noo-ROT-ik

Neu-rot-ic
Informal A person prone to excessive anxiety and emotional upset
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

It has perhaps been most simply defined as a "poor ability to adapt to one's environment, an inability to change one's life patterns, and the inability to develop a richer, more complex, more satisfying personality." Neurosis should not be mistaken for psychosis, which refers to loss of touch with reality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotic

I admit it, no shame, I deny responsibility.  After all,  it's clearly either genetic or a result of that early toilet-training, oh the psychological repurcusions. No evidence of neurosis evolving into psychosis.

So easy to think of things to write when I should be studying...

Confirm Your Suspicions

Ever wonder if that little personality quirk is more than just a quirk? Confirm your suspicions (accusations) about yourself, family, friends, etc.   
AQ   Click on the link to see where you fall on the Autism Spectrum.

Ye olde Wikipedia mentions a trial of the AQ at Cambridge showed Mathematics, Engineering and Physical Science students scored significantly higher than average on the AQ. Wiki Ref

What conclusions might we leap to based on that bit of info?

Nuts

Darn car.

On occasion (twice) as I've been driving on the freeway, the hood of the car has noticeably bounced up and down and I've had to pull over and close it tightly. (Ironically, it was the same friend riding with me both times who alerted me to the situation.)  Both times it happened after getting my oil changed--like the guy didn't latch it completely.

See how the hood's just a little open?

So after this most recent oil change, I thought I'd be proactive and make sure the hood was closed tightly before driving away. It would not latch.

This dumb little thing, whatever it's called--

No tension. Broken.

I curse it.

Had to tie knots in the bungee cords because they're too long.

The hood still goes up and down when I'm driving around Point of the Mountain but hopefully the bungee cords will prevent a Tommy Boy-type scenario.

"Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby...Aaaah!!!!"

Violator?!

I was in a terrible rush the other morning...

$90, can you believe that?? I guess I'm glad he only cited me for 5 mph above the posted limit. Sheesh!

I decided I needed to obscure identifying information, but perhaps I shouldn't have used actual words. कर्सेस Should have written in हिंदी! Haha, I crack myself up! I also just realized I made a note to myself and wrote the wrong date. Too much work to re-edit.

The Unfortunate Advantages of Eating vs Running

To deal with anxiety don't we all need a little flood of endorphins to soothe our stressed out brains? While there are various ways to induce that surge --recreational drugs, alcohol, connubial (yes, that's a word) relations, food and exercise--moral, not to mention legal, obligations preclude 3 of the 5 leaving me with food and exercise.

While I must confess I invariably feel better after running, food has so many advantages.

1. Thirty seconds vs 30 minutes -- an immediate sense of well-being with that first mouthful of luscious food--can you deny it?

2. No need to leave the house

3. No need to change clothes

4. No need to shower afterward

5. Easy on the knees (until subsequent obesity kills them...apparently the knees lose either way)

6. Requires no effort

7. Never too out of shape to eat

8.Available 24/7 without fear of getting killed on a dark street

Sorry, not clever enough to come up with Ten.

Alas, I'm fully aware of all the disadvantages of medicating myself with food. If only it didn't work so well! And yes, I know, there are other ways to achieve endorphin release (laughter, sunshine, etc.), but then I couldn't have said they were verboten and the blog just wouldn't have worked. Besides, food would still win in the end by virtue of convenience. Curses!

Camera in the restroom.

I was the only person in the restroom at Costco and there was this funny little rubber-duck! How could I resist? Of course, just as I snapped the picture an employee walked in.

Hasty exit, no eye-contact.

Self-diganosis

Posed in order of preference.

Two summers ago my eyes started having problems focusing. Things like glancing into the rearview mirror and then back to the road were problematic--like it would take several seconds for my eyes to re-focus whilst hurtling down the road at 65mph. Yes, I know, alarming and a bit dangerous.

Concerned, I went to see the opthamologist who did LASIK on me (7 yrs ago), maybe there was a surgical complication. He checked out my eyes and then said something about me getting older. I flipped out. "I'm only 40!" Trying to lower my voice, I hastened to add that I didn't experience this focus-problem while reading, in fact I could read fine print with ease, thank you very much. "Isn't it possible I have a tumor, or MS?" Family history, you know...

He agreed to see me again in three months. At the follow-up appointment we had pretty much the same conversation.

"It comes and goes!" was my new argument. "It couldn't be age-related if it doesn't happen all the time, could it?" His explanation was my eyes get fatigued after reading for an extended period of time and then they're not able to focus while driving. He encouraged me to purchase 1+ reading glasses at All a Dollar. I was miffed. He'd be sorry when I lost my eye to the tumor!

Nevertheless, I purchased reading glasses, several actually.

I am both dismayed and delighted to report that the problem persists despite diligently using the reading glasses for over two years. As before, it comes and goes--trouble focusing for weeks at a time, unbothered for another few. Squinting helps alot with getting things back into focus when driving, so I don't feel quite so hazardous on the road. Alas, it only worsens my mad-look.

I've come to the conclusion (almost) that it's actual fatigue, i.e. lack of sleep, that causes the problem. I just need a couple nights of 8.5hrs sleep in order to test my hypothesis. Easier said than done. Caffeine does not fix this problem.

Meanwhile, I still wear the reading glasses, just in case.

"Am I getting old?"

"Oh no, not you."

--from Gigi