To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Three Mile Island, here is an example of how my well-spoken mother has an eternally grateful spirit.
*I had to edit out a few details for privacy sake.
March 23, 2009
Dear Dr. Schinfeld:
This letter is 30 years overdue. I am so happy to have found you on the internet, as it is intended for your father, as well, whose contact I have lost.
On March 30, 1979 my husband Frank, 22-month-old son Brian and I left our home in Middletown, PA, and drove to my brother’s and sister’s-in-law home in Melrose Park. It was the due date of my second child, and we were fleeing the accident at Three Mile Island. We could see the tops of the cooling towers from our front porch, three miles away.
At a PA Turnpike rest stop, my husband telephoned my obstetricians to tell them of our decision and to ask them to send my medical records to your father’s practice. The doctor reassured my husband that it was not necessary to leave, but we had already decided and were on our way. You see, my sister-in-law Claire, who was a patient in your father’s practice, had called his office and asked if they would accept me as a patient, under the circumstances. They said yes, without hesitation. To this day, I am amazed and overwhelmed by the compassion and generosity they offered a complete stranger.
At the time, my brother Bill and his wife lived in a five-bedroom home, did not have children of their own and worked full time during the day. They, too, welcomed us with open arms and hearts. Because I did not give birth for two weeks, I had the opportunity to meet the doctors, and they me — this Irish Catholic 28-year-old who grew up on Staten Island, NY. Around midnight April 11, after watching the 11 o’clock news and retiring to bed, labor began. Frank and I drove through empty, dark streets to Albert Einstein Hospital. It was the first night of Passover, and your father had just returned home from a Seder when he received the call. It was a peaceful birth, despite the events leading up to it. Your father stayed with me all night, occasionally resting on a cot in the next room. At 6:35 a.m. April 12, our beautiful daughter, Laura Elizabeth, was born.
Laura will celebrate her 30th birthday on Easter this year, four days after the first night of Passover. She is happily married to a community organizer in Camden, lives in South Philly and will earn her master’s degree in urban studies from Temple this May. She is a lovely woman with a good heart. I have enclosed her wedding photo. Brian lives in Glenside, PA, with his wife Bridgette and their son. Brian works full time and will receive his MBA from Villanova at the end of the year.
My husband and I moved to Carlisle, PA, in March 1981. It was horrible having to return to Middletown with a toddler and an infant, and after many anxious days and sleepless nights we left the area as soon as we could sell our home. God has been good to us. I hope the same is true for your father and you.
I can tell from reading your profile on your practice’s web site that you are among your father’s admirers, of whom there must be legions. How interesting that you are in a similar field. My brother and his wife are now awaiting their first grandchild, who is due in June. Although Bill and Claire moved to Rhode Island many years ago, their son, his wife and soon-to-be baby live in Drexel Hill.
I can hardly find the words to express my deepest appreciation to your father and his colleagues who rescued my family and me from an extraordinary, terrible event. Despite the inexcusable lateness of this letter, please know that I have held them in my heart and prayers all these years. May God bless and keep you all.
In humble gratitude,
(my mom)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
90 to 1 odds
March is a great month for birthdays. This month, my grandmother turned 90, my little nephew turned 1 and my sister-in-law (who shares a birthday with said nephew) didn't have to age because she has forfeited her birthday. When she gave birth last year, she declared, "Now, I no longer have to age!" Joshua's sister Amy, who also has a birthday in March, may have declared the same anti-aging policy a number of years ago because, honestly, she doesn't seem to age at all! Happy birthday to all these lovely ladies and to the Little Man.
Here is Grandma Whelihan enjoying her big birthday bash. We like to give gifts that call it like it is. (Champion brand was established the same year as my grandmother was born, 1919.)
Right after that trip to NYC to celebrate my grandmother's life, I jetted off to Las Vegas for a weeklong American Association of Geographers Conference in Las Vegas. I was able to present my thesis, Mapping Geographically Weighted Regression: Spatial Nonstationarity of Logistic Regression Models of Juvenile Drug Crime Recidivism. The presentation went well. The questions afterward were tough. That's what I get for writing a statistically-focused paper and inviting people who wrote books on the subject to the session. Not that I'm complaining; their questions and suggestions are super helpful as I put the last touches on my thesis. Statistical stats is so interesting to me, but I am constantly reminded how big the field is. Some day I'll be an expert too. Some day ....
