Posted by IsoM on October 15, 2002, at 17:33:03
In reply to Re: ADD characterisitcs: ??? for both Jo Ann + Ver » IsoM, posted by viridis on October 15, 2002, at 3:01:22
Need an assistant, a Muse, even a lackey? I read your post & sighed wistfully. It sounds almost ideal (except for the endless meetings). Mind you, it took you a long time to get to that point but you finally reached it. I got derailed years ago when I was young & first started university. Going back in my late forties, I found if I wanted to do anything even remotely to my liking, I was going to need a PhD - not likely for a number of reasons. But that hasn't curbed my love & enthusiasm for biology. For the couple of years I went back, biology was my out & out favourite. I found biology labs were a gas - I loved them. The younger students called me the experimental queen as I had done lots of similar experiments on my own previously. And my narcolpesy never kicked in during the labs as my interest was so high.
I really can't express how wonderful what you do sounds to me. And I know about the ADD tendencies among your collegues - our biology head was my prof for some courses; she & I used to have long interesting conversations in her office. She, too, has ADD traits with one sister having it full-blown. It's probably why I found her classes so to my liking. Besides her being around my age, her style was a wonderful adaptation to her own ADD traits & it fitted me perfectly. Some students were disconcerted by her seemingly sudden switches in topics but it was perfect for me & I had no trouble following her.
I do agree that ADD can be a blessing too. I honestly wouldn't want to be like most are but only look for ways to improve my weak points of ADD. It seems to me that most of the really creative types are people with high intelligence plus ADD. Like you, some areas are a total mess but I'm a perfectionist with other areas. It HAS to be done correctly (like proper labelling & careful notes). I'm probably deluding myself but I like to think I'm only a perfectionist in what really counts.
If you have the time & the inclination, I'd love to correspond with you about biology interests & the idiosyncrasies of ADD. It's unusual for me to find anyone with the zeal & enthusiasm I have for life sciences (outside of a university setting).
isomorphix at hotmail dot comEven as a child, I was digging up ant nests, studying them; picking aparts flowers & plants, attempting to graft plants on to one another; studying mosquito larvae in old stumps on our property. I was the weird little girl taking apart clocks or anything I could get my hands on in an attempt to understand things better, or just sitting in trees for hours watching the world. I watched a National Geographic special once about a biologist who studied the unique environment of the different stratums of the rain forest canopies. She'd sit in the upper levels, taking notes, observing interactions, taking sapmples, & other related tasks. It was such a *wonderful* three dimensional world she inhabited. I literally had tears rolling down my face as I watched it. It reached something deep in my heart that spoke to me of the blissful times I enjoyed as a child.
Strangely, I'm the only one in my family that ever took an interest in these things & I never got any encouragement with my interests. My siblings are totally unlike me & still regard me strangely. Sorry for such a long post rattling on like this.
poster:IsoM
thread:122401
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021012/msgs/123806.html