+++ title = “07” date = 2019 +++ When I was in my 20’s, when I just moved into an apartment by myself in the woods, I used to stay up pretty late. There was something about my apartment, maybe its dark and dingy quality, that made the night seem pretty similar to the day time. I’d go to bed somewhere between midnight and 2am every night, even if it was a work night.

+++ title = “07” date = 2019 +++ A copy of Mario Brothers, in its original sealed packaging recently sold for $100,000. This is apparently pretty rare, more rare than finding a copy of the game that has been lightly used. The idea of value fascinates me. What value do people find in buying the original packaging of a game that can be emulated easily for free by a web browser?

Robert Lustig recently wrote a book about two chemicals in the brain: dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine, he says, is secreted when we seek short term pleasure. That is, anything that can become addictive. Sweet foods, alcohol, sex, etc. Serotonin on the other hand is secreted when we connect to other humans, when we cook, when we contribute to society, and when we cope (through sleep and exercise). Dopamine is pleasure, and serotonin is happiness.

Today, in the midst of quite a thunderstorm, I was parked near a auto repair shop. Through my windshield, which was streaked with rain, I noticed a sign that simply said: stay in control. I immediately felt more grounded after reading it. I do teeter off sometimes, losing my control and poise, and as soon as I had read these very authoritative (nearly commanding) words, my mind snapped back to center.

+++ title = “07” date = 2019 +++ One of the hardest parts of therapy for me is when my therapist asks me to listen to my inner desires. It seems easy enough, and for most of my life, it seems that my inner desires have been pretty obvious and overwhelming. But then again, I tend to seek out advice quite a bit for problems that only I could ever possibly have the answer to.