Water Retention

"Strange as it sounds, the less water you drink, the more of it your body retains. If you are even slightly dehydrated your body will hang onto it’s water supplies with a vengeance, possibly causing the number on the scale to inch upward. The solution is to drink plenty of water."


Interesting fact.

Get Fit Holiday!

Current Weight: 142.9
Goal Weight: 125


Goal 1: Jan 10--139
Goal 2: Tone stomach, butt, and thighs.


Goal for break: Make it to the gym 5/7 days a week. Do cardio at least 3 days a week. Do weight machines other 2 days. Every night stretch and do basic tonight. Get into a good workout and eating schedule over break, so it sticks in the spring.

Mike Rowe discusses Dirty Jobs

If you have 20 min to spare, this is a really interesting and inspiring video.

Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs | Video on TED.com - StumbleUpon

Wallow

It's time to stop wallowing in misery.
It's time to stop wishing things would change, or go back to the way they were.
It's time to notice all the wonderful opportunities I have ahead of me.
It's time to realize that I'm beautiful, smart, funny, and a great person to be around.
It's time to realize that someone will see these qualities in me and appreciate me for them.


It's time to stop living in the past.
It's time to start living for the future.
It's time to start focusing on what can and WILL happen when I look at life from a positive stand point.

This school year I will:

• Accomplish my goals
• Strive to live my life for others, and not just myself
• Focus on making myself happy and those around me
• Not let myself get stressed to the point of break down
• Build stronger bonds with the people I care about most, my sisters and peers.
• Stop procrastinating and do what I set out to do.

This summer has yielded it's own struggles, battles, and changes. I go back to school this fall single, having shed 30lbs of unneeded weight, and with new ideas and goals in mind.

I WILL accomplish something big this year...I can feel it.

Positivity

I've decided on a new tool for achieving my goal of "Change and Growth" for this summer. Recently I received a copy of a book called "Positivity" written by Dr. Barbra Fredrickson from UNC. When I first got this book (my mom received it at a teaching conference where Dr. Fredrickson spoke) I figured I'd be reading about this woman's research in positive psychology and her findings on why positive thoughts are helpful. I have found this assumption to be true, however I've also discovered an aspect I was not expecting. 


This book inspires you to be a better person, and strive to live a positive life. Which, I guess is the whole point of positivity, right? The book is divided into two parts, tonight I finished the first part and read the first chapter of the second. Part one is all about her research, what she's discovered about positivity. She discusses her "Broaden and Build Theory" of positivity and how thinking and feeling positive can broaden your outlook and can build up to offer higher levels of resiliency. Throughout this part she inspires you with testimonials from research participants, friends, and even her own life. The most inspiring story was that of Nina, who was on the verge (if not there) of clinical depression and how the Open Heart study helped her to realize positivity's potential for change. Barb discusses how positive thinking and meditation can help you lead a more fulfilling and longer life. You end the first part of the book learning that the tried and tested Positivity Ratio is 3:1 (positive:negative). People who live this ratio are thought to have fulfilling and flourishing lives.


By now you're thinking, great positive thoughts, sounds easy...not really. How exactly am I supposed to change my lifestyle to one that's more positive? That's where Part 2 comes in! Chapter 8 (the first of part two) discusses the Positivity Self Assessment test (used in many of her experiments). She challenges her readers to take this test every day for 2 weeks to determine where their positivity ratio currently subsides. My ratio for day one was not exactly promising...I weigh it at a .67. That's a 1:3, I think I have it a little backward! 


Here's where I begin to challenge myself. The remaining chapters go on to discuss how to go about changing your life from one of negativity to one of positivity. Where was this book three months ago when I was in a slump I never thought I'd escape? Well, it's here now, and not a moment too soon because my slump is returning. I have decided to accept the challenge of positivity. I will be taking the Positivity Self Assessment every night before bed, just like a diet I will begin to change my positive out look on life. I've always been one to lean toward the pessimistic side of life, and I'm deciding now to change that to optimism. Hopefully this will result in more blogging, as journaling seems to be one of the ways to help. Not all entries will be public, I'm sure. Barbara suggests that three months of aiming to think positively will change your life, let's see where I am November 1st. With hope, I'll be on the right track.


I recommend Barbara's book to anyone struggling with something right now. It seems like a great tool to help live a more fulfilling life.

