Winter term has been a wild trip. In my personal life, many changes have happened. I am freshly recovered from a severe bout of psychotic depression and from the  stress on my brain chemistry that is associated with my (relatively) recent change of antidepressants. I am doing quite well at 150mg of Effexor, but it is likely that I will be taking 225mg once my blood levels stabilize at 150mg. I am also recovering from an onslaught of colds, bronchitis, and a very unpleasant allergic reaction. Another sharp turn in my life was the introduction of my new girlfriend on Valentine's Day (I didn't see this one comming). Kayla has added an element of consistency and stability in my life -- something that I feel will solidify my personal and social life into some sort of order for Spring term.

    The past ten weeks have been a period of change for me. My major has changed from Computer Engineering to Biology to Psychology. Small changes in my personality can be observed, likely due to the extreme depression I experienced and the change from Wellbutrin to Effexor. My study habits have also changed, ultimately for the better. Around the midterm time was when the floor fell out from under me and I had to work very hard to accomplish the little that I did. As a result, I have developed new tatics in battling my short attention span.

    All condsidered, I am pleased with my effort and will to perform well. This term, for me, was less about learning from the book and more about building character. The fact that I did not perform at the level that I am normaly capable of is negligable. It is a simple fact of my life that there will be times that are easier and times that are more difficult. Every so often (about once a year) things get excruciatingly difficult for a variable period of time. Every year it's a completely different situation, but this year it was a true learning experience. My study habits are now better than ever and I have become vastly more functional. In the long run, this term will prove to be a very useful experience.

    My work on my research paper has taught me quite a bit about the redundancy present in information. I have found that it is very easy to research some aspects of a person's life and very difficult to illuminate others. For example, there has been much discussion on the relationship between Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, but I have found it nearly impossible to find anything other than a brief mention of Bohr's early graduate work. Even comprehensive biographies do not go into the detail that I would like. I am at the mercy of what other's deem to be important topics, rather than make my own decisions on what is important and not. I suppose this simple truth is self-evident, but it was amplified into a major issue when I began research on Niels.

    Next term is going to be themed: "Jon Gets Organized." That is what is going to have to happen and, if things go well, it will be what happens. This year has been a transistion for me. I have gone from being completely apathetic towards school (ah, the high school years) to possesing a genuine urge to succeed.

    I have a short laundry list of things that I would like to see next term. I actually found the film (it was a film, not a movie) on Freud quite helpful. PBS shows have a very good signal to noise ratio and the film format captures my attention with a visual representation of things. I am equally auditory and visual, so I stand to learn quite a bit from PBS. I also am quite fond of group projects. I have quite a store of motivation when I'm in a group because I like to collaborate and work with people.

All in all, things have been good. Next term is going to rock.
Last night, a DJ killed my dog.

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