by E. Paul Zehr
And then we kind of just said bye and hung up.
It kind of hurts being left out. Where have the three amigos gone? Maybe I couldn’t make the swim team, but I am going to train so hard this year and prove to everyone that I can do physical stuff too!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Had a great moment with Ricki today. Nothing super cool comics-wise. But she did show me this new cool insulin pump she just got. Ricki’s diabetic and has to give herself insulin injections. When I came into Curious Comics today, she said “Hey Jess! Guess who’s part Iron Man now? I’ve got my own cyborg implant!”
She showed me this little package that was stuck on her arm. Inside was insulin and it gets injected into her blood by the implant whenever it’s needed. There’s a needle inside it that supplies insulin automatically. Amazing!
Now Ricki doesn’t have to do her insulin injections all the time. It looks pretty futuristic. It really is a technological connection to the body and has an Iron Man vibe. I told her I’d bring Audrey by to check it out! (If I can find her . . . )
I remember Mr. Richardson telling us in science class that our bodies are, like, 60% water. About two-thirds of that water is in my cells and one-third kind of connects the cells together.
Some scientists from France, United States, and Canada spent a lot of time thinking about what this means for our bodies and how they work. They came up with a term called “homeostasis.”
Mr. R. said homeostasis is basically balance in the body. And because of all that liquid, it turns out that floating hormones move all over the body to do practically everything.
Everything from my occasionally (OK, possibly often) shifting moods to how strong I can be. When homeostasis is not in balance because of a problem in the body, lots of things can go wrong. A big one that comes from problems with the pancreas, kidneys, and the level of sugar in the blood, is diabetes.
Mr. Richardson tried to gross us out by telling us that up until about 1100 CE people tested for diabetes by drinking urine to see if it was sweet! Y-U-C-K. I’m not sure if I’ll tell Ricki about that one.
I am pretty sure she never checked out her pee like that. At least I hope not. Makes needles seem a lot more civilized anyway. And that new automatic pump seems like a real superhero invention.
Ricki’s got the first kind, or type 1 juvenile diabetes. She found out when she was 12. She was always super tired and she was drinking lots and lots of water. And she said she was eating OK but kept losing weight. I know all this because I peppered her with questions! She lost 10 pounds one summer, she said. Her mom and dad were getting a bit worried that maybe she had diabetes or something. And they were right.
Part of how body balance works has to do with responding to stress. Stress is some kind of challenge to the body. Mr. Richardson said that a challenge to the body is met when the body responds to the stress by changing, so the effect of the stress is smaller. Err . . . we were all getting pretty confused at that point, so Mr. Richardson used the idea of playing a guitar.(I’ve always wanted to play guitar!)
When you first start to push on the strings, it hurts your fingers. That’s the stress. Over time, you build up calluses on those fingers. Those calluses are thicker skin and are the body’s response to reduce the stress of pushing on the strings. So it hurts less. But if you do too much too fast, you don’t have time for a callus to form. So you get a blister.
Then Mr. Richardson went on with his “stress of life” talk (again). But this time about outer space! He is really into space travel and astronauts. I think Mr. Richardson wanted to be an astronaut himself, actually. But he is 6-foot-6 so he couldn’t have been one anyway — he is over NASA’s 6-foot-4 limit. Too bad, poor guy.
Today he combined some physics with some biology talking about the force of gravity and the cells in our bodies. The bottom line was that one of the reasons we actually have the form and shape we do is because the force of gravity from Earth is pulling on us all the time. And if you don’t have that force, our bodies would really go downhill.
Well, Mr. Richardson said that’s a big problem in space. Because there is no gravity, that stress isn’t there and the body just gets flabby. It’s going to be a big problem for traveling to other planets. Or even now, for astronauts on the Space Station.
Since I like to get first-hand information, I asked Mr. Richardson if I could write to some astronauts and ask them. It’s a good bit of background research for understanding how human bodies change with stress. The stress on Batgirl in space! As soon as Mr. R. gets me an address, I’m going to write to somebody at NASA who’s had a mission on the International Space Station.
Which reminds me of my main mission: what stresses do I need to have in order to help me become Batgirl? And how can it be done without becoming a blister?
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
So I have a blister on my knuckles. This is pretty funny, considering how I finished my last entry. Auntie G was teaching me how to hit the punching bag. She told me to go slow and just do a little bit the first day. She told me I was training my skin and bones, not just my courage to hit something heavy (but kind of softish).
Yes. The heavy bag is soft but the covering likes to grab at your skin a bit. Auntie G said to do 50 punches with each hand and then stop. Enough for today. Let the skin thicken a bit and try again next time.
But I thought that more would be better, right? So, I did 200 with each hand.
I know, I know. After 100, my knuckles were getting red (and sore), but I pushed myself to do more. (I am going to show everyone!) I was determined to be tough! And then I was so tough, my skin blistered and ripped and now Auntie G says I have to wait two weeks to do it again. Got to let the skin heal.