Oh the Places You'll Go

Sometimes, you just need to let go and let life carry you.

I hope your life takes you to all the places you've dreamed of.
I hope you find yourself surrounded by the people who care about you, and the ones that you love.

Let yourself float on the winds of life and take you to where God has planned.
Don't plan out life, let things happen.

These are all ideas I've been trying to drill into my head. I have so many goals and plans in my life. I'm a planner, I always have been. I'm impatient. I want to see where my life will take me, and I want to know now. I'm trying hard to let me life take the path it's meant to, without planning my future out.

You can only plan the certainties, and even those aren't that certain. I can't plan who I'll fall in love with, who I'll marry, what friends will still be around. I can plan that I want to go on to grad school, but even that is not a certainty. I have all these dreams and I'm anxious to find out if they'll happen.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

My family has been looking forward to this vacation since we were here 3 years ago. Every few years my grandparents take their family to Florida for a big Disney or Universal Vacation. Our next trip will occur in about 4 years when my sister is 6 and the twins and Alex are 5, and will be to Disney.


Our trip has included a party of 14 and it's been crazy but fun. My grandparents, mom, Aaron, Mari, Becky, Alex, auntie, uncle Erich, Madi, Jake, and Oliva and Nicholas have made for a fun and eventful week. Of course with any family vacation there is stress and anxiety, but it's full of great times. We are staying in the gorgeous Hard Rock Hotel.

Friday June 18th was opening day for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We arrived on Saturday, and decided to only venture into Universal Studios. About 2 hours into the park we were poured on by Florida's daily storms. We hid out in the Mummy gift shop till we decided to book it for our hotel. All 14 of us booked it out from the back of the park, umbrella's over the baby strollers. Knowing we were getting up at 6:30am to head to Islands of Adventures I crashed by 8:30!

Sunday morning we got up for what we all were waiting for...Hogsmeade! Half the family was in line by 7:15...I met up with them by 7:45. We were in the park by 8am and in line of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Now, I'm NOT a rides person. Roller coasters or simulators. I get REALLY bad motion sickness (the 15 min drive from Houghton to Calumet is disastrous...). However, the walk through the castle was completely worth the wait. However, the line wait didn't seem that bad. I got a ton of awesome pictures of the castle, Dumbledore's office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the Gryffindor common room. They did a great job with moving pictures, which are essentially tvs inside frames. None of those pictures turned out however, because I couldn't capture a picture of the tv. They did a great job recreating the castle.

It's funny because most of the park seems empty, there is 5-15 min waits on all the rides expect Rip Ride Rocket (in Universal Studios) and HP's Forbidden Journey. Once you walk into Hogsmeade you find where all the park patrons are hiding. It's about a 2 hour wait to see Ollivander and see if you're the lucky person in your group of twenty who gets to "pick a wand." We went Sunday night during a rainstorm and only waited an hour. It was worth it though because Madison was the lucky patron who got to find a wand. It was really cool to watch! She of course decided to buy the wand that "picked her" which was a very nice wand. To get into Honeydukes and Zonko's (the candy shop and joke shop that are attached to each other) you usually have to wait in about a 20 min line, but it varies during the day. The same with Dervish and Banges and the Owl Post (these are also attached, Dervish and Banges sells clothing and the Owl Post is the location of all the wands). Right outside the Owl Post you can mail letters, which will be stamped with a Hogsmeade stamp. Sadly it's been hard to get a HP postcard, so I haven't sent any yet.

My most exciting story so far happened this morning however!! I was looking for wands Sunday morning, when they had all of them in stock. I decided to wait for the rest of my family, and to go through Ollivander's, before picking one out. And the store was packed so I wasn't sure that I was getting to see them all.  I passed up what might have been my ONLY chance to buy the Hermione wand. Sunday night when we came back, they were all gone. Sirius Black's was also sold out, and by Monday night Ginny's was added to that list. I was told last night there was a good chance they'd get a shipment of wands in last night and to check back first thing in the morning. I woke up at 6:30 am and headed to line up at 7am with Jake. After waiting for 45min or so we were finally in. Everyone was headed for the rides...so we headed for our only destination: the Owl Post. For the first time this trip I was able to walk right in...and saw the shop practically empty. I was sad when I noticed the shelves stocked with Harry's wand (which was close to sold out) but no Sirius (the wand Jake was looking for) or Hermione. Being smart...I asked the lady behind the counter. She pulled out the LAST Hermione wand. They had found it randomly sometime last night or this morning. They had debated if they should shelve it or not. Wanting to make sure someone who truly wanted it got it, they decided the first person to ask about it got it. Waking up early and waiting in line and being curious proved to be worthwhile. They lady joked that it was meant for me and that it proved good things were to come for me. So, I'm now the proud owner of a very pretty wand. (Check my facebook for a picture)

