10 Interesting Facts About Women

People are fascinating. But some of us are more fascinating than others. I stumbled upon a rather lengthy list of interesting facts about women and decided that I would post what I thought were the top 10. Enjoy!

1. A Russian woman holds the record for most children birthed. She gave birth to a total of 69 children: 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets between 1725 and 1765; a total of 27 births. 67 of the 69 children born were said to have survived infancy. YOWCH!  (On a side note, the woman was the first wife of a Russian peasant, Feodor Vassilyev.  His second wife gave birth to 18 children, which gives Vassilyev a grand total of 87 children. Dude, get a hobby!!)
2. A Duke University study says that women wake up far more grumpier than men. It also says that women need much more sleep than men and can have problems such as heart disease and psychological issues from not getting the adequate amount of sleep needed. There may be something to this - I don't even like talking to my cat in the morning.
3. International Women’s Day is recognized on March 8th each year. Some countries even recognize it as an official holiday. Sadly, the US is not one of those countries!
4. Although highly unlikely to succeed in a Sharia court, in Saudi Arabia an old law still in effect says that if a husband doesn’t give his wife coffee that the woman can divorce him. Perhaps that's something that those child brides can use to get out of forced marriages.
5. In 1945, there was a 25-year old woman who was pregnant for 375 days and is recorded as the longest human pregnancy ever. The average woman is pregnant for a "mere" 280 days. I suppose it could be worse - an elephant's gestation period is 675 days.
6. Originally, the differentiation between women at different ages was done in the English language with the help of the terms maiden, mother, and crone. The maiden was the young girl who wasn’t married yet. The mother was the female in the years where she could bear children. The crone was the woman in the post-menopause period. I am officially a crone! Not sure how I feel about that.
7. In the August 2013 journal Science, a DNA analysis reports that the the origin of the first woman and man can be traced back to 1 woman and 1 man that lived on earth about 135,000 years ago. Hmmmm, I never bought into the Adam and Eve story, but...
8. Woman swallows a $5000 diamond! During an April 2013 charity event in Florida, 400 glasses were filled with champagne. 399 of the flutes contained a $10 cubic zirconia stone while 1 glass had a one carat diamond stone, which came up missing. Turns out an 80 year old woman accidentally swallowed it and although embarrassed she eventually told the event makers she had swallowed it while talking and laughing with other women at the table. The diamond was recovered by colonoscopy 2 days later. Post extraction, the woman took the diamond to be cleaned and planned to give it to her granddaughter.  Gee, thanks, Grams!
9. According to recent census data in March 2013, about 6% of U.S families in 1976 had a woman as the sole income provider. That same census shows that 23% of U.S households today have a woman as the sole income provider. Progress?
10. Cleopatra had 2 younger brothers and she married them both. It's also notable that Cleopatra first married at age 11 to one of the brothers. Gross!

I had fun finding all these interesting facts and fully plan on doing more postings of these fun and strange factoids!

Even Even More Must See Brit TV!

Following up on several previous posts (Even More Must See Brit TV!, More Must See Brit TV, The Best of British TV Dramas, and Do You Enjoy British Humour?  Watch These Shows...) about which British television shows everyone should be watching, I thought I'd add to the list of programmes from "across the pond" that I have recently discovered and endorse wholeheartedly.  

1. The Wrong Mans (2013): Voted Best New British Sitcom at the 2013 The Comedy.co.uk Awards (Britain's version of People's Choice Awards), this BBC Two sitcom/spy thriller is written by and stars James Corden and Mathew Baynton. The show is the epitome of splendid British comedy! A fast-paced tastefully funny show with great dialogue and laced with some appropriately portioned action scenes. The plot is simple: two male employees of an obscure town council become the most unlikely heroes when they get involved accidentally in a criminal underworld, double agent-turned culprit, law enforcement chase only to find themselves getting mired deeper in the mess. The script is smart and very well written. Just when you'd think you know what comes next, you are in for a surprise, as the story has major twists and turns. In addition to the great writing, the acting is superb. The lead actors play characters who are likable and quite the opposite of today's boring all muscular and super smart superheroes. We are given two ordinary guys with ordinary thinking, who survive through all sorts of dangerous situations, and even the score with the bad guys. The Wrong Mans is thoroughly entertaining, and is one of the best of its kind in recent years. There are only six shows in Season 1 and, as each episode is only 30 minutes long, I ended up watching the entire series in one sitting. Highly recommended! You can catch The Wrong Mans on Hulu.
   
