According to Annette Poizner, I’m a “people person,” an apprehensive, intuitive feeler, an artist.

In order for her to come to these personal conclusions, you’d think that she and I would have been close friends — or, at the very least, would have met each other in person once or twice. We have done neither. So how did she make such personal claims through not much more than my unruly, partly print, partly script, handwriting? In other words, she was able to detect personality traits via subtleties on paper, through the way in which I dot my “i”s, cross my “t”s and sign my name.

Poizner, a Toronto-based social worker, is the author of the book “Clinical Graphology: An Interpretive Manual for Mental Health Practitioners.” At the University of Toronto, she completed her doctoral dissertation, which explored the benefits of using handwriting analysis, or graphology, in therapy. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, where she is best known for her analysis of celebrity signatures.

Through her experience in the field of psychotherapy, she has reached the conclusion that our handwriting can give us clues to our personality, our subconscious minds and thought processes — clues that, in addition to other personality projective assessments, can provide us with important personal insights in a relatively short amount of time.

Before my handwriting was analyzed, she asked me to prepare a few things, a couple of projective personality assessments that would help provide her with more information about myself. I prepared a list of the 10 earliest memories I could think of (all before the age of 8), a handwritten story I made up on the spot and a couple of versions of my signature. Then, Poizner used a mixture of “the three” (the memories, the story and my handwriting) to analyze, and dig in, to my personality flaws, strengths and overall character.

In the end, we talked for more than two hours on her findings. How did the memory of losing my Barney purse at age 4 relate to my precise, yet fluid handwriting? What was it about the story I wrote about the rebellious queen who wasn’t allowed to touch the castle roses but did so anyway have to do with my own hesitant nature? What is it about the way I cross out the “t” in “Katherine” that displays negativity?

Our earliest memories, our signatures, the stories we choose to create, she said, all derive from our subconscious mind. So, it’s no surprise that my memories, my made-up story and my handwriting all seemed to connect to one another through shared themes. From these themes, Poizner was able to detect the clues in my handwriting that opened portals into my inner psyche.

“I believe people are fundamentally expressive in everything they do,” she said. “So why wouldn’t it carry over in our handwriting?”

Joyce Brizendine, a certified handwriting analyst and owner of “Write to Know” handwriting analysis services of Portland, Ore., couldn’t agree more. Though most of the analyses she does are for the purpose of entertainment, she believes that the use of graphology has its place in more than just entertainment venues.

“It’s a skill that can provide critical insight into someone’s psyche,” she said. “There are certain things to look out for when assessing one’s handwriting. Certain subtleties that could help give clues to the bigger picture, for instance, clues to whether someone has depression, a strong sexual appetite or personality deficiencies.”

There are some, however, who wouldn’t agree with Poizner and Brizendine. Some who say that our handwriting — although unique — isn’t significant enough to identify specific characteristics in an individual.

James Green, a forensic document evaluator based in Eugene, is one of these people. Although he does not use personality handwriting analysis in his forensic practice, he has heard of some who do — some who, for instance, wouldn’t see the problem with hiring a graphologist in order to decipher whether a client’s signature is genuine or not. Green doesn’t agree with this.

“I once read an article somewhere about a document examiner who had hired two graphologists to analyze one client’s handwriting,” Green said. “It turns out that each of the two analyses showed different results. So, it’s difficult for me to see the truth in the practice. It’s like fortune-telling — interesting, but not reliable.”

Poizner can understand some of the public’s hesitations to accept handwriting analysis as a reliable means to assess personality. Handwriting, she said, can be influenced by a variety of factors that don’t have anything to do with personality, including cognitive abilities, chemical substances and medical conditions.

However, after having spent years in the field of handwriting analysis, she doesn’t believe this is enough to discredit the merit of the practice — especially when used alongside other projective personality assessment tests, such as a list of one’s earliest memories or a made-up story.

“Though it may not always be a straight line from personality to handwriting,” Poizner said, “I assert that there is wonderful, rich material in our handwriting that we can, and should, assess. Plus, we can’t doubt that public interest in the topic does exist.”

Although I probably won’t be an expert myself any time soon, you can rest assured that from now on I’ll always look at handwriting — whether it’s my own or that of others — with a more critical eye. After all, the way you shape your letters on paper may mean more than you think.

When was the last time you did nothing? By this, I mean absolutely nothing — no texting, emailing, eating, talking or even listening to music. I mean being present in the moment, focusing on nothing other than your breathing, your body, the presence of silence, the sounds of birds chirping outside or the ticking of a clock in a room.

