Science Locates the Center of Romantic Love or Why June WILL Get Her Groove Back

There was an interesting article in the NYTimes about the neurological basis of love. Scientists have shown that the tingle that you feel in your pants is distinct from that tingle that you feel in your heart when you have a new boyfriend. F.M.R.I. studies show that “the intoxication of new love” may be in the caudate nucleus.

As I was reading the article, some of the descriptions of being drunk on love resonated with me. And according to the research, it may not be so strange that when I first fell in love, I also ended up in the hospital having panic attacks. To lose love “while still in love, plays havoc with the emotional, cognitive, and deeper reward-driven areas of the brain.” As some of my closest friends know (and now the entire blog community I guess), I was in my first serious relationship when I also had my first serious bout with depression.

My caudate nucleusl was overloaded with happy doped up cells. I was high on life and lovin’ it. But it didn’t take long before I began to feel a new wave of much darker emotions. A lot of my depression was a centered around a feeling of despair. And contained within that despair was a fear that I was only whole when I was with my boyfriend. And if we broke up (which was proving to be more and more inevitable...long story) what would that leave me with? All of a sudden, being in love was like being at the edge of the universe looking at all the planets, and then realizing that you could plummet into that universe at any moment.

In tandem with the FMRI experiments were studies that showed how we try to internalize our lovers. Remember that feeling where you can’t squeeze your loved one hard enough? You just want to--(teeth clenched)--squeeze them until they are inside of you. But doesn’t that mean that during the process of internalizing you are also losing part of yourself? That’s what Bataille wrote about in “Erotism” and I think Rainer Rilke talks about it “Letters to a Young Poet” (I’m too lazy to look for quotes, just take my word for it). Basically, they talk about how pathetic beauty of love is the death of the self.

In the end, I came out of my depression (thanks for the concern). And, as the article reassures us, “the brain related to passion remain intact…capable in time of flaring to life with someone new.”

Long story short. I am a love phoenix and will rise again.

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry...

What you need to know, if you are on a need to know basis

My name is June S. and I was born, raised, and live in New York City. Actually, I live in Brooklyn now where I live with my photographer brother Evan and my one-eyed wonder dog Inez.

I even went to college in New York City where I had intended to study Art History. After three years in the department, I realized that I didn’t smoke a sufficient amount of cigarettes or use the phrase “Benjaminian” nearly enough to make it in the art world. Good thing I got interested in anthropology. In my senior year, I gobbled up every requirement needed for a degree in Biological Anthropology. Sadly, I was 1 point away from having a second degree in Art History to shove in people’s noses. But I’m still glad I switch fields.

Right after graduating, I worked at a small independent film company in the City. Our office was in the Meat Packing district of New York. Everday I would walk past loading docks with sides of beef swaying in concert with one another. And during the summer months, I would see flies greedily doing whatever it is flies do when they swarm around a juicy side of meat. Then I would walk into the office to be met with equally parasitic producers. Despite the fun that I had reading scripts and experiencing all the steps of movie-making, with every minute spent with my bosses, my soul died a little.

I currently work in a neurobiology lab, where I feed chocolate to mice. This takes approximately 7 minutes to do, after which I proceed to waste approximately a million buzillion hours doing not much of anything. Which is why I started this blog.

I Need You Now More Than Ever

Can I ask your advice?

I need some more art for my apartment but I can't decide what to get. Which one do you like?

All of these are limited edition prints, 100cm x 70cm (to people who hate america) or 39" x 27" (to americans). They are paintings by Graham Coxon , of Blur fame.

1. Nude #4
I like the glacial feeling to this picture, but it might be a bit sappy too.
2. Nude #2
This one shows off the lines of the painting, but the colors are a bit Terrance Conran, if you know what I mean.
3. Girl with Brown Hair
I like this one a lot, but I guess I just wish that I could have the original which is oil paint on wood. So if buy this one, will it be a constant reminder of what I will never have?

This Keyboard Spells: F*ck You World!

The Das Keyboard was featured in the NYTimes today as the keyboard that shows "disdain for QWERTY". Everything about this product is awesome. It looks cool. The teutonic name is cool. The fact that this Darth Keyboard has no letters or numbers on it is hilariously cool.

I can't take how cute this is

Sleeping Corgi
Originally uploaded by mphoenix.

If you don't find this cute, please take your pulse, or have someone hold a mirror under your nose. Doesn't it look like the puppy is waiting to play a game of "Light as a feather, Stiff as a board?"

What is it about blogs that make me hate myself?

After re-reading my last few posts, I've realized that this blog is inching down a road on which I dare not inch. Too serious, too boring. We want more blow-job jokes.

Well, YSIOF-fans, I can't promise you blow-job jokes, but hand-job jokes will abound!


over,
June

Huffington: Blogger Pimp to the Stars

I remember the pre-ABC glory days of “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher” when it was always a special treat when Arianna Huffington was on the panel. Now the savvy ex-right-winger has her own blog-cum-new report “The Huffington Post”. It’s my new favorite website. Arianna attracts the who's who in the political, literary, and entertainment world.

There are some great entries from Larry David (co-creator of “Seinfeld”), Al Franken (SNL, Air America Radio), Robert Evans (Legendary Producer and the World’s Coolest Old Man), and David Rees (creator of "My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable" and "Get Your War On"). Also, Huffington’s entries are fun to read. Most of the entries, (especially celebrity entries have the aroma of "Gosh, if only I had a forum so people could see just how perceptive am, I would, like, totally blow their minds") But, besides that the site is well-worth a visit every now and then.

And also, is it just me or is Arianna Huffington kinda hot?

If You Prick Us...Do We Not Bleed

Connotationnation.com is an interesting site that my friend Alex S. started up. The premise: What preconcieved notions do Red and Blue States have about each other. Check it out and leave your opinions.
Funny how we think much more alike than we would like to admit.

Just Some Eye Candy Until the Next Post

A dignified portrait of Inez