I read this book, Reviving Ophelia.

I don't really know what to think of it, the case studies were interesting and the ideas that Dr. Pipher had to treat the different problems were good since she didn't use a lot of antidepressants. A lot of the times she sounded full of herself though. Very biassed; loathed that girls growing up today ( or in the 90's ) were "worse" than when she was growing up.

Some interesting quotes:
" In early adolescence studies show that girl's IQ scores drop, and math and science scores plummet. They [girls] lose their resiliency and optimism and become less curious. They lose their assertive tomboyish attitudes...Diderot described his observations harshly, " you all die at 15' ".

" Stendhal says, ' All geniuses born women are lost to the public good' "
( boooooooooo)

" Bright & sensitive girls are most at risk for problems. They are likely to understand the implications of media around them and be alarmed. They have the mental equipment to pick up on cultural ambivalence about women, and yet they don't have the cognitive, emotional, and social skills to handle this information. They struggle to resolve the unresolvable and make sense of the whole adolescent experience..."

" Studies suggest that girls have trouble in math because math requires exactly the qualities that many junior high girls lack: confidence, trust in ones' judgement, and the ability to tolerate frustration without becoming overwhelmed. Girls get anxious, which interferes with problem-solving. So, they fail and are even more anxious and prone to self-doubt the next time."
( story of my life. helloooo throwing the calculator at the wall)

" Music is important to girls. It catapults them out of the world of their family, and into the world of their peers. It exposes the intensity of their emotions in a way that words alone cannot."

" Sex is considered both a sacred act between 2 people united by God and also the best way to sell suntan lotion"

Next book to read: Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. Don't hate.

Last night was rough. Sometimes I feel like I'm top of the world. Sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by strangers. Most times I feel like this:







Andrew Largeman in "garden state", just blending in :)

Oh, and why audioscrobbler is cool: after the plug-in has recorded that you have listened to 300 songs in your media player, you get a personal radio station, so everyone can listen to what you've been listening to! I haven't figured that one out, but it's supposed to work in theory.