So far this vacation has resulted in getting very wet from rainstorms, sunburnt from tanning at the pool, and tired from walking so much! However, it's also resulted in some great family fun, some great food, some wonderful new shopping purchases (which by the way is practically all I've done in the parks). Check my facebook for pictures, some will be in a normal album, but some are in my mobile album.

Misty

On Monday my family suffered a great loss. We lost the best family pet we could have ever asked for to cancer.

Misty was a brown Lab and Akita mix who was spunky and full of energy, but also calm and a great family dog. Aaron got her from a neighbor when he was still living with his friend Chris. Chris and Aaron both adopted dogs that summer, Misty and her sister Kaycee. I was 12 when they adopted her, and they got her while I was away at camp. Misty will always be Aaron's dog, but she became a loved part of our family. We all took care of her from the time she was born and she grew to love us all.

When mom had Becca we were worried about how Misty would act. She was always jealous and protective, she didn't really like other dogs being around us and would find any way to get attention. We had no reason to worry though, Becca was part of our family and Misty understood that. She became just as protective of Becky as any of us. The same when mom had Alex. She was a great dog to have around children. Recently Becky learned the joys of having pets and instead of invisible friends, she had her animals. She would take the cat and dog and lock them in her room to play with them. Misty was always calm and understanding, even when Becky was bouncing up and down on her back like a horse. Very rarely would Misty growl or snarl at either of the babies.

Misty loved her daddy and knew when he was gone for work. The days Aaron would leave for training would leave Misty sad and mopey. She's give up her usual spot under the window to lay against the door waiting for her owner to come home. I remember the day he left for Spain, she knew he was leaving and before he walked out the door she came over and hugged him. It was the cutest, most adorable thing you could ever see.

Last fall Misty developed cancer. Determined to save her we had the tumors removed from her stomach. We knew there was a chance they would come back, but we hoped that it was the end of it. Unfortunetly, it wasn't. About two weeks ago mom noticed two more lumps on her hind legs. We knew it wasn't a good sign, but figured we'd leave it, knowing we couldn't afford to remove them again. Last Friday mom came home to find Misty in a state of discomfort. She had been sick throughout the house in an attempt to get outside. She had eaten that morning but thrown it up and refused to eat again. Sunday morning we were able to get her to eat again, but she got sick an hour later. As pet owners it was hard to watch our cherished pet suffer all weekend. We couldn't take her to a vet, but they did tell us how to care for her. We can only hope the Benedryl and Pepcid AC helped to ease her pain in her last few days. Monday mom and Aaron took her to the vet, not sure what to expect. It was worse than we could have imagined. The vet explained that the cancer was back. She was suffering from Mastoma cell cancer which was eating her stomach. The vet explained that the tumors we saw were only part of it, and that based on their size the ones inside must be worse.

It was decided that what was best was to put her out of her misery. Monday afternoon around 5pm we set Misty to her final resting place. Mom and Aaron decided on a private cremation, which means we will receive her ashes back. Misty's remains will be taken to Aaron's parent's house about an 1 1/2 north of our house.

It's been weird not having her around. Anytime I use the ice machine I think of her. She was always at your feet the moment you pressed the button and gobbled up any dropped cubes. Although at times I found her annoying, I miss her. I never expected to feel so attached to her. I miss the feeling of protection of knowing Misty was there.

Our family will always have great memories of our puppy. But now she's playing happily without pain, she's up there with Corissa's dog Indy and the Legros' recently lost Darla. They're all playing happily together.

A "Step" Toward Fitness

I took one step toward a better workout today. I bought nice new running shoes. I decided it was time to invest in a good pair of Nike running shoes, equipped with good women's insoles with arches. With the problems I had with my foot last year I decided the shoes and insoles were worth the $80. Especially if I continue to walk and bike like I have been. Who knows, in a few weeks maybe I can start running!

