Friday, July 6, 2007
random brain waves
First thing this morning, I read an article on how women are NOT more talkative than men. The stereotype is that women talk incessantly and men are quiet. Commonly cited numbers are 20,000 words a day for women vs. men's paltry 7,000. Apparently, these numbers - as well as others pointing to a similar magnitude difference between men and women - have been cited up, down, right, and left by magazines, books, talk show hosts, marriage counselors, and psychiatrists for perhaps a couple decades, but I haven't run across a citation to an actual study (and neither have others who have been looking far harder than I have). The notion, however, has given rise to the concept of a "word budget" for the day, where a man's budget is smaller than a woman's. "At the end of the day.... A man has spent nearly all his words.... A woman, however, is just warming up. She has thousands of words left to speak, and since her husband's word count is depleted, the conversations often wind up sounding like nothing more than question-and-answer sessions." How clever. Some guy came up with a "scientific" way of explaining why he doesn't want to talk to his wife at the end of the day! (His name is Gary Smalley.)
I'm glad to run across a study that debunks the stereotype. A flaw in the study is that they only sampled university students. Perhaps with age or entrance into the work force, a difference emerges between men and women in their chattiness - though I want to believe the results of this study, and I've seen that a couple other studies have come to the same conclusion.
Then I cruised to a recent article discussing a new study on IQ and birth order. A Norwegian group found that first borns have, on average, a 3 IQ point advantage over the next youngest sibling. Further, they claim that this difference mostly likely arises from some aspect of family dynamics, as children who were born second, but whose older siblings had died (presumably very young), had average IQ scores similar to first born children. The average difference found across families, which can be confounded by a multitude of factors not all of which can be controlled for, also holds up when directly comparing siblings within a family.
Now, I am the baby in a family with 3 children. So I take this a little personally. True, the oldest of us is far older and therefore I might only be as disadvantaged as a second child. But frankly, my older sister Julie did score higher - and probably in the vicinity of 5 points higher - than I did on a fifth grade IQ test. I wonder whether other people's anecdotal evidence goes along with these findings as well?
Last, but not least, I'm constantly on the look out for little essays and such written by "famous" novelists. I guess it is my way of making myself feel more well-read and cultured. Today, I ran across an essay on thinking by William Golding that is worth a read. And if you subscribe to the New Yorker you should read the book review by John Updike.
I'm glad to run across a study that debunks the stereotype. A flaw in the study is that they only sampled university students. Perhaps with age or entrance into the work force, a difference emerges between men and women in their chattiness - though I want to believe the results of this study, and I've seen that a couple other studies have come to the same conclusion.
Then I cruised to a recent article discussing a new study on IQ and birth order. A Norwegian group found that first borns have, on average, a 3 IQ point advantage over the next youngest sibling. Further, they claim that this difference mostly likely arises from some aspect of family dynamics, as children who were born second, but whose older siblings had died (presumably very young), had average IQ scores similar to first born children. The average difference found across families, which can be confounded by a multitude of factors not all of which can be controlled for, also holds up when directly comparing siblings within a family.
Now, I am the baby in a family with 3 children. So I take this a little personally. True, the oldest of us is far older and therefore I might only be as disadvantaged as a second child. But frankly, my older sister Julie did score higher - and probably in the vicinity of 5 points higher - than I did on a fifth grade IQ test. I wonder whether other people's anecdotal evidence goes along with these findings as well?
Last, but not least, I'm constantly on the look out for little essays and such written by "famous" novelists. I guess it is my way of making myself feel more well-read and cultured. Today, I ran across an essay on thinking by William Golding that is worth a read. And if you subscribe to the New Yorker you should read the book review by John Updike.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy 4th!
Time to say something more about Italy. First off, if you haven't checked them out yet, all the pictures are up on my flickr site .
There are two sets devoted to pictures from Italy. The first focuses on the small towns, including the town we stayed in (Montepulciano) and countryside of Tuscany. The second set contains pictures from the cities we visited, Siena, Florence, and Rome.
What can I tell you? Montepulciano sits atop a small hill. The streets are narrow, sometimes only alleys that cars can just barely squeeze through, but have to share with pedestrians and cats nonetheless. Most of the turns are blind; you just don't know what is coming up next. Since we didn't necessarily know how to interpret all the road sings, one time we found ourselves going down a street that turned into stairs! Backing up, uphill, to avoid the imminent danger was interesting. Things are much easier as a pedestrian, if you don't mind climbing up and down streets and stairs all day long (we didn't, for the most part).
