First Week Done

WOOHOO (screaming football game yell) It was awesome; the first week that is. I'm taking Psychological Research, Behavioral Neuroscience of Addiction, and Statistics. Already tons of reading, but it's wicked awesome reading (only things I'm fascinated by which always makes things more interesting). First day was mostly a debate about the ethical or unethical nature of using animals such as rats for research. Not the happy go lucky research, but rather the inject them with cocaine type research. Was interesting, and great to get in a class with people who are all different with different interests, yet all very similar in passion. Second day followed the theme with a debate about the definition of addiction (aka is it a brain disease, does it exist at all, a purely mental existence, etc, etc). That same day was also statistics, which I've had two classes in already so it was quite boring...but at least it's only once a week and I'm done with it after this semester. (silly required for all classes)

ANDDDD....I got the position!!!! The position with Dr. Gishawn Mance. I'll be working on a study/publication based out of Baltimore and Chicago that looks at the effects of low-income, low-education, and low-healthcare availability to inner city drop-outs (between the ages of 14 and 20. Mostly this work will concentrate on determining if psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, etc) prevalent with these groups is mediated by hopelessness, and whether a lack of education and medical attention or awareness thereof contributes to this. I'm also interested in whether longitudinally this increases or decreases with second generation children of parents in programs of intervention.

I'm totally EXCITED!!

I'm also working on getting some pics up for you all. As soon as I do, they'll be up I promise.

Oh and the money thing worked out, after pulling "a Resa Mom thing." Which is basically when I refuse to back down and walk away when no one is giving me an answer that I really need. Generally the front desk staff in the offices get scared and defensive, but hey it's my money not theirs so it's important that I don't give up.

Hmm more to come...for now the pot roast is beeping at me!