'CUBES

BLOG:

Day 1
6 PM: I am thirsty. Fortunately, I recently bought an ice cube tray, so I’m not worried about obtaining ice while at home.

7 PM: I realized that my freezer makes the ice taste like tilapia. Gross. Now I have to drink soda or sweet drinks so that I don’t smell the ice cubes.

8 PM: I kind of like the ice cube thing. I forgot how refreshing cold water is. Even if it smells like tilapia.

10 PM: I went to bed with a glass of ice water. Hopefully my cat doesn’t drink out of it, although I don’t really mind sharing. I do share my pillow with her after all. I usually don’t get thirsty at night so I don’t think this will be a problem.

Day 2
6 AM: I got up early to go to Starbucks this morning. I don’t have any water bottles that fit the ice at home so I will have to go the Starbucks. (Oh well!)

7:25 AM: Starbucks is really expensive. It also makes me thirsty. Uh-oh.

12 PM: It sucks not being able to drink anything at lunch. I’m thirsty now.

6 PM: Finally got home from school. I immediately got some ice water from the freezer. Ahhh.

10 PM: I am planning to go the Starbucks again in the morning.

Day 2.5
7:25 AM: I didn’t get up early this morning. Ugh. I have a cold. And no water.

10 AM: In choir I started gagging because my mouth was so dry. I had to drink some ice-less water. I feel a little bad because I stopped following the ice cube addiction.

12 PM: Yup, definitely sick. Still drinking ice-less water but I can’t really help it because I have a head cold.

6 PM: When I got home from school, I had more ice water. Mind as well end this the way it started: Ice water and Advil.


WRITE-UP:

    I thought this was an interesting exercise. I like that it incorporated the physical craving as well as the social effects. The first day went well. When I told my mom I was going to Starbucks early in the morning, she asked me if I was going on a date. I said, “No mom, only you go on dates at 7 AM.” I didn’t tell anyone about the experiment. I also tried my best to stay on ice cubes for the full 48 hours, but that didn’t happen. After the first full day, I got sick. I tried to tough out the day without drinking anything, but i succumbed when I started to choke in choir class. I tried to think about a real-world equivalent to what happened to me. I think a good one would be a crack junkie that has to revert back to powdered coke that doesn’t have as good of a high but is cheaper. That’s kind of like water to ice cubes.
    I think this experiment would be better if it was done during the weekend. That way, we could blog more often and we wouldn’t be totally screwed if we didn’t have an ice tray or a way of getting to Starbuck before school started.

My Superhero

Victoria “Neuromancer” Vaux

Powers:
1. Parietal Lobe: Ability to perceive an area with a single glance!
    The Parietal Lobe is responsible for spatial mapping, so my superhero has an extremely high-processing parietal lobe. She is able to look at a room once once and know where everything in it is located. This comes in handy for superpower number two. (Kind of like Neo from The Matrix)

2. Cerebellum: Ability to shape-shift from one area to another within an area that can be seen.
    The Cerebellum is responsible for movement. My superhero has a cerebellum that has evolved into an area that can move its own matter through the time-space continuum, although it is limited to areas that it already knows, in case it happens to move itself halfway through a wall. (Like Nightcrawler from X-Men)

3. Temporal Lobe: Ability to decode sequences in seconds flat!
    The Temporal Lobe, responsible for learning, memory, and language perception, is integral in this superpower. My superhero will have an abnormally large temporal lobe in order to be able to both quickly process and remember information related to code breakers and languages.

4. Brainstem: Ability to keep balance in even the most harrowing of winds!
    The Brain Stem, responsible for balance, is the area of the brain responsible for this superpower. My hero’s brainstem working in conjunction with the cerebellum to stay balanced and coordinated. (Especially during action sequences.)

5. Temporal Lobe: Ability to never forgive, never forget the faces of her foes!
    Since my hero already has a large temporal lobe (See #2) she will also benefit from the power to remember and recognize all of her foes’ faces, which will aide in her personal battle with evil .

6. Occipital Lobe: Ability to shoot freaking lasers out of her freaking eyeballs!
    The Occipital Lobe, which is responsible for vision, has been severely altered in my hero. It is now able to send messages to the eyes to fire lasers. Of course, the eyes themselves would also have to be altered. Otherwise they would just be incinerated, and that would be crazy talk!

7. Thalamus:: Ability to never fall asleep - as she is always conscious of the the tyranny of evil.
    The thalamus, responsible for sleep, is much smaller in my hero. Although she still sleeps, she never enters “deep sleep” because she needs to be able to sense movements around her. Instead, her thalamus turns outside stimuli into dreams, which she can then watch and monitor while sleeping.

8. Werkicke’s Area: Ability to hypnotize her victims with a murderous melody!
    The Werkicke’s Area, similar to Broca’s area but with a much cooler sounding name, is responsible for speech. My hero has trained her Werkicke’s Area to have perfect pitch to the note at which she can hypnotize her opponents.

9. Frontal Lobe: Ability to feel no emotion as she mercilessly K.O.’s Gotham’s oppressors.
    The Frontal Lobe, responsible for apathy and disinhibition, is a little bit smaller than average in my hero. She is able to turn its effects on and off so that she can kill her nemesii* without remorse.

*I know this isn’t a word, but it should be.

10. Cerebellum: Ability to have immaculate posture when dealing with diplomats from distant lands. (Appearance is everything.)
    The cerebellum, responsible for movement, is also controls posture. It is very important to have good posture when dealing foreign dignitaries like the Justice League and the Super Friends.

EVERYONE HATES YOU

      I think everyone has, on some level, a need for people to like them. So it's puzzling when you find out that someone 'hates' you who you don't even know. What is it that determines whether or not we like someone? Unsurprisingly, the answer is power.      
      I'm a pretty quiet person, especially around people I don't know very well. A lot of people think I'm frigid, but I'm not! #5 on the list I have posted at the end perfectly describes me. I always thought that saying nothing was better than saying something stupid. But snubbing people makes them feel like they aren't worth your time, which means the power is in your hands. They resent this, and, thus, hate you! Isn't society great?
      After reading this article, I have made an effort to talk to people more. To be honest, it isn't that bad! I really don't like awkward situations (Like, I'm terrified of being stuck in a room with someone I don't know. Is that weird?) and I think that maybe I am the problem. The world isn't out to get you, it just wants to think it's better than you in every way!

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-youre-accidentally-making-everyone-hate-you/

P.S. This article may not be... school appropriate.

Ghosts

        I am excited to start AP Psych, but I hope it isn't a lot of tedious name memorizing. I do much better with ideas than structure. I think I may have to actually read the chapters for this class since I don't know anything about psychology. I know Freud had mommy issues, but that's about it.   
        I have a very strong interest with the paranormal. I know you (Mr. Dreier) don't believe in ghosts, and that's fine. Yes, paranormal activity can be explained away, and TV shows have a part in dramatizing its existence. But ghostly phenomena is a lot more than a a creaking door and some cheap scares. I think this is why there is such a stigma around both ghosts and their believers. 
          We discussed culture and nurture in the text and in class. Many cultures around the world idolize or even live among spirits, like the Japanese, Native American, and Jewish cultures. America is losing its sense of belief, and that's disheartening. Everything is industrialized and standard, and ghosts are a messy subject. 

Article about ghosts in different cultures around the world and their importance:
http://voices.yahoo.com/ghosts-spirits-examining-japanese-jewish-native-586723.html?cat=37