Do You Eat Glue?

After years of interest, study, and ponderin' in general... I've finally found the true cause and treatment for addiction.

Not exactly what I've thought of over the years when the words "drugs" and "possession" are used together.

(Admittedly, I couldn't bring myself to READ this... "research," okay. But it's worth a look for the abstract and illustrations alone).

***

So like Bruiser, I've been watching the African webcam quite a bit. Far as I can tell there are long stretches of inactivity, punctuated by short bursts where it looks like a scene from The Lion King. I've seen monkeys/baboons, all sorts of gazelle-type creatures, ducks, wildebeasts, a small rhino and, as of a few minutes ago, a grackle. Damn, those things are EVERYWHERE.

***

Hey, zip on over to the BB myspace to see a nice comment left by Pugwash, a terrific pop "band" (ie, Irishman Thomas Walsh and some collaborators).

I mean, I gather it's a nice comment and all, but I don't exactly know what it... means.

***

No word on new job as of this writing, though there's been some... activity.

Some of you know what I'm talking about. Keeping my fingers crossed.

***

Happy belated birthday Amanda. I've got this bitchin' card for you... I'm so bad about mailing stuff on time. Her kids are gonna grow up scarred for life because I never get their birthday gifts to them on time.

***

So there's this phenomenon, for lack of a better word, that occurs when one studies psych: You look for yourself.

I suppose it's common for psych students to read about all the different disorders and decide, at some point, that they've got something. "My gosh, I ate Elmer's glue for all of second grade, so I've got 'pica'!"

I find familiar elements in lots of disorders, but I can't say I'm inclined to self-diagnose. I function normally, I'm healthy, I generally feel okay, mood's not bad most of the time. But in reading about, say, obsessive-compulsive disorder, I see some familiar behaviors. I think many of us would.

I'm starting to view my studies in abnormal psych as a process of familiarizing myself with the more remote regions of my mind. I'd say there's a ton of behavior we're all familiar with that, when done repetitively, would be pathological. But in most cases, it's a passing thing, an idiosyncrasy maybe. I find this quite valuable, and I think it'll help me be a better parent as well. I had moments as a child where I was fairly gripped with some behavior or thought that I believed surely meant I was crazy. Now I see that it really wasn't so bad as all that. I'm even coming up with a few strategies for handling those if, at some point, my kids experience these things. Or MOBB or me, for that matter.

***

If you read all that and followed it, you've earned your wings for today.

***

Lutter made such short work of Patrick Cote the other night... I'm sure the other competitors in his weight class from TUF4 are shaking their heads that the quiet, unassuming (and coach-less) BJJ black belt won the whole thing.

How he'll do against Anderson Silva, though... that's anyone's guess.

***

Speaking of meaningless pain... man, my first KM workout in a week has left me SORE.

***

Ya'll take care.