Diagnosis: Chronic Infomania

So, this thought-train started up earlier this afternoon when I was trying to get some serious work-stuffs done. I need to study for the GRE, get headway on three different tasks for work, and dedicate time to paintings I promised to people months ago. (And here I thought being stressed during weekends ended with receiving that ol' diploma tube in the mail. False.) But before getting started on any of these projects, I have to stop and think about how I'm going to spend my day. This requires mentally organizing tasks into functional categories: does this one require computer/internet? Can I do it at the same time as something that doesn't? Can I do it outside? How can I mix-match-multitask my way into the most efficient use of my time?

For example:
Painting (+1) while watching Java tutorial on computer(+1).
Painting requires that I stay inside at home -> Home means I don't have to wear clothes (+1) but I don't get stable internet (-1).

Making GRE flashcards (+1) while downloading abstracts of relevant experiments (+1) at Coffeegroundz (internet (=chat + email + PubMed) + being outside= +4).

Maybe it was the more-than-decent amount of coffee in my system, but for the first time in quite a while I actually started listening in on myself ticking through iterations. Making these pro/con lists of combinations isn't something you do consciously; years of practice (and probably procrastination) have made the process automatic. So I paused a minute... when did this happen? All we've ever been taught about attention and memory is that focus and critical thinking are the best ways to absorb information. So when did I start equating multitasking with productivity?

Oddly enough, I do remember the first time I thought about it. The first time I became aware of how technology has affected our ability to focus on work. It was sometime late middle school and I was doing homework on our family computer- probably writing an essay of some kind- when my mom walked in to check up on my progress. She asked how I was doing. I said fine. Then she starting laughing and asked how I could possibly be getting anything done. This caught me off guard... I was just doing work as usual. A Microsoft Word document was open in one corner of the screen with snippets of paragraphs scattered across an otherwise empty page and three or four IE windows were haphazardly sized and stacked in the remaining desktop space. The taskbar was lit up by intermittent blinks from a handful of minimized AIM windows and the physical desktop of our office workspace was littered with looseleaf notes and open binders. I cupped my hand over the base of our landline phone (I had been chatting with a friend from New York) and answered "I dunno, I just do." Which is the truth. I'd never really questioned a workflow that came so naturally...but when you see it from an observer's perspective it makes absolutely no sense.

Somewhere along the way, this ability to do-lotsa-things-at-once turned into an compulsion to do-lotsa-things-at-once. Otherwise, you get bored or feel like you're wasting time. Go ahead, try to focus. Before you know it, a thought reminds you of that other thing you're supposed to do so you look it up on Google or Wikipedia which reminds you to check that one thing on Facebook or Gmail and then you're drowning in a sea of tabs and programs and uncompleted thoughts.

We're a bunch of infomaniacs and it's sort of a problem ('cause I wasted my afternoon writing about this instead of whateverthehell else I was supposed to be doing. Meh.)

I wish I had some fun conclusive moral to this rambling. But I don't. Of course. and that's the whole point. Here, have some relevant links:

Chuck & Beans comic: Life Before Google.

BBC News says that Infomania worse than Marijuana

Other countries say ADHD is very culture-bound: at best, overdiagnosed in the US. At worst, a phenomenon we made up to describe flighty state of mind.

And of course, the kickass Currrent Show: InfoMania

Just thinking out loud.

Listening to good music in the car is the only way to prevent road rage. Turn it up, sing along and prepare to be pleasantly surprised at how much easier it is to endure stop lights, cut-offs, and old people.

I had a dream the other night that my neuroimaging lab at Baylor decided to start running memory-altering experiments a la Eternal Sunshine. My subconscious wasn't able to put together a coherent procedure, but it had something to do with birdseed and cryogenic freezing. On that note, people who assign symbolic significance to dreams make me giggle.

For the first time in almost 20 years, August is just another month. No last minute shopping for school supplies, no rambling soliloquies whining about the subjective passage of time, no anxious stomach-butterflies warning me of impending responsibility. It's just... August. Huh.

'New Dora' is sexy...and legal!

