funny though. I didn’t have this kind of feeling when I was young. I’m happy now “this is me”.
When I visit new towns, I look at the map and look for a library. This time, I found two.
University of Pittsburgh - Frick Fine Arts Library
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
College arts library is interesting, you know? They have everything about Arts(!). (They don't have music stuffs there, but it was pretty much interesting.) The building itself was beautiful. The old BIG books attract me a lot. The books about Louvre museum made me think of the latest news on robbery…..
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh made me happier. Laugh me out, please. I’m so a poor-knowledge-person about general topics. I didn’t know about “Carnegie” buildings. I should have known about Mr. Andrew Carnegie. I’m learning about him and buildings named after him a bit by bit.
The Carnegie library of Pittsburgh is great. Both exterior and interior design are excellent and beautiful including that ceilings.
The generous kind librarian explained about their upstairs (2nd floor). He said “Go that way to the end and find the extra book shelves space. Go all the way to the window. You can find dinosaurs through the window.”
Dinosaurs!!
Did you know that?? On the map, there is Carnegie Museum of Natural History. (I checked it out beforehand.) It stands next to the Carnegie Library.
So they built two buildings with glass window walls between them. Did you know that?
The librarian meant “I can see dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History from the library side! Without entering the Natural History museum.”
Is that right? Really? Sounds so wonderful and cool. So, of course, I went upstairs to check it out.
By the windows, they put up the posters saying “What you see”. I guess library staffs expect people to watch dinosaurs from there. What a sweet thought. I love the whole idea.
I felt lucky as if it was a special bonus of “sneak peek of Natural History museum exhibition”. Don’t you think?
Entry#474. 10/27/2025.
Our very first Pittsburgh!! I usually don't want to use scenery pictures in my blog posts because you can see similar photos on any websites. (They are better than mine.) However I want to put some here for the notes to myself.
The first stop; Libraries!!! I am such a Library nerd indeed. I've not visited real libraries in the States yet. In fact, I have nothing about knowledge of Real libraries. However I am curious about them deeply.
This time, I visited two buildings.
See the ceiling?? That structure (!) amazed me a lot. Love it so much.
And that old style library card catalog shelves. What do you call it? I simply love it.
I loved both. Funny part was "I had to ask about wheelchair accessibility to one librarian." Then I realized their settings afterwards. See the ramp into the building? The sign says "baby strollers welcome!"
Of course. It made me smile.
Entry#473. 10/24/2025.
My husband shared the info about the Biology/Microbiology department building-wide Halloween door-decoration contest. You know, I am not a staff member at all. But I poked my nose in a little bit. Just because it sounds fun for everyone. (And I didn't know that professors joined in the fun at college!)
The main part is the last photo of a Red Flour Beetle = my husband's model insect for research. (Art by my husband).
So how do you like it?
10/22/2025.
It is crazy weather here. It seems the frost is coming, yes, finally. My Marigolds are still alive with some flowers, but it would die with the frost. That's the nature. Well, I didn't pay attention much but my Lilacs tree had some blooms (right now)! What? Plus my Forsythia was blooming, too. How about yours? It is crazy here.
10/20/2025.
So, how's your Christmas cactus doing?
10/20/2025.
"Little Women the Musical" update;
I discovered my another favorite song. It's "Small Umbrella in the Rain"! I can keep listening to this tune forever. So do you remember? Talawanda high school drama club will perform this musical show the beginning of December. Will you go to watch them?
Wow, my dear sweet teacher-friend, her wonderful talented daughter will sing this song as Jo(!) on the stage. How sweet and fantastic would it be.
I learned a new word from this song. "Blunt".
I need to practice using it. How often do you use it?
Entry#472. 10/19/2025.
I was happy that I visited her talk in the Chemistry department building. It was wonderful because I learned a lot more about herself. What she teaches. How she teaches. What she thinks. What she expects. And more. I love this kind of talk, this kind of topics and themes. I want to listen to this same her talk again, if possible. Yes, it was that much great stuff.
Entry#471. 10/19/2025.
We made it to attend the talk-show event: Breaking Barriers: A Conversation with Squirmy and Grubs / Shane and Hannah Burcaw presented by Miller center for Student Disability Service.
I was happy that there were great number of audience. I was excited to see the famous YouTuber with my own eyes.
Most of all, I was very grateful that I did see “How Miami staffs did organize and setup for them” and witnessed the real works there.
After he became a paraplegic, he contacted them to meet and talk in person. That was the time I realized and understood who they are and what they do. It was a meaningful meeting to me personally.
