Muscle Memory

Ever find that you can't remember a telephone number when you just try to say it, but if you have a phone in front of you, you suddenly can? Or, if you've had some code or pin number, that you could always type, but not say? That, is the wonders of muscle memory. That, is also what I just blogged about on my other blog http://classicalmusicandme.blogspot.com/. You rely on muscle memory  a lot more than you realize. For example, when you're walking you use muscle memory. This is the reason you don't fall every few steps like you did as a toddler. I believe this is also the reason why once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget. Unless of course you suffer some sort of brain damage or develop a brain disease like Alzheimer's.

Strange Pumpkin

I came across this pumpkin while visiting my friends house one day and I was shocked by how peculiar (and cute) it was. I'm not sure if you can see it with this picture, but this pumpkin actually looks like two pumpkins that were merged together. When I asked my friend how this pumpkin became like this, he said that it was a pumpkin that was about to split apart, but got cut off the vine before it had the chance to. Pumpkins reproducing by splitting apart was so bizarre to me that I had to go Google it. I went through many websites about how to plant pumpkins and pumpkin diseases, but I couldn't find any explaining how and when a pumpkin reproduced by splitting apart. The closest I got were two pictures, this one my friend took and put on his website http://randomnessgame.weebly.com/index.html, and one on a website called Garden Tales http://gardentales.areavoices.com/, that also has many more funny deformed plants.  

One or Two?

I was writing a paper when I needed to use the word rollercoaster. Spell check corrected my "misspelling" and told me it was roller coaster. Two words. This interested me, so I searched the spelling of rollercoaster or roller coaster online. Their seemed to be about the same amount of people who thought rollercoaster was spelled with one word than people who thought roller coaster was spelled with two.

So, my question is, is rollercoaster/roller coaster spelled with one word or two?

Sometimes Behaves So Strangely

During lunch one day I was listening to a Radiolab podcast I downloaded and I thought it was so... I don't know. I really don't know, but it was definitely extremely interesting. I know that's not saying much because all Radiolab podcasts are interesting, but this one just stood out. Especially the beginning of this one. Just the first 10-15 minutes of it.
Here is the link to it: http://www.radiolab.org/2007/sep/24/behaves-so-strangely/

Gifted

The gifted program. What do you think about it? Do you like it, support it, or do you dislike it and think its bad? I was listening to a radiolab podcast and in it was a guy who disliked gifted program thought that it was labeling the smart students from the bad ones, but  I didn't notice this in my school. I really support gifted programs; I really think it helps Gifted children think and learn. I remember my 7th grade gifted teacher helped my find the best way for me to study after I got a C on a test. After that I always got A's in her class. She was probably my all-time favorite teacher ever.

The thing is, other than the argument about the labeling issue, what's so bad about the gifted program?

Secrets of Success (Radiolab Podcast) - http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2010/jul/26/secrets-of-success/

Creative Writing

So today, I was thinking and doodling with a Sharpie when a poem just came to me. I really quite like it because it is really funny to me and I never really knew I could write poems. It went like this

Happy Days

Happy days
form in ways
I don't
understand

Happy days
are the same
as one
old friend

Happy dayps
are happy days
no matter
what you say

So don't ruin
my happy day
and do
what I say!

I don't know what inspired this poem because that day was neither a day I was very happy about nor a day I where really wanted someone to do something for me.

Life At Princeton

A few weeks ago, I stayed with my sister at Princeton University. At Princeton you can't help but be inspired to learn. The students, the architecture, and especially the professors make a perfect learning environment. At Princeton I listened to lectures about Neuroscience, Psychology, and Organic Chemistry. Although I didn't fully understand the Organic Chemistry lecture, I could still mostly follow the lecture and the material the students learn is great! Still, taking neat notes in chemistry is challenging and I have no idea how my sister does it. At Princeton, I also watched my sister do a Chemistry Lab, and I swear it is just like watching someone do potions in Harry Potter. You have to get your prodect and mix it in with Hexans two times, making sure you release the pressure so your contianer doesn't explode, Then you have to make sure you get the hexans out, but keep your product. You have to cool your product, heat your product, even measure the acidity level of your product. I can't say life at Princeton isn't hard, but it certainly is pretty amazing. No wonder why Princeton is one of the most liked schools in America.