Mobile Blogging

So I just found a free app on my phone that allows me to blog anytime, anywhere! :)
Hopefully, this will help me to update my blogs more often.

Here's hoping!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm in the People Business

I have been SO busy lately! I know you all are surprised by this announcement. :)

Recently, I began working as the Social Media Blogger/Writer for a local health insurance brokerage firm, Custom Health Plans (check out the blog!). In addition to working on my PhD, raising two young children, and now this job; I am hoping to begin promoting myself as a professional blogger/writer and communicator.

Why? you may ask...

Why not? is my reply. :)

I realize that time is limited, but we have amazing vehicles of mass communication through the use of social media and online technologies.

Recently, I have felt the restraints of time and responsibilities impeding my ability to reach my personal, existential goals. Recognizing that my current situation is required for now, I have decided to use the tools at my disposal to try to cast a line into the larger pool of life I intend to reach once my educational pursuits are completed.

So what is my hook?

My hook is: I'm in the People Business!

I care about people. Unfortunately, I am one person who cares for SO many! How can I possibly positively impact and encourage the global community of people in which I feel called to work, live and play?

This is where the tools of social media and online technology come to the rescue!

So what is my bait/lure? What do I uniquely offer the global community?

I have a deep desire to motivate people to experience true community with others; to leave a lasting, meaningful legacy; to promote social justice and equality; and to live an authentic life.

Up until recently, I did not understand how my eclectic background, comprised of theological and psychological education and training; along with my skills in communication (via oral, written, and visual mediums) would eventually compliment each other and lead me down the path so many from my past have predicted I would walk.

With interests in psychology, religion, social media, communication, and online technologies; and passions for music, dancing, socializing, and entertainment; I try to live as a life-long learner, while embracing my love for laughter.

In recent days I have experienced the gifts of grace, trust, and service. I have always tried to be the one who offered these elements of friendship and love to others; never truly receiving it in return. It is amazing how humility and arrogance can sometimes go hand in hand. The arrogance displayed in my desire to help, without being helped, fostered a perception of independence and self-assuredness that I do not have nor can I maintain.

When people describe me, I have heard many descriptors, such as:

Intimidating

Passionate

Driven

Independent

Intelligent

Vocal

Stubborn

Strong

Determined

Roots for the Underdog

Goal-Oriented

Whether good or bad, these traits are really good when motivating or communicating to a large crowd; but how do these translate in the day to day relationships and communities therein?

This is why I say I am in the PEOPLE business, not the PERSON business. I am not diminishing the importance of the individual, but rather, I am illuninating the importance of the community.

Ultimately, I am only an individual within a global community. But with the use of tools that can either foster or diminish genuine interpersonal communication, I hope to foster a vehicle of communication that will motivate the global community to look outside of themselves, to reach out to those within their grasp, to utilize their inherent uniqueness, to find the proper tools, and to take an active role in a community that is at their fingertips...a community in which your gifts, talent, passions, and interests are needed and valued...a community to which you can give but from which you can also receive...

Too good to be true? Maybe.

But we will never know until we try.

I finally got my hands on the Mother's Day Sermon and the Lord's Supper Sermon I preached at Lakeway Baptist Church over the past couple of years. I will try my best to upload the audio on the blog by the first of the year.

Please invite your friends to follow or subscribe to this blog,

follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/dallasblogger
or on Facebook at htttp://www.facebook.com/buchanan.brandi

Christmas Memoir: 9846 Deepwoods Drive

As we approach the holidays, I recall a memoir I wrote in 2006 about Christmas at my childhood home.
I thought I would share it on my updated blog...

9846 Deepwoods Drive

Beside my brother, Wes, with his platinum blonde hair standing straight up as it did every morning, I stood in the entry of the hallway looking into the room in which we usually sat and watched television. However, today it was transformed into a magical escape from normality…it was Christmas morning. In the early morning light, except for the twinkling of the lights strung on the tree, the room was still dark and quiet…almost forbidden. Around the tree, Santa had left gifts for all of us. Santa’s gifts were never wrapped so the surprise was instantaneous, as if in a blink of an eye presents had appeared. The stockings hung above the fireplace were stuffed with my favorite candy, lottery tickets (Santa must not be Baptist) and sometimes things like socks.


