The Sound of Silence

Hi all!
      Forgot to shamelessly promote myself if you want to tweet me it is @ClaireCassidy15 on twitter. 
          So this post unlike my others that are a little heavy is just a general post about music and the effects it has on you. My mom got me thinking about this the other day when she played this binural beat thing for my dad and I. If you don't know what it is I will post a link to one at the end so you can see if you enjoy it or not. My dad immediately walked out of the room because he hates things like that and while I enjoyed it for about all of 5 seconds trying to decipher it I was not a fan. My mother said she was reading about different frequencies that people enjoy and that is why we like certain kinds of music. I could see where she is coming from but I enjoy lots of different genres and lots of different artists. So what is your music? Here are a couple things on my Ipod:


The Beatles: I am the Walrus and Yesterday
Beyonce: Deja Vu
Imagine Dragons: Radioactive
Glee: Heads Will Roll/Thriller
Lana Del Rey: Young and Beautiful and Born to Die
Florence and the Machine: Sweet Nothing and Spectrum
Drake: F***ing Problems
System of A Down: BYOB
Adele: Skyfall
Kernkraft 4000: Zombie Nation Sports Chant (yep this is the one they play at b-ball games)
Missy Elliott: Lose Control
Utada Hikaru: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

So although some of these could be considered the same genre they are all vastly different. I also feel that I can't sit in silence I have to always be listening to music. Although researchers have suggested that meditating can help improve brain function. Also that music can influence your mood which I consider to be very true. I always want to listen to fast music while running...ok jogging briskly....but when I am studying it's Classical music all the way. Also I change music depending on what type of mood I am in. Music is pretty influential so please don't let your 9 year old listen to Lil Wayne which can hardly be considered music but can also influence their mood and I for one do not want a 9 year old to come up ask you what half those words mean because good luck explaining that. I think music is innate. It besides math (the two are closely related) are the only forms of communication that are know worldwide and according to Close Encounters of the Third Kind is universal. Although I would appreciate more than an electric piano to play on...
What kind of music do you listen to? Best songs of all time?

Til Next Time
Claire

binaural beats for your meditating pleasure or hell...

Also is this the best song of all time?...hehe just kidding

The Real Reason for Friends

Hi all!