At this talk-show event, they did setup a ramp (of course) for the speaker stage.
Lastly I want to add one note here.
I did my homework before the event. I borrowed these from the local public library (Lane Public Library)!
Entry#470. 10/19/2025.
After my husband started a paraplegic life as a fulltime wheelchair user, I always follow him to the research conferences as an on-call caregiver.
What do I do at the conference?
If I'm allowed to "attend", I walk around the poster sessions and enter oral presentation sessions (PowerPoint presentation) to watch. You might wonder "Do you understand what they discuss about totally?". Well, not really. You might laugh or you might be disappointed. Some topics catch my attention. I might know some researchers there. I'd love to check my husband's students' works.
So most of times at the conferences are meaningful to myself.
I also go for a walk to wonder around the cities by myself.
There was an entomology conference in KY. Three grad students from Miami U presented their works (one of them is my husband's student).
In fact, it was my very first time to watch an "Entomology" conference because he attends conferences related to "Biology" usually.
Did I attend this? Yes, I tried. I couldn't stay whole time but I watched some parts. It was different, even I can tell that differences. Funny? It was fun after all. The three grad students did great talks there.
Entry#469. 10/18/2025.
Tiny interior parts of our house update: You know our Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) life has been over 4 years now since July 2021. At the very beginning, our many thoughtful friends and people near and far helped us out mentally and especially for making our house accessible for his wheelchair life.
At that time, I had no idea about the details of paraplegic life + fulltime manual wheelchair life. Sometimes I still feel “I wish I could have known better and more about it at that time, back then.”
I’m not a millionaire (not at all), so I haven’t updated interiors of our house since his accident, for making more accessible. You might wonder. He has been okay to live and stay in our old house without any complaints. I believe it’s just because he has minimal accessible settings. At least he can enter the house, use a bathroom and use a rolling in shower room.
Plus our lives get busier and busier with regular works (his teaching/researching duty and more). I just let some interior parts be for a while (for 4 years to be exact). Funny?
Then in this month, with a great help from our wonderful contractor friends (father and son duo), I was able to update some parts finally. I can show you here. Ta-da!
These parts/things are places where you might not notice much about difficulty or uncomfortableness. Here are before-pictures. Wooden boards made a bit height gaps for a wheelchair. Now metal boards were placed. I hope it would work better a bit.
Just a note to myself. It's a bit embarrassing subject though. I know I need to replace my front door because our house is now getting very old, over 40 years old. The front door is rotten, out of shape and getting worse. However I still need to wait till the right timing for replacement. This time, the father-son duo contractor friends did a temporary-emergency repair for us. I am truly grateful. I still keep this project in my wishlist.
P.S. Just for your information. I need to re-do my front porch, whole driveway and garage doors. Oh also back door plus backyard patio..... Big sigh.
Did you notice? My husband cannot enter the house from a front door because it's not accessible at all.
We just live without any of these updates for now, for now. (Just because these are too much.)
Entry#468. 10/18/2025.
When you saw something different at a bicycle wheel of your friend, you would need to ask and check it closely. Yes, so I did.
I know it is a hamster, but I've never seen it on bicycle spokes. I thought "It must have some sort of function or purpose". Like reflectors?? It is so cute especially when you start pedaling.
I googled it and found information about it.
You have to laugh. Do you see? It says "You may even feel a slight increase in speed." with using it. Really?? Now you want to get it, don't you?
Speaking of "Bike reflectors", did you know about these? Those "beads" ones! I want to see them with my own eyes. That noise! Do you have them?
Entry#467. 10/12/2025.
Social medias are very interesting these days. Good or bad, either way influences people/world in some ways. Very interesting.
Some information pops up in my news feeds. It’s like watching TV unintentionally.
This time, I found the info about one bike trail in Iowa(!). High Trestle Trail.
Of course, we need to “research” about the trip to Iowa beforehand. We’ve not been Iowa before.
Entry#466. 10/11/2025.
I have an odd habit around this season of the year, checking out The Case of Ohio High school Mock trial. Weird? Indeed. I am just a regular person without any knowledge about laws, courts system, trials, attorneys + witnesses. I always have hard times to understand court cases. Even so, I am still curious about the latest high school Mock trial, especially the present team crews + the advisor. Are you interested in the case? Here is the summary 2026.