2. Fresh Meat (2011-present): Voted Best British Comedy Drama at the 2013 The Comedy.co.uk Awards, the plot revolves around the lives of six university students, who are freshmen (minus 1) at a fictional university - Manchester Medlock University. They live together in a shared house off-campus rather than university halls of residence, due to their late applications. Being someone in her late 40s, I didn't expect to like the show based on the premise nor did I expect to connect with these characters or their collegiate escapades, but I found them to be...well... while not entirely relate-able, they are fun and funny. There are plenty of clichés (casual sex and alcohol consumption), but clichés come from somewhere. Most of these situations do tend to happen to everyone who attends college. I love the unique blending of characters and the filter-less nature of the dialogue. Anyone in college, recently graduated, or seeking some nostalgia should have no problem relating to the relationship drama, the wit, the parties, and the sense of confusion which naturally arise from throwing a bunch of young people into one small area. Of course, this review may be premature as I'm only halfway through Season 1 but it has won Best British Comedy at The Comedy.co.uk Awards for three years straight. That speaks volumes! There are currently three seasons of Fresh Meat with a fourth one in the planning stage. You can watch Fresh Meat on Hulu. Fair warning: some of the accents are really, really heavy, so if you're not used to regional accents, it could be hard to understand, especially with some of the more obscure British colloquialisms.
3. Whites (2010): This BBC sitcom stars Alan Davies as the executive chef at a country house hotel. This show is a quirky, witty and quite often laugh-out-load funny comedy about the goings on in the kitchen of a posh restaurant. I really like this series and can't understand why it has received such mixed reviews. Whites has interesting characters played by a great cast, is very topical with its subject matter (isn't everyone obsessed with cooking shows? Or is that just me?), and is actually funny. Davies plays Roland White, a master chef who just can't be bothered anymore and has basically given up. I have always found Davies to be a very likable actor as well as being funny. The rest of the cast are equally funny and enjoyable to watch. The exterior shots were filmed at Thornbury Castle at the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, which makes for extraordinary setting. I don't understand why Whites only lasted six episodes. The snappy, dry wit is classic, the ability to make small things funny uncanny. Who would think to make a joke out of an eggless omelet? As with The Wrong Mans, it was easy to watch this series in one sitting (6 shows of 30 minutes in length). The first (and only) season is available on Hulu.
   
4. Getting On (2009-2012): Voted Best Sitcom at the 2013 British Comedy Awards and winner of several other awards, Getting On is a satirical British sitcom based on a geriatric ward in an NHS hospital. It is written by its core cast, Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine, and Joanna Scanlan. One of my favorite comediennes, Jo Brand, has impeccable comedic timing and steals the show. She is so convincing as the ward's dogsbody - the portrayal being as true to life as you can get. I can only assume she wrote the part based on her real life experiences as a psychiatric nurse. The rest of the cast of Scanlan, Ricky Grover, and Pepperdine are just brilliant. "Set on a drab ward somewhere on England's south coast, it instead drew unexpected howls of laughter from the drudgery, frustrations and indignities of life for patients and staff in a typical world-of-beige NHS hospital. One episode revolved around finding out who had pooed on a chair and who was going to clean it up" (The Guardian).  Getting On ran for three seasons before being cancelled. You can catch it on Hulu Plus.

Based on a couple of website reviews, I have a rather lengthy list of British television show that I want to check out. As soon as I have time to watch them, I will post reviews of the best of the best! In the meantime, you should check out these four shows.

Will the Real Winnie-the-Pooh Please Stand Up?

Is there anyone who wasn't completely in love with the "tubby, little cubby all stuffed with fluff", Winnie-the-Pooh, when they were growing up - either the books by A.A. Milne or the Disney cartoon films? But did you know that the fictional bear was based on a real bear? It's true! I just learned this fun bit of trivia.

Winnie Finds a Home

During WWI, a Canadian troop was being transported from Winnipeg to eastern Canada, on their way to a deployment in Europe. The train stopped in White River, Ontario in August 1914, where the soldiers met a hunter who had a female black bear cub for sale. The hunter had killed the mother of the cub. One of the soldiers (and a veterinarian), Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, purchased the tame bear cub for twenty dollars. Colebourn named her "Winnie," after his adopted hometown of Winnipeg, and took her across the Atlantic with him. He smuggled her into Britain and transported her to Salisbury Plain, where she became an unofficial mascot of The Fort Garry Horse, a Militia cavalry regiment. From October 1914 until December 1914, the regiment spent their time in Salisbury Plain training in preparation for deployment to France, with Winnie following them around like a pet 'dog' during their off-duty hours.

Harry Colebourn and
Winnie, 1914

Colebourn was given the order to remove Winnie from the brigade headquarters, as she would not be able to accompany them to the battlefields in France where the brigade was shortly to go. Colebourn left Winnie in the care of London Zoo in December 1914. Originally, she was destined for Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg at the end of the war, but seeing how much she was loved in London, he decided to donate her to London Zoo in 1919. Unlike her fictional namesake, the real Winnie did not like honey. But she did have a sweet tooth – her favorite treat being condensed milk –  even preferring it to raw meat. Winnie lived the remainder of her life at London Zoo before passing away in 1934. In Canada, Winnie has been recognized in many ways: a statue of Winnie and Harry Colebourn stands in Assiniboine Park in the park's Nature Playground; Canada Post issued a stamp, in 1996, bearing the images of Winnie and Colebourn, and finally, she was memorialized in a 2004 CBC Television movie, A Bear Name Winnie, with Michael Fassbender portraying Harry Colebourn. The movie is available for streaming on YouTube.