The cutest, quaintest town we visited was Pienza, the perfect renaissance town, designed by Pope Pius II. The main part of town consists of cobblestone walkways and beautiful stone buildings. I think the residents in this part of town have a contest for who can grow the neatest garden around their doorway. Check out these pictures to see what I mean:
122_2252
122_2276
As for all the sunset shots, we had a cool balcony off the kitchen. I couldn't resist trying to capture a couple of the sunsets.
Also among these pics are some of an abbey, Sant'Antimo, where we stopped to listen to some monks chanting their prayers. Very austere, but beautiful. I admit that I started to fall asleep, the chanting was so soothing and hypnotizing. I didn't feel too bad about it because one of the monks was yawning towards the end. Around the abbey were some old and amazing olive trees.
Highlights from the big cities:
Siena is fantastic. Would be a great place to stay, particularly if the hustle and bustle of bigger, more touristy cities doesn't appeal to you. It is surrounded by the typical beautiful Tuscan landscape. The Duomo is a perfect example of Italian Romanesque architecture (notice the black and white stripes on the outside of the building, which is recapitulated inside).
Sculpture. Two Pietas by Michelangelo: the first in my set, which he carved when he was about 80, is in a museum in Florence, the second, more famous, is in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - I can't believe he was only 23 when he made this one. In the Duomo in Siena I took a picture of a sculpture of St. Peter also by Michelangelo. The real standout piece I saw, though, was the Mary Magdalene by Donatello. It's a grisly portrayal, a woman, thin beyond belief, withered by age, covered only by her long, unkempt hair. Her hands are up as if to pray. (I think she is supposed to be clasping a chalice actually.) From behind though, to see this sad figure permanently standing in front of Jesus on the cross... well, I found it moving, and I'm not even a religious person.
St. Peter's is ridiculous in it's enormity and excess.
The Pantheon is graceful, elegant, and, well, classic. I wish I could have stayed inside longer, but they were starting mass. (They were also having mass in St. Peter's when we were there. Can you imagine going to mass in one of these buildings? Talk about a religious experience.) You have to know about the Pantheon, if you don't already. Built about 100 AD, only a couple decades after the Colosseum, it is the most well preserved building from the Roman Empire. The dome still stands as the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world - I have to cite wikipedia here. What I read before was that it is the widest though not the tallest dome (nothing in Rome can stand taller than the dome at St. Peter's). The wikipedia entry contains other interesting architectural details - the height and width of the dome are equal, and the thickness of the concrete varies as you move from the base of the dome to the oculus, an oddity uncovered by Brunelleschi (I believe), who drilled holes at various places to determine how the dome was made (perhaps before starting on the design of his own very famous dome for the Duomo in Florence?). The only light coming into the building enters through the oculus at the crest of the dome, which is a great effect and obviously symbolic.
What about things I couldn't take pictures of? Even if you don't go to a single museum or church (which would be crazy stupid), a trip to Tuscany would be worth it for the food and wine alone. It's not necessary to order fancy wine at any restaurant - probably true for all of Italy - the vino di casa goes well with the hearty Tuscan dishes. I am partial to the pasta dishes, ragus made with rabbit or wild boar meat, perfectly soft gnocchi, and ravioli stuffed with anything (for example, porcini mushrooms) and served with butter and green peas.
For the rest, you just have to experience for yourself. Everything tastes and smells better, every tree and branch and vine perfect, every hill town picturesque. Life is better in Tuscany. And don't forget to have a lot of gelato.
There are two sets devoted to pictures from Italy. The first focuses on the small towns, including the town we stayed in (Montepulciano) and countryside of Tuscany. The second set contains pictures from the cities we visited, Siena, Florence, and Rome.
What can I tell you? Montepulciano sits atop a small hill. The streets are narrow, sometimes only alleys that cars can just barely squeeze through, but have to share with pedestrians and cats nonetheless. Most of the turns are blind; you just don't know what is coming up next. Since we didn't necessarily know how to interpret all the road sings, one time we found ourselves going down a street that turned into stairs! Backing up, uphill, to avoid the imminent danger was interesting. Things are much easier as a pedestrian, if you don't mind climbing up and down streets and stairs all day long (we didn't, for the most part).