“Our minds are constantly running, developing their own stories and scripts,” Jonathan Borella said. “And they will continue to do so if we don’t remind ourselves to rest and be fully present. Mindfulness is a state of awareness achieved only through our focus and relaxed attention.”

Borella should know — he has studied and practiced the art of mindfulness for several years and hosts mindful meditation workshops of his own. I attended one of these workshops: “Mindfulness and Men’s Health,” as part of the University of Oregon Men’s Center. For 20 minutes, we sat and focused on our breath — in and out — while he read aloud Buddhist verses. If our attention ever wandered from the moment (as it certainly did for me), our focus was led back to our breath with the sound of a bell he played every couple of minutes.

According to Borella, it’s this kind of focus that makes us more mindful. With so much going on in our lives and so many opportunities for distraction, it can be difficult to be truly present and lead our lives without taking a moment to step back and appreciate the complexity — yet simplicity — of just being alive.

Even after only one session of practicing mindful meditation, I noticed I immediately felt more aware of myself and my surroundings. During those twenty minutes, I heard sounds I might not have noticed otherwise — the conversation of a passerby or the ticking of a clock — and appreciated the silence enveloping me. I felt relaxed, aware and appreciative.

According to UO assistant professor of psychology Elliot Berkman, my positive experience with mindful meditation isn’t too surprising. He researches the effects that practicing mindfulness has on the brain, and, in short, they aren’t insignificant.

“Mindful meditation has been validated by clinicians as a way to reduce stress and promote well-being,” he said. “By the use of neuroimaging studies, we have located the brain systems involved in mindfulness and actually seen the effects it has on the brain. Even only after eight weeks of practicing mindfulness, we can see significant changes — such as decreased depression and blood pressure.”

In his most recent study on mindfulness, the brains of parents who had practiced mindfulness for eight weeks were studied. These fathers and mothers to teenagers hoped to improve their relationships with their children through the practice. And many did. After only eight weeks of mindful meditation, he saw the changes in brain activity, and these changes were directly correlated to the amount of improvement they experienced in their relationships with their children. The brains of those whose teenagers had reported a more non-judgmental, attentive parent after the eight-week session showed more change in brain activity.

Being mindful and present in our day-to-day lives isn’t easy, but it can be achieved. Through practice, we can become more so with ourselves and in our relationships through focused attention and awareness.

“Mindfulness is about listening — truly listening — without letting distractions steer us away,” Borella said. “Just taking moments throughout the day to practice mindfulness brings us to a more aware state of being — with ourselves and with others. It is only then that we can truly appreciate the gift of life.”

Dear Katherine,

I recently made a friend in one of my classes, and we hit it off right away. He is a theater major, loves Disney movies more than I do, wears better clothes than I do and overall seems like the perfect sassy gay friend. It would be perfect, except he claims he is straight. He has confided to me that he has never been intimate with his girlfriend, and I understand that many people wait until marriage; however, it leads me to think that he isn’t romantically interested in her. It wouldn’t matter either way if he was gay, straight, bi, Thai — I just don’t want him to end up realizing his sexuality when it’s too late.

Sincerely, I Just Want a Sassy Gay Friend.

Dear I Just Want a Sassy Gay Friend,

Although I cannot be sure whether your friend is gay or not (and neither can you for that matter), I can understand any confusion you may feel about his sexuality. It can be difficult to witness someone denying him or herself the ability to be true to one’s desires — sexual and otherwise. It is a sad reality that many face and continue to face each day.

Of course, as straight people, we cannot even begin to understand the inner turmoil present in one who is not accepting his or her sexuality. And we have to be mindful of this. If your friend is really hiding his sexuality, you have to realize that this is definitely, without a doubt, not easy for him.

His coming out would be life-changing (in many good ways), but hard, nonetheless. And, ultimately, it is his decision whether to come out or not. All you can do is stand beside him, support him and listen to him. You say that he has confided in you the fact that he and his girlfriend have not been intimate together. Already, he is allowing himself to be intimate with you, emotionally. This is significant and telling of your relationship. With you, he is not afraid of the possible implications this aspect of his relationship with his girlfriend might propose.

Build your relationship with him and let him know how supportive you are. By doing this, you can only help build up his confidence as he treads through the difficulties of self-acceptance. If you do this, and he is gay and decides to come out, you may be the first to hear.