Winnie Becomes a Fiction Star

It was at the London Zoo where Milne’s young son, Christopher Robin first met Winnie. By the mid-1920s, British writer A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne had already achieved success as a humorist for Punch Magazine and as a playwright and mystery author. Had it not been for the birth of Christopher, Milne might never have written for children and become one of the most famous writers in history.

On Christopher's first birthday in August 1921, his mother gave him a small stuffed bear purchased from Harrods, the upmarket department store in London. The Alpha Farnell teddy bear was about two feet tall, light in color, and frequently lost its eyes. Originally, the bear was called Edward, and sometimes Big Bear or Teddy Bear, but eventually it was named Winnie, after the bear Christopher had met at London Zoo. 

Inspired by both the stuffed and real bear, A.A Milne began to write his tales. Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, and Roo were all stuffed animals belonging to young Christopher, while Rabbit and Owl were real life creatures that lived near them. (The name “Pooh” came from a swan the family had met while on holiday.)

Published in 1926, the first collected stories of the adventures in "Hundred Acre Wood", entitled Winnie-the-Pooh, were an instant hit. It was followed by the equally successful The House at Pooh Corner, in 1928. Winnie also appeared in two books of children's verse by Milne: When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We are Six (1927). The beautiful illustrations provided by E. H. Shepherd brought these stories to life and can be credited with adding to the charm and success of the books.

It is interesting to note that both Shepherd and Christopher Robin came to resent the fictional bear. Shepherd believed that the Pooh illustrations overshadowed his other work. Initially, Christopher was fond of being associated with his father's books, that is until he started school, where he was often mocked by his peers as they recited passages from the books to him. Additionally, when he was a young man serving in World War II, he felt that his father exploited his childhood and forced him to be in the public eye.

Disney Transforms Winnie

The stories about Pooh became a favorite of Walt Disney’s daughters, therefore Disney, who trusted his daughters’ tastes in books, decided to purchase the rights to the stories and turn them into animated films. The first film featuring Pooh was released in 1966 and quickly made Pooh one of the most popular Disney character of all time.

Disney’s creators gave Pooh a makeover, which is whimsical and endearing in its own right, but I always prefer the classic illustrations from the original books. The cuddly toys that inspired the stories also have become iconic, and Christopher Robin’s bear is currently on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library, in New York City.

Much loved by young and old alike, the Pooh stories have been translated into many languages, including Hungarian physician, writer, painter, poet Alexander Lenard's Latin translation, Winnie ille Pu, which was first published in 1958, and, in 1960, became the only Latin book ever to have been featured on The New York Times Best Seller list. I believe that the "willy, nilly silly old bear" and his Hundred Acre Wood friends will continue to charm both parents and children alike for centuries to come.

What are your favorite memories of Winnie-the-Pooh?

The original stuffed animals owned by Christopher Robin:
Piglet, Kanga, Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. (1925)
New York Public Library

Music Doesn't Lie - Part 27 (The Catharsis Playlist...)

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world,
then it can only happen through music." – Jimi Hendrix 

As many of you are aware, I have been compiling a list of songs that comprise a "catharsis" playlist. I created this list because I've been trying to use music to push myself past a now over 3 year old heartbreak with which I just can't seem to come to grips. I'm thinking that I'm stuck with these feelings forever. Therefore, when the emotions get to be too much, I turn to my playlist and get all those emotions out and usually (but not always) feel somewhat better. Then some time goes by and the emotions well up again and I repeat the whole process. Not every song on my list fits exactly into my particular situation, but within each song there is an applicable line or two or six or... well, you get the idea. Overall though, a predominant number of songs on this list are spot on perfect for my life, especially #16.

I've featured many of these songs in my Music Doesn't Lie series, but I figured it can't hurt to assemble the list in one place. I have friends who are going through some similar issues, so I thought I'd share my catharsis playlist with everyone in the hopes that it might be of some assistance. If you are ever going through heartbreak, unrequited love, and/or relationship sadness, music just might be your best alternative for getting through the emotional baggage. After all, "music has charms to sooth a savage breast" (William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, 1697). 

Here's my playlist - they are in random order:

1. Listen to My Heart - Nancy Lamott (lyrics)
2. Let Them Talk - Hugh Laurie (lyrics)
3. I Know Him So Well - Judy Kuhn and Marcia Mitzman (Chess) (lyrics)
4. I Know the Truth - Sherie Rene Scott (Aida) (lyrics)
5. Boston - Augustana (lyrics)
6. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye (lyrics)
7. She's Out of My Life - Josh Groban (I like Josh's version better than Michael Jackson's) (lyrics)
8. Grenade - Bruno Mars (lyrics)
9. What'll I Do? - Linda Ronstadt (lyrics)
10. With One More Look at You - Barbra Streisand (lyrics)
11. Hold On - Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden) (lyrics)
12. I'm Not That Girl - Idina Menzel (Wicked) (lyrics)
13. There's a Fine, Fine Line - Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Avenue Q) (lyrics)
14. Takes That Look Off Your Face - Helen Walsh (Song and Dance) (lyrics)
15. Out of This World/So in Love - Nancy Lamott (lyrics)
16. Not A Day Goes By - Bernadette Peters (Merrily We Roll Along) (lyrics)
17. The Night It Had to End - Alison Fraser (Romance/Romance) (lyrics)
18. Who Will Love Me as I Am? - Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner (Side Show) (lyrics)
19. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler (cheesy 80s music video - love it!) (lyrics)
20. My Junk - Original Cast of Spring Awakening (lyrics)
    