        I know two posts in one day! Claire, what is this? I guess since I have not written in a while I have a lot I want to throw out there to the universe. This post will be both sad and happy so get out those tissues and play that happy song you love listening to. Personally for me right now it is Sweater Weather by the Neighbourhood.
          So I have previously posted on mortality and death in general but this post is a combination of that and the reason for friends. Recently my grandfather passed away, who was an amazing man and patriarch of that side of the family. He is greatly missed by my family with my grandmother in particular, of course. Death seems to bring out the good and bad in people. We see or sometimes do not see an ending to someone's life. What I mean by that is that my grandfather was always a very strong man and seemed bigger than life. Many of the family members seemed to not realize that he was slowly dying since he had always been full of piss and vinegar. He made it through WWII at the age of 14 after being sent to a Japanese concentration camp in China. He carried his family through good times and bad times and was always there for advice. When he passed many of my family members seemed surprised and shocked that it happened. He had congestive heart failure and honestly it was IF it was WHEN. After he passed we gathered together to mourn for him all in our own ways but it is after, when you grieve, that this is an important time for friends and family.
          Also a couple days ago my mother's best friend passed away. She was killed instantly in a head on collision along with one of her son's friends in the back seat. My mother fell to pieces and cried for most of the night while I watched and listened. It was more painful to me to see my mother like that then the news of her friend although I did cry like a baby when I first heard the news. The next day her friends arrived to take care of her. It was seeing her there in her bed sobbing uncontrollably while her friends comforted her that I really understood what friends were for. They are there to help you both in good times and in bad.
             You see I very rarely make true friends because I do not like getting close to people. I feel that if I show them what I am really like that they will run to the hills. Also like I have said before I like helping people so I seem to attract people who I give my time and effort to help and when I need the help they are not there. Anyways this is not a sob story just an observation of what happens. Here is what I wrote about friends:
      The fragility of life is displayed to us on a daily basis. The continuous cycle of living and dying is part of who we are. Some of man's biggest fears is growing old or aging because that is when people come to the realization of how precious life truly is. What about those that do not age? The children who were taken in the first moments of life, the children who only first began to live, the mother who made time to take care of those children, the father working to ensure his children's lives would be better than his own? These people
are the deaths that make old age seem almost menial. Life is a series of connections. Connections with the people around us, the people at the grocery store, the person who makes your coffee, your best friend, your lover, your son, your daughter, your mother, your brother, your father, your sister; these are the connections that are made everyday and almost like a web we become more entangled in them. We become closer and we share our fragile lives with our connections. The people who wake us up everyday, who make us smile, who make the world a more beautiful place, who we share our secrets with. When one of those connections is lost we loose our footing in that web. We lose part of what holds us together. We realize at whatever age we are at that; that life is fragile and that picking up the pieces of the web is harder than what we had imagined it would be. Trying to mend that beautiful web by yourself is almost impossible and although it hurts to think about losing more connections and also creating new ones who you might lose; those connections are what helps you repair your web. Those connections: your family, your friends, your people: they help you get through the cycle of life. So when you push them away you are hurting yourself and those tiny tendrils that holds your heart together. The grief that is earth-shattering and seems almost like a sickness soothes over time with the help of these people. When your world comes crashing down, and you are at the lowest place imaginable, these people feel that and rush to help you; because in turn their heart is hurting too for you and your grief becomes their grief. They are there to hold you in times of need and laugh in times of happiness. They are there to encourage you to make the right connections and discourage those that would harm you. They are there to embrace you when your sobs rack your body and you hurt from the inside out. These people, these connections, they are part of the cycle of living and dying. Fragile as life may be you are never
alone. Life is truly precious so spend it with the connections that make you, you. The connections worth living and dying for. The people who make old age seem like an adventure and who gives life meaning. Life not lived to its fullest potential is the most fragile life of all.
            These seemingly fragile connections are really what keeps us going. Think of your heart suspended in a web of these connections. If one breaks although devastating there are other connections to keep you going and to help mend that broken connection. One of my friend's when his mother died told me that he wanted to keep people at bay because he was afraid of people dying and it hurting so much. He started to self-sabotage some of the relationships he once held so dear. He stopped talking to people that mattered to him and grew distant from those he loved. He grew so fearful that these connections as they were lost would hurt and destroy his heart more and more. In doing this he actually hurt those connections that loved and cared for him. He made them fear that they had slighted him in some way. He feared that which he could not prevent and tried to prevent that from ever happening again.
             So growing distant from people does not help anyone. Self- harm whether physical or emotional does not hurt just you but those connections that are close to you. Emotional suicide is just as selfish as physical suicide is. The purpose of friendship of these connections is to HELP you and to be there for you and for you to be there for others. Friendship to a two-way street and we as humans crave friendship.
           
 Heavy stuff I know and I apologize but these are things relevant to everyday life. If you ever need anything or have any questions remember you can always email me! The one below is the best email to reach me at:

cassmarie20@gmail.com

More to come later.
Remember: Life not lived to its fullest potential is the most fragile life of all.

Insane in the Membrane!

Hi all!