Sincerely,

Katherine

A 2011 study published in Psychological Science brings us a little closer to understanding one of the most sought-after dilemmas in our society: Why do people cheat on their partners? Do some possess traits that make them more likely to commit infidelity than others?

Using a large anonymous Internet survey comprised of over 1500 participants, a team of researchers at Tilburg University discovered that people of power or high status in society are at the highest risk of infidelity. This may help explain why so many men of power — including Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards and the latest, former CIA Director David Petraeus — have all found themselves at one time in the midst of a sex scandal.

But why are those in power most likely to cheat? The study reveals that a high level of confidence, prevalent in people holding powerful positions, is strongly associated to infidelity. It takes a certain kind of  boldness to carry out an affair with a prostitute, a coworker, a secretary, a biographer — the same type boldness that perhaps many in power used in order to secure their powerful position in the first place.

And this boldness doesn’t discriminate by gender. The results of the study did not show a link between a person’s gender and number of past affairs, nor did gender seem to play a part in determining the intensity of a person’s desire to have an affair.

Even though our history shows the majority of well-known affairs as having been instigated by powerful men, as more women climb society’s social ladder, there’s no reason to assume we won’t see their names adorning scandalous tabloid headlines as well.

It’s encouraging to continue unraveling the mysteries behind infidelity — an act for which many will continue to demand an answer to a simple, yet desperate question: why?

A while ago, I came across a Facebook post by an acquaintance. She had been with a guy for a while and vented about how she couldn’t understand when people professed that love takes hard work — to her, if it’s right, it should be easy. She said it’s that simple.

I can’t say I agree. Sometimes our perceptions of love — what it should feel like, how it should be, how long it should last — are not exactly realistic. We develop our views on love and relationships at a young age and these views are only reinforced by the unrealistic influence of television, movies and music. We are bombarded with the message of a “perfect” romance — one without its hardships and disappointments.

As the years pass and our childhood perceptions of a perfect fantasy relationship are tethered by reality, our expectations of a fantastical relationship may still thrive. So after a rather intense argument or after a bout of doubt, we end up rethinking a relationship in which we are fundamentally happy. If we still have high expectations of romance, we will not be equipped to handle the hard times. Perhaps this is why so many marriages end in divorce.

Loving realistically takes work. It means viewing your partner as an imperfect individual. It means understanding his or her flaws and views with all your strength. It means you do not flaunt your relationship to others under a dishonest light. It means understanding there will be doubts — but you choose to stay together regardless.

It’s a commitment to one another that is as strong as it is imperfect, as hard as it is easy. This is loving with intent.

From the moment we are born, we develop vital attachments with our primary caretakers. Through our first exposure to physical and emotional closeness (or lack thereof) as children, we are introduced to themes of trust, dependence, security and openness. If we have receptive, attentive parents, we learn we can trust. If not, we learn we can’t. Our minds start developing the mental framework and patterns that continue into adulthood and provide the basis for stable or unstable relationships in the future. Studies have shown that even at such a young age, we have already developed an “attachment style” that will likely stay with us our whole lives.

Researcher John Bowlby first introduced the attachment theory in the late 1960s. Bowlby believed that the reason children formed such strong bonds, or attachments, to their caretakers was because of an emotional and physical necessity. Children depend on their parents for survival; therefore, children develop emotional responses when this attachment is broken. For instance, a child who is separated from his or her caretakers, however temporarily, will likely show distress. This is evidence of that attachment.

Research conducted by Mary Ainsworth in the 1980s expanded on Bowlby’s initial theory on attachment. By conducting studies in which children were separated from their mothers for a short amount of time before being reunited again, Ainsworth was able to not only see the attachment theory firsthand, but also the ways in which various child-caretaker attachments differed. What Ainsworth discovered was this: although the majority of children reacted similarly when the mother left the room (distressed), many children reacted differently upon the mother’s return. These differences in reaction provided clues to differences in attachment styles. Some children were easily comforted when the mother returned (secure attachment); others continued to express distress even in the mother’s presence (anxious attachment); while others appeared indifferent to their mother’s return (avoidant attachment). From these, Ainsworth was able to distinguish three basic styles of attachment: secure, avoidant and anxious.

According to some researchers, it’s possible that these attachment styles carry over into adulthood. Hazan and Shaver were the first researchers to analyze Bowlby’s attachment theory in romantic contexts. They inferred that since we exhibit much of the same need  for intimacy, dependency and security in our romantic relationships as adults as we did in our parental relationships as children, our attachment styles in each situation are similar.

