cory's posterous

Long Overdue for an Update

It's been awhile, so I thought I'd throw an update up. I just added my FriendFeed "lifestream" to the widgets on the right, and I thought I'd mention that change. It replaces my Twitter widget and Google Reader Shared items widget. We'll see how it goes.

In terms of what's going on: finished summer classes (took two this past summer session, both Neuroscience focus, namely Human Cognition and the Brain and Hormones and Behaviour. Both were excellent, and I've developed an abiding love for the neuroscience aspect of psychology. It's amazing how far the discipline has come, tying together fundamental theories, like John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, to physiological changes in the structure of the brain's anatomy, and the neuroendocrinological system. OK, enough psych gobbledygook. On to more about life in general.

I'm studying for the GREs, which I will be writing in late August. I'm feeling confident about the Verbal section. I continue to study for the Quantitative in a half-assed way. As usual, I gravitate to the things I enjoy.

Well, this has been a bucketful of bland blogging. I'm going to end it here and try to post something a little more stimulating soon.

Juno: Easily the Best Movie of 2007

Juno is as good as film gets. To roughly paraphrase Paul Giamatti in "Shoot 'Em Up", either 2007's other movies really sucked, or Juno is just that good. It's easily my favourite film of the year. Ellen Page was adorable, and wonderful, and I'll admit I'm more than a little bit in love. Michael Cera was pitch perfect, his clueless high school boy reminding me painfully of myself at times. As did Jason Bateman's man-child in his own state of "arrested development".

Pilate - Alright


OK, I'm off to face my own personal hell. It's time for my "exam conflict scenario", where I had two exams scheduled for the exact same time and the University decides how to handle it. Their solution: Write both on the same day, locked away in an isolated room and with no communication after writing the first at 9:00AM, until the second at 2:00PM. I do get to bring a packed lunch, though, along with my notes for the second exam. So very, very generous.

I've been listening to this song, "Alright" by Pilate (now Pilotspeed), to get me through it. I first heard it during an episode of Tell Me You Love Me (TMYLM). TMYLM is a dark, depressing show that examines relationships as they really are, and not as people want them to be. I both highly recommend it, and highly warn people against it if they're not prepared. It's very sexual, gritty, dark, and disturbing. A lot like real life, really.

OK, enough procrastinating. As Mario would say, "Here I go!"

ROCK BAND - Insert Umlaut Here


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Yes, I absolutely could not resist. I drove down Monday night to Plattsburgh, NY for the midnight launch of Rock Band on Tuesday at 12:01AM. It's been amazing. I've been keeping it cranked to 11 when possible, but it's hard in an apartment.


Of course I've also been working on this absolutely insane Abnormal Psychology presentation due on Monday, on the ever compelling subject of "Biological Vulnerability to Depression". I can summarize: Eat lots of Turkey (avoid that Tryptophan depletion!), don't have a mother with Major Depressive Disorder, take SSRIs, avoid stressors, and don't be a woman. If you want to decrease your likelihood of depression. Oh, and from class but not my presentation: do not become an at-home caregiver to someone with Alzheimer's Disease, because there's a 40% chance of suffering from depression right there.

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OK, enough about MDD. It's time to talk about how awesome Rock Band is, how much Pixie enjoys my soothing backbeats, and how much I need to get my hands on a second guitar so that we can start playing with the full four person band.


Singing, as a semi-aside, is awesome. I can't wait until The Police downloadable songs are available in Canada. That's one problem with having it a month earlier than I'm supposed to!

Life's And All Its Challenges

I've been neglecting the blog. It's not surprising, life gets busy, and something's gotta give. The blog is not really part of my daily routine, so it's the first thing to go.

I've been pondering what it means to be back in school. I am not doing what everyone else my age does. I stand out in the crowd, and sometimes it feels as if the profs. and I are engaged in a dialog, while the rest of the class is just sitting there. It could be because I'm often the only one confident enough to venture to answer their questions out loud. It could be because I'm usually the only over-30 in the room besides the professor. And it could be because I'm narcissistic enough to think that this is happening when it's really not. In any case, being a mature student is radically different than anything I've experienced before, and I'm still loving it. The main drawback is the fact that I'm surrounded by 19 - 22 year olds, with their perfect bodies and hairlines, all unravaged by time. Tori Amos sung about them, "those beautiful boys, those Christian boys". I'm jealous, and self-aware of my receding hairline and lack of six-pack abs. Of course, I do seem to have better hygiene then a lot of these guys. It's weird, but on a few occasions I've had to spend classes breathing through my mouth due to the stink of one of the really pretty guys. It's as if they don't realize that bathing and brushing their teeth is part of a regular life routine. But I digress.

I'm past mid-terms now, weeks away from finals. Winter looms and I'm approaching the end of my first real semester back, I also find myself reflecting on my life and wondering at the road ahead. It's a long road, with many unknowns. I finally finished reading Stumbling on Happiness, by a renowned Harvard psychologist, Daniel Gilbert. It's opened my eyes to the fact that I really made a lot of the classic mistakes with my life to date, and that I've generally failed to do the one thing that's supposed to work to figure out if something will make me happy: consult a surrogate. I fell into the common trap of thinking I was too individual, too much a unique snowflake, to be able to compare my life to someone elses'. But it doesn't work that way, we are the products of social forces, and though personality plays a role in our lives, and personality formation can be highly individualistic, in the end we're all statistically similar to others. So, where do I find the group of people just like me? Oh wait, I've already found them over at Quarter to Three.com. I guess there is a reason why Beauty and the Geek is the only reality TV I can stomach!

This long rambling post has been brought to you by They Might Be Giants' "Here Come the ABC's". I particularly recommend "E Eats Everything" and "D & W".

PS If you're not watching Pushing Daisies, you're only shortchanging yourself.
PPS Super Mario Galaxy is out! I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, too busy with the schoolwork, but I'm really dying to play. It's getting rave reviews!
PPPS Rock Band is coming out in the US on Tuesday, it's been delayed in Canada. I'm thinking of road tripping down to Plattsburgh for a copy, as long as I know it won't be a wasted drive.