Pneumonic Device - Non-Polar Amino Acids

 The flashcards just weren't working this time. I could not, for the life of me, remember the names of the non-polar amino acids. So, I've turned to a pneumonic device.

The initials for the 10 non-polar common amino acids are

G A V L I P P T C M

I had heard about pneumonic devices that the dirtier they are, the better.

So...

Get a very large individual penis photo to call mine

Glycine

Alanine

Valine

Leucine

Isoleucine

Proline

Phenylalanine

Tryptophan

Cytosine

Methionine

All from memory!

Hooray!

Adipose tissue

 I promise to never compliment a woman (aside from my significant other) on her large gathering of adipose tissue ventral to her thoracic cavity. 

That would be rude. 

But I can't help but notice. I'm just a guy 🤷.

Study Music

 I've fround that I enjoy listening to music while studying. However, I've also found that it almost exclusively has to be instrumental music

Some may think of classical (orchestral / symphonic) of as instrumental music, however there are many other forms.

There are two types that give me trouble while studying. First are songs that are covers of songs with lyrics that I know.

Second is Rodrigo y Gabriela. They are a guitar playing duet. They get going so hard that focusing on studying can be challenging because I just want to rock out. 

Mozart and Beethoven are probably my favorites, but I've created a playlist of overall favorites. If you subscribe to Google YouTube Music, you can find it by searching "Instrumental Playlist for Studying."

What White Privilege Means to Me

As a white male who grew up in an affluent area, I've struggled with this question. It gets talked about in some of my social circles. 

One of those circles features a group of about 15 white guys around my age (40s and early 50s). They are overall a pretty right-leaning, conservative bunch. Based on that description, it's not a surprise that they balk at the notion of white privilege. 

"I worked for everything I have," is the consensus. 

And that, from one perspective, is probably true. They rose on their merit, saved their money instead of spending it, invested wisely, and have reaped the benefits. All admirable and desirable qualities.

Here's the flip side: were people with different skin color, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender excluded from competing with them for the education, employment, and financial systems that helped them in their success?

And, did their families and ancestors have access to education, employment, property, and financial systems that excluded competition from the (probably incomplete) list of people in the previous paragraph?

That's all. It's not that they didn't work hard, it's that others who may have worked just as hard and been just as productive and innovative weren't invited and were excluded from doing so.