     So I know I have not written very much lately or at all it seems but I am going to post a couple posts here today so I can explain why! This post though is about something that I learned from my Intro to Anatomy and Physiology class. My teacher, Matt, one of the best teachers I have ever had, gave us this extra credit assignment, an article (which I will link at the end) about human progenitor glial cells in murine brains. You are looking at me like WHAT? That's right I am going to break it down for you.
       The article which took me forever to interpret and when I finally did made me excited! Basically the article is talking about an experiment a group of scientists did on mice. They injected human brain cells into mice brains. First of all I am sorry if you are against researching on animals but when you see the results of what happened I hope you will forgive me for posting this. Secondly this is insane right, I mean why would you even think to do that? Anyways, the scientists discovered that the human astrocytes (brain cells) took over the mice brains. Instead of a splitting of the brain between mice and human astrocytes the human cells made up the majority of the astrocytes inside the mouse brain. Interesting huh? That is not all! The chimeran mice (mice with human brain cells) turned out to be more intelligent and to learn at a faster rate than regular mice. They did multiple tests with mazes, fear, and bait to discover that these chimeran mice were highly intelligent.
       You are like ok, Claire, that is great but what is so cool about this? The chimeran mice were more intelligent without any nasty side effects that sometimes humans develop. These nasty effects could include ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain lesions, strokes, tumors etc. This is truly amazing! The chemical linked to these diseases was within reasonable levels in the mice and was not produced in excess ever. The chemical which is usually linked to these diseases did not increase or compensate after being engrafted into the mouse brain. That means that these mice will never have to deal with those diseases and actually the grey matter inside the brain was increased. Grey matter refers to the part of the brain where we make memories and learn or so scientists think.
        So I can see you coming up to your own conclusions and yes you are correct! This means that a cure or prevention for this diseases are not just a possibility but will one day (with enough funding) be a reality. Learning disabilities such as ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and others would also benefit from this research. It is astounding to think that we are not decades (hopefully) away from a cure but years away from a cure. This to me is amazing and simply wonderful.
Here is the link http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/abstract/S1934-5909(13)00007-6. Also good luck trying to understand it if you are not into neuroscience but Google is your friend.
Claire

Thanksgiving and Black Friday...plus RIP Twinkies

Hey to whoever is reading this,
   I know that I said I would only make this a blog of beauty but I do have to mourn for a minute the now late and great Hostess Twinkies. Oh Hostess Twinkies the food that survived the nuclear war, Zombie Apocalypse, and was even shown on that one episode of Family Guy; how we will mourn your artery clogging passing. Your cream infused center with perfect yellow, cakey goodness will ever be only a memory. Moment of silence for Hostess Twinkies. Ok, now onto the next topic of business.
     Black Friday! I work for the retail industry thankfully not Walmart or Target but a hardware store and as always we will be having big sales. I know where the origins of Black Friday come from but do you? Here is a little history lesson: The name originated in Philly, in West Philadelphia born and raised on the playground...(sorry Fresh Prince sidetrack), where there would be an excessive of foot traffic on the day after Thanksgiving. Retailers later used the phrase when they would be "in the black" instead of the red. Anyways the idea is that you go out and spend lots of money at the place that has the best sales. Good idea in concept but have you ever been out there when people are shopping? It is freaking insane. My parents find it fun and I have had fun people watching because people are so insanely stupid and so crazily dressed. But that actual shopping experience of it is terrible. But hey those deals will be great out there!
      Now the most important part of the actual post. Thanksgiving! Do you have traditions? Deep frying turkeys? Tofu turkey? Mashed potatoes? Chinese food? Whatever it is be thankful it is good for your health. Seriously it is actually good for you health! I am thankful that everyday I wake up living, that I have a great family, amazing friends, and am able to get a great education. Be thankful! Even if you have next to nothing (which I am a poor college student so believe me I do). Be thankful! You can do it. Smile and say as my friend Chris loves to day "Let's live in love and love with no fear!" So Happy Thanksgiving!

