6 hours

Here's something exciting to do over spring break - grab a close friend, pour cold water in one of their ears and hot water in the other and pay attention to their strange eye and head movements! =) The vestibular system (bones near your ear) consists of 3 fluid-filled canals that are arranged in the 3 main planes of head movement. It's the inner ear balance you hear so much about in relation to vertigo and other fun dizzy things. When we move our head, the bones move with it (duh), but the fluid inside the canal moves relative to the bone. It's sensory cells inside the canal that keep us posted on posture, head positioning and general orientation of our head. So, back to the hot/cold water. Vestibuocular reflexes allow us to keep our eyes on a point while turning our head. It coordinates eye and head movements based on what the fluid in the vestibular canals is doing. The hot and cold water heats or cools the fluid, causing convection currents in the canals which mimics head movement, which makes your eyes do strange things! Woo hoo!!! Hey, it's no stranger than ear candles. Did you know that people who are unable to smell or identify scents are called anosmics? People who are unable to recognize faces (even of people they've known their whole life) are called prosopagnosiacs. "Prosopo" is Greek for "face" or "person" and "agnosia" means "not knowing." For example, prosopagnosiacs will be unable to recognize or identify their spouse until he or she starts talking (voice and manner recognition is fine). Can you tell I studied for 6 solid hours today??? I just hope I'll be able to remember what I need to during the exams tomorrow. I should probably review each class again before I go to bed. It's the most frustrating thing when you are unable to answer a question on the test because the specific diagram that you need to answer it appears only partially complete in your mind. No matter how hard I try to focus, the caption or labels or point of the diagram remains unclear, yet the skeletal components sit there and taunt me. It's maddening. I grew up in a fellowship that divided about 10 years ago. It was a painful thing. Families were split, not to mention life-long friendships all because of legalistic "traditional" elders who refused to be accountable and willing to admit the possibility that they could be wrong. Yes, for those of you who actually know the details about this, that was a rather harsh generalization. A lot more went into the division than just that. Today I learned that the "other" side (being the one we aren't on) is about to experience ANOTHER division. I can't believe it. So much pain and hurt and needless finger-pointing, Bible-thumping, anger, pride, selfishness all in the name of God? "How lovely it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY." Psalm something. I can understand a division every hundred years or so, when people separate because of doctrine and part on good, honorable terms instead of self-righteous anger. But TWO divisions in ONE generation? All the younger people have already left the other side (if not physically, most have in belief and action.) There's no one left to continue except the old people. And now another division. WHY WHY WHY???? I'm thankful it's not on "our" side because I can't imagine how difficult it would be for my parents. Some of my family is on the "other" side but since the last division didn't affect us much (thankfully!) I doubt this one will either. I'm thankful for the richness that fellowship has brought to my childhood but I just can't see how this is THE place to be. I understand that other churches have similar problems. The problem is common - simply abandoning God to serve yourself.