I'm in Bellingham until tomorrow evening and have been keeping myself busy with work, yarn stores, martinis and mood swings, but before I go into all that (ie, I haven't yet taken crappy camera phone pictures of the yarn acquisitions for my hypothetical readers to see), enjoy some tasty newzy morsels (or not).
1) The NYTimes is reporting that there are some new-fangled therapies that could relieve tinnitus, that vile ringing that so many people, myself included, deal with constantly. I'm concerned that my tinnitus isn't severe enough to warrant therapy, or perhaps I'm just afraid that an implant will be recommended.
They also comment that the word can be pronounced two ways, which is handy because I'm always cautious about which to use; I'm invariably corrected in a tomayto/tomahto way. For an exercise in silliness, I could express this as a SQL case statement, building on the construct of "ELSE 'Blow Me'" that the BFFs and I came up with last night (with the help of martinis and memories of an irritating ex-coworker)..... but suddenly I'm overcome with laziness and stupidity. Next!
2) In another widely-read article from the NYTimes, the author discusses findings from recent psychological studies into the concept of willpower -- specifically, what fuels it and how we deplete it. Of particular interest to me was the bit about postulated sources of willpower depletion:
Other activities that deplete willpower include resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone. Task persistence is also reduced when people are stressed or tired from exertion or lack of sleep.
So essentially.... everything I do. And here I thought that all the recent shopping and hiding out in quiet coffee places to knit while I should be working and putting off housecleaning was pure laziness and self-medication. Perhaps there's more at play. Maybe I should lighten up on the always-trying-to-impress-someone....it's got to be one of my less charming traits, anyway.
Another interesting suggestion was that sugar intake (moderate, I assume) prior to exerting willpower may help you actually be successful. Maybe I should be sure to eat before I sit down to work in the morning and see if I can stay put and focus longer. ...And this post has officially achieved Whiny Emo Bitch status. Next!
3) Gizmodo has an interesting post, complete with maths, about near-fuel-grade diesel that's produced by plant cells. Fascinating. I'm not going to launch into an in-depth discussion myself because a) I don't know enough and b) biofuel is such a polarizing subject. But the article is a good read, even if you're just interested in the secret, oil-secreting lives of plants. Ignore the comments.
4) Agent Noug sends his love and this, about which he says: "i was having a pretty shitty morning, and watching this made me laugh so hard i puked cinnamon toast crunch." Puked. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Enjoy this not even remotely safe for work trailer for Pineapple Express.