21. Feels Like Home - Josh Groban (lyrics)
22. You're the Only Place - Josh Groban (lyrics)
23. Another Train - The Poozies (lyrics) [added 1/24/2014]
24. If I Can't Have You - Etta James - duet with Harvey Fuqua (lyrics) [added 1/24/2014]
25. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri (lyrics) [added 1/24/2014]
26. Something in my Heart - Röyksopp (lyrics) [added 1/24/2014]
27. Only If You Have a Dream - Cast from Kat and the Kings (lyrics) [added 1/29/2014]
28. On My Own - Frances Ruffelle (from the musical Les Miserables) (lyrics) [added 2/2/2014]
29. I'll Never Say Goodbye (theme from The Promise) - Melissa Manchester (lyrics) [added 2/2/2014]
30. Already Home - A Great Big World (lyrics) [added 2/5/2014]
31. I Don't Wanna Love Somebody Else - A Great Big World (lyrics) [added 2/5/2014]
32. Say Something - A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera (lyrics) [added 2/5/2014]
33. Love is Blind - Janis Ian (lyrics) [added 3/9/2014]
34. In the Winter - Janis Ian (lyrics) [added 3/9/2014]
35. You've Got Me On a String - Janis Ian (lyrics) [added 3/16/14]
36. I Dreamed a Dream - Anne Hathaway (from the film Les Miserables) (lyrics) [added 4/5/14]
37. Miserable Without Your Love - Lily Allen (lyrics) [added  5/17/2014]
38. It's a Motherf***er - The Eels (lyrics) [added 5/27/2014]
39. To Make You Feel My Love - Billy Joel (lyrics) [added 7/2/2014]
40. Feel It - Bright Light Bright Light (lyrics) [added 7/4/2014]
41. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran (lyrics) [added 7/22/2014]
42. You Got It - Bonnie Raitt from the soundtrack of Boys on the Side (lyrics) [added 8/4/2014]
43. Mad About You - Belinda Carlisle (lyrics) [added 8/4/2014]
44. Love of My Life - Queen (lyrics) [added 8/26/2014]
45. You Oughta Be Here With Me - Patti Cohenour (Big River) (lyrics) [added 9/21/2014]
46. Not in that Way - Sam Smith (lyrics) [added 12/8/2014]
47. One Year of Love - Queen (lyrics) [added 12/8/2014]
48. My Melancholy Blues - Queen (lyrics) [added 12/8/2014] 
49. It's a Heartache - Bonnie Tyler (lyrics) [added 1/18/2015]

Can you think of any songs that I may have missed? Do you already have your own catharsis playlist? My plan is to keep adding to the list as I find more and more songs. Keep an eye out for updates to this list!

Life Can Turn on a Dime!

Everyone has at least one day in their life that is a game changer for them. It's the one day that you remember forever - the life changing day. If you haven't experienced that day, you will. Perhaps you might even have a couple of days like that, but everyone will have at least one of those days in their lives.

Is it the day you met your significant other? The day that you got that dream job? The day tragedy struck? Whichever date it is, you end up with a clear delineation in your life that you consider "pre-" and "post-" this specific day.

For me, it was exactly 4 years ago today - January 21, 2010. I'm sure that chosen day will surprise most people. People generally assume it would be one of the times that I was diagnosed with cancer (2007 or 2013), but strangely enough, that is not the case. My life has not been severely impacted by my cancer diagnoses. No, my life altering day was just a random Thursday, a day that started out ordinary with nothing to indicate anything special would take place. I expected the day to be my usual routine - wake up, morning toilette, breakfast, work, lunch, work, return home, dinner, television, bed. (Yes, I live an exciting life.)  But in a moment, my life was forever impacted... and started simply with a handshake. 

I won't bore everyone with the details which are only of interest to me, but suffice it to say that my life has not been the same since. Was it that my life changed for the better? I occasionally think so. Mostly, I think it changed for the worst. Since that day 4 years ago, I have reached the heights of heaven and the depths of hell. I experienced some of the best days of my life and, conversely, some of the most heinous days! My life is continually measured by that date in January (and the subsequent 8 or 9 months). Geez, I miss those days...sort of! Well, I miss the heights of heaven - not so much the depths of hell, mostly because I still experience that hell on a regular basis.

Life is a funny thing. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, something comes along to screw it all up again.  Do you have a life changing day that you will remember forever?

