Psychic Traumas

First World Problemos

Don't you hate it... when you feel like shit and you don't really even know why....

Why do humans continually need to feel part of something larger than themselves...

 I consider myself intelligent and not particularly mentally deluded (but I guess that's debatable), but even I have difficulty separating reality from illusion sometimes. Feelings, rumours, subjectivity, groups, leisure, social interaction is a very complex game. At times I don't know how well I am doing. I am a bit of a perfectionist. I try to focus it, in a good way to help me find faults, that need to be remedied. But it also causes me to see faults more glaringly that shouldn't really worry me, as much as they do. So double-edged sword I guess. But being a perfectionist like that also means that I want everybody to like me (you wouldn't think so from this blog though, haha) so when I am not sure if I am liked or not, I start thinking stupid shit, which attracts paranoia which then leads to more negativity and such crap. So the purpose of writing this bollocks out, was the hope that by defining and attempting to explain these feelings, it might alleviate my inner tensions that stalk me, waiting for me to trip, so they can swoop in and attack en mass. Group mentality of an individual that will lose it in the end. Do we all die alone? But pathetic questions like that, are what cause us to distract ourselves so much in the first place. Like, ya know, all that weird shit that you're not into but other people are.... So all that stuff doesn't seem that relevant or key to "real-life", where "real-people" hang out in "real-communities". But when it comes down to it, humans used to have to struggle for survival. Now a lucky few (relatively speaking) of us don't  have to fight in a literal jungle or hunt food, survive attacks from other predators, etc... so were coming up with a whole lot of other 'crazy' ways to spend our time, like reading, talking, writing, listening to music, but now I'm just explaining the very basic nature of our so-called leisure. Reminds me. I haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book for a long time...

Limited Lifespan

Nonsense of the week:

(-Attention Span Deficit Fruitcake-)

undefined
well intentioned

cost benefited
sugar coated
spoon fed
watered down
bubble wrapped
hermetically sealed

eco friendly

fair trade

free range

organic

alone


Abbreviations of the day:

• TTP - Taking the Piss
• ADED - All day everyday

Semantics Vs. Semiotics

white noise
pink noise
brown noise
blue noise
red noise


Proof that blogging can be informative and entertaining or neither...


Whats the difference between publicity and advertising?

Some things I do (or don't do) because I am too lazy
Some things I do (or don't do) because I am too busy
is there a difference? there is in motive, but not outcome....

Existential Threat

This Mortal Coil...


cut and pasted from somewhere else: (but of interest to me)


(QUOTE: e.g. from another source)

 New evidence shows that prior to the widespread use of artificial electric lighting, folks went to sleep about two hours after sundown, slept until around midnight, and then woke up for an hour or two before going back to bed and then waking up in the morning with the sunrise.  They effectively enjoyed a “first sleep” and a “second sleep.”

The weird thing is, since the invention and widespread use of artificial electric lighting, we’ve forgotten all about this divided sleep pattern.  We’ve come to think that sleeping through the whole night is normal and natural.

Psychologists and historians now agree that it isn’t.

“For most of evolution we slept a certain way,” sleep psychologist Gregg Jacobs told the BBC this week. “Waking up during the night is part of normal human physiology.”  Jacobs went on to note that waking periods between sleeps constituted times that folks were forced into restful and relaxing activities. He offers that this pattern of sleep / waking relaxation / sleep probably played a large role in helping people to regulate stress naturally.

In his book At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, historian Roger Ekirch explains that before the onset of electric street lamps, night was universally regarded as a dangerous time to be out and about.  The darkness made the likelihood of calamity for those who chose to venture from their homes much more likely: getting lost, falling into ditches, accidentally starting fires and other mishaps were all common tragedies.    Therefore, people awake between their first and second sleeps were likely to do quiet, relaxing things: lay in bed, pray, meditate on their dreams, talk or make love with their spouse, or write in a journal.

“Today we spend less time doing those things,” Dr Jacobs remarked. “It’s not a coincidence that, in modern life, the number of people who report anxiety, stress, depression, alcoholism and drug abuse has gone up.”

If you’re experiencing anxiety, stress or depression you might experiment with taking your sleep rhythms back to the two-period pattern.  The busy pace of modern life has made it popular to devote less time to resting and more time to work and socializing, but surviving isn’t thriving, and our quick pace of life could be destroying our wellness.

Try limiting your use of electric light and appliances (including televisions and computers) after sundown.  Experiment with going to bed right after dinner at about 8 pm, and set your alarm for midnight.  At midnight, get up and journal, pray, or meditate by candle light.  After two hours, put yourself back to bed and set your alarm for dawn.  Wake up when the sun rises and go about your day.  You’ll get about 8 total hours of sleep, and your body will sync with the same patterns that kept humans happy and healthy for thousands of years before electricity.

