Carousel- 2-29-2008

Happy Friday! Also happy birthday to all those leap year kids that were born today.

Trivia fact of the day: did you know that traditionally speaking, every four years (on Feb 29) it was socially acceptable for women to propose to men. I wonder if I'll witness anyone doing it today. Anyway, onward!

• For those of you that DON'T believe. The outbreak begins! I told you the zombies were coming!
  


• I think this guy should be arrested and the daughter slapped.
  


• Australian Football League issues morals test to players….this an actual question is: “A mate and his girlfriend are having sex. Do you a) watch b) not watch?”
  


• Instead of “they terk our jerbs!” the English say: “they ate our swans!”
  


• I don’t get the idea of “beautiful” “high-end” stenches.
  


• Drunk 53 year old riding on a lawn mower, leading police on a 3 mph chase. Claims to have been chasing some kids from his lawn
  


• Man gets tattoo….on his eyes. ON HIS EYE! With pics
  


• At first…it’s cool because it reads about a bird boy….but…..come on monkeys in the US?
  


• One of my friends sent me this saying that this should be my next screen cleaner....it's obnoxiously cute
  


• If you want to pretend that you're a rock star who doesn't want the press chasing you around, but still wants to be photographed by them try using this next time it rains. Spaceship LAUNCH!
  


• In college, I studied with a rich girl. She was in my art program, and bought Louis Vuitton bags to cut up or cover over, or half burn or part shred or whatever. She said it was a comment on consumerism but I thought a little differently: That she was a pretty 19-year-old showing off all the shit she could buy. I haven't seen her since, but yesterday I did spot this which oddly reminded me of her. They're resin chocolate bars with the names of top designers....and fun part? the words are lined with powdered sugar...and cocaine...how did they get this past the drug laws?
  


• And well cupcakes, that’s about it for now. Enjoy your friday!

Things I love Thursdays

Comments: I love the comments that people have been leaving me.

Agyness Deryn: She’s the latest “it” girl on the model front, and I do admit she’s really pretty. But the cult of Agyness Deryn is beginning to spread and I must say that’s it’s a little scary. She now has her own mannequin, which stores like Zara and Benetton are buying and putting up to model in the windows. To me, that’s a little creepy, but she is pretty.

My black shoes: In case you haven’t noticed…I love shoes. Today I especially love my black ones. They are very Bettie page and I like that.

My new book: Genghis Khan: For a lot of people, this book would be really boring…but I adore it. I used to live in the area where the Mongoloid tribes are from, so I can easily understand the layout, and I think that’s what makes it easier for me. Plus learning about such an amazing man is fascinating. I’ll give you guys a review after I’m done with the book.

Family sayings: some members in my family are kinda nutty. But always with madness goes some form of wisdom. Today’s “OM” saying: “Sure you can always find prettier, handsomer, skinnier, wiser, richer, younger or zippier. But more often than not, one might learn the most, laugh the loudest, and smile the widest with those they’ve already found, especially when you stop looking elsewhere”.

Sharpies: Do you know how much you can do with these markers? If you get the detail point you can play around with sketches since the marker does not mark any darker or any lighter no matter how hard you press. This is a great way to express shadows through patterns. I’ll show you mine as soon as I can get a scanner

Easter Eggs: I love Easter eggs…and I know that Easter isn’t yet for another month…but I am sooo excited. I will probably spend a good fortune on eggs, but I intend to boil them so that people can eat them if they like later. Some I may blow out to make as ornaments, but there are just SO many options…I really am truly excited about the creative possibilities of eggs.

New Running shoes: They do make a difference in the way that you run I’ve noticed. That unfortunately often comes with the new blisters that you get too.

Temporary Tattoos: They remind me of when I was a little girl and would stick the ones that I liked on random parts of my body, and ones I didn’t like on other people.

Post its: I’ve raved about them in the past, but tell me if these are not one of the most useful things in the office that a person has?

Surprise money: like finding five dollars in your pocket!

Sleep

So apparently I suffer from sleep deprivation....

I was having dinner with one of my friends who just got into med school. He was learning about sleep in his class and we were talking about it. I told him that I try to get a full 8 hours of sleep a day but that I never seem to get it. He laughed and said that’s probably because I don’t adhere to my “natural” sleep cycle. He started getting into a series of lectures about the different stages of sleep and the correlation between body temperature and sleep patterns…it became really complicated and of course I don’t want to regurgitate an entire bio lesson. So I’ll make this short.

Sleep is one of the body’s most mysterious and important processes. It helps you to restore and rejuvenate your entire body; in memory, mood and social behaviors, and in various system functions such as the nervous and immune.

Since it is essential to the maintaining of the body, the body naturally provokes us to sleep via electrical messages from our circadian clocks-the time-keeping, temperature fluctuating, enzyme controlling inner clocks. These inner clocks work with a particular neurotransmitter that “turns off” our body, called adenosine. Adenosine is created in tandem with energy that our cells create to power us through the day. As the level adenosine builds up in our brains, we feel… “sleepy”. Combining this with our circadian devices, we understand that its time to sleep. Once preparing for sleep we enter our sleep cycle.

Sleep cycles vs. sleep hours:
I’m sure you’ve heard that everyone needs about 8 hours of sleep a night, and depending on age it can increase. For example babies need to spend at least 12 – 18 hrs a day asleep, and adolescents need 9. But as you become a “biological” adult, you require less total numbers of sleep hours, and more sleep cycles. Sleep cycles are the number of times that your brain shifts through the five stages of sleep.

Stage 1: (Drowsiness) - When you first fall asleep, you are in Stage 1 sleep. It lasts just about five or ten minutes. Eyes move slowly under the eyelids, and muscle activity slows down. You are easily awakened in this stage, and some can argue that when you zone out in class (or something of the equivalent) you are actually entering in to this Stage.

Stage 2: (Light Sleep) –Here your eye movements stop, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases. You spend most of your sleep time in stage 2, as your body is continuously shutting down at this point. With all the systems that your body possesses, it’s not a real surprise.

