brain cells

This week I finished a proposal for a conference and it was nice to have the opportunity to go back through my dissertation proposal and refine and rethink some of the ideas I had when I defended and how they either apply (some do) or don't apply (some definitely don't). Upon review, I think I did a good job, but my frustration is that as much research as I did I still have a lot more to do. Well, it's not so much a frustration as a resignation. [Insert long sigh here.]

I think I am going to have to delve into areas that I hadn't expected and try to understand how they relate to my study -- for example risk taking behaviors. It's an interesting concept, but I am not quite sure how it fits in with development and SES. So not only is it going to be a lot of reading, it is going to be a lot of thinking. Isn't there are point where a person's brain is just too full to add anything new? Can it be possible that I've used up all brain space? And then does that mean that things start dropping out? For example, I know a lot of trivia -- am I going to not be as good at Trivial Pursuit when I finish my Ph.D.? Then the next logical thought is: is there any way to grow more brain cells? Or, if not grow then, activate ones that aren't very busy?