Unfortunately, since I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, I got the worst cold during this trip. I went nearly two full years without being sick and, while I'm grateful for that, I'm bummed that I had to endure a cold during this trip. The sessions I attended were fascinating -- census tract changes set for the 2010 big event, mortgage foreclosures, among others -- but the cold was a little more than distracting.
In an attempt to avoid the casinos, I spent a small chunk of time poolside at Caesar's Palace, which was beyond pleasant.
While touring around the city, I did not go into this building. The large photos of Elton John, Bette Midler and Cher were clear signs that I did not belong there.
One of the best parts of the trip was walking out to the Vegas burbs to visit the Springs Preserve. While interesting, it was a bit of a sham -- the water company putting up a museum dedicated to how Las Vegas is so extremely good at saving at water and how environmentally-conscious the area is. Um, excuse me? Sure, the ten-acre lot where the museum stands may be made with the environment in mind, but I had a hard time finding that same mindset in the rest of the area.
Even though I missed Joshua during my week in Vegas, it was nice to have some time on my own. I like exploring.
During my three-hour layover in Chicago on the way back to Philly, I emailed Joshua's best friend Scott to see if he was in the airport. Of course, in only a way that Scott can be, he was just flying in from Duluth. It was great to have a little visit with him before hopping on my flight home.
Once I got back to Philly, Joshua and I went over to our neighbors house to watch wrestling. Back story: Our talented neighbor, Randy, is a writer for the Associated Press and has to produce a piece on the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania. He invited us over to watch the first and the most recent Wrestlemanias. It was fun to watch Mr. T and the Hulk team up back when they were so much younger. Randy wrestled and wrote a piece two years ago about professional wrestling so I'm excited to read this newest piece. Please watch the video. My favorite part is when (very faintly) you can hear Randy say, "Oh no, this is bad."
This morning, I attended a shower to celebrate Amanda's pregnancy. She looks great. The party was fun and it was nice to catch up with friends from college.
Next weekend: Comprehensive exams = approximately 55 hours to write three essays that prove I am Master (with a capital M) material. Topics: 1. GIS and Crime Mapping, 2. Spatial Statistics with regard to Geographically Weighted Regression, 3. Peer Contagion within the Juvenile Delinquent Population. Fun stuff. Wish me luck!
Here is Grandma Whelihan enjoying her big birthday bash. We like to give gifts that call it like it is. (Champion brand was established the same year as my grandmother was born, 1919.)
Right after that trip to NYC to celebrate my grandmother's life, I jetted off to Las Vegas for a weeklong American Association of Geographers Conference in Las Vegas. I was able to present my thesis, Mapping Geographically Weighted Regression: Spatial Nonstationarity of Logistic Regression Models of Juvenile Drug Crime Recidivism. The presentation went well. The questions afterward were tough. That's what I get for writing a statistically-focused paper and inviting people who wrote books on the subject to the session. Not that I'm complaining; their questions and suggestions are super helpful as I put the last touches on my thesis. Statistical stats is so interesting to me, but I am constantly reminded how big the field is. Some day I'll be an expert too. Some day ....Unfortunately, since I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, I got the worst cold during this trip. I went nearly two full years without being sick and, while I'm grateful for that, I'm bummed that I had to endure a cold during this trip. The sessions I attended were fascinating -- census tract changes set for the 2010 big event, mortgage foreclosures, among others -- but the cold was a little more than distracting.
In an attempt to avoid the casinos, I spent a small chunk of time poolside at Caesar's Palace, which was beyond pleasant.
While touring around the city, I did not go into this building. The large photos of Elton John, Bette Midler and Cher were clear signs that I did not belong there.
One of the best parts of the trip was walking out to the Vegas burbs to visit the Springs Preserve. While interesting, it was a bit of a sham -- the water company putting up a museum dedicated to how Las Vegas is so extremely good at saving at water and how environmentally-conscious the area is. Um, excuse me? Sure, the ten-acre lot where the museum stands may be made with the environment in mind, but I had a hard time finding that same mindset in the rest of the area.