Yesterday was the first day I hadn't really done a workout. It was so hot during the day that Ash's and my dog walking excursion didn't last more than about half a mile. Not only the heat, but the dogs make it hard to walk for too long. We didn't go for our bike ride since it was Justin's birthday. Of course...the Denny's we had instead was so much better...

Today I walked with my aunt for a little, and got to try out my new shoes. Although it wasn't intense or long, I was at least able to see that my shoes help. And that combined with walking around the mall today gave a little exercise. Tonight Ash and I will go for another bike ride. Riding at night is so much easier since it's not ungodly hot out. I'm hoping to try for about 7 miles tonight, maybe more.

I'm also hoping that spending all day on my feet in the heat on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at work will be beneficial. As long as I can stay away from delicious concession food!

Summer 2010--The Summer of Change and Growth

Due to recent events I'm taking a completely different stance on this summer. My original plan was to spend days laying by the pool catching up on books and magazines. I planned on working full time to help support my boyfriend and I. And I planned on getting some school stuff done.

This is my new plan: CHANGE. I plan on getting fit, feeling more confident in myself, strengthening the relationships I do have, and overall feeling better about myself.

Against my desires, I decided to head back to the YMCA this summer. Although it's not the funnest job, it's a job that was easy to obtain. It'll be my 3rd summer there and I feel like it'll be a good one. It looks like the weather is going to be great, the pool is going to be busier, and my boss is going to give me more hours and more responsibility. It's great to know that they're excited to have me back and plan on putting me "in-charge" outside, along with Kat.

The most exciting thing about this summer however is the Summer 2010 Weight Loss Challenge (as I've decided to call it). Starting yesterday (May 24th) until July 19th I will be competing against Kayla, Ashley, Elliot, and Justin Mercer to see who can lose the largest percentage of body weight. My training can be followed on my facebook via dailymile.com and I'll also be posting details here. I'm starting out at 151 lbs and my goal is to reach 130 lbs. I haven't seen that weight in over two years and I'm excited to get back there.

This summer I closed a large chapter in the story of my life. Breaking up with the man I expected to marry takes effect on your life. But, I'm working toward seeing the positives in the situation. I now have the entire summer to work toward healing and feeling good about myself. This fall I'll be able to enter back to school a new Sam, thinner, healthier, fitter, and more confident. I can't wait to see how I change this summer, and seeing the surprise on the faces of my friends when they see what I've worked so hard for.

Confidence has always been a downfall in my life, and I'm determined to work through my fears and unease to become a stronger woman. I'm learning that I'm a great woman who has tons to offer and I'm going to show the world that.

Acceptance

Everyday proves one step closer to that actual acceptance. It gets a little easier to handle and I feel a little bit happier.

I still miss him. I don't think that will go away anytime soon.

However, I'm ready to stop hoping things will go back to normal. I'm ready to accept my new and exciting future.

Turn back the Clock

I want to turn back the clock. I want things to be different. But they won't. I know they won't. It just SUCKS that they never will be...

A call from him saying he made a mistake won't change anything. I can't go back. At least not now.

Two and a half years...

I'm trying to leave the memories of two and a half years of happiness 10 and a half hours away...in North Carolina. If he wants to hold onto the pictures and the memories, that's fine. Right now, I just wish I could forget.

The truth is...I'm falling apart! I don't want to be, but it's so hard to stop. I just want to stop hurting. I want to feel happy. I want things to be back to normal.

I pick up my phone a thousand times. I pick it up, start a text, and set it back down. I know that I can't and I shouldn't text him. I know that what we both need right now is to stop talking. I need to stop relying on him. I need to make him MISS ME! I want it to be hurting him...just as much as I'm hurting. I want him to be falling apart just like me. But, it's different when you're on his side. This was his choice, why would and should he hurt? I know it hurts him to see me upset. But, now that he doesn't have me sitting on his couch in tears, does it still hurt him? I know that it does.

I feel like one day he'll wake up and realize he misses me. He's going to wake and realize he made a mistake, that I still make his heart flutter and that I'm still important to him. But, I won't go running back. He's right, if he made a mistake, it's one he has to live with. I can't go back to him, at least not now. Which sucks, because all I want is to go back to him so the pain stops...

In the end...

...I thought we were going to be okay.

And in the end...

...I guess we're not.

It's time to move on. It's going to take all the strength I can manage, but I'm a big girl this time.

