It’s not easy to have surgery after surgery, medical adventure after medical adventure, while trying to complete my doctorate and move forward with life. Written Exams… Testing Sanity I spent the entire week taking my written exams, receiving questions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. With 24 hours to respond to…
The Autistic Me
Let the record show that on February 12, 2009, the “vaccine court” created to tackle an issue that scares congressional leaders, issued a finding that gives politicians some cover. Sure, there will be some anti-vaccine politicians who use this to play to particular audiences, but others can say the scientific…
I have been fighting the side-effects of the cold weather this winter. After being hospitalized with a low blood count, a week of nosebleeds from the dry air is the last thing I needed. Yesterday, I was late to my classroom because I had a 30-minute (seriously) nosebleed. The blood…
There are risks to not vaccinating a child. Too bad many people don’t understand the risks these outbreaks pose, even to vaccinated children. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/23/hib.vaccine.cdc/?iref=mpstoryview (CNN) — A childhood illness that has mostly been curbed through vaccinations has killed one child and sickened four others in Minnesota, health officials said Friday.…
Once I earn my degree and escape Minnesota, I am going to do every thing I can to reset myself and my path in life. Since elementary school, I have wanted to be a full-time writer. While I am interested in different forms, from reporting to dramatic writing, I always…
I like my routines. In fact, I am desperate to maintain them when I am under stress. For the last few years, I have listened to WCCO (830, Minneapolis) at night. The overnight hosts on this local station simply talked. They’d talk about local music, the weather, and stupid news…
According to Blue Cross, I’ve had 29 medical claims filed by doctors in the last 90 days. I will begin the New Year with at least three that I have already added to my calendar, one minor surgery, at least one out-patient test, and I am anticipating there will be…
Today, December 15, 2008, I went to yet another neurological exam. Actually, it was a psychological exam, supposedly screening for seizure disorders (complex partial seizures). However, it was simply another bad experience with that vague semi-science we call psychology. I think about 20 to 30 percent of psychology / psychiatry…
For the last two weeks, plus or minus a few days, I have been coughing. This followed a horrible cold — the second rough cold of this season. In winter, more of us are in close proximity, leading to more infections. Unfortunately, I teach and that means I am in…
I recently spent some time studying microexpressions. The theory is that most humans, including some of the best liars and manipulators, briefly signal their true emotions via expressions that last only fractions of second. These microexpressions are involuntary. My interest in this was triggered by a special on the human…