Category Archives: Neuroscience needs me

It’s now or never…

Posted on October 12, 2018 by sheilawill

The seventies are different from the sixties. Stiffer, slower movements in my body and brain. Words fly by avoiding recognition. Synapses disregard memories. Seventy-two years old? How did I get here? My grown-up kids would say I never acted my … Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Boomers, kinky eardrums, Neuroscience needs me | Tagged Chapel Hill, Contentment, dark chocolate, front-loading travel, losing weight, Marfa, Minneapolis, Pilates | 4 Comments

‘Ladies and Gentlemen and Dear Children…’

Posted on June 2, 2016 by sheilawill

Little did I know that an airline announcement would have such an impact on me. I took eight flights on Turkish Airlines during “Sheila’s Excellent Adventure” last month. Each time the pilot began a mundane English announcement with “Ladies and … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience needs me, Politics, The inconvenient truth about education, The Rest of the World, Uncategorized | Tagged American politics, brain development, dear children, Kyrgyzstan, Lake Issyk-Kul, lilacs, nicolas kristoff, public policy toward children, Sheila's Excellent Adventure, Turkish Airlines | 4 Comments

Saga of a Reluctant Landlord

Posted on April 11, 2015 by sheilawill

Twelve years ago, I packed my bags and headed west from Southwest Harbor, Maine, to Tucson, Arizona. I’d rent my beloved house during the winter so I could keep it for my kids, prospective grandkids to enjoy every summer, when I’d return … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Matters, Mount Desert Island/Maine, Neuroscience needs me | Tagged "Miss Rumphius", frozen pipes, karma, living by the sea, Maine winter weather, next-door neighbors, Ship Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Tucson | 4 Comments

Almost there…Our Place Clubhouse writers step forth!

Posted on November 17, 2013 by sheilawill

Are excitement and anxiety flip sides of the same coin? How come I started waking up at 5:30 a.m. this week? What yummy appetizers will Orlando, Autumn and their crew at Cafe 54 prepare for the OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH of … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental illness/civil rights, Neuroscience needs me | Tagged A Certain Slant of Light, Beyond Tucson, Cafe 54, Emily Dickinson, lemon squares, Our Place Clubhouse, Tucson book signings | Leave a comment

Something else I don’t know how to explain

Posted on October 13, 2013 by sheilawill

I’m not sure how Reiki works and I’m not terribly woo woo. But yesterday I attended an all-day Reiki workshop to learn how to comfort myself and loved ones who are far away in times of trouble (we all have … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience needs me | Tagged Bar Harbor, chakras, energy movers, Reiki, Reiki, stress reduction, times of trouble | 7 Comments

Landlords Beware!

Posted on September 19, 2013 by sheilawill

Here’s my wonderful house in Southwest Harbor, Maine. I’ve rented it for the academic year and in August for the past 10 years. Fabulous renters have included a Jackson lab scientist from San Diego, a Hungarian College of the Atlantic … Continue reading →

Posted in Mount Desert Island/Maine, Neuroscience needs me | Tagged College of the Atlantic, Jackson lab, neuroscience, parenting, renting, sense of trust, Southwest Harbor | 5 Comments

“Next to Normal”

Posted on September 22, 2012 by sheilawill

A rock musical about bipolar disorder? “Next To Normal” roared into Tucson to the Arizona Theatre Company last night. It’s worth seeing. For me, which is more compelling — politics and President Obama’s re-election or helping to reduce the stigma … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental illness, Neuroscience needs me, Politics | Tagged "Next to Normal", ATC, bipolar disorder, Brian Yorky, Cafe 54, Gabrielle Giffords, mental illness, Mental Illness Awareness Week, Poets & Writers, Tucson | 2 Comments

Brains, tradition and family history

Posted on February 19, 2012 by sheilawill

Mayim Bialik is intense — and not that different from the geeky scientist she plays on TV’s #1 sitcom “Big Bang Theory.” I resisted the show for a long time because of its canned laughter, which for me indicates phony … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience needs me | Tagged "Big Bang Theory", David Eagleman, dogma, family history, Mayim Bialik, neuroscience, parenting, umwelt | 2 Comments

Coffeeeeed up and/or how my brain works

Posted on October 27, 2011 by sheilawill

“I’m going to Occupy Wall Street in New York,” I blurted as the cheerful guy at the coffee drive-thru handed me my glass of iced buzz. But it’s not just coffee that gets me going. “Are you leaving now?” he … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental illness/civil rights, Neuroscience needs me | Tagged "Eden Express", "Just Like Someone With Mental Illness Only More So", bipolar disorder, brains, Changing Hands Bookstore, coffee, Kurt Vonnegut, neurosicence, Occupy Wall Street | 11 Comments

If you’re happy and you know it…

Posted on September 27, 2011 by sheilawill

Clap your hands! Exactly what moviegoers did after viewing “Happy” at the Loft Cinema yesterday. Even though it can get mushy, I’m glad — even happy — that psychologists are studying the ever-popular emotion. Here’s what I found out: Fifty … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience needs me | Tagged "Happy" the movie, Andrei Codrescu, brain research, Gretchen Rubin, happiness, Loft Cinema, NPR, post-menopausal, psychologists, The Happiness Project, Tucson | 5 Comments