Monday, March 30, 2015
Mar. 30th, 2015 02:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bearshortyI'm on the train home from work right now and while I can use this time to grade, I'd rather procrastinate. I had enough time to stop by Dunken Donuts because I wanted a bagel but I ended up getting their new Oreo cheesecake square and hash browns. The cheesecake square was ok; it is basically a donut with cream cheese like filling (only with more sugar). Next time I'll stick to the bagel. I did also eat an apple I had with me. So healthy snack is covered. But sometimes a treat is sorely needed too.
The next 5 to 6 weeks to the end of the semester are going to be super busy. I have to finish grading Paper 3, comment on Draft 4, grade Paper 4, 5 and final. On top of that I have to made Passover Seder dinner this Friday for us, plan a giant Passover Seder with my friends on Saturday (one of my favorite things), and travel to Bear's parents for Easter.
To that end I'm going on fannish vacation until June: no time wasting Internet like fanfic or Tumblr. I will keep watching Supernatural, Grimm and Spartacus and go to my daily sites like Mark Watches, DW and LJ and read news sources but otherwise , I need to focus. I'm going try to read too - I've been so behind.
A few weeks ago I read Oliver Sacks The Mind's Eye . I've taught a chapter from that book before but I never read the whole thing. He is such an interesting author, definitely challenges my view of the world. I'm looking forward to his autobiography.
This book had a lot personal stories as he described the loss of perception of objects, loss of speech, face blindness, and loss of stereo vision, and loss of vision in general. Sacks himself has face blindness and he lost stereo vision due to cancer and he describes both experiences vividly. I can only relate to not being visual but it was interesting to imagine existing without other abilities. I can't see anything with my eyes closed but I never saw it as a disadvantage. I'd take my highly logical brain over a visual one.
I often find Sacks scary, fascinating and hopeful all at once. One of my greatest fears is forgetting or losing my brain, so his cases are very creepy at times. After my Grandma Tanya had a second stroke in 1999, she spent the last six months of her life in a catatonic state. She would sit there unable to move or communicate. The day before she died, my cousin, her eldest granddaughter came to visit from Belarus. There was sign of recognition on my grandmother's part and she died later that night. She got to say goodbye and let go. But all I could think of was that she was probably able to think but not do much else and how scary that must have been. Sacks' case studies often scare in that way.
But this book is also hopeful. It is about adoptation and resilience when something happens to change your perception of the world.
I definitely want to read more of his books. I gave The Man Who Mistook His wife for a hat to Bear for his last birthday, so I'm going to pick that up at some point.
The next 5 to 6 weeks to the end of the semester are going to be super busy. I have to finish grading Paper 3, comment on Draft 4, grade Paper 4, 5 and final. On top of that I have to made Passover Seder dinner this Friday for us, plan a giant Passover Seder with my friends on Saturday (one of my favorite things), and travel to Bear's parents for Easter.
To that end I'm going on fannish vacation until June: no time wasting Internet like fanfic or Tumblr. I will keep watching Supernatural, Grimm and Spartacus and go to my daily sites like Mark Watches, DW and LJ and read news sources but otherwise , I need to focus. I'm going try to read too - I've been so behind.
A few weeks ago I read Oliver Sacks The Mind's Eye . I've taught a chapter from that book before but I never read the whole thing. He is such an interesting author, definitely challenges my view of the world. I'm looking forward to his autobiography.
This book had a lot personal stories as he described the loss of perception of objects, loss of speech, face blindness, and loss of stereo vision, and loss of vision in general. Sacks himself has face blindness and he lost stereo vision due to cancer and he describes both experiences vividly. I can only relate to not being visual but it was interesting to imagine existing without other abilities. I can't see anything with my eyes closed but I never saw it as a disadvantage. I'd take my highly logical brain over a visual one.
I often find Sacks scary, fascinating and hopeful all at once. One of my greatest fears is forgetting or losing my brain, so his cases are very creepy at times. After my Grandma Tanya had a second stroke in 1999, she spent the last six months of her life in a catatonic state. She would sit there unable to move or communicate. The day before she died, my cousin, her eldest granddaughter came to visit from Belarus. There was sign of recognition on my grandmother's part and she died later that night. She got to say goodbye and let go. But all I could think of was that she was probably able to think but not do much else and how scary that must have been. Sacks' case studies often scare in that way.
But this book is also hopeful. It is about adoptation and resilience when something happens to change your perception of the world.
I definitely want to read more of his books. I gave The Man Who Mistook His wife for a hat to Bear for his last birthday, so I'm going to pick that up at some point.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-03-31 12:55 pm (UTC)*grabbyhands* holy shit I NEED this in my life!