Happiness

It is funny how life turns out. One moment you are down and the next you are up. I think when we are in those down points it gets hard to see the good in life and then when things are good all we can see is the good or some people only see what needs to be fixed. However I do not know about anyone else reading this but I tend to forget about the bad and I am happy just being myself and being where I am in life. It is funny that this time last year I was at a very low point since I had to go home from college and they thought I had an illness that I evidently did not have. Right now life is great. I have a wonderful guy, I have wonderful roommates, I am back at college and I am happy. It is funny though how life works out because I never thought I would be happy up here, but I am the happiest I have ever been. Go figure huh? With happiness it has been my experience that you have to look for it. Granted sometimes it will come to you, but when things are bad you can make them better if you only try. Funny thing is what makes us happy. For me it is acceptance and the fact that I am loved. Also getting good grades makes me extremely happy. It is different for everyone though for some people getting good grades will not fix a void and sometimes we are so busy we do not see the love in our lives. It is great to sit down and feel it when the opportunity arises.

Behavioral beurobiology

OK so this is probably my most awesome class this semester at school. First off to answer any questions about it it is the study of the human brain in unison of the behaviors that we exhibit. Basically why it is we do what we do based on the anatomy of our brain. It is also one of the most interesting things I have studied so far. Why you may ask? Well, it is not everyday you get to dissect a human brain and get away with it. Not only dissect it, but I got to research it and figure out where everything is in the brain from all the cranial nerves, down to the midbrain region and medulla. How awesome is that? Or at least to me as a psychology major. It helps to feed my natural curiosity of why we do what we do and how everything works and what makes us tick. Thus for me this class is a playground and dissecting the brain is like the coveted swing- wanted by all but too few for everyone. Anyone who may be reading this and contemplating taking this class I highly recommend it.

Triple X syndrome

Today in choir I sat down next to a girl and did what I usually do. I talked to her. On our way out we were discussing my major and everything and she popped out on me that she has triple x syndrome. This is a syndrome in which a parents reproductive cell creates too many x chromosomes resulting in three x's as opposed to two after the egg is fertilized. This is not genetic and of course it only applies to girls and can have many effects. The ones in this particular case are clumsiness, learning disabilities, forgetfulness, and she has the epicanthic fold which is when gives her an East Asian kind of look even though she has red hair and is obviously Caucasian. Other than that you cannot tell. In fact about five babies are born with this syndrome a day in the united states and out of every 1000 live births there is one person with it, but most are undiagnosed. The reason being for the lack of diagnosis is that most girls with this do not show symptoms besides the fact most are infertile. In fact some girls with this disorder never get their menstrual cycles or they are extremely irregular. Thus it goes unnoticed unless tests are done. Besides what I have mentioned above in some severe cases some girls do have mental illness some other very less minor things such as enamel hypoplasia and widely spaced nipples, small feet, small hands, reduced muscle tone and ovarian failure as well as they tend to be tall. They also tend to have expressionless faces. The reason I know all of this is because I have actually studies this in AP Molecular biology as well as child psychology and child development which is why I was shocked when I realized she did show symptoms concluding the symptoms alone are rare. I have not listed all of the possible symptoms, but to me these are the more common ones. It goes to show you never know what people may have until you let yourself talk to them and try to trust and share some small things (does not need to be too personal though it is up to you I tend to be kind of private). It was cool for me to talk to her though because I was able to soother her with my own hearing disability and my brother's disabilities. I am glad I have made this discovery about someone because it is a gentle reminder to me about what some people go through because you never know until you truly get to know them.

Little cousin

I was thinking today about probably my favorite memory that I have and in a way changed a lot of my thinking. It was teaching my little cousin how to catch blue crabs and shrimp. This happened while I was up in Rehoboth Delaware at a beach house my family was renting. In the backyard there was a canal that led to the ocean and we had a dock. I would take him out almost every night and we would fish. This changed my thinking and made me realize I love children. I actually was not sure before but now I know that I do and I love to teach. I miss that little guy he is only four but that is one of my favorite memories.