Nature Does Her Thing

"You've never seen it miss this house, and miss that house, and come after you!" - Jo from Twister

I've been watching the tornadoes hitting the south with an understanding of what they're going through though certainly not the scale. I remember very clearly dealing with tornadoes while living in Oklahoma, especially the one in 1999 that restructured OKC as we know it.

What's been interesting to me is listening to NPR's coverage here in NY. NY isn't used to tornadoes and had an apoplectic fit when a tiny little one hit Brooklyn. What seems to amaze people is the random nature of it. With hurricanes, an entire area is devastated. But tornadoes hit one house and skip another and it's entirely random. One house will have wind damage, another will be gone. The NY commentators seem especially devastated by this.

I've lived through earthquakes, tornadoes, monsoons and a blizzard. Of all of them, I think the uncertainty of the tornado is the hardest to grasp, though there's a sense of calm around it. You can literally sit outside and watch it coming, as long as you duck into an interior closet or cellar before it gets to you. You can't see an earthquake coming, but they're over quickly. Hurricanes are tracked and can be prepared for. Blizzards usually have indicators. And you kinda know when a tornado is coming - you can feel it in the air. The sky turns green and gets calm. There's not usually rain. Then a black funnel drops out the sky or comes along the horizon. If it doesn't drop on you, it's kinda awesome in the sheer power of it. But it's like watching through glass until it gets close. It's so hard to believe. But that's nature, in all her beautiful and destructive glory.

More School....Almost To Summer!

My third calculus test has been conquered. I feel pretty good about this one, though I have long learned that my personal feelings regarding a test has no bearing at all on the grade. I spoke with my professor afterwards and he outlined how to prepare for the final. I'm doing my best to take his advice.

Brain and Behavior continues to be interesting. We're going quickly through the last of the topics since we lost several days to snow and we're behind. Today we discussed learning and memory which are fascinating from the biological psychology aspect. Like a lot of this field, a great deal of our knowledge comes from those who've suffered brain damage and the results thereof. After the class, the professor and I briefly discussed the use of memory manipulation as treatment for PTSD and other trauma related issues. Really fascinating.

Which leads me to my current plans for my senior thesis (Honors College requirement). After discussing it with my senior seminar professor, I think I'm going to examine the difference between Type I and Type II PTSD. The former is trauma that happens to an individual and the latter is observed trauma. The professor works with 9/11 responders, most of whom have Type II PTSD, and is going to try to get me access to some of those sessions, with the permission of the patient, of course. She's rather well regarded in that area of psychology, so I'm excited to see how we work this out. The HC director approved the topic and the accompanying independent study. Very excited!

Back in the Saddle

On Wednesday, I returned to horseback riding. The winter was so nasty and the weather has been so uncertain until now that it hasn't been possible. But Wednesday was really nice (against the weather report of rain) and it was nice to be back at the barn.

I love the smell of the barn. Hay and horses is an amazing and intoxicating smell. While Christine (a teacher in the art department and fellow rider) and I waited for our lesson, I joked that the child in the ring we were watching posted better than I did. Christine commented that I canter better than any of them, which was very kind.

The new instructor is my speed, though I secretly enjoyed watched Alyssa and Sue (our club sponsor) argue. I was on Spanky who is the most beautiful shade of red ever. He's tall, but not to tall that I couldn't mount him on my own if he was saddled with a western saddle. The lack of pommel on the English saddle makes that impossible. The problem with Spanky is that he's a little lazy and a bit of a follower. I gave him a regular pep talk about how he should be his own horse and not listen to the gossip around the stables, after which he stopped following the others so much. Breakthrough!

We trotted for an hour, getting back into the rhythm of posting. The new instructor commented that I had a Western post and we worked on correcting it. She means that I sit far back in the saddle, making posting a lot more work for me and the horse. After I corrected it, there was definite improvement. At the end of the lesson, I dismounted and undid Spanky's saddle, then took him back to the barn. I removed his bridle and brushed him down, promising that at some point I would get him on a Western saddle and we'd go trail riding. He was a Western horse, so I think we had an understanding. I hung out at the barn for awhile and just enjoyed being there.

I like horses. They're not particularly fragile (getting one to move when you're dismounted and they don't want to is a full body effort) but as a species they're incredibly gentle. When we're waiting on the line and Spanky starts dancing because he wants to run, there's that moment where I just want to let him so we can see how fast we can go. But one of the differences between English and Western riding is control (as well as the use of reigns - didn't realize that so much until recently). So Spanky and I don't run, but I think we have a secret understanding that, in a different saddle, we would.

As a side note...2 days later, I'm still extremely sore. So out of shape...

For my fellow hat lovers...

White House Black Market (one of my favorite places to stimulate the economy) has a lovely collection of spring and summer hats.

Click here for the goodness.