Even though I missed Joshua during my week in Vegas, it was nice to have some time on my own. I like exploring.
During my three-hour layover in Chicago on the way back to Philly, I emailed Joshua's best friend Scott to see if he was in the airport. Of course, in only a way that Scott can be, he was just flying in from Duluth. It was great to have a little visit with him before hopping on my flight home.
Once I got back to Philly, Joshua and I went over to our neighbors house to watch wrestling. Back story: Our talented neighbor, Randy, is a writer for the Associated Press and has to produce a piece on the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania. He invited us over to watch the first and the most recent Wrestlemanias. It was fun to watch Mr. T and the Hulk team up back when they were so much younger. Randy wrestled and wrote a piece two years ago about professional wrestling so I'm excited to read this newest piece. Please watch the video. My favorite part is when (very faintly) you can hear Randy say, "Oh no, this is bad."
This morning, I attended a shower to celebrate Amanda's pregnancy. She looks great. The party was fun and it was nice to catch up with friends from college.
Next weekend: Comprehensive exams = approximately 55 hours to write three essays that prove I am Master (with a capital M) material. Topics: 1. GIS and Crime Mapping, 2. Spatial Statistics with regard to Geographically Weighted Regression, 3. Peer Contagion within the Juvenile Delinquent Population. Fun stuff. Wish me luck!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Saturn's Return
Recently I was telling a friend that Joshua and I were celebrating our fourth anniversary of dating this month and that next month I would be celebrating my 30th birthday. She said something to the effect of "that's okay that you didn't meet your husband earlier in your life." I was shocked because I feel like "Okay? It's GREAT!"
Now, I don't mean to imply that I feel anything less than complete adoration for my husband. However, I am so grateful for all those years I had on my own before I met him. I had time to explore my own interests and the world. Since I seem to be at the end of my Saturn's return, I seem to spend a good deal of my down-time reflecting on my life. Let's reflect together!
My second semester of college I realized that I loved being on the water -- sailing and (for a very brief time) as the coxswain on a crew boat. It is amazing to think that it was my friend Julia's mention of sailing being "very cold" and "pretty uncomfortable" that sparked my interest in the sport. This interest had gone on to affect my life in so many exciting and positive ways. I can easily say that without sailing in college, I would have lead a very different life.
And crew, while interesting, wasn't a life-long passion. It may have been due to the fact that it was merely my ability to wake up early that allowed me to be a coxswain. It was definitely my lack of ability to steer straight that eventually caused them to not ask me back for a second semester. I take pride in my complete ineptitude as a coxswain. That's tough to mess up.
(Sailing: Baltimore Harbor with Joellen, Crew: Loyola boathouse with Matt, Roger, Tim and Jon)
Now, I don't mean to imply that I feel anything less than complete adoration for my husband. However, I am so grateful for all those years I had on my own before I met him. I had time to explore my own interests and the world. Since I seem to be at the end of my Saturn's return, I seem to spend a good deal of my down-time reflecting on my life. Let's reflect together!
My second semester of college I realized that I loved being on the water -- sailing and (for a very brief time) as the coxswain on a crew boat. It is amazing to think that it was my friend Julia's mention of sailing being "very cold" and "pretty uncomfortable" that sparked my interest in the sport. This interest had gone on to affect my life in so many exciting and positive ways. I can easily say that without sailing in college, I would have lead a very different life.
And crew, while interesting, wasn't a life-long passion. It may have been due to the fact that it was merely my ability to wake up early that allowed me to be a coxswain. It was definitely my lack of ability to steer straight that eventually caused them to not ask me back for a second semester. I take pride in my complete ineptitude as a coxswain. That's tough to mess up.(Sailing: Baltimore Harbor with Joellen, Crew: Loyola boathouse with Matt, Roger, Tim and Jon)
During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Thailand for six month. I had the opportunity to spend large chunks of time in temples practicing mindful meditation, which were very special times for me. I also spent a lot of time going clubbing with some Thai girls who declared me their "best friend" during my first day of classes. Due to their dedication to my education (i.e. drilling me with Thai vocabulary during lunch) and their interest in increasing their own popularity by having an international friend on their arm all the time, I learned the Thai language and gained a wonderful insight into city-dwelling non-traditional college-aged Thai women. Moreover, during those six months I was also able to spend a few weeks traveling the length of China, a few weeks scuba diving in Southern Thailand and weekends in Malaysia and Cambodia.
