emotions update

[percival]

Since my decision to quit The Company and to immerse myself into research, teaching, and massage training, I've gradually come to life again. I'm far more active, agile, and even though I do some work most weekends, it's stimulating instead of draining.

My husband likes this change and supports me. This is good - I really believe in keeping "in touch" with your partner while I change, because I don't want to move away from him, if that makes sense.

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Went on a book buying spree in Waterstone's. The Evil Switch Card of Doom is now banned from my purse.

I bought:
- A book on Organic Chemistry, co-authored by 4 lecturers from Britain. This is a nice, hands-on book that emphasises processes and chemical thinking. It also clearly states the prerequisites for each chapter, which makes it well suited for self study. (I decided against the textbook recommended by sannalim because it did not have this feature. but I will definitely get it from the library for additional reading!) See, I've this antiquated idea that I want to REALLY understand the chemistry of essential oils. This requires going well beyond the pictures in our textbooks.

- The Victorians by A.N.Wilson. Am sucker for history
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. The nature side by one of its most eloquent exponents
- They F*** You Up Your Parents, They Do by Oliver James. The nurture side by one of its most vocal exponents. James can distinguish between good and bad science
(these three books were on a 3-for-2 offer)

- A short story collection by Alasdair Gray. Beautifully crafted, beautifully told, three pounds off, nuff said.

- The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Julia Lawless. Recommended reference for my Aromatherapy course
- An Introduction to Aromatherapy by Louise Tucker.

Louise Tucker is a freelance writer who writes lots of course books for ITEC accredited complementary therapy courses. Her books are SHALLOW. There is no other word. They are nicely laid out, colourful, with lots of pictures and graphs. But they do not help you understand! The only reason I shelled out 12,50 for this thing was that it contains everything you need to know for the exam.

For learning my Anatomy and Physiology, I'm referring to Tortora & Grabowski's Anatomy and Physiology a lot. This is an excellent book for self-study! Before each major section, you get objectives, after each section, you have check points that force you to review the main points in the text. I was surprised at the amount of material I had quite frankly missed in my first, admittedly rather shallow, read through of many passages. Each chapter concludes with self-test questions and questions for critical thinking, and each figure has a revision question attached. Brilliant!

Comments

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

You're voluntarily reading Organic Chem????

I wish I had your strength of character...