Mind Blowing

Several years ago I took a break from school for one year. After a few months I began to have visions of my brain shriveling up and turning into something like the weird black stub that remains of an umbilical cord before it falls off to the great relief of one and all.
To counteract the impending brain shriveling I decided to give myself small research assignments, this process has continued on even though I have since gone back to school.

I discovered the joy of learning on my own. I highly recommend it. I tend to choose something that seems mysterious or mind-boggling. Yeah, I love to have my mind boggled. I find that learning about something totally random can put me into an extended state of awe and give me a much needed dose of humility.

I would like to make a little note here that I am in fact using the term “research assignment” pretty fast and loose here. Usually my research involves a few websites, reputable ones in my defense, and possibly a book or two. Under no circumstances have I become an expert on these research subjects. The outcome is that I usually hold my head and repeat the information to Eric and then go on and on about how amazing the world is.


For instance, did you know that the duck billed platypus is venomous! Freakish. It is an egg-laying, venomous, warm-blooded wonder of the natural world.




Or that the male angler fish will attach himself to his mate and live his life stuck to her like a parasite, talk about a clingy relationship (sorry bad joke).

Don’t even get me started on spagettification. Seriously don’t get me started, my explanation involves lots of hand gestures that don’t translate onto the Internet. Generally spaghettification is matter being stretched long and thin as it approaches a black hole. It literally blows my mind to realize how little I understand our world.

I guess that when I am feeling like I am having a bad day I really like to remind myself how many amazing things there are in the world for me to discover.