>>>>>
In 2000, 24-year-old Caleb “CJ” Jansen, a warehouse worker, was found strangled in his apartment. A violent struggle left DNA under the victim’s fingernails—but no match was found, and the case went cold. 25 years later, high school student Frankie Moyo uploaded their DNA to a genealogy site for extra credit and unknowingly triggered a chain of events that lead police straight to Morgan Remy, a former security guard at CJ’s workplace. Not only is Remy’s DNA a match, but police also discover CJ’s long-missing gold signet ring hidden in Remy’s home. Remy's defense team filed a motion to suppress the genetic genealogy evidence arguing that the police violated the Fourth Amendment by using a third party’s DNA without a warrant. The court must now decide: Is this powerful new investigative tool a breakthrough—or a constitutional overreach?
>>>>>
That “genealogy site” part is very interesting to me. Because it sounds very familiar these days, plus my husband is a biologist using genetic data, genome sequence, DNA, RNA….
Here is the case video. You’d be interested in it a bit more, maybe.
Sending a tiny cheer to THS Mock Trial team crews! Have a good trial! Your words are strong always.
10/11/2025.
My Thanksgiving cactus update: (I renamed mine, from Christmas cactus to Thanksgiving cactus.)
Small pots started blooming now. Big pots are making tiny buds right now. We will see at which timing they will bloom. How about yours?
10/10/2025.
When my husband's researcher friend visits us from Japan, we take the guest to our favorite places as much as possible. However it depends on the weather really. If it's raining and pouring down heavily, the plan has to be recreated.
That's our SCI life.
This time, we were able to show her "Handmade standing frame". As always, my husband explained how to use it, how much important using a standing frame is, how he made it and so on.
Here is the photo of two. I loved watching them standing together side by side. It is a rare moment, you know?
10/10/2025. My Garden Monkshood update.
The cold front passed around here and cold temperature stayed only a few days (at least the forecast says the warmth will come back.) Well, the cold temperature made Monkshood's blooming process completed.
The last photo is the view from inside (by the window).
Do you like it? I love them.
Entry#465. 10/05/2025.
Before I collapse from the excitement, I want to share these photos here. The event "Adaptive Nature Walk on wheels" went pretty well!! I have lots to say really. I will write all about it later. I was smiling all day long after the event.
10/04/2025.
I have Monkshood in my garden. Do you? It is really interesting to me because of "how they grow and how they bloom" parts. I think they are very different from other plants. I need to dig out the details though. They just started blooming.
Then I noticed something which made me surprised and shocked.
There are two types of "Monkshood", Garden Monkshood and Wild Monkshood!!!! Did you know that? I believed mine was native to North America. However unfortunately mines look like Garden Monkshood. They are not native to North American (!) I need to study them more.
Entry#464. 10/03/2025.
Like I wrote about the Little Women the musical last month (hereEntry#455 9/14/2025), I’m still doing self-teaching on this show. I found another my-favorite tune. “Off to Massachusetts” This song piece is not Jo’s song, it’s Beth’s song. (If you know March sisters, you could tell their names, 4 of them, yes?)
This song now is my number #1 in this musical show. I think because it’s very easy to singalong with it (melody and lyrics).
Then I have a question. You might have an answer.
Here is a first part of the lyrics.
[Beth, sung]
If you say "Come with me off to Massachusetts"
Then to Massachusetts, we will go
We will buy dishes there
Maybe even two sets
Buy the finest china
Then we'll dine a while on crepe Suzettes–
[Beth]
We will build model boats off in Massachusetts
There in Massachusetts by the bay
Put them together and wait until the glue sets–
Even I can recognize the rhyming parts easily. (See them?) It’s so fun. Even though I cannot be good at singing in English at all. (It’s okay.)
Then I thought about “translated version” of this song. (Or any other kind of songs). What if an English song translates into Spanish, these “rhyming parts” could remain well?
Unfortunately Japanese language is very different sound-system compared to English, rhymes would disappear totally. It is interesting. Still Japanese play the broadway musical shows in Japanese in Japan.
So do you have an answer for me? About rhymes of Spanish version of the musical shows? I’m curious always.
In these days, when I look at my face in the mirror each day, I notice I look so tired. And I also notice that I don't have much photos of myself to post in my blog. Well, I need to try to keep up with capturing and documenting our lives even though my face looks like a zombie. That'd be "the latest me" anyway.
Note: This month would be the craziest + busiest + the most overwhelming month ever to both of us. Literally. (I might need to shout out loud "eeeeeek" at some point, maybe.)
Fun events coming up, lining up all the way through the end of month.
1. "Adaptive Nature Walk" event.
2. A guest from Japan.
3. Conference in KY.
4. Invited research talk in Pittsburgh.
5. Invited talk in Columbus.
Wish us luck to survive.
Create Your Own Website With Webador