That blood-curdling scream? It actually coagulates your blood.
A new study has tested the impact of acute fear (induced from watching scary movies) on our blood and found that, indeed, our blood thickens when we are afraid.
Today is New Year's Eve AND a Thursday, so I'm going to do a Throwback Thursday to New Year's Eve 2010! I had a party and it was by far one of the better parties I've hosted. Lots of people, lots of fun, lots of dancing, we ran out of toilet paper, and at one point, someone tracked dog poo through the living room. Here are things before the toilet paper and poo problems began! Ryan getting silly with some of my dear friends.
"Part of the problem seems to be that nobody these days is content to merely put their dent in the universe. No, they have to fucking own the universe.”
David Heinemeier Hansson
THANK YOU! This is what I've been trying to say, well, basically since I finally got over the idea of owning the universe. What is all this pressure that we are supposed to be putting on our lives?
Remember, everyone can't own the universe, but if we content ourselves to make our own dents then we actually allow everyone else the power to make their own! So let's do it! Dent the world!
PS: Did anyone else see the movie Death to Smoochy back in the day? Remember how Smoochy's answering machine said "you may not be able to change the world, but you can make a dent", and it was something we were supposed to kind of make fun of, but actually it was good advice?
It's the day after Christmas! Boxing Day for us Canadians. This is one reason why Canada is great. We have a fun name for the day after Christmas so it's slightly less sad. Of course, the name is after the fact that you spend the day boxing up all your decorations and putting them back in the basement, so... still pretty sad. In honour of this, let's listen to the saddest Christmas song around.
Today is Christmas! Here are some fun facts about the holiday that I gleaned from this Random History page. Go there for more, because holidays are for learning.
1) In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.
(Basically, Christmas was invented in 350).
2) According to data analyzed from Facebook posts, two weeks before Christmas is one of the two most popular times for couples to break up. However, Christmas Day is the least favorite day for breakups.
(So people panic when they realize they might have to spend a holiday with this person and their insane family, but if they get to the day they aren't jerks about it.)
3) In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.
(At least someone is nice to spiders.)
4) Christmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.
(Saint Nick sounds like a nice guy!)
5) The Viking god Odin is one precursor to the modern Santa Claus. According to myth, Odin rode his flying horse, Sleipnir (a precursor to Santa’s reindeer), who had eight legs. In the winter, Odin gave out both gifts and punishments, and children would fill their boots or stockings with treats for Sleipnir.
Well, are you? This is my Christmas Eve gift to you: start reading Hark! A Vagrant! It is hilarious and full of historical and literary humour that you don't need to be a historian to get.
This is a recent favourite and I just had to share it because, well, because it's funny and because there are so many parties right now and because everyone on the internet seems to think introverts are superior these days.
This is beautiful. If you celebrate Christmas, chances are you are a bit stressed right now (because, you know, the most magical time of the year also takes some effort). If you don't celebrate Christmas, chances are still pretty high that you are a bit stressed right now, because stress is the underlying emotion of most of our lives. So pause and breathe. It is so nice.
Better yet, view the image in isolation here for a clutter-free screen.
PS: If anyone knows where this came from, let me know, I would love to credit the maker.
Does anyone else think we're going a little overboard with the whole "here is how everyone else needs to adapt to me" thing? I mean, I'm all for being aware of your needs and communicating them with your loved ones, but what happened to being responsible for ourselves? What happened to not expecting everyone else to adapt to you at all times?
In light of that, here is my user manual to myself:
When I'm grumpy for any reason:
I am perfect and the world doesn't understand me, so it's obviously not my fault. However, I will realize that the things that make me grumpy, while completely justified, are probably not the fault of the people most impacted by my grumpiness. They are poor, innocent bystanders.
Instead of expecting them to know exactly how to treat me (they are silly inferior creatures after all, how could I ever expect them to work out such complexity as that?), I will try to set aside my grumpiness and indignation for long enough to let them know that I am grumpy, it is not their fault, and they should not fret. Then I'll try not to be a jerk, because using an emotional state as an excuse for shoddy treatment of others is poor form.
When I am doing something weird:
Some people might think I'm weird. If I was very concerned about this, I would probably try harder not to do weird things. Anyways, brilliance is often misunderstood in its time.
When someone else isn't communicating the way that I communicate:
Even though I obviously am superior and have the best communication style in the world, I recognize that they are clearly not as intelligent/sensitive/clear as I am and accept them anyways, like the magnanimous genius that I am. Being the exceptionally benevolent creature that I am, I will endeavour to check my completely reasonable emotional reactions and give them a chance.
My parents' home backs onto a little mini forest, and so I grew up with Bambi visiting all the time. Here's a picture my dad took last week of a Mama and Baby stopping by to say hello!
Normally I think new technologies aimed at teenagers are scary or stupid, but this is actually really cool! They are like friendship bracelets taken to a new level - they light up and vibrate in different patterns when they are close together, allowing for secret communication.
I think what I love about them is that they still involve some of the old school aspects of secret communication: the two bracelet wearers must first sync up their bracelets and then agree on what different vibration patterns and colours mean in their secret communications. It can't really be co-opted for bullying or sexting (I mean, a couple could agree that certain patterns mean dirty things, and the vibration aspect could be -- well you know -- but that's pretty innocuous if you think about it.)
The main downside? These things are expensive which means that the rich kids will have a new toy and it will become even more obvious whose parents don't have $80 to buy them a bracelet (at the pre-order discount!)
If I was a teenager, I would be all over asking for this! In fact, I kind of want one now.
More Christmas fun! This time we're going back to the ska/punk craze of the late 90's/early 00's when we would run around in giant pants. No Doubt covered 80's punk band The Vandals' song Oi to the World and made it way more famous (although still not that famous, considering).
OI TO THE WORLD
by No Doubt (originally The Vandals)
Haji was a punk just like any other boy
And he never had no trouble till he started up his Oi band
Safe in the garage or singing in the tub
Till Haji went too far and he plugged in at the pub
'Twas a cold Christmas eve when Trevor and the skins
Popped in for a pint and to nick a back of crisps
Trevor liked the music but not the Unity
He unwound Haji's turban and he knocked him to his knees
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins-
But Oi to the world and everybody wins!"
Haji was a bloody mess, he ran out thru the crowd
he said "we'll meet again we are bloody but not unbowed"
Trevor called his bluff and told him where to meet
Christmas day on the roof down at 20 Oxford street
If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say "Oi to the punks and Oi to the skins-
But Oi to the world and everybody wins!"
On the roof with the nun chucks Trevor broke a lot of bones
But Haji had a sword like that guy in Indiana Jones
Police sirens wailing, a bloody dying man
Haji was alone and abandoned by his band
Trevor was there fading and still so full of hate
When the skins left him there and went down the fire escape
Oi! Oi!
But then Haji saw the north star shining more then ever
So he made a tourniquet from his turban saving Trevor
They repelled down the roof with the rest of the turban
and went back to the pub where they bought each other bourbon
Wab Kinew, journalist, musician, and writer, was on the Strombo Show a few weeks ago and shared a quick tutorial on five stereotypes we tend to hold of First Nations that need to go out the window.
