Something I'm doing for a little extra money during my seasonal layoff/writing time is a psych study at the U of O. Really, I should have done this a long time ago. It's probably better than donating plasma twice a week for cash. I don't think every psych study pays the subject as well as the one I'm doing, but it's certainly interesting.

Anyway, just this week I called up the graduate student and made an appointment to go in and begin the study. This one lasts for two weeks and involves carrying around a PDA (with keyboard) and entering data if I have an emotional response to an event, thought, or memory. On top of that, there's three lab visits where I get hooked up to electrodes and perform tests on a computer.

I get a hundred dollars for the PDA part of the study and ten dollars per visit with the electrodes (should be about an hour per visit). $130.00 is nothing to sneeze at. It will come in handy especially since the move.

I have only just begun reporting my moods and emotional responses. It takes time to report the info (there are questions to answer and ratings to give) and I need to be constantly aware of reporting a emotion when it happens. It's interesting to see how these emotions throughout the day affect my general mood.

Of course I say it's interesting. I have a hunch I'm just interested in getting a hundred and thirty bucks for doing something that's pretty easy.

Tomorrow I have my first appointment with the electrodes attached to my head. Should be a blast.

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The Denise Little workshop is coming up next month and we've just got the first story assignment. It's just like writing for a themed anthology. I'm surprised we have two weeks to finish it. I was expecting only one. Tomorrow I will begin my story.