On The Mind

This morning, I was exercising my secret sin… browsing political blogs. (Shameful, I know… please don’t spread it around.) An enigmatic, just-posted entry on DailyKos caught my eye: ” A short diary, but a question on life.”

The author (with an intriguing nick of BFSkinner) asked rather eloquently what we would do if diagnosed with a disease that would inevitably rob us of our minds? A disease that would steal our very self, a disease that can be treated to slow but not stop the progression, a disease which, in the end, will win. How would we approach living the tale of Flowers for Algernon - the story of a mouse and a man who, having had their intelligence artificially enhanced, then watch that intelligence fade, along with their life?

Predictably, the question stirred me. I mean, heck… that book probably helped shape my fascination with improving and maintaining the human brain. Instead of contributing a quick comment and moving on, I decided to write here, instead.

Because there’s just no way I can explore this briefly.

Here’s what I hope I would do:

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Maybe you view a yawn as rude, a sign of boredom, disinterest, or dull-witted sleepiness. Me, I’m developing an appreciation for the fine art of the yawn.

It all started yesterday, while reading about relaxation lists and such on (you guessed it) Havi’s site. (yes, I’m a shameless fan girl. shu’p already.)

That’s when I realized I don’t have much that I can seriously trust to relax me anymore.

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When I was little, my grandfather would amaze me with a rudimentary magic trick - presto, change-o, and with a pass behind his back, a green poker chip would turn into a red one.

Hey, I was only 3 years old, my powers of observation were limited. But I’ve always loved stage magic, and the mental jolt of “HEY! That’s not right, how’d that happen?” [click to continue...]

Sometime last week, Martin Walker (of MindSparke) directed my attention to the Smartest of US site.

Oh, and btw… while I wasn’t watching, Martin introduced a Jr version of Brain Fitness Pro, intended for kids. Pretty cool. I think I might need that version - the other one TOO seriously challenged my brain!

Anyway. What was I writing about again? Oh yeah…

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“If there’s a Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Secretary’s Day, and
Grandparent’s Day…. why isn’t there a KID’s DAY?”
asked a very serious young Miss Deaux,
concerned she was missing out
on her share of pressies.

“Because EVERYDAY is Kid’s Day!”
replied Momma Deaux, looking a bit annoyed.

That’s sort of how I feel about Brain Awareness Week….. EVERYDAY is Brain Awareness Day, here on MindTweaks. Well, at least every day that I crawl out of bed and manage to churn out a vaguely on topic post, that is.

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