Nerdy-ness

Everyone is a nerd to some degree. Think for a moment. What is your passion? What field of science overrides all of your thought? What sport do you know inside and out? What do you wake up thinking about that continues all day long? Which famous philosopher/writer/saint do you quote on a daily basis?

If people don't have some sort of obsession they are (1) boring, or (2) lying. EVERYONE has something! Martin Luther King Jr. said, "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." I'm not saying you have to be willing to die for this obsession, but if we don't have a passion, are we fit to live? If we pass through life indifferently without every truly loving something, was our life worth living?

These thoughts in mind I made a silly preliminary list of my obsessions:

---I LOVE CANADA! For a multiplicity of reasons, the foremost being that my favorite missionary is serving there. [If you don't know what a missionary is, I guide you to the "my faith" link on the right side. This website explains my church and the core values that I believe.]

---I have an undying love for hockey as cited in [this post], a love that will continue when I have free time...

---I love music, and every second of the day I have a song in my head repeating over and over and over...
---I'm a princess, and princess things make me so happy!
---Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, even Toby Keith once had my heart.
---I love to sew, make new things, and fix old things! I'm not by any means proficient, but I love it. Yet another thing I will do when I have more time.

The deeper I looked, the more things I found, and the nerdy-er I became. Is it safe to say that Taylor is a nerd about everything? Because that's the conclusion I came to. Take a look:

Physics. I miss physics. If I had all the time and money in the world I would get a degree in it. I miss Dr. Sojka and even Mr. Hylton. It's so fascinating! Rotational inertia, friction, integrals and derivatives used in life, calculating velocity and friction. I honestly love it! And this one counts as extraordinarily geeky because I think about it all the time in real life. Example:

One of my roommates has super thick hair, and breaks the handles of her brushes all the time. I've been restraining myself for months from giving her the reason why this happens. The physics explanation is: you need to reduce the coefficient of friction between your brush and your hair. The best way to do this is to reduce the contact surface area, i.e. get a smaller brush. You would think that thicker, longer hair needs a thicker, bigger brush, but this is not the case. So instead of the 5 inch by 5 inch megalith you are using [and consequently breaking] try a medium-sized brush.

Chemistry. My first love. Coming to USU I was a chem major [and it's still listed as my declared major at this moment...] and I've always held love in my heart for this field. Most people hate it, which might be part of the reason I love it. It's challenging, but fascinating, and always predictable. Chemistry never changes, and it's the same in China, Malaysia, Kentucky, or right here in Utah.

It always made sense to me, which is good for something you love, right? I'll never forget the reason it gets warmer when it snows, or the real reason water boils, and especially not the true meaning of "burning"--which is "adding oxygen". Chemistry manifests in my daily lifeas well. I will never again waste my time writing "sodium" when a simple Na will suffice. In all of my classes there are chemical equations hidden in my notes: O2, N2, K, Mg, Fe, CO2. It's forever embedded within me.

Psychology. This is one of my great loves. It began with Mrs. Leek, declined with Joe Baker [the crappy test maker], and is now growing and thriving under Dr. Madden. I think psychology is so useful in everyday life. Raising children, teaching in an elementary school, even managing a grocery store could use a little help from psychology. It teaches you why people do the things they do, so what could be more useful when you interact with them all day long?

The thing I am most excited for though is the fact that this field can help me be a better mother. I've changed my life plan a few times and reorganized my priorities, all the while trying to follow Heavenly Father's plan for me. I've found that my number one priority is not to become a pharmacist, physicist, chemist, or psychologist. I'm supposed to be a mother and to raise them the best that I can. I feel like psychology will help me do that, and so I'm going to try so hard to finish this degree.

Physiology. My most recent love is tied to this amazing gift called the human body. After taking physiology and anatomy I can say with no doubt in my mind that this body was not an accident. These systems work so perfectly together and have such amazing abilities. I discover something incredible every day. It's become an obsession. I know how reflexes, brain freeze, and hiccups work. I know why your knuckles make sounds when you crack them [and no, it will not give you arthritis]. I know EXACTLY why you die without oxygen [lack of the terminal hydrogen ion, and electron acceptor at the end of the respiratory chain]. I know why your toenails grow slower than your fingernails.

This body is so fascinating and intricate, and I've only scraped the surface. I am convinced that if things were different I would be a physician in another life. And this nerdy-ness extends into my life. Almost everyday I tell Jess something cool I learned in anatomy that day. Or once, last week I looked up the biological importance of tears [thanks to my dear Hilary]. Just because I'm nerdy like that.

So there you have it. A rather long explanation of the inner workings of my mind. Nerdy, in every way, shape, and form.

So now I pose a question to you: What is your passion? What makes you nerdy?