NOMADCLATURE

whatshouldwecallmedschool:

I don’t like this right now. 

this = everything, everyone, everywhere

In November of 1958, John Steinbeck — the renowned author of, most notably, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men — received a letter from his eldest son, Thom, who was attending boarding school. In it, the teenager spoke of Susan, a young girl with whom he believed he had fallen in love. Steinbeck replied the same day. His letter: 

New York
November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First—if you are in love—that’s a good thing—that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second—There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you—of kindness and consideration and respect—not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply—of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it—and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone—there is no possible harm in saying so—only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another—but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens—The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa

(via  Letters of Note)

Studying physiology for sessionals on Saturday and Guyton’s “Medical Physiology” has been cracking me up. Either I’ve been studying so much that I’m delirious or Arthur Guyton & John Hall are whimsical authors.

Pineal gland —

“For as long as the pineal gland has been known to exist, myriad funciton has been ascribed to it, including (1) being the seat of the soul, (2) enhancing sex, (3) staving off infection, (4) promoting sleep, (5) enhancing mood, and (6) increasing longevity (as much as 10 to 25 percent). It is known from comparative anatomy that the pineal gland is a vestigial remnant of what was a third eye located high in the back of the head in some lower animals. Many physiologists have been content with the idea that this gland is a nonfuncitonal remnant, but others have claimed for many years tha it plays important roles in the control of sexual activities and reproduction, functions that still others said were nothing more than the fanciful imaginings of physiologists proccupied with sexual delusions”

Psychic factors that affect gonadtropin secretion and sexual activity —

“For instance, transporting a prize bull in a rough truck is said to inhibit the bull’s fertility - and the human male is hardly different.”

Ok, they’re not that funny but they made me chuckle.