Different Kinds of Pain

Different medical conditions have different types of pain associated with them. When you have more than one pain condition (as I do) then you get more than one kind of pain. This sucks for people who are dealing with me in pain because they have to work out which kind I'm in before they can help in any way.

My joints hurt because of the weather (arthritis) pain - This is pretty self explanatory. Thankfully, aspirin or any anti-inflammatory helps with this.

My uterus hates me (endometriosis) pain - For the ladies, imagine your cramps on steroids. Like a knife to the girly bits. Not much helps with this except percocet and heat.

My entire body hurts and is slightly numb (fibromyalgia) pain - This is actually really hard to describe, but I think I worked it out. You know when you leg goes numb and you rub it? That feeling, all over. It's miserable. Nothing much to do but stay in bed, stay warm and try to walk as little as possible since that is the definition of hell. My doc and I are working on the preventative level to try to keep things under control, but it's hit and miss.

All of these can happen at lesser levels and I usually experience at least one of them a day. Unfortunately, they can also happen in concert, which is highly annoying. The fibro one is especially annoying because my brain is fully active and aware, it's just my body that refuses to do what it's told.

The good news is that after a really bad day, the next day is usually better (can't be much worse) so today is a better day. And because I slept on and off all day yesterday, I am actually feeling rested. Huzzah!

Dollhouse

Since Karina hooked me up and showed me how to make Netflix happen on my TV. It's awesome. I have since stumbled on the series Dollhouse, by Joss Whedon, the genius behind Buffy and Firefly, among others. Dollhouse, like many a fascinating series, only lasted for 2 seasons. But the entire thing is available on Instant Queue from Netflix.

The premise is that an organization, referred to as the Dollhouse, is able to wipe the mind of people so that they can then be imprinted with other personalities at the request of high price clients. These personalities can range from negotiator to assassin to girlfriend or boyfriend for hire. Between jobs, or engagements, the "dolls" are in a childlike state. It's described as being reborn each time. They live in a utopia where they are constantly catered to.

The show focused on the growing awareness of Echo (Eliza Dushku), one of the Dolls, as well as the people around her and the FBI agent trying to crack the myth of the Dollhouse.

Psychologically, it's really fascinating. I'm just about done with the first season and I like it a lot. It helps that there are several fantastic actors on the show that I like. I recommend it for anyone who either has Netflix Instant Queue or can rent it.

Spring Cleaning

I am a cleaner. I love to clean because I like the process and the finished product. In the Spring, the desire to purge also comes into play. I've gone through my books and other entertainment to ensure that I don't have repeats or anything that's no longer of interest to me. I go through my clothes every season, so that I'm not so worried out.

However, in this house, I have more than my own things. My former roommate (2 ago) has just taken the last of his things from the house, though the garage still has quite a lot. And it's made me want to clean more of it out. The problem when it's not all yours is that you can't just be rid of it. Consensus and process has to be observed.

I've moved several times as an adult, and each time I've moved I've done a very strict inventory of my things. In a year, I'll move again and I'll be moving out of the house I've been in the longest and that is the largest, so I have the most stuff I've ever had. I'm starting to prepare now. For example, most of my photos which sit in boxes are getting digitally scanned and disposed of. They're just sitting in boxes anyway, but this way they're stored and I don't need space for them. Document which I no longer need originals of are getting similar treatment. Slowly yet surely, I'm clearing out things I no longer want or need, or don't want to take into the next iteration of my life. This should make it easier to move next summer. And it fulfills my need to clean and organize.

The Sad State of Progress

In addition to spending a great deal of time at Disneyland in my childhood, my family also visited Knotts' Berry Farm. I distinctly remember one such visit when my father and I went alone (I think my sister was still very small). Specifically, we rode the Soap Box Racers more than once. Dad used the ride to demonstrate how weight distribution can influence speed when going around corners. The lesson has never left me. Also, it helped that we won every race.

Tonight, while avoiding writing a research paper, I did a little research on the current rides and status of Knotts'. Most of the history I was already familiar with, but I was heartbroken to realize that the Soap Box Racers were removed in the late 90's and replaced with yet another roller coaster that is nearly identical to several others.

So sad. Completely heartbroken. When Disney replaced the traditional submarines with a Finding Nemo ride, at least the subs are still there - you can point to them and say what they once were. But the Soap Box Racers are just gone. This is what happens when something owned by a family for decades is moved into corporate hands. All the soul has been leaked out in the name of money, which is exactly why the Knotts family didn't sell to Disney. Makes me sad to see.

However, we shall never forget that Walter Knotts invented the term boysenberry to name and market the hybrids of his friend, Boysen. Knotts and his family ran a road side berry and jam stand way back at the beginning and our modern knowledge and use of boysenberries is the result of his developing and marketing. In the summer, Knotts' Berry Farm still does boysenberry pie eating contests.

Why can't I adsorb information on Seljuq Empire as easily?