Mortality and Birth

Hi all!!
   Sorry I have not been able to post as often as I like I am a busy person! So I apologize. This post deals with two broad but similar subject matters: life and death. Mortality and birth are prevalent in our everyday lives and even though we cant have one without the other it still is hard when we lose someone that we love. It seems to me though that while one is a celebration and gets celebrated every year following the other is a memorial and is a very somber occasion. I think both should be a celebration one to memorialize the life of the person and one to celebrate the new life.
     I understand that many people believe the funeral should be a somber event with lots of flowers and black clothing but I mean really who wants to sit in black and look at your body and talk about what a great person they were? Throw a party spend that funeral home money on an elephant everyone loves elephant rides. But I guess everyone has their own opinions on the issue...
     No, offensive for that last paragraph just had to lighten things up a bit. Today in my Human Growth and Development classes we watched a video on midwives and babies being born. It was describing how that not all births need a C-section and that many women feel pushed into getting one and getting pushed into inducing their labor. The video talked about how natural births are better for the woman and less likely to harm the baby. Interesting sides to both stories on the video which is available on Netflix and Ricki Lake was a producer. I am pretty sure though if I am in that much pain I will just scream for an epidural. O.O
      So morality and birth thoughts? Ideas? Anything? Anyone out there?

Here is a parting poem I had made a while back. Hope you enjoy it:

Cry, wail, lament, and mourn

The love you shared, and the fact

You will never see your

Lover,

Soul-mate,

Dearest friend again.

But rejoice, celebrate, and be joyous,

That their soul has left

The weak, sick, form they once inhabited.

They suffered and were in pain.

They cried out to be put out of their miseries

But held a strong face.

They watched the sympathetic faces of the blurring crowd;

But one stood out among the rest.

The true visage of their love

And the sorrow that clouded their eyes.

That sorrowful love made the pain

Better and

Worse.

In those last moments of life they want

That person beside them,

That last look,

That last "I love you,"

And that last image in their eyes,

Burned into their mind is

You.

To them that is the best. most wonderful sight

In the world.

In that moment they know

They have not died in vain.

While you cry after they pass,

They rejoice with the knowledge of seeing

You, one last time and that you are living on.

So be sad for today,

But remember they left you to live

And be happy.

So cry for today,

BUT

Awaken tomorrow with a new purpose,

The purpose of living for your love.

The purpose of Death.

Introduction, Interlude, and You

Hi,
  Hello and welcome to however you stumbled upon this blog. Whether it was through searching for this quote or looking at new blogs. Welcome!
   This blog is meant to be almost an open forum for ideas, knowledge, or whatever. Think of Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium. I am here to help you or to get to know you or even just to listen to an incredibly long rant you think no one will want to hear such as, why don't we drive on the other side of the road like all the other countries. This is a drop box of knowledge and I hope to cultivate some growing knowledge. I will tell you a bit about me:
    I am a 21 year old college student, who works full time at a hardware store, and is literally rubbing pennies together to get by well I guess like any other college student. I know I seem young but let me tell you I have already been through many experiences in my life that I feel like I have aged more than my 21 years on this earth. I may tell you about some of those later but for now lets keep it simple. I am an avid reader, collector of things beautiful and funny, a dreamer, my imagination often runs very wild, a movie lover (even the horrible ones), a music lover (everything from hip-hop to country to house etc), and a lover of knowledge. I am kinda a closet geek and love anime and manga with the best of them! My best trait is my smile and my great listening ability. I have literally been stopped in the grocery store by random people so that they can tell me their life story. Very interesting lives people lead too. Everything from people coming to this country for a better life to people who are having problems at home and everything in between. So yes that does mean I am here to listen.
     So tell me more about you! Leave me links: please don't leave obscene ones or if you feel like you really need to I will give you my email address. I want this to be an emporium, a wealth of knowledge, and funny. A haven for people hurting and a forum where you can say anything (within reason). So tell me about you, whats going on with you? What are you doing here and with your life?


C

Email! cassie2116@yahoo.com

Don't hesitate to email me or if you have yahoo message me. I am often awake super late. I am here for you. 

Here is a video of Yo-Yo Ma doing his cello thing. Look at that concentration and utter love with the cello. Its like they are one!

Here is a video for you! Even if you hate opera or are not religious this is still an amazing song.