--------------

I came across two songs, which are just too beautiful not to share and have been added to my catharsis list. The first song "Feels Like Home" (lyrics), sung by the truly amazing Josh Groban, explains best how I felt post-January 21, 2010 (still do, in fact):

The second song "You're the Only Place" (lyrics) also sung by Josh Groban is a pretty good way to sum up the fallout/disappointments stemming from 4 years ago:

The Cannabis Debate...

Over the weekend, a rather lengthy profile of President Obama was featured in the current issue and on the website of the New Yorker magazine. Within that interview, the President weighed in on the marijuana debate which read in part:

“As has been well-documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol...It’s not something I encourage, and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.” 

People's reactions regarding his comments have run the gamut from people agreeing with his statements to people thinking that he said that we should all become cannibals in order to get more protein into our diets. Seeing as it's been on my mind today, I thought I'd give my two cents worth on the marijuana debate.

There are a couple laws in this country that I have always believed should be abolished: one is the criminalization of prostitution and two, the illegality of cannabis. I won't get into my reasoning for why I think prostitution should be legal as there are too many Puritanical people out there to have a rational debate. Besides, George Carlin explains the prostitution issue better than I ever could. But I will say that I think marijuana should be decriminalized.

Do I have "reefer madness"? No, I don't smoke - not even when I was going through chemotherapy and a toke or two would have helped with the nausea. Don't get me wrong, I've done my fair share of partaking of weed in the past, but it's not something that I have any desire to do anymore. I never really liked it to begin with and it was sheer peer pressure that got me doing the little amount that I did. Therefore, I'm not someone who wants it legalized for their own usage.

No, I just don't understand why it's illegal. Marijuana is a naturally growing plant and making something that is natural illegal is unnatural. No matter what some opponents say, marijuana is not and has never been a "gateway" drug. Also, if it were to be legalized, there wouldn't suddenly be an uptick of people smoking pot, just because it's legal. Those smokers will smoke it no matter what; same for the non-smokers (think: tobacco). Marijuana is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol (that's where Obama got it wrong - it's safer not as safe as alcohol). Generally the worse thing that happens to someone getting high is the munchies. That's got to be good for the economy. Speaking of the economy, the government would make a fortune off of the taxation of marijuana and would lead to some relief from an already overburdened criminal system.  

The list of reasons to legalize pot is pretty endless. Colorado and Washington have made the leap into the future in the marijuana debate and it's time that the rest of the country joins them.  But as I said, it's just my two cents worth...

Quite Possibly, The Best Response Letter...Ever!

Lesson learned today: don't mess with with British news publications. Below is an exact reprint of a posting from the Letters of Note blog - one of my favorite blogs.  The reason I am reposting it word for word is that it's perfectly written - I can't improve on perfect.  Enjoy!

-------------------

"Messrs Jeffrey Benson and Michael Isaacs of Tracing Services Ltd, currently on bail on charges of conspiracy to create a public mischief, appear to have lost most of the work collecting debts and tracing absconders for the Granada group, to the considerable regret of Mr James Arkell, Granada's retail credit manager. Ever since last June, when Tracing Services got the contract, Mr Arkell has been receiving £20 every month from Tracing Services, but the payment now appears to have stopped."

On April 9th of 1971, much to the dismay of one James Arkell, the brief story quoted above was published in Private Eye, a British satirical news publication founded in 1961 which, thanks to its unflinching commitment to uncovering scandals, is no stranger to legal disputes. Indeed, a few weeks after this particular piece hit the shelves, a letter arrived from Arkell's solicitors which can be read below, as can an uncompromising reply from Private Eye which has since become famous in legal and publishing circles for reasons which will become clear.

Never ones to miss an opportunity, Private Eye published the exchange very quickly, and almost immediately Arkell withdrew his complaint. The magazine have since used the dispute as shorthand when responding to threats, e.g. "We refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram."

Note: 'Pressdram Ltd' is Private Eye's publisher. Also, there was no "case" legally, despite the name by which the dispute is now known.

(Source: Private Eye, via Jon Jenkins — huge thanks to Stephen Bailey.)

29th April 1971

Dear Sir,

We act for Mr Arkell who is Retail Credit Manager of Granada TV Rental Ltd. His attention has been drawn to an article appearing in the issue of Private Eye dated 9th April 1971 on page 4. The statements made about Mr Arkell are entirely untrue and clearly highly defamatory. We are therefore instructed to require from you immediately your proposals for dealing with the matter.

Mr Arkell's first concern is that there should be a full retraction at the earliest possible date in Private Eye and he will also want his costs paid. His attitude to damages will be governed by the nature of your reply.

Yours,

(Signed)

Goodman Derrick & Co.

------------------------------

Dear Sirs,

We acknowledge your letter of 29th April referring to Mr. J. Arkell.

We note that Mr Arkell's attitude to damages will be governed by the nature of our reply and would therefore be grateful if you would inform us what his attitude to damages would be, were he to learn that the nature of our reply is as follows: fuck off.

Yours,

Private Eye

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Yet, another reason why I love the Brits: their ability to tell people off so very eloquently.