(Bangkok, Thailand with P'Aur, P'Ann, Nong Nue and P'Aur's latest boyfriend in P'Aur's bedroom)
During this trip to L.A., I was able to jump in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. It still blows my mind that Erica and I have been friends since kindergarten. This was only one of many trips we took to visit each other over the years -- Utah, Baltimore, L.A., St. Louis, Carlisle, Seattle, and almost in Honduras.
I was able to spend my freshman spring break in Kentucky painting a school and eventually lead the Spring Break Outreach trip within Baltimore during my senior year. As a part-time job during my senior year of college, I was a Center for Values and Service's Volunteer Organizer for Beans&Bread and FOH. Below is a picture of a car wash that I helped to arrange for FOH. Fredrick Ozanam House was a transitional housing program for men going from prison or homeless back into community life. Even though I did not work with these men directly as much as I would have liked, they are the reason why I'm currently in graduate school studying issues of reintegration.
After graduating, I spent a summer working at Getaway Sailing in Baltimore. I taught sailing and was the mate during the week-long sailing camps. I lived in a racially diverse neighborhood which was very eye opening for me. This was easily one of my favorite summers.
After college, I worked at JPMorgan Chase, which is where I had interned the summer between my junior and senior years of college. While I rented an apartment with a co-worker in Newark, DE, I usually commuted up to the NYC Chase building in downtown Manhattan. While I enjoyed the work at times, I often didn't like the mindset of many of my coworkers. I spent every Wednesday night driving down to Annapolis to race Snipes with a former America's Cup crew member or to Havre d'Grace to race Star boats. On the weekends, I'd go down to Baltimore to see my boyfriend at the time and sail with him as much as I could. Eventually, when work got so busy, I tried racing Thistles on the Delaware river, close to my apartment. It was just a race of drifting -- totally depressing like my time in Delaware. I even got a job at an Italian restaurant which was part of a Holiday Inn to have interactions with people who weren't JPMorgan employees and to learn how to waitress in case I ever needed to know (always thinking ahead!). Tellingly, I have no pictures from this 1.5 year time in my life.
My boyfriend at the time told me about a boat named Wireless which was staying at the marina on Gibson Island, MD, a private island, and how they were looking for a chef. One weekend I arranged to try out to work on the boat. It was a disaster which I'll get into another day. In the end, I was hired as the chef, but always referred to there-after as the cook because I only served very simple meals. Below is my mate, Mark with the suckling pig who lived in the freezer and a picture of the view from our boat looking into Redhook, St Thomas USVI where we stayed for six months. If you look carefully, you can see a turtle in the water.
After a year of the craziness of Caribbean boat life, I decided to drive to Seattle, sight-unseen because I heard it was nice. I applied for and was awarded an AmeriCorpsVISTA position at the Refugee Resettlement Office. I had two months before my position began; instead of hanging out on the East Coast, I spent the time going cross country slowly and seeing the sights. Usually I'd drive for a day or two and then spend 4-5 days backpacking in a National Park or Forest. I only spent one night in a hotel -- in Vegas -- because there weren't any campgrounds in the area as cheap or as seemingly as safe as a hotel. I loved this trip and still daydream about it often. So much time spent in the woods by myself was perfect for me. Here I am in the bottom of the Grant Canyon behind Ribbon Falls. I spent the longest chunks of time in Rocky Mountain National Park and Zion.