We knew not to open any presents before Momma and Poppa were with us. Wes always made sure everyone was up so that the gift-getting could begin, by jumping on beds and yelling, “Santa Clause came, Santa Clause came!” Too excited to put in my contacts, I would sit on the floor in my PJs and glasses with bed head and unbrushed teeth surrounded by the mounds of presents with my name written in the TO:__________ found on each gift tag.

Having no time to get ready herself, my mom would sit on the hearth of the fireplace in her robe, wearing glasses as well, drinking her morning coffee as the roaring fire warmed her back. Usually she would have her feet halfway in the fire, but on this morning she wanted to watch the show.

And it was a show. The Brown boys were entertainment bar none. I seemed to find myself sitting back and watching them, loving them for the joy they brought to the family with their quirks, genuine brotherly playfulness and hilarity.

As smells of Poppa’s hot chocolate and Momma’s monkey bread floated into the room and sound bites of A Christmas Story (Momma’s little piggy) played in the background, I savored every moment of these mornings.

When “the boys” were home, it felt most like family. If I had to describe it in one word it would be laughter. Though the saying went, “Poppa will do anything for a laugh,” when the boys were there, it was the heart-warming sound of my Poppa’s laughter that was most prevalent.

I remember one Christmas morning when Chris, my other brother, decided he would put on every gift he received right when he opened it. If it was a package of boxers, they went on over the pajamas he was currently wearing…one on top of the other. I believe by the time he finished opening all his presents he was wearing at least 3 hats, several shirts, a few boxers, a couple pair of pants, several packages of new socks, as he sat in a new fold-out chair all wrapped up in a new blanket with a big smile on his face.

I never felt as though I had the gift of comedy, though I appreciated it more than the gifts I received at Christmas. As a child, I did not see it this way, but as a teenager, I remember dreading this moment’s closing, when the boys would return to their mom’s house for Christmas dinner.

I knew the day and celebration was not over, for we would eat our Christmas dinner with Mammaw and share gifts together. But it was if there was a hole left when the boys “went home.”

Unlike other kids, I had several Christmas celebrations in December: with my dad, with my ex-step mother and brother and sister, with my Mom’s extended family and of course, “The Brown Family Christmas,” which was always celebrated on Christmas Eve. But nothing compared to Christmas morning at 9846 Deepwoods Dr.

I will always miss it…not Christmas, or the gifts, the food or even the house. I will miss the feeling of family we shared in those moments.

I guess as we grow up and we build our own family, we are able to carry with us what we loved about our childhood. I want to take with me the love of laughter.

6ix Perspectives Comment

This is the comment I made concerning the other 5 perspectives on the subject of gender roles:

Brandi Buchanan said...

I would have liked to see more male perspectives on this subject. In my past research on the views women hold of gender roles, whether it be in the family, in the work force, or even in ministerial positions; women are far more resistant and more judgmental of other women. Men seem to be more open to accepting women as different, yet equal to themselves. These posts just confirm how strongly women hold differing opinions on the subject of gender roles. Therefore, how can anything be politically correct, when the ones to which the correctness implies cannot decide what is correct?

Just a thought.

Even After Working All Day - 6ix Perspectives Post

Answering the question: Are gender roles valid?

I wrote:

I guess it would depend on which gender roles you are discussing...Depending on whether you are looking at the cultural norms of Biblical times, of the American 1950s, of the Taliban Afghanistan, or of modern America; gender roles are defined by the present community.Living in America, I have the right to define men and women as equal partners; however, embracing equality does not mean that I deny differences. In my family, my husband and I simply do what is needed to make our family function smoothly. I don’t mind doing the laundry, but I absolutely hate cooking dinner. My husband doesn’t mind cooking dinner (even after "working all day") when he gets home, but he doesn’t care about dusting or organization as much as I do. I mean, no one wants to take out the trash or clean the bathrooms; but why should one "job" be specifically deemed better for one gender than for the other?As for parents who work by staying home or at a job away from home, I believe the same rule should apply. I have done both. I sometimes believe Jason would be far better a stay-at-home (work-at-home) parent than me. Unfortunately, I could not put my master’s degree to good use in order to be the salary earner after leaving church ministry. Had I been able to obtain a job that would have allowed Jason to be home with the children, this would have been our choice. Ultimately, I do believe during the first five years of a child’s life, a parent at home is irreplaceable...an invaluable experience for both the parent and the child. Yet, if this option is available, I do not believe the best parent for the job should be decided by gender...Wouldn’t passion or desire seem a better option? Sometimes we ask the wrong questions, and when we do, we are never able to answer correctly...

