old man winter

i woke up this morning to my downstairs neighbor wailing on the piano to some bluesy jazzy funkiness. she plays piano for the msu orchestra. its much nicer to wake up to her playing then that annoying phone alarm of mine. i have the alarm sound set as 'morning,' which is very misleading. it sounds like a goose honk and a harp competing for the spotlight. anyways, yeah, i should change that.

sunny and lightly snowing today. there is something magical about the illumination of old man winter. such a controversial man. he hears moans and is scoffed at by most, adored by others. this is my first year that i am happy to see him. i especially like it when the old man dances with the sun. it would be hard to resist the sun as a dance partner, really.

okay, speaking of pairs, its me and and my yellowstone coffee this morning. my sex and gender class has a nice chunk of interesting topics... and i just so happen to have an exam today. so... i hope that there is some illumination onto those cobwebby crevices of our minds this morning as well.

biology of gender related behavior. rawr.

biological theories of sex differences identify genes and hormones, as well as the structure and function of the brain, as the causes of observed differences in physical appearance, cognition, behavior, and even gender roles. textbook.

one can contribute these attributions mostly to environment, however. stupid statistics say that....20-48% of the differences in masculinity/feminity can be explained by genes (biology)(nature). while 52-80% of differences can be explained by the enviornoment (nurture). so it could be that genes are a determining predecessor that is exemplified by the people, objects, places, and events we surround ourselves with.

i just wanted to point out that sinead o connor is singing 'No Mans Woman' in the background. thats good stuff.

okay, hormones. chemicals produced by the endocrine system that circulate throughout our bodies. two of particualr interest (sex-related) are androgens and estrogens.
androgens. male sex hormones. like testosterone. women can also have androgens, but in different amounts. it is predominantly a male hormone. hormones can run a gamut of authority over human beings. behavior, immune system, brain, overall health. if not captain of the ship, i would say co-captain...maybe deck hand. :)
some androgen abnormalities include CAH. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia. this occurs during prenatal development. its a genetic disorder where high amounts of androgen are exposed to baby in womb. These babies are born with female genitalia. cognitively, there have been studies done to experiment with these girls as far as their spatial abilities. to determine if the hormone is linked somehow to increased ability. no go. socially, these girls demonstrated healthy attitudes. They participated, however, in more physically demanding activities then girls without CAH. suggesting that that the increased androgen may play a part.

androgen insensitivity syndrome. CAIS. People with CAIS are genetically male (XY). People with CAIS have an insensitivity to androgen, which is a masculinizing hormone. therefore, they are born with female genitalia. wow! typically reared as females. There hasn't been a difference found concerning traits, behaviors, personalites...

estrogens are the female sex hormone. not quite as interesting. and not on my test.

okay, thats gonna do it for today. i don't want this blog entry to look like a study sheet. tiene un buen dia todos!