SCANDAL! A new Dora figure was released recently and apparently, the public isn't very happy with it. She's too sexy to be a good role model for teens, they say. Growing up isn't natural, they say. Well, at least her head is smaller, allright? And honestly, she still perfectly conforms to the wholesome and innocent expectations of soccer moms with the flowery dress, ballet flats, and leggings (the latter of course, is a challenge rule 34 enforcers across the internet have already begun tackling in MS paint).

Anyhow, the real issue is that Dora was released alone. Where is my post-pubescent Diego?! I've been patient, Mattel...

Story @
Press release @

Mondays are Delicious

...My life is so exciting that I blog about meals.

Actually, this one was special. Introducing, the First and Best Steak Ever To Be Grilled At My House! (Thank you, Kyle) Every once in awhile I fall into veggie-mode and forget how much I like meat. But meat good, me like meat. Ooga.

On top of that, we got a pack of St. Arnold's Divine Reserve. Why were we so excited about "just another beer", you ask? Because the Divine Reserve is a small batch they brew uniquely each year and then NEVER MAKE AGAIN. If you're really into the whole connoisseur thing, they like to describe this particular one (No. 7) as

"...dark, slightly chocolatey weizenbock with an undercurrent of bananas and cloves."

Well whatever it's supposed to taste like, it was a perfect compliment to the MMM MEAT.

Okay, that's enough procrastinating my work for this hour. w00t.

Silver Lining on a Shitty Workday

Had a Lunchable for Breakfast.
It was awesome.

I got to play with a roll of bubble wrap at work that is bigger around than I am ( by "play" I mean sit in a classroom for 7 hours organizing and packaging textbooks)
It was awesome.

An EMBA student wandered into the classroom to chat for a bit and in the middle of a sentence he paused and asked me, "Oh no- is something wrong with your computer?" After a slight hesitation he laughed and answered the question himself "Wait. Never mind. That's just your music."
It was awesome.

Disappear Here.

DAY FOUR

Today was our first chill day. Both of my cousins returned to work so my grandma and I did some necessary shoppin' (not the cool computer kind, I'm afraid). Grocery shopping for ingredients to make her delicious Thai coconut soup (ginger, lemongrass, asparagus, celery, basil, chicken broth, coconut milk, straw mushrooms, pure deliciousness) and jeans shopping so that my legs won't freeze and fall off as soon as the sun goes down (I found the perfect pair. I may actually wear them.)

In other news, I started reading Less Than Zero (it's just as dark and deliciously desolate as last time) to make up for the the grotesque overdosing of chick flicks inflicted upon me by my grandma and younger cousin. They've been setting up marathons each night assuming I'd want to be included just because I'm female (incorrect on both counts unfortunately.) But whatever, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to hang out with my family. Besides, this is great practice in learning to suppress maniacal laughter and caustic commentary (which also comes in handy for weddings and well... daily life in general.) In any case, I think it's funny that I can read and adore such depressing books, while the only thing that truly kills my spirit is a good romantic comedy. (Elizabethtown, PS I love you, and did I mention that I saw Bridget Jones 1 & 2 in the same sitting? I wanted to stab myself in the face. I should win some kind of award for surviving the experience.)

Day off = QUESTS!

First, I walked to Target to get groceries and a delicious sandwich. That is 40 minutes each direction, by the way. But it was so nice outside, I couldn't resist! It may or may not have been 96 degrees at the time. It may or may not have been midday. (My glory is exceeded only by my foolishness.) I don't know, something about walking places makes me feel more productive. Maybe because it just takes longer. Or maybe getting sweaty has become intricately associated with accomplishing things. Either way- now I have groceries and a tank tan. w00t.
The second quest of the day is going to sound a little more lame, since it was an internet quest. However, I was just as excited about the end result. This commercial has been eluding my feverish search for quite some time (translation: 2 days) and I finally FOUND IT. The only clues I had to go off of were that it was a Justice song and that there were people in masks dancing to it. It's amusing how I have come to expect every clip I have ever seen IRL to be on Youtube. Oh well, we'll ponder the repercussions of that later. For now, victory is mine!