Stages 3 & 4: (Deep Sleep) - During these stages, you are difficult to awaken. People who are awakened during Deep Sleep do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after they wake up. Your body is immobile and the brain waves patterns at this point are slow and wide spread. This is the most important part of sleep as it is the end of the “cycle” and tells your body if you have thoroughly processed through the entire sleep procedure.

REM: Rapid Eye Movement- Many people argue if this is a stage or not. For now it will be a transition stage, since this occurs at the end of stage 4 and leads back to stage 1 in the sleep cycle. You usually have three to five REM episodes per night. Your eyes jerk rapidly in various directions under your eyelids (hence the name Rapid Eye Movement), and your body continues to be paralyzed. This is the stage where you dream and where you “remember” your dreams.

The first sleep cycles each night contain relatively short REM periods and long periods of deep sleep. But, as the night progresses, REM sleep periods increase in length while deep sleep decreases. By morning, you will spending nearly all the “sleep” time in stages 1, 2, and REM.

Ideally you want to wake up at the end of an REM stage. This is why; when you have no pressure to wake up, you generally wake up after a dream. The end of a REM stage is the end of a cycle, just before you go back into stage 1. The entire thing lasts generally about 90 min. So it’s best to calculate your time in that 90 min time frame.
So you’d be following a sleeping pattern in multiples of 90 min:

1.5 hours
3 hours
4.5 hours
6 hours
7.5 hours

Those are the sleep quantities that you should aim to get, and those are what your body will naturally take, removing the alarm clock. Though this time frame varies between people, the best way to find your timing for a sleep cycle is to pick a weekend, and not set an alarm clock. Go to bed the moment you feel tired and then wake up naturally. Do this for the entire weekend (including Friday night!) and then average out your time. That’s your natural sleep cycle. Ideally you would do this over a week or so, but since the working world cannot wait you must make do with what you can right?

So what are some easy ways to fall asleep?

Nap every single day: nap regularly, keep it short, and make it in the early afternoon. 1) By napping at the same time every day, your body will start to regulate itself to want to nap at that time and it will become easier to fall asleep quickly and take an efficient nap; 2) Keep it short - only nap for about 20 minutes. This length of time, a power nap, is just enough to make you feel refreshed and mentally more alert but doesn’t allow you to go into a deep sleep (which would interfere with falling asleep at night), and; 3) Make sure to nap in the early afternoon - preferably about 20 to 30 minutes after lunch, which is when your body is naturally inclined to feel sleepy, and early enough in the day to not interfere with falling asleep at night.

Make your room cold Your body needs to cool down in order to fall asleep and stay asleep, so do what you can to make your room cool. For me, a cool bedroom has the added benefit of nestling into a heavy comforter, and I find the heavy warmth on top of me very soothing.

Exercise intensely. Don’t just “exercise”, but do so intensely, to the point of feeling physical exhaustion. At the end of the day, this is probably the single best thing for helping induce deep, restorative sleep. When I say “intensely”, I mean intense relative to your capability. For some this may mean running 5 miles, for others it may mean a brisk 20 minute walk that elevates the heart rate. Physical tiredness is absolutely essential to getting a good night’s sleep

Expose yourself to bright light/sunlight soon after waking up. Bright sunlight (or any bright light) tells your body’s natural biological clock that its time to wake up, and that same clock will then be set to tell your body its time to go to sleep about 14 to 16 hours later

Find a bedtime ritual that works for you. I say find the routine that works for you - whatever it is - and do it every night. Find what helps you feel less anxious at the end of the day and incorporate into a nightly ritual.

Do what it takes to manage stress in your life. At some points in our lives we are burdened by a great deal of stress. It may be chronic pain or other health condition, a family or work situation, financial stress, or all combined. And the stressful situation may well be unavoidable. But do what you can to take some control over the stress. There are so many ways to do this - I encourage you to try some and just keep trying until you find what works for you. It can be guided imagery, either with the help of a professional or with CD’s, regular massage, yoga or tai chi, calming music, or a therapeutic run or bike ride after work. We all have different preferences - try one that sounds appealing, but if you find it difficult to stick with it, then try a different one

Anyway, like I said I won’t make this a bio lecture (though it’s truly fascinating). My friend gave me the link to some article and research findings so I suggest you go check it out and read for yourself. Believe me I have a lot more respect for sleep and naps now…and I’m trying to think of ways to incorporate them into my life. I am going to attempt to take a nap at around my lunch and then another one after work (only 15-20 minutes though) and then sleep everyday for 7.5 hours (my sleep cycle number). I’ll up date you guys on the progress.

• http://www.sleepfoundation.org/Alert/030730.cfm
• Center for Applied Cognitive Studies (http://centacs.com/)

yet another reason....

I won’t get into my rant about Hot Topic, since it’s really a waste of time, and I really don’t have that much against the store. But what really gets to me is when they take designs from other designers and try to pass them off as “non-cultural” or Goth. This leads to today’s “you thought we wouldn’t notice” post:

Hot Topic steals SOAP!
Designer Jess Fink is a pretty neat one. She follows the Kuwaii school of Japanese pop design, (which for the rest of you…is “cute” anime- taking inanimate objects and giving them a personality with a cute face). This is nothing against Jess Fink; I think she’s got a great sense of humor…a little bit more complex than the regular Kuwaii designs. She had this wonderful little shirt below.






Recently she posted that she had received an email from a fan of hers saying that Hot Topic has stolen the design and made this:



The rip-off was designed by “Newbreed girl” who seems to have an under construction website. The only way I can explain the stupidity of Hot Topic is because it buys from too many design companies and venders, which leads to either no back checking or they knew what they were ripping off.

This is not the first time that HT has done this. Another case is the recycle heart design. Albeit the execution is not exactly the same, the design is very similar. The designer offered this design to hot topic numerous times over the last few years and each time HT has turned it down.


The Original Design The Hot Topic design

Jess Fink sent a Cease and desist email to both “Newbreed girl (NBG)” and Hot Topic (HT). NBG responded with a statement that said it was unfortunate but probably the cause of hiring freelancers to do t-shirts for them.
“It is my poiicy (sic) to encourage freelancers to use the free Getty photo images as reference points & we also use sketches from the Japanese free clip art books, which have inanimate objects with cute faces & legs etc. which are also very similar to the soap.”This is not the first time that Jess Fink has received this type of response. She received the same one from Todd Goldman, an artist and designer…you can see his painting knock off here.