The cutest, quaintest town we visited was Pienza, the perfect renaissance town, designed by Pope Pius II. The main part of town consists of cobblestone walkways and beautiful stone buildings. I think the residents in this part of town have a contest for who can grow the neatest garden around their doorway. Check out these pictures to see what I mean:
122_2252
122_2276
As for all the sunset shots, we had a cool balcony off the kitchen. I couldn't resist trying to capture a couple of the sunsets.
Also among these pics are some of an abbey, Sant'Antimo, where we stopped to listen to some monks chanting their prayers. Very austere, but beautiful. I admit that I started to fall asleep, the chanting was so soothing and hypnotizing. I didn't feel too bad about it because one of the monks was yawning towards the end. Around the abbey were some old and amazing olive trees.
Highlights from the big cities:
Siena is fantastic. Would be a great place to stay, particularly if the hustle and bustle of bigger, more touristy cities doesn't appeal to you. It is surrounded by the typical beautiful Tuscan landscape. The Duomo is a perfect example of Italian Romanesque architecture (notice the black and white stripes on the outside of the building, which is recapitulated inside).
Sculpture. Two Pietas by Michelangelo: the first in my set, which he carved when he was about 80, is in a museum in Florence, the second, more famous, is in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome - I can't believe he was only 23 when he made this one. In the Duomo in Siena I took a picture of a sculpture of St. Peter also by Michelangelo. The real standout piece I saw, though, was the Mary Magdalene by Donatello. It's a grisly portrayal, a woman, thin beyond belief, withered by age, covered only by her long, unkempt hair. Her hands are up as if to pray. (I think she is supposed to be clasping a chalice actually.) From behind though, to see this sad figure permanently standing in front of Jesus on the cross... well, I found it moving, and I'm not even a religious person.
St. Peter's is ridiculous in it's enormity and excess.
The Pantheon is graceful, elegant, and, well, classic. I wish I could have stayed inside longer, but they were starting mass. (They were also having mass in St. Peter's when we were there. Can you imagine going to mass in one of these buildings? Talk about a religious experience.) You have to know about the Pantheon, if you don't already. Built about 100 AD, only a couple decades after the Colosseum, it is the most well preserved building from the Roman Empire. The dome still stands as the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world - I have to cite wikipedia here. What I read before was that it is the widest though not the tallest dome (nothing in Rome can stand taller than the dome at St. Peter's). The wikipedia entry contains other interesting architectural details - the height and width of the dome are equal, and the thickness of the concrete varies as you move from the base of the dome to the oculus, an oddity uncovered by Brunelleschi (I believe), who drilled holes at various places to determine how the dome was made (perhaps before starting on the design of his own very famous dome for the Duomo in Florence?). The only light coming into the building enters through the oculus at the crest of the dome, which is a great effect and obviously symbolic.
What about things I couldn't take pictures of? Even if you don't go to a single museum or church (which would be crazy stupid), a trip to Tuscany would be worth it for the food and wine alone. It's not necessary to order fancy wine at any restaurant - probably true for all of Italy - the vino di casa goes well with the hearty Tuscan dishes. I am partial to the pasta dishes, ragus made with rabbit or wild boar meat, perfectly soft gnocchi, and ravioli stuffed with anything (for example, porcini mushrooms) and served with butter and green peas.
For the rest, you just have to experience for yourself. Everything tastes and smells better, every tree and branch and vine perfect, every hill town picturesque. Life is better in Tuscany. And don't forget to have a lot of gelato.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
quiz results! fun!
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta. | |
| The Midland | |
| Boston | |
| North Central | |
| The Inland North | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The South | |
| The Northeast | |
| What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz | |
I'd love to know other people's results!!
Monday, June 25, 2007
energy boosts
I've been taking a look at this blog lately, Ririan Project. It is full of lists, and I love lists. Top 5 tips for increasing happiness. 19 ways to battle stress at work. 23 activities to boost your brain power. Things like this. A recent post provided 27 ways to give yourself an energy boost. Here's my favorite, number 13:
"Get some laughter... putting on a happy face is actually good for you, and those around you. If you really need to cheer up and increase your energy, then watch a sitcom for half an hour, or better yet, get tickets to your favorite comedy club. Laughter has been proven time and again to be the best therapy for depression and lack of energy."