"Every Kid Needs a Champion" - TED Talk

Last April, I wrote a posting about one of my new obsessions: TED Talks, "a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate 'ideas worth spreading'" (Wikipedia). Over the past few months, I've watched a reasonable amount of these talks, but not as many as I would like. I can't imagine why I haven't; it's not like I've been busy or anything. :-)  Yesterday, I was in one of my grad classes and the instructor played an inspiring TED Talk which I hadn't had a chance to watch before and thought to myself: "I need to share this!" While it is geared toward educators, I think the message is pretty powerful. 

The speaker is Rita F. Pierson, "a professional educator since 1972, taught elementary school, junior high and special education. She was a counselor, a testing coordinator and an assistant principal. In each of these roles, she brought a special energy to the role -- a desire to get to know her students, show them how much they matter and support them in their growth, even if it was modest" (TED.com).

After watching this speech, entitled "Every Kid Needs a Champion", I would have liked to have been this woman's friend. Sadly, she passed away in June 2013, so it is not meant to be. Actually what I really would have loved is to have been her student. Watch and enjoy this amazing woman with her inspirational message!

Season 3 of "Sherlock" - Sheer Genius!

As with the last couple of seasons of Downton Abbey, I was able to watch Season 3 of the BBC hit series, Sherlock, before the rest of the U.S. (thanks again to my brother and some computer magic) and it is a gem. I promise not to give away any spoilers, therefore this review will be brief.

When we last left Sherlock at the end of Season 2, Sherlock had just confronted his arch nemesis, Jim Moriarity. Moriarity blew his brains out and Sherlock jumped from a building to his demise. John, in visiting Sherlock's grave, asks Sherlock to not be dead and we, the audience, see a very much alive Sherlock observing John. <gasp> 

Season 3 picks up two years after Sherlock's "demise" and someone is convinced that he's still alive. That someone is Anderson, the forensics tech from Seasons 1 and 2, who has lost his job due to his obsession of proving Sherlock is alive (see the Christmas mini-episode below). I suppose it's not a spoiler to say that: Yes, Sherlock returns to 221B Baker Street. Do we find out how he faked his death? I'll never tell. How has John dealt with the loss of his best friend? Has he moved on? Well, sort of. This season is definitely on par with the past seasons and did not miss a beat.  As with past seasons, it is only 3 episodes long ("The Empty Hearse", "The Sign of Three", and "His Last Vow") and just when it starts, it's over. <sniff>  While all three episodes are brilliant, I would say that the most entertaining (read: hilarious) one is "The Sign of Three", with the last episode ("His Last Vow") being the most suspenseful, with a heart pounding ending.

But fear not, fellow Sherlock fans, Seasons 4 and 5 are in the planning stage and we will not be without our favorite detective and his sidekick for long. Whew, thank goodness. In the meantime, you can catch Season 3 when it returns to the U.S. next Sunday, January 19 at 10:00 pm as part of Masterpiece on PBS.

When Apathy Strikes!

Apathy is most commonly defined as "a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and/or passion" (Wikipedia). What do you do when apathy strikes?! I assume most people go through some sort of "lack of interest" phase on occasion.

A few days ago I came to a realization: I am completely apathetic about everything these days. Here are a few of the many things of which I am completely indifferent: my 75% student failure rate, the fact that there is a high probability that my cancer is growing, that I'm weeks behind on work commitments, that I just spent a ridiculous amount of money on auto repair which nearly wiped out my savings. These are all things which should be upsetting, frustrating, and distressing. But I am feeling...erm...nothing. I don't really care what's going on in any of my favorite television shows (except Sherlock). I'm even apathetic about writing this post (case in point, it's taken me 4 days to write it).

For most of my adult life, I have been someone who gets fired up about all sorts of things: politics, sports, injustice, human rights, etc. But lately that passion has just dissipated. In the past, this thing with Gov. Chris Christie would have got me on my high horse and protesting what a liar and scumbag he is, but I could not give a rat's ass that he is lying through his teeth about "Bridgegate". Although, I am moderately content that this scandal might kill his presidential dreams.

It's very strange: I'm not depressed, sad, bored, worried, anxious, happy, excited, optimistic, etc. I'm just indifferent. I'm trying to figure out where my passion has gone, did someone steal it? Is this lethargy a temporary thing, and what caused it? Is there anything that can be done about apathy or does it just run its course? Is it exhaustion? Is it the weather? Is it burnout because I've spent the past four months cajoling, entreating, threatening, and fighting with students? Is it a combination of all the different stressors (weather, work, exhaustion, and health issues)? I wish I knew... sort of, except, well, y'know... I kinda don't really care.  Hmmm...

I am not so apathetic that I couldn't thoroughly enjoy Jon Stewart hilariously skewering Gov. Christie! See below:

How to Remember the Little Things in Life!

Are you someone who forgets all the small yet good things that go on in your life? I definitely am! We know that the big wonderful things in life are easy to remember - that trip abroad, the birth of a child, etc. Additionally, we also know that the bad things are way easier to remember than the good things, which I'm not quite sure why. So what's the best way to remember the all those little fantastic every day things? Things like the hilarious joke that a friend tells you, the compliment that your significant other gives you, the goal that you finally accomplished, etc. I've struggled with how to keep track of those small but precious items. Diaries are probably the most tried and true method, but I've never been much for keeping a diary (too time consuming and boring).