However, the soap in Goldman’s painting is not even nearly as similar as the design by NBG. Everything on the HT design is similar, the soap is pink, the hands are feet are “stick” and the word “soap” is in the same place…not to mention the same body position. The words also use “butt”…but seriously what does “I love your butt” coming from a soap mean anyway? Hmmm. Jess plans to take up the matter in court. In the meantime, friends have banded together to show their support by making parody images, which include some hot soap on soap slash. It was way too early in the morning for me to behold this Harry Potter image (NWS).

• Gallery of Parody Images (careful some of these are NWS)
• Threadless T-shirt Store so that you can buy it if you like the shirt (the original that is)

Weekend Review

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great weekend, and if you have any interesting stories, by all means let me know. I enjoy a good story now and again. But enough babble; on with it!

Friday-22
It was a snowy and icy day (lots of crashes on the way into the city), and I was walking up the escalators form the metro...when some jerk comes up from behind me and nearly knocks me out of the way as he desperately (for some reason) could seem to wait for a copy of the "express" newspaper that they were handing out at the top. In the process he trips over, not only me, but several other people who were more vocal than I was at his lack of courtesy.

In the process of being pushed over, my heel jammed into a crevice, and I went sliding forward. Somehow I managed to stay upright, but in the process pulled my calf muscle so badly that I could feel the strain immediately. Oh, and just as a side note, a “pulled” muscle used to be believed to be caused by a buildup in acid when the muscle exerts itself. But, it is now proven to be tiny tears in the muscle fiber. These tears then fill up with water and induce swelling, and that’s what’s painful, the movement of free moving water up and down tender tissue. Kinda like when you have a blister from wearing shoes that rub, and then the skin breaks…while you’re in the shower…yeah it hurts. Anyway, I limped all the way to my office and before the end f the day I could barely walk. I supposed to go to a club with some friends that I hadn’t seen in ages, but my calf just hurt too much and I wouldn’t have been able to dance. No point in going to a club if you’re not going to dance. That’s what bars are for.

So instead I took that ancient advice that laughter heals all wounds, and herded a bunch of friends to the DC improv studio. We bought tickets to the Friday night special, which was the Jameson whiskey comedy tour. Along with your ticket for a night full of laughs, you get a free “Jameson cocktail”, so not a bad gig. We arrived all in one piece and sat together in this dark, smokey room ordering out appetizers and drinks. Let me tell you though, the bar tender there…isn’t that great. Anything you ask for will taste like they milked it from the alcoholic cow’s udder. Jameson is generally a smoother whiskey, one that I can handle better than others. I asked for a whiskey sour and got what tasted like whiskey with vodka….not a good combination. Unfortunately there’s a two item order requirement at the dc improv, so it’s a great place if you want to get completely hammered, but other wise not. The food wasn’t that great either.

I’m making it sound like it was a horrible night, and I want to assure it wasn’t. Despite the drinks and the mediocre food, I got a free T-shirt and the comedians were pretty funny. I laughed so hard at some of the jokes that I nearly collapsed out of my chair. The jokes were of course very lewd, but still hilarious. It’s almost refreshing to hear those things said out loud. The comedians also knew how to deal with hecklers and just plain annoying people. There was a gaggle of giggling girls (huh, say that 5 times fast), that were part of a bachlorette party. Personally I am against obvious bachlorette parties. This is not to say that I’m against them at a whole-I fully agree that on your last night as a single/free woman should do anything you want. But, I am against the obnoxious version of the party. For example…the veil? What is up with the veil that says Bachlorette, and has a bunch of miniature penises attached to it? I don’t get it, it’s not funny…it’s not cute. And why is that all of the girls that wear that are loud and have to announce to the world that they are getting married every ten seconds! Congratulations, you’ll drive him crazy…now shut up. These women would should and hoot at anything the comedian said…even if he was telling them to shut up. God…I am embarrassed for them and I apologize on behalf of my sex.

Besides that, it was an amazing night and I enjoyed myself immensely. Even with the penis-lolly-pop waiving, crowd of screaming banshees, I enjoyed myself. I fully suggest that if you like to laugh and don’t mind being in a gritty room, GO TO THE IMPROV!!!!!

Saturday-23
Saturday was a day of biological contemplation. I drove up to Baltimore to see the exhibit “Bodies”. This is the one that was in New York and received great reviews. This German doctor took some bodies (that I must note were donated in life to science) and preserved them so that people could study the body without having to go to an anatomy class. It was amazing. A little creepy at first since everything that was on display once had a conscious thought, but once you get over that…you’re sucked into the world of the human body. And let me tell you what an amazing world it is. It always fascinates me, how among this mess of muscle, bone and flesh we have the ability to create worlds. And, while so complicated we’re so weak in comparison to other fauna. I suggest you go and see it if it ever comes to a museum near you…it’s really quite impressive and you learn so much about yourself. Plus it’s a great guilt tripper, the whole time I was looking at “body x”, with issue y, I kept thinking “man I should I take care of my body more”. And that is actually one of my resolutions. To take care of myself more.

That night though, I was witness to a proud event. One of my friends (by far one of the most socially awkward human beings on the planet) announced that he had a girlfriend…and that she *gasp* slept over. Good for him…he was pretty lonely and needed someone to remind him that not everyone likes to talk about the Air force or how cool some planes are. Not to mention having a girlfriend makes him want to look better and clean up around his house more…a definite improvement!

Sunday-24
Sunday was a lazy day. I cleaned up my little house, and found an ice cream store around my neighborhood. You have no idea how much this excites me, and I have a coupon! I’m saving it for a tough day at work, when I’ll come home and curl up in bed with a bowl of ice cream. I also received moments of inspiration as far as my finances go. I’ve been learning about my FICO and credit scores…and how to try and force my life into some form of sense.
Well that’s my weekend…how was yours? Pray do tell.

