I wasn't sure of what I should write about today. (a short post)

 

 

 

Columbus Day.  It may not be politically correct to call it this anymore.  But I've never been politically correct - just honest.  We stole this land "Fair and Square" from the best of peoples and we can't afford to give it back. 

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Neither RQS nor I had much drive to go outside today.  So, it was a "Jammie Day" for us.  We did some planning for next year's Alaska cruise, as well as discussing what we will do on our next Bermuda cruise. As you can guess, the high points of our day were watching YouTube videos, and the 3 meals we would eat.

 

On other matters, my brother may not be doing Thanksgiving this year.  So RQS and I will likely eat somewhere nearby for the holiday.  Of course, I'll have to choose the restaurant, and I'll be looking for one that's not too expensive.

 

It's hard to believe that I've been participating in the study for almost 2 months now.  Soon, I'll be going in for my second MRI, and then interviewed to see how I feel my skills have been developed by the games I've been playing.  Hopefully, I'll get a chance to read the results of the study when it is complete.

 

Hopefully, I'll have enough time to pack for our upcoming cruise.  After our afternoon nap, I showed RQS some of the dresses I have to choose from for formal night. As much as I might want to take the dressy jumpsuit I wore on my first cruise with FCP, I'm leaning towards something less formal for an NCL cruise,  (I'd go more dressy for MSC, HAL and Princess.)  The gown I bought for FCP's son's wedding doesn't work for me any more, as I prefer stronger and darker colors these days.

By now, I figure that I did find enough to talk about today.  Hopefully, you found it of interest.

Do I talk about the fMRI, or do I talk about the brain function test?

 

OK, I must start by informing my readers that both things had to do with the scientific study I am participating in.  Neither was much effort, but both took valuable time out of my life for which I will be compensated.

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My day started with getting dressed as Mario.  There was no way I was going to go to the fMRI place in Laurelton, Queens with more clothing than I needed to wear.  Shaving closer than usual (something I wish I didn't need to do for presenting as Marian), I proceeded to get ready to cross the East River and make it to the MRI center by 2:30 pm.  Although I was in the area around 2:00 pm, I killed time, so that I could arrive at 2:30 sharp.

I had to wait a few minutes and fill in some forms before being directed to the MRI area to strip and get ready for the procedure.  When I put my clothes in the locker, I found that the locker door was off one of its hinges, and that I couldn't fully secure my property.  This didn't worry me too much, as access to this area of the property was controlled - no one would be likely to sneak in and steal my property.  

But I digress....

At 3:00 pm, I was brought to the MRI machine, and my head was placed in a position where it couldn't move.  Then, the "fun" began.  I was given headphones to deaden the noise from outside, a mask was put over my head to lock it into place, and then I was slid into the machine.  A cacophony of noise assaulted my ears even with the headset on, and then I developed an itch I couldn't scratch for 15 minutes.  

When the 15 minutes and noise ended, I slid out of the device and proceeded to get dressed to return home.  (I'm not going to like my next visit here at the end of the study.)  Traffic flowed, but slowed down a little the closer I got to rush hour.  Before I got home, I stopped in Pleasantville to get some lobster from the lobster truck, then continued home for the evening.

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The next thing on my docket was the webinar/base line assessment which gave the researchers an idea of what my performance levels were when the study started.  So, at 8:00 pm, I logged onto the webinar and spent the next hour filling in several questionnaires and playing "games" to determine my level of performance on each of several sets of tasks for their baseline.  (I'd love to know what each of these tasks were supposed to test.)  I'd describe each of these "games" as a version of the games "Simon" and "Bop It".  They started out easy, but got more challenging as short term memory and spatial recognition were exercised in these tasks.

I was off line by 9:00 pm, and am now awaiting further instructions.  Soon, the "fun" will begin.

 

 

PS: It took me about 30 minutes to get the studs back in my earlobes.  Overnight, one hole may have closed, and I may have forced it open without pain.  But the stud will need to stay in place for another couple of months....