Auntie G: “Jessie, slow and steady wins the race. Think about it and please be careful.”
Me: “My hand hurts.”
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17
I finally heard back from Bryan Q. Miller! Writer of the best Batgirl ever — Stephanie Brown!
Dear Bryan,
I am so happy that Ricki convinced me to write to you! She’s my comic-book source and told me about your work. Like writing for Batgirl comics and Smallville. I have a school project to investigate superheroes and we can also include science so I told Mr. Richardson (he’s our biology teacher) that I am going to look at really “extreme” human abilities.
I think he imagines the X-Games or something. The truth is that I am looking at the reality of becoming as slick as Batgirl! I considered all kinds of human superheroes but I think Batgirl is best. Which is where you come in. Or why I am writing to you, I mean.
Because your Stephanie Brown Batgirl was awesome. She’s a great character and I love the way you wrote her. I especially like the great talks between Stephanie and Barbara. Or Batgirl and Oracle. Well both. I think you know what I mean!
Much appreciated—the goal was to make them as close a thing to sisters and friends as possible. They each had something to gain by engaging with the other.
The way you had Steph talk with her mom was also cool. Actually, sounds kind of silly but I just basically liked all the stuff you did in Batgirl. So there.
Anyway, sometimes I get off track a bit. Like just now. Yeah. Here are my questions!
Who is your favorite superhero? Is that the same as when you were a teenager like me? (This year I turned 13.)
When I was much younger, it was Spider-Man, hands down. A normal, smart kid with terrible luck who had trouble fitting in, who suddenly found a sort of release and joy in anonymity and superpowers. Now? Superman. Not that I didn’t love Superman when I was little, but, as an adult, I have a much greater appreciation for everything that he stands for—for the symbol that Superman is. Truth. Justice. Freedom. And (depending on how he’s being written) he makes all of that possible with a strong arm, a gentle hand, and a polite smile. He’s a symbol for all
the greatness humanity can and should achieve . . . and he isn’t even one of us. Simply remarkable!
And happy 13!
Do you think Batgirl could ever beat someone as tough as Batman?
I certainly hope she would never be put into that situation. Are we talking physically, mentally, or emotionally? Emotionally, I think Batgirl takes all. Stephanie, for better or worse, faced and accepted her past and self-realized herself into a new stage in life. She knows how important it is to have a community and support system as well and does what she can to maintain it. Batman, not so much. Or, at least, not to where he would admit it. Physically, he’s the best of the best and a tank of a man. Hard to beat in a straight fight. Unless someone manages to trap him inside of a giant hourglass or something. ;-)
Did you ever worry about Stephanie’s safety when she was out on patrol as Batgirl? She had to fight some pretty bad people.
Yes, which is why it was so important for her to not be afraid to ask for help when she needed it. Like in issue #23, when she knew going in to the prison scenario that she was going to need back-up. And so she set things in motion to get her lady-friends in place ahead of time! Steph is also a very resourceful young woman and doesn’t really have any issues with pride. She’ll do her best to overcome any obstacle but knows when to fall back and regroup. She’s been through too much to ignore the lessons of her past.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I always wanted to be a creator of some sort—whether that be through art, photography, or writing. The bug has always been there to tell stories. Writing is a great way of doing that.
How did you know how to write such a great girl character?
Thanks! The key, really, isn’t to write a character as male or female—just to write them as a person. “How would a person in that character’s situation react?” You should never go to a place of “a girl wouldn’t say that!” Anyone, of any race, of any sex, can do or say anything. How they behave is based on their past experiences and their current sense of self.
I’m not trying to actually become Batgirl, BTW. But I am trying to get better at stuff in real life. I am doing lots of exercises and taking martial arts lessons from my aunt. Do you have any advice for me?
Though physicality is important for being a hero, never forget that heroes inspire through their actions and deeds, and not just with the throwing of a punch. Heroes are symbols. They inspire. Gandhi was a hero, right? So was Martin Luther King Jr.
Thanks for creating such a great character!
In all fairness, I simply carried the ball downfield—Mr. Chuck Dixon (I believe) gets the Stephanie credit. All the same, thank you for going along on the adventure with her!
Oh man! Bryan is so talented. He could do so many different things but chose writing. I think it’s so cool the way he talks about writing characters as people — not men or women or girls or boys. And about how heroes and superheroes inspire.
He has inspired me to keep writing, that’s for sure!
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24
OK. Let’s get right at it. I’ve been busy this whole month peppering Mom with questions about the body. Over the years she has done lots of lab tests on all kinds of athletes: ones who row, do judo, or ski. And professional athletes like NHL players from New York, Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Buffalo. She has been busy!
Now I need to get serious about “Building Batgirl’s Body.” It’s basic training for Jessie.
I’ve been sleuthing out how training will affect my body. Like my muscles, my bones, and even my skin (and maybe how to avoid more blisters in the future!). I don’t want my mom directly involved so I’ve been real sneaky asking her stuff. But I did get her to help me figure out how to do some fitness tests on myself. And Shay helped too. I suspect she thinks it’s best to be nice so I give her a decent Christmas present. And so she can get Mom and Dad to think she’s been good all year. Not.
