The Morning Of...

So, as much as I love books, I also adore music. The lovely boyfriend is a musician, and introduces me to so many new, up and coming artists. Lately, I've been rocking out to The Morning Of's latest album - The Way I Fell In. The songs are powerful, and the mix of their male and female vocalists creates a great balance. Speaking of female vocalist...holy VOCALIST. This chick has pipes, and definitely knows how to use them. Check out the video below for their single "Tell Me I'm Wrong." Love the treatment. It's simple, but oh-so effective.

Stiff - Mary Roach

This was a recommendation from my father, the doctor. If you have a delicate tummy, or aren’t big on all things potentially squeem-inducing, this one will probably be a skip for you.

In my house as a kid, there was no room to be touchy regarding all things medical. Both my parents worked in hospitals, and it would be totally normal to have conversations revolving around topics most would consider “inappropriate” for dinner-time conversation (although my Mom really tried to squelsh the conversations...too bad she was outnumbered). The kicker was having a pigs leg in our fridge, covered in my fathers “practice stitches.” In case you were curious (which, if you’re still reading this, I warned you about the squeem-inducing possibilities here), pigs skin is remarkably similar to humans skin in both texture and behavior. It really does make the perfect practice canvas. Trying to explaining WHY that pigs’ leg is in the meat drawer (ha) of the fridge to a group of 15-year-old girls who just want a snack at the sleepover is less then ideal for your social life. See? Listen up kiddies, there’s serious life lessons here.

Anywhos, if you have a tummy of steel, or a natural inquisitive disposition to all things medical, then Stiff might be a book for you. My dad picked this up for a beach-read (I swear, my family is totally normal. Promise), and I found the conversations him and I had about the book to be fascinating. I grabbed this from my parents place for the plane-ride back from the holidays. I do have to warn you, the cover, along with the content, will probably get you some looks (Like yours truly received from the people on the plane, on the bus, on the subway or in my local laundromat. No, I’m not crazy. Stop staring – it’s rude). In a nutshell, Stiff is a look at what happens to bodies (dead ones) when they are donated to science. Cool, right? Just me?

If you don’t have experience with Mary Roach, she approaches the topics of her books (which also include the afterlife, sex, and spacewalking) completely blind, and writes with a fabulous sense of humor. (If the cover doesn’t put people off, the giggling Ms. Roach’s writing will cause you just might.) Some might think that using humor while discussing the deceased might come off as disrespectful, but I assure you, it never comes close to approaching that realm. If anything humor is used to temper a subject that can be uncomfortable. Ms. Roachs’ writing style was just one of the fabulous things about this book (I always appreciate a woman with a snappy wit). In addition:

• We’ve all heard the adage that two things in life are certain: death and taxes. While most people think of death as the end of their ability to further man-kind, Stiff presents a difference perspective. Bodies donated to science go on to contribute to much more fascinating endeavors then simply becoming a cadaver in a medical school lab. Why, you could be part of a forensic study to determine how bodies decompose in different states to aid detectives in solving murders, or be nailed to a cross in order to test theories surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. Aiding in crash tests to develop safer cars, or helping the FAA understand why a plane crashed could also be in your future! Seriously, how many of us have actually made that much of a significant impact on society while a fully-functioning (and, umm, alive) human being?
• While some chapters are dedicated to the uses of cadavers, others delve into the history of medicine in regards to the dead. Anecdotes about the origins of the phrase “saved by the bell” (Hint: Nothing to do with the tumultuous relationship of Zac Morris and Kelly Kapowski), medical cannibalism past and present, and the bizarre experience of watching an organ-harvest from a beating-heart cadaver, while maybe not the best cocktail party conversation starters, provide a whole new perspective on medicines roots.
• As much as bodies donated to science DON’T end up in medical school labs, a good portion of them do. The chapter dedicated to just that subject hit home the most with me. I have friends going through medical school, and have heard my father discuss his med school cadaver on many occasions. The student/cadaver relationship (abet, potentially a tad one-sided) is one of the utmost respect and even pride. The discussion of ceremonies held in honor of the cadavers from each year is down right touching.

The science nerd in me totally got down with this book. I do have to say that after completing it, I can’t imagine being put in a wooden crate and lowered into the ground for all eternity, when there are so many other options out there for me in the afterlife! Give this one a go. At the very least, you’ll have a plethora of facts to gross-out family members at the next holiday gathering.