Six Perspectives

Oh, wait. I lied!

I posted this for Jason's new blog "Six Perspectives". The topic was "Everybody lies..Do you?"

This was my response:

I never lie…oh wait, I just lied! J

For those who know me, I have a hard time lying. Sometimes, in
the excitement of sharing an anecdote, I add or change a detail to enhance the
story, but it is not true. Immediately after it comes out of my mouth, I stop and
say, “Oh, wait. I just lied.” Then I continue with my story without any
falsified additions.

One of my favorite TV shows is House, M.D. Two quotes made
famous by the main character, Dr. Gregory House, are: “Everybody lies” and
“Truth begins in lies.” I find these statements to be both true and profound.

So what is truth?

Postmodernism defines truth as a subjective construct
associated only to the individual who held it. This concept allows for the
existence of many equally valid truths, yet the idea of an absolute truth is
undeniably rejected. So how then, if all truths are equal and valid, can any
truth, even absolute truth, be rejected?

And the pendulum swings…

Fundamentalism (in any faith) upholds the belief of
understanding and enforcing “absolute truth” upon all people. Only when one
fundamentalist faith recognizes another fundamentalist faith enforcing their
truth upon the world do they understand the dangerousness of this practice.

We must find the balance. We must live in the balance. We
must live in the tension of the pendulum swings, and this is where we will find
truth. Otherwise, truth is held hostage and confined to human definition; or
truth is relative. And “if truth is relative, it’s impossible to lie” (Gene
Edward Veith).

Discussion Post from Today Concerning Attention

**All Questions are in Italics**

Describe a practical situation in which information can be hidden or made to stand out.

 

DeGloma and Friedman (2005) describe many everyday situations where culture filters information processing, making some elements stand out while other elements seem hidden. One practical example of how information can be hidden or made to stand out is in the clothing choices of women. For example, my attire depends on where I am going and what I am doing. If I am hanging out at home, I will usually throw on whatever is comfortable, whether it is an outfit consisting of a T-shirt and shorts, lounge pants, or jeans. If I am working in a business setting, I will usually pick a nice pants outfit, especially if in the company of men. If I am going out with my husband or attending church, I usually opt for a dress (usually more revealing for the date and more conservative for church).

 

Explain how theories of attention apply to the situation, and indicate the social and/or cultural factors that might influence attention in both this situation and others.

 

In the situation of dress described above, attention plays a key role. Depending on the social and cultural factors at play in the given situation, the choice of dress will draw attention to or draw attention away from specific aspects of my female appearance. For example, in the business situation, I would most likely choose a pants outfit in order to draw attention away from my femaleness in a male-dominant workforce. I have noticed when I guest preach in my church (I was an associate pastor for 5 years before leaving church ministry to pursue a career as a psychologist), I almost always wear pants. Yet, when I attend church as any other church-goer, I tend to wear dresses, which draw attention to my femaleness. I still make sure that the attention is a modest attention; however, when on a date with my husband, I choose to wear dresses that draw attention to my femaleness in a more revealing way, since this is our time together as a couple instead of as Mom or Dad.

 

Interestingly, a woman must be more conscious of how she presents herself than a man does due to social and cultural constructs within American society. A woman’s beauty can work for her or against her depending upon the situation in which she is involved. Even more interesting is the cross-dressing aspect of female attire in a male dominant situation presented by Roland Altenburger (2005) through the Chinese stories of Mulan and Yingtai. 

 

In the stories of Zhu Yingtai and Hau Mulan, the female main characters cross dress as a male in order to attend school or to become a soldier, respectively (Altenburger, 2005). I find it interesting that in both stories this action of cross dressing consists of elements based upon both the hidden and the revealed. In hiding their female gender, these women were able to be seen and recognized. These women had to go to great lengths to turn attention away from their gender in order for their inherent value to be recognized.  