The fitness tests will tell me if I’m actually getting stronger and stuff. The Big Bad List of Things Include:
* Number of pushups in a minute
* Number of situps in a minute
* Number of chin-ups I can do (chin-ups are evil, BTW. Pure. Evil.)
* How many seconds I can hold my body up in a chin-up (when the number of chin-ups is less than one, this is, like, microseconds! LOL.)
* How far I can get my fingers past my toes when I’m stretching forward
* How long it takes me to run around the soccer field three times
* How long I can hold a plank position (like from Pilates that we did in gym.)
* How long I can balance on one leg . . . before falling over
I’ve kept up my rock-climbing class and my karate. Those seem to be pretty good activities for keeping my body in good shape and getting me strong.
Mom says it’s good to do many different kinds of activities. She calls it “cross-training”; it can help me (Batgirl) train two (or three or many more) things at once. My mom says that there are lots of different ways to do that. She quite likes “CrossFit.” I may give it a try!
I saw this show about the CrossFit Games. They had the women’s competition and I just about fell out of my chair. Okay. I was lying on the couch, but still I was startled.
One of the competitors was from Iceland. She won the CrossFit games twice. Which is pretty impressive, but it’s not why I fell off the couch. That happened because of her name. But not her first name (Annie), her last name, which is Thorisdottir. That is Icelandic for “Thor’s Dottir” = Thor’s Daughter! Awesome. Thor!
But anyway, back to me. My muscles do lots of different things. But all of them involve producing force, apparently! But producing large forces — being strong — and producing force while moving quickly — being powerful — are not exactly the same thing, as it turns out.
Batgirl does loads of training. From all the stuff in the comics and my research with Mom, it looks like hours and hours a day would be needed to develop her physique.
And she’d need to keep training all the time to maintain it. She is also a busy high-school student. This means that Batgirl is continually on the go.
No matter what Batgirl does, it involves moving somehow. Fast or slow, lots or little. All of that movement means her muscles are constantly pulling on her bones. So, Batgirl’s bones cannot be brittle. Brittle is bad. How do I toughen up my bones?
Question: does Batgirl drink milk? I’m guessing yes. She’d look funny on one of those ads with the milk mustache on her mask. I prefer chocolate milk, if you’re asking. Mom says milk helps strengthen bones as well as muscles.
It seems like Batgirl needs to be really good at all things. Can I be the best at everything, though? Can I be the strongest, fastest, and go the longest? I also need to get more ammo to sling back at Dylan. Maybe Batgirl isn’t as strong as Batman, but in some things women can have better stamina than men! That’s a tidbit from Mom. I wish I’d known that when Dylan and Audrey were arguing about men and women.
Something my mom said recently really stuck with me: men and women do have different capabilities. But for a long time women weren’t even allowed to compete in the same sports as men. So how’s it fair to say men were better than women if they didn’t even let women train at those sports? Mom says now that women can do all the same sports as men, the difference is getting smaller and smaller.
So there, Dylan.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
My secret Batgirl training is going well. Something I find pretty neat is when I learn how to do some special martial arts move. Like when Auntie G showed me how to escape from a wrist grab. I was, like, yanking and yanking on her hand and arm. And getting NOWHERE. I just could not get free from her grab no matter how hard I tried. Then she showed me how to turn my body and twist my wrist — poof! My hand popped right out of her hand. It was so very cool. Well, it was pulchritud
inous.
I keep making lots of mistakes even though I can see I’m getting a bit better! I looked up on the net (brainfacts.org) that the cells in my brain have been changing from all this! Scientists who study the nervous system — who do neuroscience — call this “plasticity” because it gets at the idea of the brain’s “changeability.” And what is controlling all of that? Turns out different parts of the brain do different things.
A bit way at the back of my head is called the cerebellum. Kind of looks like cauliflower, but that could just be because I’m hungry! What’s weird about the cerebellum is that it’s one-tenth of the whole brain but has more than half of the brain cells, a.k.a. neurons!
Since there are like 100 billion neurons in the brain, that means 50 billion are in that little cerebellum. And it turns out that each neuron could have 1,000 or up to 10,000 connections on it! That’s 100 trillion connections! Something is definitely going on in there.
I tried to use some of those neurons today in a special test we learned in gym class. We did this reaction time test to see how fast we could respond to something. It was pretty cool — we got to measure time in centimeters!
We got into pairs (I was with Audrey — yay!) and each pair got a ruler. Then we took the ruler and one partner (me) held it hanging down between my thumb and first finger. Then I just let go of the ruler and Audrey was supposed to grab it as quickly as possible between her hands.
Mr. Pratt said that gravity is pulling down on the ruler with a constant force and we could use the distance the ruler traveled as a way to tell how long it took to grab it! Closer to the top means faster!