Though I like the sentiment, personally I've never found that watching TV increases my energy level, no matter how funny the show. Maybe that's because by the time I am giggling at absurd situations in Seinfeld or at Jon Stewart's clever take on the current news headlines, I'm stretched out on my couch and ready to spend the next few hours in one position. On the other hand, watching TV at the gym keeps me on the elliptical machine an average of 10 minutes longer than I would otherwise expect. A body at rest.... a body in motion....
"Get some laughter... putting on a happy face is actually good for you, and those around you. If you really need to cheer up and increase your energy, then watch a sitcom for half an hour, or better yet, get tickets to your favorite comedy club. Laughter has been proven time and again to be the best therapy for depression and lack of energy."
Though I like the sentiment, personally I've never found that watching TV increases my energy level, no matter how funny the show. Maybe that's because by the time I am giggling at absurd situations in Seinfeld or at Jon Stewart's clever take on the current news headlines, I'm stretched out on my couch and ready to spend the next few hours in one position. On the other hand, watching TV at the gym keeps me on the elliptical machine an average of 10 minutes longer than I would otherwise expect. A body at rest.... a body in motion....
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
getting back to work
... which entails getting back to reading blogs in my down time. I thought this was cute today:
http://rooijan.livejournal.com/12382.html
I just got off the phone with my "friend" at the NIH. He said I need to wait a few more weeks... again. I remember that when I submitted my application a published time line accompanied the instructions. (I know, I'm lucky there was even a time line to begin with.) The time line clearly stated that a meeting in May would decide the fate of my grant, and the earliest possible date for funding to commence was May 1st. Turns out the meeting didn't happen until June 7th. Now that the meeting has come and gone, it turns out that they must have discussed what sandwiches to order rather than what grants should be funded because they still have not made a decision on the payline.
Two more weeks. Do I dare hope to hear good news from them then?
http://rooijan.livejournal.com/12382.html
I just got off the phone with my "friend" at the NIH. He said I need to wait a few more weeks... again. I remember that when I submitted my application a published time line accompanied the instructions. (I know, I'm lucky there was even a time line to begin with.) The time line clearly stated that a meeting in May would decide the fate of my grant, and the earliest possible date for funding to commence was May 1st. Turns out the meeting didn't happen until June 7th. Now that the meeting has come and gone, it turns out that they must have discussed what sandwiches to order rather than what grants should be funded because they still have not made a decision on the payline.
Two more weeks. Do I dare hope to hear good news from them then?
Monday, June 11, 2007
Italia, prologue
Mike and I returned from our 10 day trip yesterday. The return flight is so different from the flight over. Less stress, less excitement, more contentment - the warm glow following a grand accomplishment. And of course the tiredness that comes only after you stop running. Our plane took off late, around 1:45pm. We landed ahead of schedule at 3:45pm. Thus in two hours elapsed time, I practically finished A Room with a View (though admittedly it is a short book, which I plan to re-read immediately, it was so good). We also remarked that this was the only time Mike's birthday has lasted more than 24 hours.
Even though my bed feels softer and more inviting than before I left, I was up at 4. Earlier even, but that is about when my attempts to sleep just a little more ceased to work.
In brief, we flew into Rome, straight away found our way to the Termini train station to take a train to Chiusi, where my sister and boyfriend picked us up for the curvy, scenic drive to Montepulciano. We slept there 7 nights, walking up and down the main Corso repeatedly and taking side trips to nearby towns, such as Montalcino, Siena, and Pienza. Mike and I also visited Florence one day. On Saturday we took the train back to Rome, and spent the afternoon covering as much of that city (and the Vatican) as possible.
It was a whirlwind. A beautiful whirlwind. Pictures and more detail to come.
Even though my bed feels softer and more inviting than before I left, I was up at 4. Earlier even, but that is about when my attempts to sleep just a little more ceased to work.
In brief, we flew into Rome, straight away found our way to the Termini train station to take a train to Chiusi, where my sister and boyfriend picked us up for the curvy, scenic drive to Montepulciano. We slept there 7 nights, walking up and down the main Corso repeatedly and taking side trips to nearby towns, such as Montalcino, Siena, and Pienza. Mike and I also visited Florence one day. On Saturday we took the train back to Rome, and spent the afternoon covering as much of that city (and the Vatican) as possible.
It was a whirlwind. A beautiful whirlwind. Pictures and more detail to come.
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