Political wordings

Faster than a speeding ballot. Sweeping primaries in a single bound. Look up in the sky: It’s a gimmick; it’s a cliffhanger; it’s punditocracy!

20/20 vision (n):
the media’s tendency to blow small issues totally out of proportion for the sake of news show fodder.

between Barack and a hard place (n):
the sphere in which undecided democrats linger to contemplate the electability of candidates.

I heart Huckabee (n):
a bad movie and campaign.

it takes a village idiot (phr):
a Washington proverb.

meet Romneys (n):
The persistent desire to poke Mitt’s handsome sons on Facebook.

mock the vote (n):
when people too embarrassed to admit they’re clueless about the voting process make awkward jokes to remain elusive.

over the Hillary (n):
undecided voter syndrome wherein the desire to see a woman in the White House is overrun by one’s dislike for Hillary.

pundIt girl (n):
the token female analyst who sits at the table with Wolf Blitzer and co.

scamdidate (n):
an unviable aspirant who just confuses the public (see: Ron Paul).

super delegetsome (n):
when powerful insiders use their influence to score dates with campaign managers and candidates’ daughters

Carousel friday!

Huzzah! It’s Friday, and while I don’t condone you slacking off at work, it’s ok during your lunch hour to wander around and around a bit.

• The world’s oldest post office goes for sale…buyer assumes the responsibility of undelivered mail.
  


• An interesting idea…but I thought it already existed. You’ll have to correct me if I’m wrong.
  


• Tennessee text law
  


• Clowns deal with the fact that 60% of children are afraid of them.
  


• During a speech Obama pulls out a tissue…the appropriate reaction? CLAP you fools!
  


• Man call woman ugly, woman does the only logical thing and stabs him with a kitchen knife
  


• Today’s time waster game is brought to you by the discovery channel
  


• Need to pay rent or eat (like me) AT&T may owe you money
  


• Who will be next? The brother or the taco bell platter? Cuba’s uprising
  


• And following the Cuba stories: how the CIA tried to assassinate him…again and again
  


• Madonna vs. Marylin…I don’t know if I’m happy about this or not
  


• Another reason why fad diets….are just not cool
  

I have yet to come out of the geek closet, though it’s clearly written on my face as “Lola” the embodiment of a 6ft Tina turner is in a “queens” show. This is what happens when you get an inexplicable smile on face while looking at the economist magazine, and reading Lord of the Rings four times in a row. So, I ask you….why didn’t anyone tell me about Skywhales?! This is incredible. Have you seen it? What about you there, in the back, wearing the Dragonriders of Pern tee shirt? Ever heard of Skywhales? Yeah?

DAMN it. I’d never even heard of Skywhales until just now. What a huge, unsightly gap in my nerducation.

An old friend and I were just wasting many precious hours of life watching old-school music videos and cats having psychotic episodes on YouTube when he suddenly asked “wait, time out, have you seen Skywhales?” Nope, never heard of it. He made with the clickies and I promptly spilled wine all over myself.

Completed in 1983, Skywhales is an animated short about a race of green-skinned humanoid aliens who live on a floating island in the upper layers of a gaseous planet’s atmosphere. To survive, they hunt enormous manta ray creatures in pedal-powered airships. As this fansite author puts it, Skywhales “is a window onto an alien way of life–language, culture, taboos… as complete a picture as a short film has ever painted, and its final revelations are nothing short of haunting.”And how! The “boo bee boo boo bee” stuff is a bit grating at first, but hang in there. It’s epic, some would say. Uber, even. Circle of life. See it! Skywhales! (Sorry, I just really like saying that. “Skywhales!” While making jazz hands.) But seriously. It’s gorgeous and poignant and disturbing. Like your mom. With a Mohawk.

Onward through the dorkdom forest, I also thought it would be a good idea to resurface The End of the World video. I saw this a long time ago….junior year of high school I think, but it’s still kinda funny if you ask me. It has no basing, besides stereotypes, and some people may find it somewhat offensive. But….have a look-see at amateur hilarity. Word of advice though, this has some profanity in it…so it’s not necessarily a good idea to watch it with loud speakers…if you’re at work or something…

And well cupcakes, that’s about it for now. Maybe later on today I’ll post a mini. Happy Friday!

Things I love Thursday!

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana: I love this opera…though it’s really not so much an opera as simply an acid trip. I was introduced to it by my English professor way back in the day when we were reading Paradise Lost. I loved it, and I still listen to it.

Hot Green Tea: I’ve always been a tea addict. Today I’m drinking a blueberry green tea. Which at first seemed like a bad combination, but it’s actually pretty good.

My running shoes: I don’t know how I make them last as long as I do, but man, do I love them. They make me feel happy just putting them on, like I have a purpose and that purpose is to move.

Peacock Feathers: I absolutely adore the colors in those feathers. They just make me so happy. I wish I had the ability to paint them exactly as they are. But I’m convinced that this is one of those things that no matter how amazing you are, you can never fully grasp the real thing.

My yoga mat: Yes, I have a yoga mat. Not that I use it that often, but I keep looking at it and it keeps reminding me to do things that are good for me.

Taking a nap right before I go to work: I generally wake up really early and get ready for the day. But, just before I change into my clothes, I slip back into bed to relax for ten minutes. I love that time, and if I’m lucky I have one of those “quickie” dreams and wake up feeling even more energized.

My mother: she’s in town and she just made my favorite dessert.

Clocks: I just always think about how much it took to make just one of those, and how it’s probably the first machine we’ve had (sun dial). Though don’t quote me on that, because I haven’t done any research on that yet.

Jingle bells: when they’re not being banged to death or sung about in songs during a particular season, they can be really quite charming.

Warm snowfalls: I love those snowfalls that lack biting winds, they make the snow fall down slower and it’s somewhat tolerable to stand outside and watch as the flakes fall.

Honorable mentions:
1. The collection of neon colored plastic cups that I keep meaning to recycle but always put off “until tomorrow”.
2. Making lists, hey I am me after all
3. Cupcakes: god I’ve been having a craving to make them. Not so much eat them as make.
4. Those quirky, inexplicable urges I have…for example wanting to make cupcakes? What the hell?
5. My brand new stapler!

