A way to keep in touch with family and friends
I came across a great story of Zoe Koplowitz, who finished the New York City Marathon this year in last place. Not only that, she finished in 31 hours. She has multiple sclerosis and walked it on crutches. She finishes in last place every year, but what matters is that she finishes. The link below has more details and a video.
http://blisstree.com/feel/ms-inspiration-zoe-koplowitz-finishes-last-place-at-the-nyc-marathon-897/
I saw this article today. It basically says if you are healthy in middle age, you will be less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700138313/Running-ability-in-middle-age-predicts-heart-status-as-you-age.html
These kinds of studies motivate me because I love to run, but sometimes it’s hard for me to justify spending time on it. This suggests that not only will I be healthier during the years that I run but also exercising will likely protect me from some health risks.
Yesterday was an important day. I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation. It’s been a long, challenging road, but it has been worth it. I don’t have a lot today say about it, but I did want to share a portion of my defense with all of you. It’s the Acknowledgements section. In this part, I had a chance to recognize the many wonderful people who have done so much to help me get to this point. You don’t get many opportunities like this in life, so I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to share it publicly. Below are some excerpts.
Upon entering the Biomedical Informatics program at the University of Utah, I had only a vague idea of the field of biomedical informatics. I had information-systems expertise but had taken only one college-level course in biology—12 years prior to that time—and had little understanding of the medical, statistics, and public-health disciplines. Despite that lack of knowledge, I had a strong desire to learn and to develop my skills. Thanks to the guidance and patience of numerous mentors, friends, and family members, I have grown immensely during my time as a doctoral student and feel prepared for the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
First and foremost, I gratefully acknowledge my wonderful wife, Laurel (Harmon) Piccolo. We started dating as I started this doctoral program, and we were married by the end of my first year. Many times I have been discouraged or flustered, and just as many times she has buoyed me up with heartfelt words of encouragement and expressions of confidence. Additionally, Laurel has cared for our wonderful children, cooked glorious meals, and performed innumerable chores to make up for the long hours required by my studies. What a marvelous companion, support, and friend!
Secondly, I acknowledge our two young children, Kate and Joshua. Their smiling faces, innocent love, and abundant energy have lifted my spirits each day and provided motivation to push through difficult obstacles.
Thirdly, I express gratitude to several family members who have been instrumental in helping me reach this point. From an early age, my mother, Alice (Cook) Piccolo, encouraged me to explore a variety of disciplines. With her encouragement, I attended a computer-skills class in high school and discovered a new aptitude and interest. Mom has always been a comforting influence in my life and helped me cope with challenges. My father, Richard Piccolo, has taught me the value of consistency, hard work, and responsibility. During most of his career, Dad has arisen before sunrise and ridden his bicycle to work. Often he has followed his day job with a second or third job to support his family. I also thank my aunt, Janice Piccolo, and my pseudo-aunt, Linda Palmer. In addition to offering their cheery demeanors and insightful perspectives on life, they generously allowed us to live in their basement apartment during the final (and most demanding) stages of completing this dissertation. And many thanks be to Roger and Maxine Harmon, Laurel’s parents, who brighten my day each time I see them and who continuously offer support beyond any expectation.
Many thanks to the rest of you, even though I didn’t mention your name specifically, for your support, friendship, and encouragement!
I haven’t posted much on this blog lately, but I wanted to tell you my latest news. For the past four years I have been paid to attend school full time while working on my PhD. I’m still working on my PhD (hopefully I’ll finish in the next 2-3 months), but my scholarship/fellowship has ended, so I had to find a way to pay the bills Yesterday I started a job that I’ll be doing for the next few years or so. It’s unique, I must say. I’ll be half employed as a researcher in the University of Utah’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. And I’ll be half employed as a researcher in BYU’s Department of Statistics. So I guess I’m in the PAC-12, and I’m independent! (That’s a football joke.)
For my job, I’ll be working on some cutting edge research related to analyzing people’s DNA and RNA (basically speaking) and coming up with better ways to determine the best treatments for cancer patients. I feel very privileged to be doing this kind of work and to be working with great people.
Just wanted to share a quick link to something I thought you might be interested in. Awhile ago, I came across an article about the USA soccer team’s starting goalie, Tim Howard. He has a disease called Tourette’s Syndrome. This is a neuropsychiatric disorder that causes involutary tics, or repetitious physical movements. For example, he often coughs, clears his throat, or jerks his head. You’d think that could be a problem for a soccer goalie, who requires a lot of concentration. What I found interesting is that Howard has fully accepted that this disorder is part of who he is and wouldn’t change it about himself (or take medication for it). In fact, he has reached the highest levels of success in soccer with the condition.
Sometimes we look at ourselves and perceive certain qualities that we have as being abnormal or limiting. Especially when those qualities are beyond our control. While I believe it is possible to overcome many of our weaknesses, especially with God’s help, I also think it can be empowering to acknowledge our limitations and make the most of life despite them. And who knows, maybe what we perceive as a limitation can actually become a strength in ways we don’t now understand.
Your thoughts?
(Here’s the article about Tim Howard.)
It’s Kate’s b-day soon, and we were having a party, so Laurel decided to bake a cake for her. She went online and found some clip art of Baby Bop. For those of you who are unversed in children’s TV shows, I’ll tell you that Baby Bop is a friend of Barney the Dinosaur. Kate loves watching Barney and especially Baby Bop (unlike me). Anyway, Laurel found some clip art of Baby Bop, printed it out, and baked an amazing cake based on it. See the picture below.
She told me she wasn’t sure how it would turn out because she’s not good at this kind of thing. Boy, I’d really like to see what she could do if she only had some talent. 
Nice work, Laurel!
Laurel, my wife, sings with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. On Easter they sang at the church’s General Conference, and her beautiful face was shown in a close-up at the end of a song. See for yourself. (Thanks to my bro for pointing it out.)
Sorry to brag, but I just wanted to let you all know that I survived the race and wrote about the experience here: http://run.hammerpig.com/survived-buffalo-run-50-miler.html. Knowing that I had told you all that I was going to run it, gave me strength to push through the difficult parts.
I just put up a new post on my running blog about a race I’m running tomorrow. You can read about it here.
What Kinds of Goals Are You Setting for 2009?
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