Yeah... but I kind of like it.

I'm sure I'm not the first person who can say that they have been insatiably intrigued to the point of actively pursuing a topic of study that has proved incredibly elusive (aka insanity). For example: for this one online class I wound up huddled in the back of my station wagon heading south for Virginia, my roommate driving sleepily, I was studying feverishly for an exam that I was slated to take at 9AM. I didn't make it actually. I got all the way to the door of the testing center before I burst into caffeine infused tears for the exhaustion and pure terror of proving my worthiness to the gods of.....CALCULUS.

No, but seriously, I love calculus. I love math in general for it's overall practicality. (much to the shock, most likely, of people reading this who have heard me exclaim multiple times that I HATE calculus and wish it would die a slow and painful death not unlike those featured in the SAW movies). I like problems that are solvable. I like to be the solver. For some reason though...I could NOT pass a calculus exam. I did actually get reasonable grades in both of my required Calc classes in college (after two tries each).

For all my failures in the realm of calculus, I have this "trick-candle" desire of proficiency (i.e. the flame really never goes out, tricky). I actually caught myself daydreaming about the free time I would have after graduating, so I could dive into re-reading my calculus textbooks (that take up about...oh...a quarter of my textbook collection. It used to be more, but there was one month where, if I didn't sell a few textbooks, I wasn't going to be able to pay my bills. Sacrifices had to be made and I couldn't part with The Cell, Lehninger's Biochemistry, or Kuby Immunology.)

I could continue describing my personal battle with calculus ineptitude (I actually do get it now...it took 4 years, but I do), but I won't. My point is, that I found this book:

The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
By: Jennifer Ouellette

while perusing NPR's Talk of the Nation: Science Friday.

I really want to buy this book, read it, and hopefully validate my obsession (relative to other subjects.... excluding microbiology, but that's more of a religion, so I guess we shouldn't even count it) with being a calculus afficionado.

Hope just the title of this book inspires others to inquire about the usefulness of Calculus. That's all folks.