In February, we went on a ski trip to Canada where we also celebrated our older daughter's 12th birthday. Her birthday always falls on the school winter break and virtually every year our family goes skiing during that time, which means that we tend to celebrate it for a whole week. This year, the kids... Continue Reading →
Do you suffer from Impostor Syndrome? Maybe you shouldn’t.
A few years ago, I got myself into a bit of a pickle at work. I am a secret self-improvement book/webinar/lecture junkie. I live by books like "Getting Things Done" by David Allen, "168 Hours: You have more time than you think" by Laura Vanderkam, and Austin Kleon's series of books for artists. It is... Continue Reading →
Need a pick-me-up? How about a splash of color in your life?
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”-William Arthur Ward This quote was put up on a screen at our Chief Scientific Officer's retirement party back in 2017. While the party was very nice and well-intentioned on the surface, in reality it was a forced retirement.... Continue Reading →
Drumroll please – introducing “Wilting Mind”
“Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”- Leonardo da Vinci I haven't heard this quote before. By some strange coincidence I accidentally came across it only a few weeks ago, as I was thinking of writing a... Continue Reading →
“Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds…”
Over the last couple of months, I have fallen off the face of the earth. Again. At least off of the blogosphere anyway. It has been a crazy couple of months for me, to say the least. Work has been stressful and I was in the process of being interviewed for a new job. Not... Continue Reading →
“Muted Potential” – Part II
Juggling work, kids and NeuroBead, I often sit down to write a blog post in unusual places. This week for example, I am writing from my daughter’s gymnastics studio, where I get an hour of peace and quiet while she is in class. Just as I sat down and started looking through my notes about... Continue Reading →
Pushing the envelope in science AND art
"Thinking outside the box" has become a bit of a cliché. But in science it is more important than ever. As the base of human knowledge propels ahead with lightning speed, it takes a special set of skills and knowledge to be on the cutting edge of innovation. When I was in graduate school, there... Continue Reading →
I just want to feel this moment
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”- Lao Tzu I recently heard this quote at it really resonated with me. Despite being a neuroscientist, I had a pretty hazy understanding of... Continue Reading →
Feeling aggressive? You’re not alone.
Last weekend, I was assaulted on the street in broad daylight. I was walking on the sidewalk and a woman crossed the street to come and yell at me for no reason. In more colorful language than I am willing to write here, she told me to get out of there, spit at me and... Continue Reading →
Why is art so rewarding to the brain?
Several years ago, I received a comment on my website stating that: Work and chores get done, because the world needs them to be done. #Art gets done because there is an internal need for it to happen.Tweet I grew up doing a lot of arts and crafts, which did not necessarily stem from the... Continue Reading →