Perhaps it's because of the perpetual angst of these pre-final exam days, or the sudden dip in temperatures and the tiny, star-shaped snowflakes that come and go like the wind, but I'm really looking forward to being home for Christmas and enjoying the following things:
* Sitting in the rocking chair next to the fireplace at Matante's house drinking coffee & catching up on all the 'gossip' (updates on my friend's lives and school life).
* Sitting in bed reading a good book with my humongous cat (Sugar) right beside me with her little "motor boat" going all the while.
* Midnight Mass at St. Mary's (Immaculate Conception) Parish in Baltic / Trying to keep my mother awake during Midnight Mass...
* Driving through snowy woods to a tucked away Monastery Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
* The smell of our douglas fir Christmas Tree which fills the house with its fragrant aroma.
* The aforementioned cat trying to squeeze her fat self underneath the tree and trying to drink the water from the Christmas tree stand while she gets slimed by Pine Sap and leaves little tufts of fur behind her on the bottom of the tree.
* Board games with my sister and brother in law, and the arguments which erupt over his obnoxious plays of 3-letter words which often score 30+ points and take the very spot I was planning to play my 7-letter word which would have given me 16 points at most! Somehow he always wins!!! I am determined to not let that happen this year!
* Egg Nog.
* Playing with my 2 year old godson! (He's growing soooo fast!) Can't wait to see him at Christmas!
* Dinner @ Dad's house - and Wii games to follow! Also, watching Kirby (my Dad's Cairn Terrier) and Clyde (Kelsey's black & white kitty) chase each other...
*Watching all the classic Christmas movies
* listening to Christmas Music on the Radio
* Driving around at night looking at all the Christmas lights displays in people's yards
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,
please to put a penny in the old man's hat
if you haven't got a penny, a haypenny will do
if you haven't got a haypenny, then God Bless You!
Also, don't forget to put your shoes out tonight! Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Young Adult Brain Development
Has anyone seen the MIT Report on Young Adult Brain Development?
http://hrweb.mit.edu/worklife/youngadult/youngadult.pdf
The intro goes something like this:
"The years from 18 to 25 are a time of stunning accomplishments and chilling risks, as a roller coaster of internal and external changes, including brain changes, propels young adults from adolescence toward full maturity. Yet we are only beginning to understand how and why this all happens—and sometimes doesn’t."
The report goes on to say that there is a dramatic change that takes place in the brain from the ages of 18-25, usually becomes more and more apparent around the ages of 21, 22:
"A large and relatively new body of research is revealing that young adulthood is a time of dramatic change in basic thinking structures, as well as in the brain. Consensus is emerging that an 18-year-old is not the same person she or he will be at 25, just as an 11-year-old is not the same as he or she will be at 18. They don’t look the same, feel the same, think the same, or act the same."
This can particularly be seen in the area of risk taking and decision making:
"With this greater capacity for thinking about future consequences and regulating emotions, young adults have an easier time modulating risk-taking and making decisions about the future, including choices about health, relationships, education, and careers. They can also weigh the impact of their choices on others more effectively, in actions as simple as showing up for appointments on time or as complex as parenting a young child."
All I can say is that this is sooooo true. Twenty-one and twenty-two year olds are, as a whole, much more responsible than 18 & 19 year olds. Last night we had our Dome Dance (our Dorm's formal dance in the Main Building here at Notre Dame), and we had a more than a few IRI-SHenanigans occur as a result.
That being said, I just try to remind myself when I'm dealing with intoxicated 18 and 19 year olds that their brains aren't fully developed yet and they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. That being said, it makes the experience of dealing with them a little easier to handle and a little funnier, too.
http://hrweb.mit.edu/worklife/youngadult/youngadult.pdf
The intro goes something like this:
"The years from 18 to 25 are a time of stunning accomplishments and chilling risks, as a roller coaster of internal and external changes, including brain changes, propels young adults from adolescence toward full maturity. Yet we are only beginning to understand how and why this all happens—and sometimes doesn’t."
The report goes on to say that there is a dramatic change that takes place in the brain from the ages of 18-25, usually becomes more and more apparent around the ages of 21, 22:
"A large and relatively new body of research is revealing that young adulthood is a time of dramatic change in basic thinking structures, as well as in the brain. Consensus is emerging that an 18-year-old is not the same person she or he will be at 25, just as an 11-year-old is not the same as he or she will be at 18. They don’t look the same, feel the same, think the same, or act the same."
