The New Brain

I'm in Colorado again, this time for 5 days. I've worked out all the logistics for moving here. I started out a little anxious but after a few days here I can't wait to move. I'm reading The New Brain - How the Modern Age is Rewiring Your Mind by Dr. Richard Restak, a neuroscientist. The imagining technology available to neuroscientists has brought about "a revolutionary change in our understanding" of the brain, explains Restak. The structure of the brain is everchanging according to what we experience and the images and words and thoughts we feed it. This is known as brain plasticity.

The advanced brain imaging technology available to doctors today such as CAT scans, MRIs etc not only show the structure of the brain but informs the function of the brain as well. Therefore during an experiment, with brain imaging, doctors can tell what part of the brain is responding or being utilized for a particular task. Restak also explains that new brain pathways and circuits are built with each new experience and circuits are strengthened by continued use. As we practice certain tasks the circuits responsible for that task are strengthened. "Both comparatively straightforward activities and highly sophisticated ones, like learning to become a star athlete or musician, involved taking advantage of the brain's plasticity in order to set up the necesary programs for excellence," says Restak.

Practice matters. I've always known this but in The New Brain Dr. Restak explains WHY.

Also, multitasking can hurt. When multitasking we're not focusing on either task 100% and are therefore less efficient and are in fact training our brain to be less focused. By multi-tasking we strenghten the circuits of the brain that accept a divided focus approach. Chapter 3: Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era, discusses this.

" 'Civilization is revving itself into a pathologically short attention span. The trend might be coming from the acceleration of technology, the short-horizon perspective of market-driven economies, the next-election perspective of democracies, or the distractions of personal multitasking. All are on the increase,' according to Stewart Brand, a noted commentator on technology and social change."

Great book.

Colorado Powder

Simply put. . . if you like mountains go to Colorado. They're everywhere. I had no idea. Colorado reminds me of Utah but without the Mormon infiltration. But I won't go into that whole Mormon thing just now. No time tonight.

You might remember that I went to Colorado during New Year's to visit my friend Jacque after she gave the ultimatum that if I didn't visit this winter she didn't think we could be friends. Yeah, that's the one. So I went and visited her for a whole week. That's a ton of time. I hope she feels extra special with fudge on top. I never visit anyone for a week, do you? Well it was to my great reward believe me.

We ended up taking a 3-hour road trip to southern CO in search of powder. When Chris, her boyfriend, announced his designs for the trip I was all, "Uh, no way I'm going to some remote cabin to spend New Year's weekend with you and Jacque. If I go, we're talking a HOUSE PARTY with dancing and Jack Daniels and I'm kissing someone." This is the part where Jacque says she'll be my last resort. Well then, "OK, I'm in." Turns out there were 10-13 of us in and out of the cabin during the 3-day weekend and we boarded (most skiied) waist deep powder and fixed ourselves outrageous meals at the internet-rented cabin that was full of Rush Limbaugh books, stuffed animal heads, and a 10' bear standing on his legs behind a plexiglass box where the fireplace used to be. MY GOD PEOPLE, YOU TOOK OUT THE FIREPLACE AND REPLACED IT WITH A BEAR. Who DOES that?!

We arrived at the cabin New Year's evening to the sight of a couple friends busily making salmon fajitas and fresh tomato/pineapple salsa - my new best friends! It was a perfect setting for a perfect weekend and it ended up being entirely perfect because I got kissed that night and not by Jacque. Some guy with my same last name, only spelled wrong, was all over me like a puppy dog. And I was the little kitty. I've seen him almost every weekend since. He makes a point of flying to California or getting me out to Colorado. We have roughly 12 nicknames for each other and our gender parts. If that's not love I don't know what is. We send emails of ee cummings and talk more than several times a day and say Baby a lot. I'm kind of freaking out because I feel like I created him in the image of the exact man I want AND who I'd want to be in love with me. Sometimes I have to stop and take a deep breath, close my eyes and say, "Yep. He's real. And you just won the lottery, Sugar!"

Additionally the timing couldn't be more brilliant. When we met I was on my way to leaving the company I had been working at for the previous 3 years because I couldn't stand the lack-of-vision management that continued time and again to strip away creativity and eagerness from its hard-working employees. I'd saved a little money and planned to give myself 6 months to write. And then Mr. Colorado (MC), Honey, Sweet Thaaang comes along right in the middle of it all and makes the change more exciting and hard to believe at the same time. I've got to move out of my apartment because it's too expensive for my unemployed ass and don't rightly fit into my budget. And MC is saying, "Baby, all I know is I've got to close the gap. So if you don't want to move here to write your book, that's no problem, I'm moving there." And I know exactly how he feels.

So I'm moving to Colorado to write in the mountains and get out of this rat race for who knows how long. I'll live at Jacque's alone, she'll move in with her boyfriend, and Mr. Colorado will be just a 40- minute ride away. That's closing the gap while maintaining a little room. Not too close and not too far. OH MY!!!!!!