(UNQUOTE: back to me again...)

Ok, so I will stop the copy and pastey paste and write some stupid stuff of my own instead, I guess..

It's so good when you wake up in the middle of the night and realise you can go back to sleep for hours!
Or you just wake up and suddenly remember it's your day off! Yus!

Spirited Debate Hijacked by Trolls?

If you've read this this blog before and/or pay attention then you might have worked out I am not American, but I like to keep up with US political discussions, even though it's degenerating faster and faster into finger-pointing, name-calling and utter futility, or was it always like that?


I probably shouldn't do this, but could not resist the urge... to reproduce (cut/paste) other peoples comments without their permission or knowledge, but hopefully they would forgive me in the circumstances...
arhhhh political comment threads the most unsavoury blood sport


(re: recent Pretraeus 'scandal'...)

harp3339 said...
Send a man to an isolated war zone then send a real good looking woman that is attracted to a uniform to spend time with him and act surprised if he reacts normally. I don't get it, democrats defended congressman wiener, president Clinton, Barney and some even tried to defend candidate John Davis and now they attack the general like a mob stoning a woman for infidelity. He didn't lie or deny but did the honorable thing, admitted his mistake and resigned. I hope boy gets girl and they live happily ever after. I assume his wife is no Hilary and kicked him out, which he does deserve.

November 14, 2012 at 12:31 a.m.

blackwater48 said...
PETRAEUS SHOULDN'T RESIGN

The FBI reported that its investigation into the Patraeus affair found no criminal behavior. If that's true, I don't see why he's out of a job. While military code is strict, to accept the CIA post the former 4-star general had to retire from the Army.

If he's qualified we shouldn't let him walk. What he did was dumb but it's not against the law to exhibit poor judgement. Here's a fact: divorce rates are high for troops deployed overseas including commanding officers.

In the meantime we can all eagerly await the next realty show, 'Real Housewives of Tampa Bay,'

November 14, 2012 at 12:52 a.m.



(re: republican party self-reflection/rethinking post-2012 election thumping...)


miraweb said...
Not while there remains one libertarian, one weather system, or one tax return that can be blamed. Never surrender!

November 13, 2012 at 12:02 a.m.


David_Franks said...
Do Republicans even cast reflections?

November 13, 2012 at 12:07 a.m.



AndrewLohr said...
And have liberals nothing to reflect on? Benghazi? Solyndra? The utter failure of the stimulus bill to keep joblessness below 8%? The utter failure of the Constitution to give Congress power to regulate health care? (If it's that great an idea, amend the Constitution.) The benevolence of murdering unborn babies? The hypocrisy of requiring ID for everything but voting? The arrogant pride of putting bureaucrats between doctor and patient? Repent, you makers of disaster. (Please.)

November 13, 2012 at 12:26 a.m.



Rickaroo said...
Self reflection?? Are you kidding me? That's something that only liberal wusses do! Real Amurikans (and we all know that only conservatives are real Amurikans) don't reflect. They shoot first and ask questions later. Or rather, NEVER ask questions.

And they certainly don't apologize! They just shoot, spit, climb on their hosses and giddyup go. Oh yeah, and they wave the flag, thump the Bible, and create wars for the poor to fight in (keeps them grubby takers off welfare and food stamps at least). But self-reflect? Nah. Why self-reflect when you're already the purfekt

Amurikan, right?

November 13, 2012 at 12:42 a.m.


blackwater48 said...
NO APOLOGIES

More than just the title of Romney's autobiography, it's also at the core of republican political strategy. Never apologize and never admit a mistake; just blame the other guy.Andrew just offered a perfect demonstration of that technique. Andy could have said that the GOP has been damaged so badly they even lost the Cuban-Amerian vote in south Florida. He could have said the republican base is shrinking, the complexion of America is changing, and republicans have to have a serious reassessment or they'll go the way of Whigs and Mugwumps. But he didn't. He just blamed democrats over and over again.

When you use real arithmetic, not the math republicans tell themselves to feel better, the numbers should be frightening. But go ahead, blame Rush, blame the media, blame Romney, blame the campaign strategists, blame down ballot candidates, blame whomever and whatever you want.

"The Fault, Dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves."

November 13, 2012 at 1:12 a.m. permalink suggest removal


harp3339 said...
Join Obama and blame Bush, seems to work pretty good.

November 13, 2012 at 3:36 a.m.


ricardo said...
In 2008, the GOP nominated moderate John McCain and lost and got pummelled by Barack Obama. Four years later in 2012, they nominate another moderate Mitt Romney and get hammered again. In 2016, they need to change course and nominate an extremely radical right wingnut.

