A sigh’s not just a sigh

Apparently, I sigh a lot.  There are times I’ll be sitting at my computer, reading something, and from across the room my husband will ask me what’s wrong.  “Huh?  Nothing!  Why?”

“You sighed, so I figured something was wrong.”

It was a relief, actually, to come across this article about the mechanisms of the sigh.  I’m normal!  Well, you know.  Sometimes. 

But, I’m not a mouthbreather.  I’m not depressed.  Nothing’s wrong.  Usually nothing’s wrong.  Sometimes I’m frustrated because I forgot to do something, but for the most part, I’m good.  Whew!  *sigh*

 

Californian scientists have identified the source of the sigh. It is not just a response to sadness, depression or despair: it is, also, they report, a life-sustaining reflex that helps preserve lung function.

A sigh’s not just a sigh – it’s a fundamental life-sustaining reflex | Science | The Guardian

40 Words

I found this article a few weeks back.  It was fascinating really.  How many times have you ever said, “I wish I knew what to call this feeling … “?  Well, here are some words that might help.  I know going down the list, there were a few I identified with, especially this one:

Monachopsis

n. the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach—lumbering, clumsy, easily distracted, huddled in the company of other misfits, unable to recognize the ambient roar of your intended habitat, in which you’d be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home.

I confess, if I could only have one word to describe my entire life, it would be that one.  Perhaps on my tombstone, I’ll have “No Longer Feeling Monachopsis!” engraved on it. 

In any case, I’m thinking I should add The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows to my InoReader. 

Enjoy!  And may you find a word of your very own. 

Exulansis: when there’s not an actual word for what you’re trying to explain. We feel more than we have the language to articulate and express, which is in itself profoundly frustrating. People work through emotions by being able to identify them and use them as signals. A lot of the time, we’re left in the dark. Enter the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, the brainchild of writer John Koenig, who is here to give you words for the feelings you may not have even known you were having. Here are 40 of them:

40 Words For Emotions You’ve Felt, But Couldn’t Explain | Thought Catalog

Holiday Light Displays

I found this post in my drafts folder, from last year.  I checked the link and it still works, yay!  I love the Christmas lights and the different ways people decorate their homes.  My husband and I used to drive around during the holiday season just to see the lit-up houses, before our son was born. 

Do you put Christmas lights up where you live?  Do you like to drive around just to see the pretty lights? 

Leah Ginsberg
December 9, 2014
There’s nothing that says holiday season like a killer display of lights. Sure it’s fun to check out the towering tree as it twinkles in New York City’s Rockefeller Center or the Christmas extravaganza at Disney World. But those aren’t the only spots to see spectacular festive lights. Here are some more off-the-beaten-path, quirky spots to check out holiday lights around the U.S.

via These Off-the-Beaten-Path Holiday Light Displays Will Blow Your Mind.

Holiday Cooking Hacks

Criminal, or not?

Some time ago, perhaps 2004, my husband sent me this quiz.  Some of the images they used back then were of known serial killers, like Son of Sam, so they were easy to spot for someone like me who avidly watched TV shows (and read books!) about serial killers.  It’s sort of a hobby of mine.  Or was, anyway, when we used to have a TV service.  I don’t know exactly what it is that fascinates me about them, but I do know when it started.  I wrote about it on my old blog here: 

I know when it started … | The “Ness” in DarcNess 😉 

I AM a horror fan, after all | The “Ness” in DarcNess 😉

What Kind of Horror Movie Are You? | The “Ness” in DarcNess 😉

I’d forgotten I saved this post until I found it while doing some cleaning in my drafts folder.  For fun, I took it again.  All the faces are different!  I didn’t recognize a single one that came up, and I still got 80%.  I’ve often joked that the thing about serial killers is that they don’t have “Serial Killer” helpfully stamped across their foreheads.  But sometimes, if you pay attention and trust your instinct, you can still spot them anyway. 

A criminal, or not?

Some of the people you see below are convicted criminals. Others are law-abiding citizens. Can you tell who is who?

Criminal, or not?

 

What results did you get? 

Drafty Bits

This story, from about a year and a half ago, just cracked me up.  How could anyone not love Texas?  Well, I suppose if you’re a burglar or bad guy, you might not like it so much.  But for the law abiding, it’s gotta be a boon!

I think there’s a big part of my heart that belongs to Texas.  I may not be from there, but sometimes I think I ought to be, lol.

Burglary Suspect Calls 911 for Help After Homeowner Pulls a Gun on Him – YouTube

Drafty Bits

Another post from the Drafts folder.  I found this one I’d saved from a couple years ago, before my daughter had her episode with a tick last Spring.  I saved it because the thought of forced veganism scared the crap out of me.  Long before I was ever on a Ketogenic diet, I was still a meat lover – which made going Keto not that huge of a deal. 

I still say ticks are evil.  Vampire spiders, after all, and we all know vampires are cursed!  LOL  They carry lots of diseases besides this one and Lyme’s Disease.  But, you knew that already. 

It’s an interesting read, and shows that there’s still so much we don’t know about these nasty bugs and what they can do. 

A bite from the lone star tick, so-called for the white spot on its back, looks innocent enough. But University of Virginia researchers say saliva that sneaks into the tiny wound may trigger an allergic reaction to meat — agonizing enough to convert lifelong carnivores into wary vegetarians.

“People will eat beef and then anywhere from three to six hours later start having a reaction; anything from hives to full-blown anaphylactic shock,” said Dr. Scott Commins, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Allergic to Meat: Lone Star Tick May Make Vegetarians of Some – Yahoo! News

Have a wonderful Wednesday, even if you don’t eat meat. 

Drafty Bits

 

13 Iconic Brands Still Made in America – Yahoo! News

“Made in America” is making a comeback. Every time you turn around, someone is talking about the need to bring manufacturing back to the United States and, with it, manufacturing jobs. Designers are increasingly finding ways to produce goods in the U.S. again, and American consumers are starting again to look for a “Made in America” label.

Some brands, however, never left America’s shores. Here are 12 iconic American brands that are still made in the good old U.S.A.

13 Iconic Brands Still Made in America – Yahoo! News

This article from my drafts folder is a couple years old, but it’s still a working link.  Which makes me extremely happy.  I did notice the discrepancy, though.  The title says “13” but the article intro says “12.”  I counted.  It’s 13.    Must have been a typo on the Yahoo writer’s part. 

I saved it because I love the thought of being able to buy products made “locally.”  I suppose “local” has kind of taken on a whole new meaning since I was a little girl, what with the “globalization” of everything in the past few years. 

That made me think of Systemax, an American computer manufacturer.  I read about them a few years ago, and hoped to be able to get one of their computers at some point.  The thought of an American made computer appeals to me.  Sadly, it won’t be Systemax.  Still in business, just not manufacturing.  Computers Made in the USA | Buy American Made Computers

Also, I’d like to note, I was really pleased to see Walmart re-embracing their “Made in America” campaign that was so big for them back before Sam Walton’s death.  Perhaps they’ve learned their lesson?  Creating American Jobs – Walmart.com

Have a wonderful Wednesday!