Then I saw a Facebook posting of a high school friend of mine. The posting was of the picture below and I think it's a great idea for remembering those little things in life:

In case you can't read the instructions, here's a reprint:

Starting January 1st, write good things that happen to you on little pieces of paper [and place them in a jar]:

     - surprise gifts

     - accomplished goals

     - the beauty of nature

     - "LOL" moments

     - memories worth saving

     - daily blessings

Then on December 31st open the jar and read all the amazing things that happened to you in [2014]! 

Okay, clearly this picture is something that was re-posted from the year before so I updated the instructions to say "2014".

This concept is a really good way of remembering all the small, yet wonderful things that happen in the course of a year. Of course, I'm starting this endeavor a few days late, especially since I have yet to buy the glass jar. I suppose I could use something else. I've got a couple of tin cans that once housed Christmas cookies/candy, which apparently do not magically refill no matter how long you hold onto them. Maybe I'll use one of those instead.

Unsurprising, for the high tech geek, there's an iPhone app called "Little Memory", which is for this specific idea, but that seems a little too impersonal for me. I'm going old school - pen and paper.

Jury Duty Reminiscence!

I've been a slacker for the past few days. Instead of lesson planning and grading for school, I've spent a good portion of these last days before heading back to work watching a marathon of one of my favorite shows, Law & Order. I'm talking about the original series which ran from 1990-2010 and starred one of my favorite actors, Sam Waterston as EADA/DA Jack McCoy. For some reason, my thoughts turn to jury duty whenever I watch this show. I suppose it's because I often wonder how I would rule on these cases.  

See I'm a rather unusual person - I love jury duty! I've been fortunate enough to be called for jury service three times and all three times, I was placed on a jury - once as an alternate juror and the other two times ended up being the jury foreperson. Why do I love jury duty so much? Perhaps it's my theatre background. There is no better theatre/performance art than the justice system - particularly the criminal justice system. 

I'll give you a prime example. The first jury that I served on (as an alternate juror) was a criminal case with two defendants accused of 23 different charges each of rape, sexual assault, false imprisonments, etc. The two dirtbags held three people (two women and one man) hostage and abused them in all sorts of ways. I'd go home each day wanting to take a shower to wash the disgust off my body from listening to the testimony. The twist to this case is that the three victims were less than stellar citizens. They had gone into the building to score crack cocaine and ran into these scumbags; not that the victims deserved what happened to them - no one deserves what happened to them. See what I mean? Theatre at its best! Even though I was an alternate and couldn't deliberate on the case, I found out that the jury found the defendants guilty of 22 out of the 23 charges. Good!

The other two cases were a medical malpractice which we (the jury) found that the doctor and hospital were not negligent and the other was a slip and fall against the City of New York which got settled before it went to the jury.  The medical malpractice case was fascinating and made me a little angry because the plaintiff got excellent care from the doctor and hospital and had the nerve to sue them. The last time I was on a jury was 5-ish years ago, so I'm about due to be called again. Fingers crossed. 

Yes, I love the justice system. Is the American legal system perfect? No! But it's the best we have and it's certainly better than some countries - like countries in the Middle East - which enforce capital punishment for: adultery, homosexuality and apostasy. Yemen recently made headlines for its “child bride” case in which a 10-year-old girl was raped and beaten by her 30-year-old husband. In this case, the abusive husband was compensated for “losing” his wife through divorce while avoiding prosecution for rape. If you're interested in reading about the top 10 harsh legal systems, check out this article from AskMen.com. Truly frightening.

So yeah, I'll take the American legal system any day and twice on Sunday.

My Worst Enemy...

In trying to come up with a post for today, I was fooling around on the Random Topic Generator, looking for a subject on which to write. I ran through about a dozen random topics which were uninspiring, that is until 'Your worst enemy' came up. I thought: "Hmmm, that's interesting. Who is my worst enemy?" 

My initial knee jerk reaction was to say that I am my own worst enemy, but when I gave it more thought I realized that's not entirely accurate. Yes, I am unbelievably critical of myself. I downplay any and all accomplishments and obsessively examine and negatively critique my past failures. I have a general discontent with how I want my life to be, instead of accepting the limitations with which I've been presented. And the list of self-destructive thought processes goes on. Despite these foibles, I still would list myself as number 2 on my enemy list.

No, my #1 enemy is Chaos! The complete randomness and unfairness of life is the one thing that that negatively affects my life more than anything else. I've touched on the chaos theory in a previous blog and I wholeheartedly embrace the concept that our lives are controlled by a combination of chaos and free will. But what can you do about an enemy that you cannot fight, cannot negotiate with, cannot conquer? When chaos is your #1 enemy, I'm starting to realize you have to learn to love your enemy because there aren't any other choices. If you're enemy is a real living being, there's something you can do about it - confront them, conflict resolution, ignore them, what have you. But an entity which has no ears, no eyes, no brain, etc., you cannot contend with. While I hate my #1 enemy and will never understand it, I will have to strive to accept this enemy and deal with it the best I can.