November 13, 2012 at 5:39 a.m.


timbo said...
Another stupid cartoon. Obama was elected because of minority racism. If he was white Romney would have beat Obama like a government mule. Democrats always play the race card. Minorities have too many cultural problems too be preaching to republicans. A wise thing to do would be to emulate a successful culture. Instead of making excuses.

The sad thing is that the Rino dominated GOP is falling for this crap. The domination of conservatives in 2010 and the failure of two liberal candidates in 8 years doesn't seem enough to convince this idiots that more conservative is the way to go. You can't out liberal and out-pander the democrats.
This advice you are getting from your enemy the democrats is only meant to manipulate republicans. Do you honestly think they are trying help us beat them?

November 13, 2012 at 7:19 a.m.



dude_abides said...
Yes, timbo, yes! Hard right turn! Yank that freaking wheel! That's not a ditch, it's a new way forward, the GOP-HOV lane!

No, wait, bypass the cities completely!
November 13, 2012 at 7:30 a.m.





timbo said...
dude......now that was good advice......thanks

November 13, 2012 at 7:41 a.m.




daytonsdarwin said...
The shattered reflection was the image of religious whack-jobs like Akin, Bachman, Palin, and Mourdock, and the Republican Inquisition "God and Jesus" uber-fundies who scared the bejesus out of otherwise political conservatives and moderates.

Anxious to defend Israel, ready to bomb Iran, can't wait to invade Syria, throw Palestinians and non-Christians out of Jerusalem, and make Old Testament Christianity the law in America.

Killing for the Glory of Gawd and Jebus.

November 13, 2012 at 8:28 a.m.




miraweb said...
A Farewell to the "Southern Strategy"

Republican operatives have used some form of the race-dividing Southern Strategy since Barry Goldwater’s team invented it in the 1960s. That’s nearly 50 years of race baiting aimed at under-educated, white rednecks.

The Southern Strategy tapped into the ludicrous belief that black people are dumber, lazier and more venal than white men. It helped secure victories for Nixon, Reagan, and George Bush Sr. by fomenting the view that white people needed to band together to keep black people from stealing the national cookie jar.

But it fell entirely flat this time. Apparently, you can call the President a Muslim-Socialist-Kenyan-Anti-colonial-Black-Nationalist-Terrorist-food-stamp-lover who worships at the feet of his Southern Baptist, Anarchist Pastor.

But you can no longer expect to be taken seriously by a large proportion of voters when you do.

Columnist Jimmy Zuma

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/opinion/report/110812_dyingmemes/something-died-election-day/

November 11, 2012 at 1:18 a.m.

Snappy Answers to Questionable Stupidity

When did common courtesy become so uncommon?

What is the point?

Do we really always need one?

Some of my favourite things are pointless...

it is highly subjective though

like most of my topics

and the rest

Some drugs (p.s alcohol, nicotine, caffeine are drugs as well as things that you buy at a dance party... a pharmacist or are given in hospital to anaesthetise or relieve pain) ...make you wanna talk to everyone you ever loved. Others make you feel like you already are...

DIY Dentistry

Random Playlist/mix tape for the day:
(it's all about the order)

'Breezeblocks' - Alt-J
'Bang Bang Bang' - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl
'Simple Song' - The Shins
'Transdermal Celebration' -Ween
'Trembling Hands' -The Temper Trap
'Five Seconds' - Twin Shadow
'Tesselate' -Alt-J
'The Puritan' - Blur
'212' -Azealia Banks
'Hold the Line' - Major Lazer
'Trick Me' - Kelis
'Ghosts' - he Presets
'Saint Etienne' - Language Lab



p.s don't get too deep into MMO games or you might find you have less time to spend on other matters...
got a new job though and so far it's pretty sweet, could just be the honeymoon phase, but I'm hoping not, I can definitely say it is an improvement on the last one, that was shitty as... but I did it for roughly seven years, so I guess I can't moan too much, but during that time I spent four months in South East Asia, survived several massive earthquakes and a car crash, had two nervous breakdowns and got a whole new perceptive on everything, but those are other stories for other venues of other lifetimes of other dimensions, of not wanting to tell anyone that there is no way they can actually prove this life is real, but don't want people to use that as an excuse to not give a fuck, cos it seems pretty real and the consequences of what we do later on are real as fuck... religion is a good starting point for looking at the world but you have to combine compassion and charity with a broad knowledge of the worlds of science, academia, the arts and not close your mind to new ideas, but really challenge every thought, prophecy, prediction, method, stereotype, excuse, pretext, if it doesn't work after careful thought, reject it and keep moving forward, expose all actions to scrutiny, if a pattern or habit is good, then keep it, if not then you should really not.... but it's a bit of a balancing act really.. so just take on board what I've said, but mix it with other things you know to be true and then look for the next way we can improve things, without hurting what we've got.. remembering our brains are full of chemicals before we even start putting more in there...