Post Secret

The first secret posted for today.










I'm waiting...

Stress

I hate the feeling of stress and anxiety. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), but then sometimes I think it's just what happens when you learn about lots of different disorders, you begin to think you have them all...

School can be such a large source of stress sometimes. It doesn't help when other things add to them. I get uptight and frustrated when I'm stressed out, which leads to lashing out and becoming easily irritated. Of course this just adds to the problem.

However, the worst part of the whole thing is feeling guilty. Guilty I can't make time for you, or anyone else. But, if I can't even find time for myself...how do you expect me to find time for you? Just a thought...

Sisterhood

Some people say a sorority isn't worth it, but I know that's not true.

My college experience has been graced by over 50 wonderful women all whom I call great friends. They're there when you need them, and they know how to be the light at the end of a bad day.

Last night was Relay for Life. I didn't think I would be emotional, I figured it'd be a night of walking, fun, laughs, and good times. I was reminded of the impact of cancer however during the survivor lap and Luminaria ceremony as I thought of my uncle, Edward Hughes Sr. After a rough day of stress, my mind was not ready for the emotional impact that this brought. My sisters offered a shoulder to cry on, literally, and a hug to console me. I ended up having a great evening, even after such a stressful day.

You may not always realize the impact of sisterhood, but when you have a bad day you remember why you're there. Sisters are there through good and bad. They're there to dry your tears and comfort you, but they're also there to laugh till you cry and get into crazy adventures with.

Delta Zeta

Friendships

Over the years, friends will come and go. You'll leave old ones behind as new ones come into your life.

I've realized this is a reoccurring theme in my life, and sometimes it saddens me. Part of it is my fault, but I feel like I can't always take the blame. I've moved throughout my life, most before the age of 12. But I realized this alone has had its impact. I can remember friends from when I was only 5 who stayed around for a few years, even after countless moves on both parts. But, eventually distance takes its toll as well as lack of communication. In one way, I'm happy for the increase use of cell phones, the domination of Facebook, and countless other networking tools.

About two months ago my "best friend" from 2nd and 3rd grade found me on Facebook. We exchanged a few messages, reminisced and that was it. Mainly because I realized that they road her life had taken was so far from mine. Me, I'm 500 miles away at a great university hoping to attend an even better grad school in 2 years. Her, she spends her time making illegal movie copies with her boyfriend and is "thinking" about going to college. Not that I'm dissing her way of life, but it was apparent to me she wasn't someone I cared to have in my life anymore.

I've realized in most cases the reason I've left friends behind is because of my ambitions, which is great. School has also lent a hand in my lost friendships. No longer seeing the same people every day means you no longer care to reach out. Or sometimes, you do try to reach out only to be shot down. Sometimes there are relationships I miss, or wish had grown stronger.

In the scheme of things, I try not to regret the friendships lost. In years to come they may be rekindled, or at least contact will be made on some accounts. However, I'm proud of who I'm becoming without those people. And I'm proud of the people I currently call my friends. Most have the same ambitions and goals I do, or at least similar. I think when you reach college age that becomes important, you begin to desire friendships with those who resemble you in some ways.

I have these thoughts when I find myself bored and surfing Facebook. I see pictures and status updates of people I use to be friends with. People I spent hours with, eating lunch together at school, and just hanging out. I realize that some people I miss that connection with, others I find that I'm surprised at what they're doing with their life (good or bad).

Sometimes I wish rekindling friendships was as easy as "Hey, remember that time we..." But I know it's not that easy. Which is why I enjoy the friendships I do have, and try not to think about the ones lost.

Drama

I don't know why, but sometimes I feel like I live for drama. In a sense I thrive off it.

Truly I feel as though I hate drama. However, I always want to be in on the gossip and the story telling.

Maybe it's the environment I grew up in, it just seems like a natural part of life. Fighting and bickering is never fun, but yet I always seem to end up in those situations. Sometimes though it's the best way to get out pent up feelings and aggressions. I'm usually afraid to confront people, and when a fight or drama starts up in is usually only resolved by getting those feelings out. Maybe it's the way I've learned to deal.

I hate being the center of attention, the one whispered about behind my back, but yet I seem to find myself acting in a way that I'm sure it causes such a response. This of course freaks me out and scares me, leaving me paranoid and afraid. I just can't seem to help it.