This can particularly be seen in the area of risk taking and decision making:
"With this greater capacity for thinking about future consequences and regulating emotions, young adults have an easier time modulating risk-taking and making decisions about the future, including choices about health, relationships, education, and careers. They can also weigh the impact of their choices on others more effectively, in actions as simple as showing up for appointments on time or as complex as parenting a young child."
All I can say is that this is sooooo true. Twenty-one and twenty-two year olds are, as a whole, much more responsible than 18 & 19 year olds. Last night we had our Dome Dance (our Dorm's formal dance in the Main Building here at Notre Dame), and we had a more than a few IRI-SHenanigans occur as a result.
That being said, I just try to remind myself when I'm dealing with intoxicated 18 and 19 year olds that their brains aren't fully developed yet and they really didn't know what they were getting themselves into. That being said, it makes the experience of dealing with them a little easier to handle and a little funnier, too.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Broom Ball Playoffs Begin Monday!
So, team "We Grad Your Papers" lost our final game of the season tonight, with a score of 3-2, giving us a 2-1 record (2 wins, 1 loss). Though our record was tied with another team from the division, we've made it to the playoffs, because our score differential (margin of win) was greater than theirs!
Our first playoff game will be this Monday.
Watch a broomball game on Youtube! (not our team, but close enough...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y3pXWEEI2Y
Wish us luck!
Our first playoff game will be this Monday.
Watch a broomball game on Youtube! (not our team, but close enough...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y3pXWEEI2Y
Wish us luck!
Prayer for Peace
I had a discussion with a friend tonight about how sad it is that Barack Obama won the Nobel PEACE Prize and is now having to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan to continue fighting in a WAR that has been going on for several years now.
Whether we like it or not, we are a nation involved in a war that is NOT just.
Just War theory defines very specific details of when war can be used, and it is very clear that it is only a last resort. According to most (if not all) Catholic theologians, the just war criteria were not met prior to launching into this war. Regrettably, most Catholics are silent, perhaps even indifferent on the matter. It is a grave injustice, and yet we often do nothing to stop it.
It seems that the saints were very different in their approach. Consider Pope John Paul II's strong words: "War is always a defeat for humanity."
And also - consider the words and example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. In A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati, Lucianna Frassati writes:
p. 38
"The Great War continued with its tremendous weight of sacrifice. Pier Giorgio withdrew into long silences, interrupting his reflections with agonized questions on the drama of the dead, the wounded, and the widows. He often spoke about it with Natalina Novo, the servant girl, whose brother had already been killed in the war. One day she told him the news she had heard from our father: "Two thousand mountain troops cut off from the Italian lines and shelled by enemy cannons."
Dismayed, my brother asked her: "Natalina, wouldn't you give your life to stop the war?"
"Certainly not," replied Natalina. "I am young and my life is as dear to me as that of the soldiers."
Pier Giorgio stared at her, saying, "I would, I would today."
Would that we young Catholics had the same yearning for peace!
Let us all take some time to pray for peace.
God our Father,
Creator of the world,
You established the order which governs all the ages.
Hear our prayer and give us peace in our time,
that we may rejoice in Your mercy
and praise You without end.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever. Amen.
Whether we like it or not, we are a nation involved in a war that is NOT just.
Just War theory defines very specific details of when war can be used, and it is very clear that it is only a last resort. According to most (if not all) Catholic theologians, the just war criteria were not met prior to launching into this war. Regrettably, most Catholics are silent, perhaps even indifferent on the matter. It is a grave injustice, and yet we often do nothing to stop it.
It seems that the saints were very different in their approach. Consider Pope John Paul II's strong words: "War is always a defeat for humanity."
And also - consider the words and example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. In A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati, Lucianna Frassati writes:
p. 38
"The Great War continued with its tremendous weight of sacrifice. Pier Giorgio withdrew into long silences, interrupting his reflections with agonized questions on the drama of the dead, the wounded, and the widows. He often spoke about it with Natalina Novo, the servant girl, whose brother had already been killed in the war. One day she told him the news she had heard from our father: "Two thousand mountain troops cut off from the Italian lines and shelled by enemy cannons."
Dismayed, my brother asked her: "Natalina, wouldn't you give your life to stop the war?"
"Certainly not," replied Natalina. "I am young and my life is as dear to me as that of the soldiers."
Pier Giorgio stared at her, saying, "I would, I would today."
Would that we young Catholics had the same yearning for peace!
Let us all take some time to pray for peace.
God our Father,
Creator of the world,
You established the order which governs all the ages.
Hear our prayer and give us peace in our time,
that we may rejoice in Your mercy
and praise You without end.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever. Amen.
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