Life: Diabetes and Alzheimer's disease; my mother's hospitalization

They say Diabetes is a risk factor of Alzheimer's disease. Some even say Alzheimer's disease is "type 3 diabetes".

Since exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is uncertain, from the standpoint of strict science, the second statement may be somewhat oversimplifying.

But the statement does have a point. A symptom of type 2 diabetes is peripheral neuronal damage and degeneration, leading to the ants-crawling skin sensation the patients often complain about. Extrapolating the neuron-damaging effects to central nervous system may not be too far off the target. In short, high blood sugar may be poisonous to neurons.


My mother has diabetes. She also was diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease in 2015, some months earlier than my father's passing. Remembering what she did (i.e., keeping short term memory) was getting more difficult for her. With help from her friends and healthcare system (e.g., regular visits by health workers, assigned care manager overseeing the health workers), she had been maintaining her autonomous life. She sounded just fine when I called her.


About a month ago, she caught a cold. The cold and disturbed meal cycle got her diabetes out of control. The blood sugar count reached 500 mg/dl, while normal range is 70-140. The doctor suggested her to stay in a hospital to get the diabetes under control.

My sister visited her 10 days ago. She reported that my mother had difficulty in remembering events in past 15 years, including my father's passing in 2015 and her life at her current apartment since 2008. Among the most "recent" memory was my father working at the company he was running, which should be earlier than 2002 when he had his first stroke. 

The talk with her was shocking to my sister. Reading sister's report, I was at a loss for words. 

Memory erosion is a signature symptom of Alzheimer's disease. Apparently, the symptom got much worse during the recent episode of diabetes leading to hospitalization.


Alzheimer's is a disease, and a disease tends to take its course with some predictability. We got to be prepared for what may come next. My sister is a competent businessperson and very efficient at managing paperwork and getting things done. Following doctor's advice, she has quickly made arrangements for my mother's moving to assisted living community after upcoming hospital discharge, for better meal and diabetes management and for activities that may be helpful to delay the disease progression. For now I'm going to send some money to make things easier on their side. Speaking of money, I should be thankful to the Japanese "socialized" medical system. Honestly, current American for-profit healthcare is horrendous.



If you are diabetic, you better get serious about its management. Although I am not diabetic, as a family member, I should better be watchful on myself.




For record keeping's sake: **********************************

4/20 Thu Oklahoma Dance Rush kickoff party

Oklahoma Dance Rush is a part of Country Western dance circuit. The event also has Ballroom competitions. This year (2017), there were three times more contest participants compared with previous year. Although it made organizers busy, it was a good way to be busy.


4/22 Sat  Roger Hoskins (1943-2017) Memorial at the OKC swing Dance Club

Roger passed away of cancer on 3/29. He was an auctioneer, voice actor for Cattleman's Steakhouse (one of the most famous restaurants in Oklahoma City), and a big supporter of the Swing Dance club. He was a friendly man, and we used to greet and chat at the dance parties. "Celebration for his life" event was held on 4/22 at the club.

There were many faces I had not seen for years in the event. That reminded me of the length of the years I spent in OKC, coming to the club.

4/22 Sat  Idance studio Salsa/Bachata/Kizomba party with salsa (+other) showcase

It was a nice Latin dance party with good attendance, including guests from Dallas.

Dance: Tulsa Spring Swing 2017, "What is your competitive edge?"

Last week went by fast. We were working on a review article that was requested a minor revision, and preparing to send it out. [Today (4/18 Tuesday) we did send it out.]

Occasionally I dissect mice and collect samples for my research. As an animal handler, I am required to keep my immunization status against some zoonotic/bloodborne diseases current. I got some booster vaccinations on Thursday 4/13. It made me moderately sick on Friday 4/14, so I skipped a milonga.


On Saturday (4/15) I felt fine. So I went to Tulsa Spring Swing, an annual West Coast Swing (WCS) dance event in Tulsa.

When I go to a dance event, I leave my notes in this blog. Over past entries on WCS events, I picked up different topics that came to my mind during the events; introduction to WCS contest, judging, changes of the contest scene over time, etc.



In this entry, I pick up a topic of "what is your competitive edge". This is a recurring theme when you think of Stage dance and competition.


First of all, here are some reasons for caring the looks of your dance. 

"It's a public occasion": 
When you are dancing at a public event, how your dance looks is public. Your dance is there for everyone to see. It is reasonable to care about how your dance looks. It is not unlike dressing nice or wearing a makeup when going out.

"Good looking dance is valued in the event":
Most dance events come with competition or demonstration. Both are about how the dance looks. The events uphold the value of dances that look good.

"Good looking IS good feeling":
A dance that looks good usually feels better than a dance that does not look good. That is because a dance that looks good consists of many factors that make the dance also feel good, such as having good frame, balance, partner consideration, comfort maintenance, knowledge for the dance, reasonable timing and execution of moves, etc. 


I should be able to come up with some more reasons. Anyway, yes, it is fine to aim for dances that look good. It's not shallow or anything.


That said, how do you define "good looking" and how do you achieve it?


Good looking dance is a result of many factors combined. In the course of learning dancing, each dancer figures out the factors for good looking, one by one.

After a certain time, they add up. The dancer may become an advanced dancer who has a number of strength.

Right, "good looking" is about how much and what kind of strength you have. How you define your strength, and how you add them up,....... in other words, your thinking counts. In some cases your coach or instructor can do it for you on your behalf. But being mindful about what you are working for will help you to make a progress much faster.
 

