tongues of violins

Things were going smoothly this evening, but Rick has been vomiting on and off now, and decided to sleep in the living room chair alone. I am going to sit with him in silent company until he falls asleep.

My aunt just asked if he wanted me to stay with him for a while, to which he responded "that's up to her" in his crackly voice. This is his way of saying "yes" these days. I am glad to be here.

"Mirror neurones are a layer of brain cells which act as a reflection, both of our own actions and moods, and of actions and moods which we observe. We actually think that this is the physical basis for empathy and emotional understanding -- this is the brain structure which allows us to understand what other people are feeling and thinking, by observing them. The strength of the response of mirror neurones in the average person, however, is moderated by emotional connection. If we are observing someone we actively dislike, the response is significantly weakened; the appropriate neurons fire, but not in as dense a pattern or for particularly long. If we are observing someone we care about, the reverse is true -- the mirror neurones fire more densely and for longer. In the cases where people report feeling "sympathy pains", there is some evidence that the firing of the mirror neurones is actually having a real effect on the neurotransmitters released in the brain."

My body aches brittle.