I’ve been getting a lot of attention on Twitter for the last couple of posts, and that’s given me a lot of articles to read, blogs to keep up with, and Twitter users to follow. Some people got a little testy, and I don’t blame them, because they know more than I do. I get it.

Let me tell you something right now. I am not a professional scientist. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature back in the early 80s, and distanced myself from science since I had to take my only B-track class in all of High School in Biology. I didn’t get it, I didn’t see the point, I put no effort in, and I sucked at it.

That’s ADHD.

But then I started reading books about the brain, and that struck a chord with me because my brain is not the nice neurotypical model. I started reading blogs and websites about the brain, and medicine, and genetics. I learned how to read published research (and occasionally got friends who would sneak me links to full text articles) and would search in the middle of searches when I found terms I didn’t understand or biological processes or mechanisms that were new to me but essential to understanding what I was reading.

This obsessive pursuit of information is also ADHD, BTW.

This means that there are gaps in my knowledge. I am not ashamed to admit that you know more than I do. Please don’t get angry with me when I’m wrong – explain to me why I’m wrong and then tell me how to understand it the right way. I don’t want to be right to win arguments or lord it over people, I want to be right because I have the correct information. You can help me with that.

Thing is, one thing I know I’m really good at is teaching other people things. I take my mistakes, the process by which I figured something out, and the way it works at the most basic level, and try to use that to explain what I know in a way so that other people can “get it.” There are several college students out there pursuing degrees in science because I got them all excited about it. They’re getting the chance I missed out on.

So, you want more minions? (MUHAHAHAHA!!) Give me comments. Help me understand. Because if you help me understand, I can help other people understand. I’m an intelligent woman, I’ll get it pretty quickly, and when I don’t, I’m not in the least ashamed to admit that I was wrong. We can have a mutually supportive and respectful interchange, and I’ll do my part to explain things in an accessible way, using the tools you give me.

Really. Comment. email. Bring it on. I love you guys!