Then, here comes the title question, "what is your competitive edge?" 

Self-improvement and gaining strength are about your personal growth. For your personal growth, you have control over how much efforts and time you put in. But competition is relative, there are opponents whom you have no control over, and they may be far better than current you. You have to consider this nature of competition first.


Now, let's say you are a solid leader. You can lead her solid and clean. The dance looks good.

But what kind of competitive edge will you have, when the room is full of solid leaders? 

Solid lead plus solid follow alone can quickly become boring from others' eyes.  Although "solid and clean" has generally a better appeal to judges in contests, the dance can look like your practice run, too. 

In the competitive environment, you need something else. 

For example:  Musicality. Showmanship and audience appeal. Special/signature moves or unique choreography. Sharp and outstanding body usage of your own. Attractive body (the "body" factor). Novelty (like, new variations in known moves).

Like any other branding efforts, some kind of slogan or title help, too.

If you consider the importance of partner, then, the "something else" may be; a "better" partner. Great partnership. Equal match up. Style compatibility...... etc etc. 



Your musicality can show. Your body's flexibility can show. Your smoothness in the motion can show. Your signature move can show. The "competitive edge" you thought up and worked for, can show.


The fact is, even if all people are dancing the same dance (e.g., WCS), some can stand out.

And the "standing out" hardly is achieved by just dancing for a long time. What we see on the dance floor is his/her habits. And habits are cultivated by design and repetition. What you wanted to do, and how many times you did it; they are what is showing.

Good looking dancing is a product of your thinking and practice. Keep asking the question "what is your competitive edge?" It will help you to sharpen your thinking.


I enjoyed decent dances in the event. That made me happy. I am thankful for the event, the partners, songs, DJs, and the dances.










  

Life: movie "Ghost in the shell"

As we planned, we sent out a grant today (4/10/17 Mon). It is something about lung cancer precision prevention and therapy. Fingers crossed.


This evening I went to watch "Ghost in the shell". 


[Spoiler alert: don't read it if you want no spoilers] ****************


The original "Ghost in the shell" was Japanese manga books and anime movies, plus a few anime series (that I do not completely follow. I am just a casual watcher after all. In spite of the fact that broad audience have a very wide range of previous knowledge, filmmakers have to make the movie for broader audience. Tough work.).

The original manga and anime movies presented a unique worldview and stunning visuals. They were brand new in 90's. I enjoyed them.

Then, 20 and some years later, this Hollywood live action version came out with Scarlett Johansson as Major/Motoko.


Visually it was stunning. The "blade runner"-esque cityscape was looking great with contemporary CGs and special effects. I watched it in 3D, also adding some dazzle. Actually, it was visual overload for me. It took me some time during the end title roll to get my left brain working and verbalize what the movie was about. 

There were many scenes I recognize from the originals. Clearly they used them as homages or tributes. The Ghost in the shell worldview cliches were there, such as the jump off the building, SWAT team activities with upgraded weaponry, optical camouflage, invisible boxing in canal, mind hacking, sad garbage collection guy, battle against spider tank with arms breaking off, etc etc.


One idea they put in the center of this visually overwhelming story is her self-searching aspect (or I should say her soul/ghost searching). "She discovers her identity in this story."; that was the backbone of this Hollywood version movie and probably the one-liner pitch by the producers.

Come to think of it, I do not remember that the original versions ever focused on her background story and character in depth. To me, her character maintained some anonymity, intentional or not. In the sense, the Hollywood approach looked new compared with the originals.


The Hollywood movie presented an origin story for Major Motoko, in addition to visually mesmerizing the "Ghost in the Shell" worldview.


It was clever of the screenwriters/producers. Probably it makes it easier for them to make a sequel that way. Haha.

Another thing I noticed. The movie was so serious. There was no comic relief or a scene I could just laugh. Maybe that was another reason I needed to take some time during the end title roll before taking off.


But overall I enjoyed the movie. Recommended to sci-fi lovers, Scarlett Johansson fans, and people who liked Ghost in the Shell mangas and animes.

Dance: a note for Tango Volcada

At the last part of the choreography, we include Volcada (=tilt, to tip over). The leaning is also referred to as carpa (tent).


From the leader's standpoint, the lead is sequential steps, just like many other Tango moves.

(1) The lead specifies her axis. Adding a "wind up" helps.

(2) The lead gives a little "lift" for her, further clarifying his intention that he wants her to be on the specified axis.

This little "lift" is a very important, but frequently overlooked, lead signal in tango. It is overlooked because the lift is subtle. It is felt by her but usually not visible from others.

(3) The lead leads her to lean over while she stays on the axis, still supporting a major portion of her own weight. He takes a step/steps to adjust his foot position and to balance, while using his own leaning toward her to counterbalance. Depending on the heights, position of connection point, and ratio of weight balancing, the feel varies.

It takes some getting used to it especially for her. It is like the Trust fall.

(4) [optional] while leaning, she swings her non-axis leg, keeping her toe on the floor, which also helps her balance. He makes sure his leg is not on her leg's path.

(5) Usually using rotational move, he brings her back up. There are variations in the backing up, too.


A little note for the Volcada today.

[A couple of dramatic leans for stage Tango]

I have been taking time to analyze data and write a grant. Once the grant is sent out on coming Monday, I'll return to a review manuscript for its revision. They will be the work for this and next week. Just minding own business.