Googled: In 1968 the Department of Defense introduced the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). It was originally designed to predict future academic and occupational success in military occupations.
Four days ago I talked to a USCG recruiter for 3 hours.
Three days ago I called my family and told them I am going to leave at the end of my teaching contract for boot camp. I called one friend and said, I'm taking the ASVAB.
Two days ago I got a phone call before my test. It was from that one friend. No. Not what my security mindset wanted to hear. Silently crying, we hung up.
I wiped my tears, splashed my puffy face, took my nose ring out, slicked my greasy hair back into a low bun (no Buffs allowed), put a maroon turtleneck on, tucked it in, threw on a vest to hide the wrinkles, and drove to the Military Entrance Processing Stations, "MEPS."
One day ago I finished the book, "Into the Planet," by Jill Heinerth...
It is called the DRD4 gene with alleles: 7R and 4R. (Science quickie: If paint color were a gene, alleles could be blue & red.)
You know that moment when you catch a glimpse of the forest for the tree. It can be hard, very hard, but when you do... "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." -No one really knows who quoted this, sorry A. Steins
When a recipe calls for an ingredient, the baker will add it to give you the product. When your DNA calls for an allele, the ribosome will add it to give you, you. Now, unless we are undergoing genetic modification (biotechnology unit), this is what it is.
Snaps to Pixar/Disney to celebrate the Nemo fins and Moana drives.
"Found in 20% of us, it is tied to the brain's ability to regulate dopamine, a chemical that is connected to our understanding of risk and reward. Those of us with the 7R gene don't get as much pleasure from every-day stimuli."
Foods are not spicy enough type of mindset - I laughed as I recalled my first "dinner date" with a guy post-divorce: in attempts to entertain myself I put an entire slab of wasabi in my mouth, me unphased, he a wee bit...confused.
"We're wanderers who are never satisfied with the status quo. We explore new ideas, travel to new places..... are also more likely to suffer from ADHD and addictions, seeking an ever-increasing rush of dopamine to satisfy our bodies and minds." "It turns out that our desire to explore keeps us active enough to improve our overall fitness and longevity."
If you have a smaller fin, learn to swim with it, lean wid it, rock wid it.
If your heart calls you to get past the shore break, paddle like hell.
If you have a widow's peak, sport that sexy hairline! Besides, Black widows are the MOST venomous spider in North America with venom nearly 15x stronger than rattlesnake venom. I'm jealous of genetics with the peak.
To see the forest for the tree, you are meant to be who you were born to be. Tough in a world riddled with amazement and a biology that is attracted to shiny. (That attraction dates back to the human's draw to water for survival.)
What I am saying is that, your baker will continue to make that ingredient regardless of how hard you try to deny it or fight it. You are the product of a million year old evolutionary recipe - freaking flaunt your pheromones like you are the best pie in that damn kitchen because ain't no one taste like you... ;)
My last piece: Recognize that what you have to say matters. Even if it is hard to pick up the phone and call a friend, call the friend. It matters.
You matter.
BLUE whales excrete RED. I cannot move past this.
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