Essential Keys to Being a Latin Lover

I recently received an email asking me if I could write about "being a Latin lover". This is a hard task, and I will probably have to think about it for a while because it's hard to describe the seducing technique of an entire group of people. Especially one that I’ve taken for granted as completely natural. But here are some of things I know and do:

*Self-Confidence: Regardless of your age, sex, or social position you must project confidence in the art of love

* Trust: Learn to gain the trust of your target. You goal is to make them feel comfortable with their body like they have never before

*Persistence: A consistent effort will show the object of your desire that you are committed to capturing their heart. Communicate your resolve and energy through you gaze, your words, and your passion. Make them understand all the wonderful things you could do and give to them.

*Be protective: of course in the non-freaky controlling way

*Celebrate: Life is a celebration and all Latins understand this. Everything they do involves in the enjoyment of some sensual experience.

Those are the key parts to form the foundation. You have to then use them:

1. Watch the sky: sunrises, sunsets, twilights, full moons. The sky is the canvas that paints everything the world feels. You should therefore admire it

2. Enjoy smells: All types of smells such as the smell of your lover's skin in the morning, or the way oregano and rosemary fill a kitchen.

3. Whisper your sweet nothings: it makes the experience so much more fun to have that special someone have to lean into you so that they can hear you tell them how amazing they are

4. Always be aware of what your target is saying: By listening to them you can find that they love something particular, and it makes it much easier to seduce them if you know that they love chocolate, or red flowers.

Mini update!

Hullo! Yes I have returned, and I came back to a full inbox and several messages, asking me where I had been. I will explain- Danearys needed time off. I’m a busy busy bee, having to play catch up at work and also needed just a little bit of time to relax and enjoy the scenes around me that I have, for the last couple of days, neglected. But I’m back, and postings will continue.

I will forgo the weekend review this week and go on straight to the articles.
Much love!

A Valentine for all of you

Now I get to the last post of the day! A valentine for you all.

The mysteries of Love

Well I've given in. So many of you have sent me so many requests for a Valentine’s Day post. So I gave in. But let me tell you, this is not going to be some Valentine’s Day post which tells you all about my feelings. Rather, it's going to be a post about the science of love. Enjoy, and happy heart day. Also just as a side note I encourage all of you to read the studies that I mention, they are truly fascinating.

What rules attraction?
In general, you gravitate toward people like you. good-looking people tend to go for similarly good-looking types, and those from a particular socioeconomic background favor their own. Experts believe this happens because perceived equality contributes to a stable union. Well known actresses pair up with rock stars, for example, because such men tend to be as rich and famous as they are. But once you get past the bone structure and bank account and into personality attributes, opposites often attract. "We’re apt to falling love with those who are mysterious and challenging to us" says Fisher, a professor of anthropology at Rutgers University. "This pull to another biological type could also be adaptive, if two very different people pool their DNA, they'll create more genetic variety, and their young will come to the job of parenting with a wider array of skills" hence my friends, survival.

How much do looks count?
Physical features are important to both sexes, but a bit more so to men. This is because most of the male brain is associated with processing visual information such as threats[1]. This is also true for women, but they show more activity in the brain regions that integrate decision making, which suggests they’re thinking about a little more than just how he looks.

Is love really blind?
Hmmmm…not exactly. However, once you’re hooked on someone, your vision gets cloudy. When you’re in a relationship, you’re well aware of the other person’s flaws, but your brain is telling you it’s OK to ignore them. Recent studies at the Wellcome Department of Neuroimaging[2] in London found that when romantic partners look at each other, the part of the brain associated with social assessment and negative emotion is relatively dormant and critical judgment is dulled. According to researchers, this mechanism may have evolved to help people stick together through early, sometimes stressful child-rearing stages.

Can love be addictive?
The answer is…Yes. Brain wave patterns taken from people “in love” mimic those of an addict bent on scoring their next fix[3]. Studies have found, for instance, that serotonin levels decrease by up to 40% in the newly smitten, causing some to show signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition associated with low serotonin-which is why you can’t seem to get the other person out of your head. Additionally, cortisol, a stress hormone linked with the fight-or-flight response, is released, so you’re constantly on high alert. Sound familiar? The brain also produces excess levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with addictive behavior whose activity increases when you expect to receive a reward. Gamblers and drug addicts experience similar dopamine activity. In essence you’re not supposed to be satisfied with the minimum, you’re supposed to be driven so you can win the person and eventually stabilize your inner chemistry.

When a relationship ends, you experience symptoms that are similar to an addict’s withdrawal. Your dopamine levels go down, so your mood suffers. The serotonin levels remain low, so your obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms may not go away. In response to these imbalances, risk taking tendencies go up. That’s why when you can’t have someone but you’re not willing to accept that, you try harder and become more extreme about it. Ironically though, many scientists like Fisher (mentioned above) say that this compulsive behavior may help you move on faster: either you win the person back or you drive them away.

What makes people commit?
Humans are hardwired to stick together. Intimate relationships trigger the production of oxytocin and vasopressin, chemicals that have been nicknamed “cuddle hormones”. A mere touch from a loved one can elevate their levels, and after sex they flood the system. These hormones play an important role later on in the relationship…when you really begin to notice the other person’s flaws.

Why are some more reluctant to commit than others?
Gene variation may be partly to blame for this. Scientists at Emory University looked at the effect of vasopressin in two closely related kinds of rodents- the prairie vole and the meadow vole. Like humans, the prairie vole is one of the 3% of mammalian species that form monogamous pair bonds. The meadow vole doesn’t. But when male meadow voles were injected with a gene responsible for releasing vasopressin receptors, they immediately lost their wanderlust, paired up and settled down.

The number of vasopressin receptors is what most researchers think lay the foundation for commitment. Which in my opinion makes sense. Think about the “great long loves” out there. There’s something more to a couple that stays together for 50 years, and it’s hard to imagine that it’s just a question of compatible personalities or strict beliefs.