This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel J. Levintin

Rarely do I ever buy a book without having previous experience with the author, or utilizing Amazon’s nifty “if you like this, you’ll like..” feature. But, with this particular book, I went forth blindly and pick it up based on my patented “Stephanie Might Like this Attributes” – cute title and fun packaging. Funny enough, this decision making process works equally well for wine...but I digress. Being on an Amtrak train for 2 hours with no Wi-Fi calls for swift action. A quick skim of the back blurb got my attention – “Why yes, I WOULD like to know why certain songs get stuck in my head (earworms). I would also like to know how to remedy the situation! I would like to know why 16 year old white boys in the suburbs feel the need to listen to “gansta-rap” about their hard life on the streets!” I’ve always been a science person (First attempt at a college major: pre-med. Success: negative), and consider myself a huge (read: As in spend the majority of my disposable income on concert tickets and I’m pretty sure Steve Jobs should give me a cut of iTunes profits huge) fan of music. Also,I played the flute for 5 years, so I figured I would still retain basic musical knowledge, and this would be a refresher.

How could I possibly not enjoy this book?

Well, let me tell you, such a feat is possible. In all fairness, I tend to have the patience of a hamster, (Do hamsters have little patience? How long does one run on that little wheel anyway?) and tend to give up on a book if it hasn’t captured my attention in the first, oh, 20 pages. Harsh? Perhaps. But life is too short to struggle through unlikable books that aren’t required reading for scholastic reasons. In this case, I made it substantially further then my patience would normally allow, but like I said, 2 hour Amtrak trips can drive one to perform outstanding feats. My main complains are:

• I’m no longer a student. I have no desire to read anything written in a textbook-like manner. I do have a continuous thirst for knowledge, but have found many a book that can satisfy without me feeling like I should be taking notes for a pop-qu>iz later in the week (which would be such a bummer, man.) The first chapter on music theory and the science behind the nervous system was incredibly dry. While I understand that setting up a foundation for those with zippo musical and/or science knowledge is required, I’m pretty sure a slightly more relaxed style would have done the trick. I’m just trying to read a book for enjoyment, not feel like I’m having a conversation with one of those annoying smarty-pants people who feels the need to demonstrate their big bad brains by using as many $0.50 words as possible. Keep it simple, man. At the end of the day, this is music, not rocket science.
• That really exciting tid bit on the back of the book about earworms? Maybe takes up a paragraph. The book doesn’t focus on the fun-facts to know and learn portion as much as I had thought. I’m sure there are all sorts of interesting facts regarding humans, music, and science...this book isn’t where to find them. The author seems much more intent on name-dropping and discussing his career progression. No one likes a bragger.
• There are a lot (and I mean, A LOT) of musical pieces references throughout this book to provide examples of concepts in action. Unless you have the iPod of champions, there’s a good chance one person won’t be familiar with EVERY piece mentioned (especially if you are one with musical tastes confined to the Top 40 genre). This leads to the reader (or maybe just me) either skimming that reference because she is currently trapped on a train without internet access, or running to her computer to illegally download music (once her internet connection is back up and she’s desperately trying to enjoy this book but it just won’t let her) to understand whatever point is being made. Including a CD would have been nice...but probably would have increased the cost of the book to an unacceptable price.

I tried to like this book. I did. I had high hopes! Science + Music should = Win for Stephanie! This was a big flop, though. I would like to have le boyfriend (and musician extraordinaire) take a peek and give his thoughts, but for now, I’m going to have to go with big thumbs down. I’m beginning to think that understanding the science behind what makes my ears happy may take the enjoyment out of the listening experience. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go let my neurons fire to some happy-ear-making Beatles sound waves, without a care in the world as to, neurologically, why that is.

Let's do this thing!

So essentially, this little project is the result of a few influencing factors:

1-Jen Lancaster, Author and Blogger (and also maybe my kindred spirit)

www.jennsylvania.com - check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Ms. Lancaster is a self-proclaimed condescending, egomaniacal, self-centered, smart-ass ex-sorority girl. In short, I heart her. My only issue is her love of pearls. I tend to be anti-pearl. Consider it a rebellion against my uber-preppy, nantucket red (it's pink, quit trying to make it manly. and lose the damn whales), poppin' my collar collegiate student body. She has three books out right now, with a fourth recently released. Scoot yourselves over to the local B&N, maybe snag a little SBucks latte, and enjoy. No, I don't know her, I'm just showing her a little love as her books have helped me survive many hours on planes, trains, and automobiles.

2-Boredom

Pretty much I need something to do outside of work that may be considered productive. Why not share my life and opinions with others? Why, MTV has managed to transform what was a music channel (don't worry kiddies, I barely remember the days when there were actual music videos on Music TeleVision) to a highly lucrative cable channel almost entirely devoted to sharing the mundane aspects of others lives with the world. Here's hoping my writing is mildly more entertaining then the latest episode of The Dudesons in America.

3-Books! (clearly)

I read. Often. Unfortunately, I have the memory of a goldfish, and I need somewhere to jot down my (less-then-expert) opinion. Also, this is partially rectifying the fact that I was a business major in college, despite no actual legitimate interest in the subject, and probably should have been a english major. Ergo, I'm writing now. About what I want, no less. Cheers!