If we agree with Hazan and Shaver’s theory on adult attachment, then we can say that a child who displays an avoidant attachment style can easily grow up with the same insecure tendencies in a romantic relationship as an adult. From a young age, she learned the risk in opening herself up to rejection. So, just like she dejected the closeness of a parent as a child, as an adult, she avoids commitment and intimacy as a way to protect herself from the distrust she has suffered in the past. Similarly, a child who felt secure with her caretakers — i.e. knew he could depend on them for comfort and stability, yet felt safe enough to follow his own independence — will be more likely to search for, and choose, similar secure relationships as an adult. And because a child with an anxious attachment style did not feel safe with his caretakers — whether that be because of parental neglect, abuse, or the like — this child will likely grow up to display high levels of anxiety, impulsiveness and worry in her relationships. She is desperate for intimacy with others yet continues to doubt her worth along the way.

The attachment theory helps us understand the ways in which we, as individuals, choose our romantic partners and treat our romantic relationships. Through knowledge and self-awareness, we can evaluate the basis of our actions so that we may strive for secure, healthy attachments — even if our previous history of attachment told us otherwise.

To Renne Phillips, the body is a canvas, and the world is a runway. She believes the way we dress ourselves — the various fabrics, textures and shapes adorning our bodies — describe our personalities, attitudes and lifestyles. To her, each day is an opportunity to walk the catwalk of the world.

It’s this kind of passion for fabric that fueled her to form her own clothing line, “VaVaVie.” From bedazzled bras to custom-made wedding dresses, her goal is to infuse both glamour and individuality into each of her creations as much as possible.

“Each piece I design is unique,” Phillips said. “I love devoting a lot of my time on one piece, putting all of my creativity, imagination and hard work into something I design.”

And her hard work shows; her designs are intricate. Her dresses, which range from cocktail to wedding, feature meticulous beading, attention to form and even more attention to detail. Her “showpiece” bras — which she said can be worn anywhere, from under sheer garments and belly dancing events to burlesque shows — are adorned with lace and beads.

“You will never see glue or stitches on any of my pieces,” she said. “The attention I give my pieces is important.”

The interaction she has with her clients is also important to the designer. Women come to her looking for custom-made wedding dresses, and they desire high-quality at a fraction of the usual price. She said she has the opportunity to make a dress that will show off that individual’s unique style, allowing herself to also become a part of that woman’s special occasion, however indirectly. It’s this aspect of custom orders she loves.

“It’s special to be able to make something so personal, so unique to them — especially on an occasion they’ll cherish forever,” Phillips said.

Her favorite piece? She doesn’t have one.

“I’m always creating new favorites,” she said. “I’m constantly building my portfolio, my career and ultimately, my sense of drive with each new piece I create. The fabric shows me what it wants me to do, and I let my mind go.”

Kendra Grace’s goal is to design clothing for women — all kinds of women. Curvy, fit, voluptuous or thin, it’s her mission to create clothing in which any woman can feel comfortable, supported and most importantly, empowered.

The designer hopes to accomplish this using only one ingredient: reusable T-shirts.

Her designing process goes something like this: After searching through thrift stores, she identifies a starting point (a T-shirt with a particularly interesting logo or design), collects other T-shirts that fit her idea or theme and then uses only these shirts to create a dress or skirt. Consisting of anywhere from six to 20 T-shirts, each dress or skirt produced is a collage of interesting logos, prints and images.

Ever since she made the first dress of this kind for herself several years ago, the compliments she has received for her designs are encouraging. She has since enjoyed producing these expressive, outspoken garments for others that she sells at various venues, including Eugene’s Saturday Market.

“I look for bold designs, interesting imagery or just funny sayings on T-shirts,” Grace said. “The designs have to be something I am emotionally drawn to in some way or another.”

Each piece she produces is unique in its own way. Her designs range from including images of superheroes and University of Oregon logos to images with international influences. A unified theme and conscious coordination of colors is present in each of her designs.

Although prominent, design isn’t her only focus when constructing a garment. Attention to shape, quality and support are just as important in each of her pieces. For a woman who has had difficulty herself finding clothes that fit well, it is especially important for her to include pieces that flatter women of all sizes.

“At 21 years old, I couldn’t find clothes that made me feel sexy and supported,” she said. “It’s hard enough for a curvier women to find clothes that fit well and flatter their bodies. I want my clothing to make women, of all types, understand how beautiful they really are.”