Does love make you more trusting?
Those “in love” do tend to see the world through rose colored glasses. An experiment at the national institute of mental health (NIMH[4]) in DC, found that subjects who inhaled oxytocin before looking at pictures of threatening faces had markedly lower activity in their brains fear centers. In addition to this a game in which subjects were given a sum of money to invest with a trustee, either in a lump sum or piecemeal, was set up. Anything given to the trustee would triple in value, but it was up to the subject to decide how much to turn over. Half the participants that were sprayed with oxytocin (the other half sprayed with a placebo) were twice as likely to turn all their money over to a trustee.

Why do people cheat?
I wrote an article on this a long time ago, but I never saw it through a scientific explanation. Attraction, romantic love, and attachment envolve three overlapping but separate brain systems. This means that it’s not hard for somebody to sexually desire one person, be infatuated with another, and still want to spend the rest of his or her life with a third. Because kind of love serves a unique need and exists in a different context, cheaters are able to divide their emotional resources. So what makes one more likely to cheat than the other? The answers are both inconsistent and varied. I suspect that the propensity to stray may be stronger in people who have novelty-seeking, sopamine sensitive personalities (basically addictive personalities). But there are other factors unique to the relationship-a need for attention, a desire to get out of the situation, everything I mentioned before are still likely to fuel infidelity.

Can love affect you health?
A study in Ohio State University showed that couples in good relationship tend to be healthier and happier than those that are not. Happily married couples report lower stress than single people, in part because they provide each other with emotional support in difficult times. Lower stress translates to better health and immune function. They say that people in conflict ridden relationships see that cuts and bruises heal more slowly than those that in a stable relationship. In a continuation of that study, breakups have been shown to cause physical pain. Subjects were involved in a virtual ball-tossing game. Those people rejected during the game showed activity in the pain area of their brains. This means, in evolutionary terms of course, that exclusions can be as bad for survival as a real injury, and our bodies know this. It’s part of the herd and pack instinct, if you’re alone you die.

What keeps people together?
Scientists say hormones, sociologists say hard work. I say both. Eventually the chemical activity associated with new love (high dopamine etc) dies down. This can range from 6 months to two years (depending on the initial rush). There are ways to keep the love alive, if you’re still interested at this point in keeping it. For men, sexual contact drives up dopamine levels. This is because men’s brain can only release those levels again with sexual contact due to the inherent nature of their desire to “populate” their species. For women, it is frequent physical contact, which maintain elevated oxytocin levels. Women are especially sensitive to oxytocin since it is a hormone that is linked to the “rear and raise” instinct. This is why holding hands, stroking your partner or any other kind of touch can create a feeling of attachment, and is the corner stone to her sexual arousal…aka foreplay. For both sexes however, novelty is essential, which is why you tend to feel so good about somebody after taking a trip or going through an usual experience together.


So there it is, ten reasons why we fall so hard, commit reluctantly, cheat for (or are cheated on) but are inclined to stay bonded forever.

Sources:
[1] Brizendine, Louann. The Human Brain. University of California, San Francisco. 2006
[2] http://www.vislab.ucl.ac.uk/pdf/motherlove.pdf
[3] http://www.ncpg.com/addicted_to_love.php
[4] http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2005/trust-building-hormone-short-circuits-fear-in-humans.shtml

Valentine's Day on Thrusday

Well today is Thursday and it’s also Valentine’s day, so I decided it’d be nice to honor both people that I love, and also valentine’s day. Now, those that know me know that I’m not particularly sentimental about Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s not necessarily a real holiday, but think about it. We have so many varying responsibilities in our lives, ranging from work obligations to caring for children to running a household; we feel we cannot possibly make it all work. We may feel overwhelmed in the face of it all and never have time to stop. This leads to my point that sometimes, you need a day to sit back and look at all that you have. Now this can be any day really, it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day, but it helps that there’s a date that everyone takes as a day of love. Many of you will say that it’s just a holiday made my companies to make you buy chocolate and flowers. I have two answers to you, a. you don’t HAVE to buy into the regular chocolate and flowers; you could do something else creative…and b. who cares?

Anyway, this is not a social commentary on the validity of Valentine’s Day, rather this is a post about things I love, and I just happen to love the photo valentines that I’ve received today. You know who you are, and I’m sorry if I couldn’t post ALL of yours. My computer is not the strongest, and forcing it to morph all those photos and save that gigantic file…would destroy it. I love you all though, and they are all going into the black book!

Crayola: I love colors (if you haven’t noticed already will all my posts), and anyone that knows me knows that I am kinda doodelish- I like to doodle around on paper with various pens. Crayola has made that possible by offering me something that I remember from my childhood, and can still use in the cheapest of sense for the silliest things.

Vanity: I don’t love vanity, but I do love it when a friend of mine feels absolutely confident in themselves and sends me a picture of their “new” and “improved” body. Especially when it comes with a short poem. Thank you very much! I heart you too!

Shoes: friends and family know that I have an obsession with shoes. And I received two valentines today from people giving me “what I’ve always wanted”. A girl can never have enough shoes.

Glow lights: have you ever played pool bumpers? It’s pretty silly but you get on anything inflatable in pool and just ram into each other, trying to knock the other one into the water. I used to play it a lot with my brother when we were little, and then with my friends…when I wasn’t so little. A picture of a few of glowing ones on a pool at night is a friendly reminder. Tres bon!

Bright colors and visual effects: rainbows in water, this is just an awesome picture valentine. No real theme or memory behind it, but I love the colors.

Friendly Photoshoped photos: When you can’t afford to send flowers, and aren’t there to give them to the person, what better way than to take a picture and morph it with a heart?

Diamonds: are a girl's best friend! J

Chocolate hearts in snow: To remember that even in the coldest day, the heart is always there

Animal love (NOT THAT KIND!): It’s good to share your love with your walking hamburger (sorry I just couldn’t help it!).

Sweethearts: chocolate…mmmmmm….and it’s torture that I can’t have those at a party tonight.

Red lilies: homegrown and home-decorated flowers are charming. You can’t really see it in this picture but the lily is red.

Seals Kissing: I couldn’t help it! I was kissed a long time ago by a seal in SeaWorld, and it felt like I was being licked by a bristle brush. I loved it, and there are fond memories.