About a month and a half into my trip, while in Oregon and having a difficult time finding a quiet, safe place to camp, I decided to volunteer at a Catholic Worker house. I had read about them during college while reading Dorothy Day and had always wanted to spend some time in one. I went to a library, did some research and found that there was one in Eugene, Oregon for women and children, St John Bosco House. I contacted them and they welcomed me to come volunteer there. Originally, they suggested that I live with the women and children before I moved into the volunteer housing. I didn't think anything of it; but it was a few weeks later that the volunteer coordinators (un-paid board members) admitted that they simply thought I was homeless but now believed that I was actually a college-educated volunteer. Ha! I didn't mind and ended up continuing to live outside of the volunteer housing, with Liberty and her children (Raven 4 and Sequoia 2) whom I had become very close. Here they are below on the right during pizza night. I ended up returning to Eugene two more times while I was on the West Coast to visit Liberty and her children and to help out at the Bosco House. I spent most of my time there trying to organize fundraisers using the food panty supplies we received -- lots of pumpkin pie baking with the children then trying to sell them after Mass on Sunday (in the middle of August -- ha!).
When I arrived in Seattle, I lived in a hostel for a few weeks until I made some friends who let me sleep on their couch. I am forever grateful for Tara, Christine and Erin's kindness in allowing me to crash there until I could figure out the city. I ended up purchasing a small sailboat (Chatauqua, a 27 foot Catalina), which I hauled out to paint the bottom of and then rarely did any maintenance to after that, that I kept at the Shilshole Bay Marina in Ballard near Golden Gardens Park. A great cheap way to live in Seattle with a beautiful view of the Cascade mountains (and gorgeous daily sunsets).
It was at this time, at the climbing gym down the street (where I could shower in exchange for teaching climbing classes, since my boat didn't have running water) that I met Joshua. He has been on this life adventure with me ever since and I couldn't be happier!
(Bangkok, Thailand with P'Aur, P'Ann, Nong Nue and P'Aur's latest boyfriend in P'Aur's bedroom)
When I got back to America, I realized that I had seen more of Asia than America. To remedy this situation, I bought a train ticket to travel from Baltimore to Los Angeles so that I could visit Erica at her college. Sure, I did not pay the extra money for a sleeper seat for the four-day trip and I missed my train during a layover in Chicago. But these elements made it possible for me to meet this bunch of ladies who also missed the train in Chicago. (Amtrak flew us to catch up with our plane.) I still try to keep in touch with Marg (on the right) and her husband Herb (taking the photo). I have to admit that I was a little underwhelmed by most of the country -- it was simply big and flat. A few years later, while driving cross-country by myself, I reconfirmed that suspicion.
During this trip to L.A., I was able to jump in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. It still blows my mind that Erica and I have been friends since kindergarten. This was only one of many trips we took to visit each other over the years -- Utah, Baltimore, L.A., St. Louis, Carlisle, Seattle, and almost in Honduras.
In college, I was able to volunteer with Beans&Bread Meal Program and the Fredrick Ozanam House (FOH) in Baltimore. Going to B&B started out as a way to get some time on my own -- I would borrow a car from the college every Tuesday morning before my physics labs in order to go down to the meal program and serve with a bunch of retired folks. I did this for three school years because it brought me so much joy. Once we became friends, I had a standing "date" with two patrons of the meal program: an elderly gentleman with a great southern drawl named Bernard and a heroin addict named Laura. They became the people I looked to for support and encouragement.
I was able to spend my freshman spring break in Kentucky painting a school and eventually lead the Spring Break Outreach trip within Baltimore during my senior year. As a part-time job during my senior year of college, I was a Center for Values and Service's Volunteer Organizer for Beans&Bread and FOH. Below is a picture of a car wash that I helped to arrange for FOH. Fredrick Ozanam House was a transitional housing program for men going from prison or homeless back into community life. Even though I did not work with these men directly as much as I would have liked, they are the reason why I'm currently in graduate school studying issues of reintegration.
After graduating, I spent a summer working at Getaway Sailing in Baltimore. I taught sailing and was the mate during the week-long sailing camps. I lived in a racially diverse neighborhood which was very eye opening for me. This was easily one of my favorite summers.