Alli Ditson has been designing clothes ever since she was 10 years old. Although her first endeavors into the world of fashion resulted in items she doesn’t necessarily consider desirable today — such as “big bell hippie pants” and, according to Ditson, “weird and colorful” pieces — these pieces were, nonetheless, the beginning of a career in design. She learned to sew from her father, a designer himself, who allowed her to use fabric of his own to fuel her own spunky individuality.

Ever since those first days at the sewing machine, her artistry has flourished. In high school, she started to sell some of her pieces on consignment. Then, she started working at Insight, a vintage thrift store in Eugene now known as Deluxe. Today, she is one of the owners of Kitsch, a downtown vintage thrift shop.

Though not many of her designs are on Kitsch’s shelves as of yet, she generates unique pieces that she sells online on her Etsy shop. She designs an array of items, from lingerie, leggings and stretchy dresses to underwear. She said she believes in producing clothing that allows people to express themselves. She believes the kind of clothing she designs can help people do that.

“With clothing that isn’t immediately seen, such as swimwear and undergarments, the boundaries can be stretched a little bit more than other types of clothing,” Ditson said. “I can get a little more creative with my designs.”

She also accepts custom orders, which she says spur her imagination. For instance, many customers ask her to design costumes channeling video game characters, such as Sindel from the video game “Mortal Kombat.” These orders propose exciting challenges for the designer.

“It’s a fun challenge to make something that’s originally only two-dimensional — like a video-game character — and essentially bring it to life through a costume,” she said.

The most rewarding part of her job, though, is the ability to make a living doing what she loves.

“I took the risk of making my hobby a job,” she said. “And it’s been successful. The fact that I can make money doing what I love … It’s like I’m just getting validation for being me.”

Are there certain times of the year when relationships flourish and certain times of the year when relationships suffer the most? Facebook Data Science certainly says so.

Using U.S. Facebook data from 2010 to 2011, Facebook Data Science looked at the ebb and flow of relationships during the year. By keeping track of the changes in relationship statuses of its users — the change from “Single” to “In a Relationship” for example — they were able to determine the dates in which most people got together, and the dates in which most people broke up.

For instance, the results show that there are 49 percent more new relationships than breakups on Valentine’s Day, 34 percent more on Christmas Day, 28 percent more on Christmas Eve and 22 percent more on the day after Valentine’s Day, while the fifth biggest net increase in relationships, with 20 percent more relationships beginnings than endings, was April Fool’s Day. April 2 was the day with the highest number of break-ups in the year — 11 percent more breakups, to be exact.

With this data, we can also see which months and days of the week most people are getting together. The summer months, for example, had the lowest number of new relationships, while February is the month with the most.

The study also shows that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are the biggest days for people entering relationships, while more break-ups occur leading in to the weekend, with high numbers on Thursday and Friday.

While it is interesting information, it’s not exact. The information does not account for those who do not change their status from “Single” to “In a Relationship” and instead hide their relationships status. Plus, not everyone shows their relationship status on Facebook in the first place.

However, for all it’s worth, it’s still interesting to see the patterns of when relationships begin and end.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with more than 300,000 cases of gonorrhea reported in 2011. The disease is normally cured with the use of antibiotics, but according to a new report by the CDC, this may not be the case for long.

According to the report, lab studies show that the current class of antibiotics that are now used to treat the disease, called cephalosporins, are becoming less effective at doing so. Ever since treatment for the disease began in the 1940s, gonorrhea has developed immunity to many forms of antibiotics — including sulfonamides in the 1940s, penicillin and tetracycline in the 1970s and 1980s, and fluoroquinolones by 2007 in the United States. This could mean that a cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea could spread in the United States, similarly to how it already has in Spain, Japan and France, according to the CDC. Scientists are calling this strain of the disease a “multidrug-resistant gonorrhea.”

In order to combat this “super” strain of gonorrhea, the CDC now recommends in its report a new treatment regimen for patients diagnosed with the disease. In place of the antibiotic cephalosporin, doctors will now use a combination of the antibiotic ceftriaxone, as well as a second antibiotic for treatment. If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to drastic complications, including infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

With this impending threat of a drug-resistant gonorrhea in the United States, an epidemiologist for the CDC, Dr. Lindsey Satterwhite, said in an interview with ABC News that practicing safe sex is more crucial now than ever. Wearing condoms, practicing monogamy and getting appropriate screenings are all necessary ways to be safe. New statistics released by the CDC this week show that taking these precautions (PDF) when having sex is especially important among youth between the ages of 15-24, who account for 50 percent of new STIs in the country.