How to survive a conference

Hello everyone, well…first let me apologize for not updating on Monday. I know a few of you were concerned/upset/whatever because I have a full in box this morning. I will not be posting a weekend review this week because…well…I didn’t have a weekend. Part of working in the real world is that you give up a portion of your free time when the powers that be call for it. So this weekend, I had to give up all my regular (and irregular) adventures, and stretch my work week. My company had one of their large conferences in the city and I had to go stay at a hotel with the rest of my coworkers for the entire weekend. I had no weekend, and actually yesterday when I left the hotel, it was the first time I had stepped outside since Friday. Pretty sad huh? My schedule basically started at 5 and continued till around 10 at night, and I was kept busy the whole time. So in view of this I have decided to save some of you the hassle out there of wondering what to do the next time your company has a conference

How to survive a conference with at least some of your sanity:
I am an experienced conferencer (yes that’s a word I made up right then). Everyone one is. In a sick way, meeting up with some family (and friends) is very much like going to a conference. You have the usual chit chat about what you’re doing and how you’re getting along, combined with the more difficult questions like: who you’re going to vote for? The way that they talk is really not that much different than coworker-x from x. they really don’t care because you’re there to do something else, which is pretend that you’re a functioning working group. So inside everyone is a little survivor, but here are my personal tips anyway.

First figure out what everyone really wants.
Your boss wants you to do as much of his/her work as possible without giving you any credit or overtime pay, while your boss’s boss wants to see everyone suffer for the bottom line-don’t let this power player see you having fun. Generally the mail intern (or clerk) wants some respect and some action, while the receptionist wants to firebomb the telephone. The clients want you to hold their hands, suck their thumbs, feed them, burp them, and put them to bed- for 30% less than your initial estimate. And last but most importantly you want to get ahead without loosing your mind of self-respect. This is a good start.

Identify your conference enemies and make a game plan.
Generally speaking these are just the office enemies, but always they amplify during the conference times. Every office has them, and it’s best to avoid them during the whole conference, but sometimes…you can’t…because they happen to be (or be one of) your boss(es).

The Ass kisser
Identifying marks: syrupy smile and brown nose
Agenda: maker everyone else feel good and herself look good
Hidden agenda: make herself feel good and everyone else look bad
Her game: act like the perfect employee only in front of the boss
Your game plan: I spy. Use a hidden recorder, tape or video, to capture the real her. Then anonymously play it back on your boss’s voicemail or leave it cued up on the office VCR

The Buzz killer
Identifying marks: Wagging finger and a mug I told you so grin
Agenda: I want to protect you from getting in trouble
Hidden agenda: I want to protect myself from see3ing anyone have fun doing things I don’t have the guts to do
Her game: Guilts you into playing by her rules
Your game plan: Be a bad influence, she just hasn't turned to the dark side yet

The Bitch
Identifying marks: A sharp tongue and two faces that are pretty enough to let her get away with being mean
Agenda: I don’t care who I step on on my way to the top
Hidden agenda: I don’t care who I step on on my way to the top
Her game: I’m not being critical; I’m helping you become a better person
Your game plan: Dish it back as hard and as fast as it comes (if you show her you’re not intimidated you’ll let the air out of her bitch tire)

The Manic oppressive
Identifying marks: Sweaty brow, beady eyes, and nervous tics. Often seen hyperventilating while running from cubicle to cubicle
Agenda: I’m doing my job, which is very important
Hidden agenda: If I add tons of drama to my job maybe I’ll feel important
Her game: Turn every project into a panic party, ride the adrenaline rush, and crash and burn in you office
Your game plan: Laugh therapy the mores stressed and panicked she acts, the more you laugh at the absurdity of her behavior, until she gets it and gets off your back

The Sweet Holy airhead
Identifying marks: Wide eyes that constantly seem to stare at the ceiling, and a very innocent voice
Agenda: I just don’t get some things, but I’m trying to understand
Hidden agenda: Get paid and not do any work by acting really clueless but be really sweet so no one can hate me for it
Her game: Whenever a big project comes up claims she doesn’t know how to do some things, despite the fact that she has done it before. And comes up with a million and one excuses, all the while being obnoxiously sweet, to not do something
Your game plan: Long term planning. When you know a project is coming hand it to her immediately. If she says she doesn’t know how to do it, just say: oh don’t worry, today will be a test and learn day. Tomorrow you’ll start on *blank*. If you give her an entire day to “figure it out”, she won’t have an excuse. Remember to keep checking in on her throughout the day.

How to deal with annoying clients/guests at your conference:
Unfortunately you’re going to have a lot of face time with the “customers” of your conference. There will be shouting, there will be cursing, there will be bitchiness in male and female form. How do you not explode? Well it just takes a sly sense of smooth talk. Remember always be pleasant about what you’re talking about, because then they won’t be able to yell at you for being mean or rude. And you come off as being really very helpful…when you’re not.

They say: You Say:

Will you get me a cup of coffee?

I would love to. At my old job I used to get it all

the time, but then I developed this nervous

twitch (I think I’m allergic to the coffee

grounds) and I spilled it allover myself and my

boss. I hope her burns are better than mine.

Would you read this form for me and highlight the best parts?
No problem. But I’m so hung over right now and I’m seeing two of you.

Could you hold onto my luggage in the closet space?
Okay, sure. But I should probably tell you I was locked in a closet for eight days as a child and small spaces give me violent flashbacks.

Where is X?

I think that they’re over there (point them in the

direction of the staff kitchen exit just as dinner is

being served).

Can I get reimbursed for (x) in my case, cookie?
Just sing, "Money Money Money"

Could you please accompany me to the Smithsonian so I don't get lost?

I don’t think that’s an effective use of my time, do you?

