Neural activity is the basis of our thoughts, feelings and perceptions. It is a stream of consciousness, quite literally like a stream of water, and causes change with in the brain. Our experiences are changing our connectome. Our thoughts are changing our connectome.

As I mentioned earlier, our brain wiring can extend millions of miles. Such length and thus the “routes” to take are vast. I’m imagining the tunnels and paths that were created when I used to press down on my closed eyelids as a kid. http://vimeo.com/837933 Apparently, some commenters on Vimeo share this (probably really bad for you) childhood hobby. So knowing that the these connections have a million miles of “wiring” to go through, it’s easy to imagine that misfires occur. These misfires can be found in mental disorders such as Autism and Anorexia. By knowing and understanding our unique connectomes, we can help in the discovery and future cure of these mental disorders.

This post is LaurieAnn vs. Boredom and how she maintains sanity to restore challenge.

I find the topic of memory and recall fascinating. I think the big “aha” or “say what?” moment of my college education was discovering that memory isn’t stored in these nice compartmental folders that we seek and use to pull up old information. It’s the process of neural firing, and again not “facts and events from the past that stick in the brain.” As memory is recalled, it is changing and evolving. Despite our greatest efforts, it is never an objective truth. Todd Saktor, neuroscientist at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has been researching memory erasure, specifically, the PKMzeta inhibitor. According to the article, Sacktor believes the use of these inhibitors will not initially erase the painful memory, but rather the physical pain associated with that memory. However, Saktor also fears that the future with these drugs will give rise to a dystopian world where ruthless dictators can erase genocides and other painful memories. Karim Nader, another neuroscientist argues “Anything can change memory. This technology isn’t new. It’s just a better version of an existing biological process.”

The mind is more powerful than we give it credit. Our thoughts are incredibly influential on our physical bodily health. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last 5 years as a person with chronic migraine, it’s that memory can destroy your well-being. Just the thought of pain will result in pain, Lehrer writes “the body remembers.” Fortunately, I do not suffer from other memory afflictions like PTSD, which is what Lehrer’s article focuses on in Wired. I suppose this blog post doesn’t fit within the boundaries of post-graduate blues or preserving against the greatest odds, but I suppose it’s me vs. my memory and the unrelenting gnawing of my thought to do this task, buy a gosh darn book.

In other news, I decided to go back to the original assignment I was given from Washingtonian Magazine. Once I found out they filled the position I was flying out there to interview for, I was pretty discouraged and trashed the assignment believing I had no reason to revisit it. However, a lull in admiration for job applications sparked a design bug and I completed the assignment. Here’s a mock invitation I created for an annual Washingtonian event. I wasn’t given the publication’s fonts or style nor had I ever seen the publication in print before. I googled for it and found some images from previous events, so I based my design off of the invitation given below. Tomorrow is a new day and a whole ‘nother awkward batch of e–mails with “attached resume. And as my friend Nathan always seems to tell me despite my aversion to the phrase, “You’ve got to persevere LaurieAnn.” It’s me vs. everything and I will keep going.

I just returned from Washington, D.C. where I literally pounded the pavement networking and meeting industry folk/alum  in hopes I can land a job out there sometime soon. The week was exhausting with repeated trips to unknown territory and an overwhelming constant need to check my phone for incoming e-mail or phone calls. As I sat on the plane ready to land back home, I looked out the window of the graying midwestern skies. I glanced at the Chicago skyline and thought, “No hard feelings Chicago?” I’ve been feeling lots of rejection since graduating and so I found myself apologizing to the great city I left for a week to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

D.C. has so much to offer young people and I’m incredibly anxious to return. Although I had no intention of making this a “soul–searching” trip, it sort of turned out to be one. The drone of the Metro always inspired new thoughts in me. I was in a constant state of thinking what AM I CAPABLE OF and what DO I WANT. News articles and headlines have repeatedly forced the issue that “us” young people expect too much and won’t settle for just a job. To some extent, that is true. We were raised believing we could do just about anything (although I never put any validity into my famous folk singer dream) and the world would provide. To be clear world, I don’t want everything and I’m willing to work for it all. So to everything else that stands in my way (high unemployment rates, “not hiring” responses), I will be honest and tell you, this is what I want:

1) To be in a position where I can always learn

2) Be surrounded by smart people who can teach me new skills

3) Work in the world of journalism and media, continue to pursue storytelling in the most effective ways

Now world and to the people who box me into the “young entitled Americans” category, is that list too much to ask for this Christmas?

We shall see.