In the end it results from a lack of self-confidence I feel (listen to me, my psychology school must be paying off, right?). Why else would I subconsciously desire to be the "star." There's got to be some truth in all of Freud's writings.

I know half of this sounds like rambling and doesn't flow. I've got a lot of random thoughts running in my head. But, that's what this is for right?

Phantoms in the Brain--Chapter 2

This chapter focused on Phantom Limbs. This chapter continued to be interesting and made me more excited to read the book.

Phantoms in the Brain Ch. 2

Chapter two gives us a more in depth look at phantom limbs and what may cause them to occur. Ramachandran and others have done many studies on this out of the ordinary phenomena and come up with quite reasonable and understandable explanations. The chapter discusses phantom arms in detail, but gives a brief overview of other phantoms such as legs and feet, faces, genitalia, and breasts.

In chapter two we meet Tom, a 17 year old male who lost his arm in a bad car accident in which he was thrown from his car, ripping his left arm from his body. Dr. Ramachandran explains how his renewed interest in phantom limbs brought him in contact with Tom and then explains the simple, yet very educating experiment he then performed. Using a Q-Tip Ramachandran touched different areas on Tom’s face, to both of their surprise, Tom was able to pinpoint where each facial sensation was picked up on his phantom limb. Ramachandran was then able to do the same with the upper, still attached, part of Tom’s left arm.

This result uses Wilder Penfield’s “ homunculus” (now called the “sensory homunculus”) to describe such a unbelievable result. Penfield was known for being one of the first to map out the brain and which parts correlate to different areas of the body. He was able to map out a strip through the middle of the brain, on both sides, that corresponds with a different set of sensory nerves in the body such as the feet, hands, lips, and other limbs. In this homunculus we see that some areas, such as the lips, contain more of the brain than others, such as the knee. Also, we can also use this diagram to see what areas are next to each other in brain stimulation. In the homunculus the hand is surrounded by the face on one side and the arm on the other. Ramachandran used this to explain how sensations in the face and arm could be felt in the phantom limb. Our miraculous brain can rewire itself in a matter of hours (as short as a day!) and take over unused space. In Tom’s case (and the case of many other phantom limb patients) his brain use the area normally dedicated to the hand and allowed the face and arm to take up more space. The brain is used to receiving signals from the hand when the hand region of the brain fires, in the case of a phantom limb it still believes the hand is sending the signals even when these signals are coming from the face. This results in the patient feeling as though the sensations are coming from the hand because the brain is being tricked. This is the same explanation for other phantom limbs, the brain has taken over the “unused” areas from the amputated limb and the closest regions of the brain now use that area. This results in stimulation in phantom limbs when the stimulation is coming from elsewhere.

I thought it was interesting that these sensations not only occur in hands and feet, but can occur in a woman who has received a mastectomy, a man who has had his penis amputated, and even among women who have had a hysterectomy. The brain makes sure to use all of the space it has, but this can also result in some interesting sensations for the amputee.

Phantoms in the Brain

Look at this, another update. This semester I'm reading an educational book by the psychologist Dr. V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee as part of my Behavioral Neuroscience class. This class is requiring me to write summaries of the chapters I read, and I felt my fellow bloggers may be interested in the book as well. My summaries may include spoliers, but hopefully not too detailed. I hope that with these I can spark your interest and maybe you'll want to pick it up.

Phantoms in the Brain—Chapter 1

Chapter one of Phantoms in the Brain is a basic overview of what the book will contain. The book discusses Ramachandran’s views on neuroscience, scientific discovery, and brain abnormalities. He also does a great job of explaining the brain in a way to allow those who have no knowledge of the brain’s inner workings to understand his book.

The book begins with examples. He gives teasers of what we expect to be followed up in subsequent chapters about the affects of brain damage. We meet an athlete with a phantom limb, a nurse with visual hallucinations, a schoolteacher insistent she is not paralyzed, a librarian who died laughing, and Arthur who insists his parents are imposters. Ramachandran insures us these people are not crazy, and that they don’t belong under a psychiatrist’s careful care, but that they have completely understandable brain problems that just need a little digging to discover.