Finish gracefully…always:
Yes you can be a bit neurotic, but sometimes you need to tone down your own “weird” factor. That is of course if you want to keep the job that you have. But that doesn’t mean that you have to morph into the office ass-kisser to get through everything. Just remember to smile and ask a lot of questions. Most people just LOOOOVE talking about themselves, so if you get them going they’ll never stop. Then you can go into automatic mode and just tune out a bit before you feel that enough time has lapsed. At that point you wait till the right moment and say: well it’s great to *meet you/see you again/talk to you* I have to really quickly check on *dinner/the registration table/the collection box*. I hope I see you later. Really you don’t mean it, but they feel like you do, and they’ll be happy to drift off again. Simply because they’ll feel so damn good about talking to themselves, and about talking to a little person…which gives them their fix of (I’m an excellent person) dose of denial.

Well that is all for now on how to surive a conference. I'll be sure to post more as I go through more of them.

Carousel! 2-8-2008

It's carousel friday! And that means randomness to keep you busy (whether you're at work or not) So let's begin:

* Still haven’t decided where to go on vacation this year? Here’s an option you probably haven’t considered: the moon. No, seriously. Vienna-based Space Adventures is offering the first private expedition to the big cheese for a mere $100 million (yeah, that money was really starting to burn a hole in your pocket).
After six months of cosmonaut training in Russia, you’ll blast off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a three-person Soyuz rocket ship. Three and a half days of spaceflight later, you’ll marvel at the moon’s giant craters and mountain ranges for three to four hours — before Mama Earth’s gravity pulls you away. Added bonus: You’ll get bragging rights unique to only a few people in history. Which you probably don’t need, considering you’ve got that much money in the first place.

* People may find some new things in their Valentine’s Day chocolate.

* Government officials claim that laptops and cell phones are no different from briefcases, and so they have equal rights to search all of them

* Cops arrest aggressive panhandlers; judges immediately free them because intimidating people into giving is “freedom of speech”

* New York’s biggest mafia round up in 20 yrs as feds arrest entire hierarchy of the Gambino crime family

* Swedish man attacked with a can of fermented fish

* Israeli air force pilots to be issued Viagra to assist with stick control and discharge of payload

* Pot and Booze, the best things to add to your 11-year-old’s birthday party….dumbass

* In case you were wondering if he was still crazy, I present to you the archbishop of Canterbury

* WHAT? A 34 year old sex offender gets his jail time cut in half because judges says there was real love

* Feuding Scottish families take to the streets to battle with swords, baseball bats and golf clubs…

* These retro like laces take me back to an era of roller skates, 'Don't have a cow man', and world where Joey's ' How you doing', was still a novelty. Sadly those days have passed but you can hark back to the past with these rave like trainer laces. Made of fibre optics you thread them into your shoes, press a button and off they glow. They're weatherproof, water proof, washable and heat resistant, so they'll work well as you mosh your way through a night at 80's turntables. Glow sticks at the ready, get set and go/glow.

* Oh tank girl, what happened to you? Tank Girl now has a new look. I like the look of the new Tank Girl drawings. However, the old-school, combat-boot-wearing, band-aid-covered, baseball-bat-wielding, kinda dikey, Tank Girl of yore will always hold a very dear place in my heart. I’ll come out and say it: I love Ashley Wood’s amazing drawing style, but the new Tank Girl look doesn’t really do it for me. Maybe I’m being way too nostalgic.

This is the tank girl that I know and first fell in love with

The New modern Look

* And because I still love it! Hello Cluthulu

And Drumroll please! He's back!

And that's it my friends. Perhaps a Mini? You should check in.

Things I love thursday

Cherries: I don’t know why they make me so happy to look at. They are delicious

Genetics: Yes I don’t like squirrels, but I like genetic anomalies. The entire human race is a rush in evolution thanks to someone’s faulty DNA. This is just an example…an albino squirrel.

The moon: The moon makes me happy. It’s calming and influences everything in our world, in some form or another. I especially love bright moons that reflect some color, be it an intense silver, red or orange.

Dandelions: Did you know that all the dandelions in the United States are all genetic clones of each other? Meaning some dandelion in ages past came over to the “new world” and populated the entire ground with genetic photocopies of itself. I think that’s pretty cool. I don’t wish I could do it because I honestly don’t think that there’d be many people out there willing to put up with thousands of me, but still…fascinating.

Ladybugs: you can make wishes on them, and they are also like mini-godzillas to the aphids that they eat. They’re actually pretty vicious to their prey…so unlike their name.
Clouds that look like stuff: this one was taken when one looked JUST like a heart….perfect for the love day coming up.

Food: I like food, and this model is an example of why I like food. I don’t think you can see the picture very well, but I was originally drawn to it because of the colors. Then I started actually looking at her and felt pretty sick. If you look at her ankles…I swear you’re looking at a skeleton. It’s really really gross. Hence this picture reminds me why I love food

Naked Samba dancers: They’re not entirely naked, but man…do they have bodies. I love Samba and Carnival time. The music is great, people are having fun and it’s one big party before the start of a religious time period. The women are gorgeous too.

Bright colors in the ocean: whenever I go snorkeling, I’m always afraid of A. Sharks or B. getting stung/pricked/bitten. Anyway, despite those fears I love the colors that you see in the ocean. Take for example this picture. It just makes me happy to see a fish not being eaten

Mardi Gras Beads: They’re so gaudy, but so much fun. They are a form of reward, and the more you have I guess the more you can be proud of. The tradition actually started with courtesans and their patrons. It was customary to give your “sin” something before “giving it up”. Women were showered with presents for the nightly favors that they provided for men. Not a bad idea

Thunderstorms: there were a couple last night. They were so far away that the thunder didn’t sound at all, but I saw the lightning and it made me happy. It means that warmer days are coming, and that always makes me feel better. Sometimes winter makes me feel, ironically, like I’m in hibernation

Coca Butter: The stuff feels really good. Especially when you’re feeling as tired and as sleep as I am today.

My dog: I’m trying to convince my parents to send her back here.

Books: I haven’t been reading lately, because I’m so caught up most of the time in work. So I’m going to make a vow that since I love books so much, I should back to them. The next book is WWZ

The play agronautika: I know that I mentioned it on the weekend review, but the more I think of it, the more I really really like it. I can’t get some of the lines out of my head, and I keep playing mental repeat on some of the stage props or costumes.

My ipod: yes this was on my list last week too, but I really do.

Energy drinks: boy…sometimes I need them.