 

Apply what you have learned in the readings and experiments to describe what happens when performing a visual search task in which you search for a known figure in a crowd, or search for a person you do not know based on information you are told about him or her.

 

When looking for a specific person in a crowd, elements of gender seem to be the first filter through which persons are eliminated (Sternberg, 2008). Age would be the second distinguishing characteristic, since a child or an elderly person would most likely stand out (due to height or stature) in a group of young or middle aged adults. Ethnicity, primarily skin and hair color, tend to be the next category assessed. Other aspects such as height, body type, and even clothing would be other distinguishing features scanned to find the person in a crowd. Those persons within our central area of vision will be assessed first, while those in the surrounding, peripheral areas will be assessed last, according to Sternberg (2008).

 

Brandi Buchanan

 

References:

 

Altenburger, R. (2005). Is it clothes that make the man? Cross-dressing, gender, and sex in pre-twentieth-century Zhu Yingtai lore. Asian Folklore Studies, 64, 165-205.

 

DeGloma, T., & Friedman, A. (2005). Thinking with socio-mental filters: exploring the social structuring of attention and significance. Conference Papers––American Sociological Association, 1–24. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from SocINDEX with full-text database. 

 

Sternberg, R. J. (2008). Cognitive Psychology 5 ed. Wadsworth Publishing.

One of Last Week's Discussion Post Questions & My Reply

Discussion: Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology
Post a brief description of a cognitive psychological investigation of an area of interest to you, using two different methods of research. Compare and contrast the methods, and highlight their relative strengths and weaknesses.

I am very interested in how stress affects brain function and personality. In The Boy who was Raised as a Dog, renowned child psychiatrist, Bruce Perry (2007) shares stories of how negative social interaction, or the lack of any social interaction, causes neurological and psychological damage to children as they develop. Ultimately he points to stress from negative social interaction or the lack thereof as the reason for underdevelopment of cognitive functions and the cause of cognitive deficits presented by these children.

By studying baboon troops, Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist at Stanford University, has discovered that stress triggers an exponential increase in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which are released in their flight or fight survival responses (Bredar & Heminway, 2008). Sapolsky also discovered that these hormones decrease, turning off the stress response system, when the baboons experience positive community with those in their troop (Bredar & Heminway).

These studies lead me to believe that social interaction, a.k.a. community, can be either be an antidote to an over-activated stress response system or the cause of an over-activated stress response system. This prior evidence leads me to question if positive social interaction can decrease the cognitive deficits caused by an over-“stressed” stress circuit?

Research has proven that the brain’s plasticity is resilient and can continue to change in response to its environment (Pinel, 2008). Therefore, in regards to this study, I would gather information through the use of psychobiological research and case studies. These research methods seem to go hand-in-hand. I could not traumatize or expose individuals to long term stressors in order to have participants for my study. Therefore, I would have to incorporate different individuals, case studies, who have been exposed to negative social interaction. Then, in order to assess the cognitive functioning; I would use psychobiological research methods, such as fMRIs or PET, to determine how these individuals’ brain functions respond to social interaction. Without these tests, simply observing behavior alone would allow me to determine areas of cognitive deficit without knowing if these deficits occur because of a reaction to negative social interaction. Though psychobiological research cannot give me the definitive answer to this question, it can lead researchers to better understand what areas of the brain respond to social interaction and the interpretation of those interactions.

Bredar, J. (Producer), & Heminway, J. (Director). (2008). Stress: Portrait of a killer [Motion picture]. United States: NGHT, Inc.

Perry, B. D. & Szalavitz, M. (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist’s notebook. Perseus Publishing.

Pinel, J. P. J. (2008). Biopsychology (7th ed.).  Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Changes...

So I have changed up my blog and I have added a subscribe feature on the right side, for those of you who would like to sign up to receive an update when this blog is updated.

I will be posting some of my discussion posts, my sermon notes from Mother's Day (and possibly the video of it), and any other postings I do for other blogs and sites.

I hope you enjoy it...