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.

Project inspire

So this last week I did something amazing. It is called project inspire. Basically what we do is we go to a certain spot that needs help like this time around we went to a boy scout camp and then we fix it up or help them with whatever they need. It has to be in a certain parameter around my university if it is out of bounds then we cannot do it. This is totally awesome. I never knew that I could learn so much in one week. also we are now all friends. I am planning on doing this again in the summertime because I had so much fun. Also it feels great to be able to help others out and do something selfless. Granted what all we did the tables may rot and so will the signs. The logs will come back and no will ever know what we did, but we know and it is amazing. No one gets credit for our work but we do not care it is about helping others not ourselves. Out of any way I could have spent my break this was the greatest. I do not think there could be a better way to spend my break than doing good because when you lose yourself in service you have a tendency to not only want to do more, but it makes you feel good and you learn more about yourself and you get to meet so many amazing people that you never would have done so otherwise.

Homeopathic care for ear infections

so I have mentioned before I am deaf in my right ear. What I have not mentioned is I get ear infections easily and in general I prefer herbal remedies. Thus right now I am sitting here smiling and enjoying the company of my darling roommate who happens to have an ear infection. Thus I put the treatment I grew up with in her ear. I take one clove of garlic and mince it. I then put it in about three tablespoons of olive oil and stick in the microwave for about 20 seconds. I let it col a bit since it is really hot so I do not burn anyone. I then have the person lay their head down with the ear up and stick three drops in. They then have to keep it in for 15 minutes. This works every time. I am getting a good kick out of her going around with her her head crooked with the medicine in. Our roommates and the people walking by are also getting a good kick out of it. After all how many times do you see someone with a spoon against someone and putting things in their ear? Looks weird, but hey it works. I cannot stop smiling during this process and she will be happy to move around afterwards.

Rose for valentines day

So for Valentines day one of my friend's got me a yellow rose. I went to check on it last week to find it has new growth on it and is still alive and thriving in full sunlight. Evidently I am doing what is called rose propagation. This is the oldest technique of growing roses. All you do is plant a stem and it will grow if the conditions are right. In my case I guess the conditions are perfect. I seriously forget it was in water last week and it has been sitting in my window sill for over a month now. I guess I will be planting it soon since it obviously wants to live and it is a beautiful addition to my apartment. It even has a buddy in a basil plant that is growing in a pot right ext to it. It is really cool and is a good reminder of my friendship since true friendship is everlasting. It makes me smile every time I see it and knowing it is alive makes me simply grin and remember my friends.