After college, I worked at JPMorgan Chase, which is where I had interned the summer between my junior and senior years of college. While I rented an apartment with a co-worker in Newark, DE, I usually commuted up to the NYC Chase building in downtown Manhattan. While I enjoyed the work at times, I often didn't like the mindset of many of my coworkers. I spent every Wednesday night driving down to Annapolis to race Snipes with a former America's Cup crew member or to Havre d'Grace to race Star boats. On the weekends, I'd go down to Baltimore to see my boyfriend at the time and sail with him as much as I could. Eventually, when work got so busy, I tried racing Thistles on the Delaware river, close to my apartment. It was just a race of drifting -- totally depressing like my time in Delaware. I even got a job at an Italian restaurant which was part of a Holiday Inn to have interactions with people who weren't JPMorgan employees and to learn how to waitress in case I ever needed to know (always thinking ahead!). Tellingly, I have no pictures from this 1.5 year time in my life. My boyfriend at the time told me about a boat named Wireless which was staying at the marina on Gibson Island, MD, a private island, and how they were looking for a chef. One weekend I arranged to try out to work on the boat. It was a disaster which I'll get into another day. In the end, I was hired as the chef, but always referred to there-after as the cook because I only served very simple meals. Below is my mate, Mark with the suckling pig who lived in the freezer and a picture of the view from our boat looking into Redhook, St Thomas USVI where we stayed for six months. If you look carefully, you can see a turtle in the water.
After a year of the craziness of Caribbean boat life, I decided to drive to Seattle, sight-unseen because I heard it was nice. I applied for and was awarded an AmeriCorpsVISTA position at the Refugee Resettlement Office. I had two months before my position began; instead of hanging out on the East Coast, I spent the time going cross country slowly and seeing the sights. Usually I'd drive for a day or two and then spend 4-5 days backpacking in a National Park or Forest. I only spent one night in a hotel -- in Vegas -- because there weren't any campgrounds in the area as cheap or as seemingly as safe as a hotel. I loved this trip and still daydream about it often. So much time spent in the woods by myself was perfect for me. Here I am in the bottom of the Grant Canyon behind Ribbon Falls. I spent the longest chunks of time in Rocky Mountain National Park and Zion.
About a month and a half into my trip, while in Oregon and having a difficult time finding a quiet, safe place to camp, I decided to volunteer at a Catholic Worker house. I had read about them during college while reading Dorothy Day and had always wanted to spend some time in one. I went to a library, did some research and found that there was one in Eugene, Oregon for women and children, St John Bosco House. I contacted them and they welcomed me to come volunteer there. Originally, they suggested that I live with the women and children before I moved into the volunteer housing. I didn't think anything of it; but it was a few weeks later that the volunteer coordinators (un-paid board members) admitted that they simply thought I was homeless but now believed that I was actually a college-educated volunteer. Ha! I didn't mind and ended up continuing to live outside of the volunteer housing, with Liberty and her children (Raven 4 and Sequoia 2) whom I had become very close. Here they are below on the right during pizza night. I ended up returning to Eugene two more times while I was on the West Coast to visit Liberty and her children and to help out at the Bosco House. I spent most of my time there trying to organize fundraisers using the food panty supplies we received -- lots of pumpkin pie baking with the children then trying to sell them after Mass on Sunday (in the middle of August -- ha!).
When I arrived in Seattle, I lived in a hostel for a few weeks until I made some friends who let me sleep on their couch. I am forever grateful for Tara, Christine and Erin's kindness in allowing me to crash there until I could figure out the city. I ended up purchasing a small sailboat (Chatauqua, a 27 foot Catalina), which I hauled out to paint the bottom of and then rarely did any maintenance to after that, that I kept at the Shilshole Bay Marina in Ballard near Golden Gardens Park. A great cheap way to live in Seattle with a beautiful view of the Cascade mountains (and gorgeous daily sunsets).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Maybe Just a Little Stir Crazy
We haven't had a lot to report on this website since Valentine's Day. Sure, we attended a neat play about Philadelphia prisoners, a radical cartography art exhibit, we have been enjoying weekly dinners with neighbors, saw The Wrestler to celebrate our 4 years together, started using coupons (I got shampoo for 0.25 a bottle - score!), Shanti turned (approximately) 3 years old, Simon started self-control classes, Joshua has been working most evenings and weekends while I have completed a large chunk of my thesis and sent out some job applications.
Somehow it seems like the only picture-worthy news is that the dog will now sit still enough for us to balance things on his head like his idols.
Somehow it seems like the only picture-worthy news is that the dog will now sit still enough for us to balance things on his head like his idols.
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