Brain dumping
Feb. 11th, 2013 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
averygoodun42So, this will sound bad, but, well, it's an interesting experience not being the smartest kid in the class. I haven't been in this position since high school (AP physics). It's both humbling and invigorating, actually, as it's spurring me to really work at figuring this stuff out.
Granted, I am also giving myself the benefit of the doubt by acknowledging that the kids who are asking the really good questions have had both high school biology and chemistry, and pretty recently, too. Not only did I skip those subjects (my science credits were the AP physics (which probably would have been a hell of a lot easier had I started it at the beginning of the year (instead of six weeks in), AND been taking calculus alongside it) and auditing a college astronomy curse), but that all was damn near twenty years ago.
But I have been working to figure the stuff out. This biology textbook assumes a basic intuitive knowledge of chemistry (there are basic, basic explanations of atoms and elements and bonding, but not nearly detailed enough for me to get it), which I don't have, so I've finally logged into the Khan Academy and am going through their chemistry tutorials. I think after two hours of video lectures I now have a better grasp of the workings of atoms. I still don't quite get the overall structure of the periodic chart, but, then, the tutorials haven't reached a good explanation of that yet. They've really been focusing on the atoms themselves (and the meaning and structure of their formulas). Next set of tutorials focus on the periodic chart. Then bonding.
Interesting stuff.
Unfortunately, I kind of burned my eyes out watching the videos, and barely got through three pages of my textbook reading before my eyes gave out completely. Which means I have a lot more to do today than I anticipated.
Ah well.
In the meantime, I seem to have injured myself having fun. My shoulder/rhomboid is swollen and painful after the shoveling and snowblowing adventures on Saturday. I hate being a delicate flower. I'd far rather be something like a red cabbage. They're pretty (and interesting!) and healthy and TOUGH. Yeah, their leaves can break with abuse, but they can also take rough-housing and the occasional bounce. Not to mention being adaptable to just about every environment (that I'm willing to live in).
Ah well. I'm sure there are benefits to being a delicate flower. Like having the excuse of needing pampering to thrive. :-)
Of course, I'm hoping that today's 'pampering' (a visit to the chiropractor) won't leave me worse off. Drugs will be used beforehand to try to prevent the doc from damaging my pretty little petals. :-/
And finally, I've been having odd dreams again. Last night's dream was particularly odd, as it involved President Obama scuppering NASA (not just the shuttle program, which I know wasn't his to scupper in the first place). It also involved a conspiracy of a chemical company killing off the owners of a neighboring area, which happened to be national park land, so as to expand their production. Oh, and Star Wars stuff was in there, too. *nods* As I said, it was odd. (And much better than the previous night's dream about a eugenic rapist/cult-leader who was basically trying to create a breed of vampires in his theater-home. I had to do a ACD/RDJ Sherlock Holmes and sacrifice my life to stop him.)
But now I need to get going. No idea how much energy I'll have today, so I'd best not use what I do have on anymore verbal spewing.
Granted, I am also giving myself the benefit of the doubt by acknowledging that the kids who are asking the really good questions have had both high school biology and chemistry, and pretty recently, too. Not only did I skip those subjects (my science credits were the AP physics (which probably would have been a hell of a lot easier had I started it at the beginning of the year (instead of six weeks in), AND been taking calculus alongside it) and auditing a college astronomy curse), but that all was damn near twenty years ago.
But I have been working to figure the stuff out. This biology textbook assumes a basic intuitive knowledge of chemistry (there are basic, basic explanations of atoms and elements and bonding, but not nearly detailed enough for me to get it), which I don't have, so I've finally logged into the Khan Academy and am going through their chemistry tutorials. I think after two hours of video lectures I now have a better grasp of the workings of atoms. I still don't quite get the overall structure of the periodic chart, but, then, the tutorials haven't reached a good explanation of that yet. They've really been focusing on the atoms themselves (and the meaning and structure of their formulas). Next set of tutorials focus on the periodic chart. Then bonding.
Interesting stuff.
Unfortunately, I kind of burned my eyes out watching the videos, and barely got through three pages of my textbook reading before my eyes gave out completely. Which means I have a lot more to do today than I anticipated.
Ah well.
In the meantime, I seem to have injured myself having fun. My shoulder/rhomboid is swollen and painful after the shoveling and snowblowing adventures on Saturday. I hate being a delicate flower. I'd far rather be something like a red cabbage. They're pretty (and interesting!) and healthy and TOUGH. Yeah, their leaves can break with abuse, but they can also take rough-housing and the occasional bounce. Not to mention being adaptable to just about every environment (that I'm willing to live in).
Ah well. I'm sure there are benefits to being a delicate flower. Like having the excuse of needing pampering to thrive. :-)
Of course, I'm hoping that today's 'pampering' (a visit to the chiropractor) won't leave me worse off. Drugs will be used beforehand to try to prevent the doc from damaging my pretty little petals. :-/
And finally, I've been having odd dreams again. Last night's dream was particularly odd, as it involved President Obama scuppering NASA (not just the shuttle program, which I know wasn't his to scupper in the first place). It also involved a conspiracy of a chemical company killing off the owners of a neighboring area, which happened to be national park land, so as to expand their production. Oh, and Star Wars stuff was in there, too. *nods* As I said, it was odd. (And much better than the previous night's dream about a eugenic rapist/cult-leader who was basically trying to create a breed of vampires in his theater-home. I had to do a ACD/RDJ Sherlock Holmes and sacrifice my life to stop him.)
But now I need to get going. No idea how much energy I'll have today, so I'd best not use what I do have on anymore verbal spewing.
