Ah, college...

I studied like a little demon Sunday for a test that was supposed to happen this morning, that didn't happen. OK, we'll see how long this knowledge can last up there in the dark recesses of my aged brain, because I have paper I want to write today. I took notes, both in class and an outline of the chapter as I studied, and I tried to give myself frequent breaks, little snacks and a game of Freecell once in a while, a walk around the neighborhood with Boo, and it worked. I can tell you about resting potential and action potential, the difference in afferent and efferent cells, the function of the amygdala and the thalamus, all kinds of information about the working of the brain, at least what has been discovered and hypothesized. It is still a mystery on a lot of levels, and I think oversimplified in our text. This is the most complex system in our known universe and a source of great wonder. I am so stoked by learning about it. And I am training my neural network to retain what I put into it by means of the marvel of plasticity. And a lot of this is attitude, too. We saw a film today about diseases that cause damage to the brain, and Agnes DeMille, great choreographer and dancer, had a debillitating stroke that affected her motor function. Her discipline and desire were credited with her recovery. Well, duh. Attitude is everything. I'm writing that on my favorite spiritual aid, the PostIt, to stick to my computer here.