Ramachandran spends most of this chapter explaining how he views being a medical scientist as being a skilled detective, out to piece together the clues to solve the mystery. Throughout his studies this is exactly what he’s done; uncover mysteries of the brain by piecing together the scientific evidence. I think the most interesting piece of this chapter was when he discussed his teacher, Dr. K.V. Thiruvengadam. The idea that many serious diseases have distinct smells, or even slight physical evidence hardly noticed, is simply amazing. I think it takes a skilled and well-trained doctor to be able to not only know that this type of identification exists, but use it in practice. However, if my doctor were to come into the examination room, sniff me, and tell me that my break smelled like nail polish and therefore I must have diabetic ketosis, I might find him a little crazy.

Our author understands that not every reader is a psychologist and that sometimes science terminology can get scary. I think it’s great that he spends a few pages showing diagrams and explaining the main parts of the brain that he’ll be covering and what their functions are. He also presents it in a manner that is user friendly and doesn’t make the reader feel like they’re reading a textbook.

This chapter left me wanting to know more and continue reading. It also is a fairly fast read, due to its interesting nature and every-day language, for the most part. Chapter one was the enticing introduction it needed to be to get a reader hooked. I am looking forward to the next eleven chapters.

Two in One Day!

Another thing I've been wanting to share on my blog is this crazy video I watched in my Behavioral Neuroscience (AND my Physiological Psychology) class. Chapter one in both books covers the idea of Lobotomies. The idea of taking brain matter, or severing brain tissue in the frontal lobe of the brain to cure severe mental diseases, such as Schizophrenia. To me, it's a horrible procedure, and watching this video twice slightly disgusted me. It's so crazy to me that a man would think that randomly affecting someone's brain the way Walter Freeman did was the right way to cure a disease. However, as was pointed out in another class, sometimes what we think is right at the time, and the best treatment, will be seen as unethical and ridiculous in the future. We'll see what the future brings for the severing of the Corpus Collosum, the area in your brain that connects the two hemispheres, in epilepsy patients.

Enjoy the video. Post your comments! How do you feel about this?

Seems about time...

I've been wanting for some time now to actually get on here and update, but it seems like my crazy hectic life prevents me from doing anything not already ingrained into my normal routine. Maybe I can practice my Psychological skills and create this into a habit...how long does it take? 21 Days? I should know this seeing as I'm slowly becoming an "expert" on the brain and behavior. I have to say that I really do enjoy it however. It's fascinating to go to class every day and learn something new and exciting about how my body really works to perform different functions. Learning that, yes, I really do use 100% of my brain and it does miraculous things! (PS-Don't believe Pierre Flourens, you use all of your brain, not just 10%, silly man)

This semester I seem to be really getting into what being a Psychologist is all about, the brain and behavior. I'm finally starting to feel that when I leave this Tech savvy institute I really will know something about Psychology. Last semester I learned about all the ways we as humans can be messed up and "crazy" by learning about Abnormal disorders of the body. Depression, sleep disorders, sexual disorders to name a few mild ones. Then Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar Disorder, and different personality disorders. It's all such a fascinating subject. And then there was my class on all these famous men (and a few women) who made Psych what it is today: a fastly growing science. So many of these people did things I consider incredible. Some of these people were not only noted Philosophers, but Mathematicians, Physicists, and even map-makers. Talk about busy lives! Most of them were bi-lingual, and had received multiple degrees.

However, now it's getting down to the science of Psychology, and it's really what I love. How our neurons work inside our body to fire messages back and forth to tell my body to do something. How complex it really is to learn and remember facts and all the different aspects of my nervous system working together so that I can see this computer screen and remember where the keys are to type. Did you know it's actually harder to think than it is to see? Our brain is so complex, but yet it's not wired for the task of thinking! It's set to memorize, not to think, which is why it's easier to do math when you've memorize your multiplication tables than to start fresh every time. Your brain takes much longer to contemplate answers when it doesn't have memory to backup it's ideas. However, in a sense seeing is more complicated! But, your brain is wired to help you see. All the neurons in your head fire to send that image from your retina to the exact center in your brain where it will read the information before sending it to another area to tell you what you're seeing. This occurs in a matter of seconds! But we can't program computers to do it for us, because it's too complex for them! Seeing, moving, hearing, all these mental processes take complex strategies that sometimes change, and you can't program a robot to contemplate a situation and decide what angle is best for it to paint a car part at (which is why they arrive at the painter in the same position every time), or if there is an error in the part it's seeing. This is why humans are still around in these processes.

It really is fascinating what the brain can do!