Who is your worst enemy? How do you contend with them?

"Ender's Game" - Not Worth the Time...

I'm not the biggest fan of science fiction/fantasy novels, but have read a reasonable amount in that genre. There are some sci-fi/fantasy novels that I really like (i.e., Frankenstein, The Handmaid's Tale, The Princess Bride), some I dislike/loathe (i.e., Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Animal Farm, Slaughterhouse Five). Within the sci-fi/fantasy category, I do enjoy a good dystopian novel (i.e., the Hunger Games series, the Divergent series, Fatherland). So even though it's not my favorite genre to read, I do try to at least read the most popular and well-regarded novels, which brings me to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Published in 1985 and often at the top of the list as being one of the best sci-fi/fantasy books, I finally got around to reading this book and I wish I could have that time back to do something better... like picking fleas off my cat, watching paint dry, counting grains of rice, etc.

Synopsis: "Young Ender Wiggin thinks he is playing war games at the Battle School, high in orbit, but he is engaged in something far more desperate. Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destry all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever-harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly." (from the back cover)

Review:  This novel is considered by some to be one of the best books, but I can't figure out why it's such a classic. Most reviewers seem to have really enjoyed Ender's Game. Others, such as myself, didn't care for the book at all. What's amusing is that when negative reviewers express bewilderment at all the rave reviews, the enthusiasts often respond by accusing those who didn't like the book of being narrow-minded. But I really don't think narrow-mindedness is the problem. My problem with this book boils down to three issues: Plausibility, target audience, genre fidelity.

Star Wars was far-fetched. When you start out with Wookies, the Force, talking/thinking droids, etc., you pretty much suspend rational rules and adopt an "anything goes" mentality. You know you're watching fantasy. However, Ender's Game doesn't position itself that way. The storyline is that Earth is in the battle of its life against aliens. Desperate to survive, Earth has created a highly specialized training program to groom new military talent. This program searches for young children with a profile of aggression, high intellect and adaptability. Once identified, these kids are taken from their families, loaded onto a floating battle lab where they're trained to fight aliens.

Now the idea that six year old kids, like Ender, would spend four years training and then get shipped to the front lines is a bit of a stretch. And when you factor in that Ender is not only supposed to fight when he arrives, that he's actually supposed to command an army, credulity reaches a snapping point. Would Earth really appoint a ten-year old to spearhead an invasion? Worse still, Ender Wiggins military training is essentially nothing more than laser tag in a zero-gravity chamber. And this training goes on and on and on, dominating nearly two thirds of the book. I just couldn't see how this was turning young Ender into the next George S. Patton.

And then there is the issue of the target audience for the book, which appears to be squarely aimed at 10-15 year olds. Many will stridently deny this but the juvenile banter between characters clearly seeks to emulate the thoughts and emotions of children. There is a lot of silly name calling, talk about pubic hairs, etc. And while this may be fine for a young preteen audience, many adult readers will be turned off.

Finally there is the issue of the genre. As a sci-fi book, I didn't find it speculative or original enough. It was an action-driven book with a relatively simplistic inter-species war theme, and a less than surprising "surprise" ending. I don't want to give it away for those who might actually enjoy this book, but I'll just say that the whole thing was just not very sophisticated sci-fi. Additionally, sci-fi is more of a backdrop to Ender's Game than a foundation. It's true, they do fight aliens at the end, but that's a very minor part of the book. And, yes, they are on a spaceship. But the same scenes could have been played out practically anywhere. All you need is a zero-gravity chamber, some dorm rooms, and a cafeteria. The ship feels like a prop so that Card can tell a coming of age story (with a subtext on the innate violent nature of humankind tossed in). All of that is well and good but I find it confusing how Ender's Game won two science fiction awards (the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award) when it barely seems to fit that genre.

All in all, I found this novel to be dull and tedious. I certainly will not be reading the rest of the series.

Rating: 1 out of 5stars

Note: I have not seen the movie adaptation of the novel so I have no opinion on the film. Due to my dislike of the book, it's highly unlikely that I will watch the movie.

This Year's Winners Are... Top 10 Posts of 2013!

A year ago today, I posted a list of my top 10 posts of 2012 and thought that I'd revisit that this year. In 2013, I wrote 198 posts, which ran the gamut of many different subjects and ideas. As with last year, I am surprised which posts garnered the most visits and am sincerely humbled by the amount of visits that my blog receives each year. In 2013, over 6100 visitors stopped by my blog. Nearly three times more than 2012. <smh> Wow! That's a lot of visitors for a nobody English teacher living in Massachusetts.

Here are the top 10 posts of 2013:

1. Remembering "Columbine" - 14 Years Later
2. Animated Movies Are the Bomb!
3. Best Declarations of Love in Literature!
4. The Return of the Big "C"!
5. Reading is FUNdamental!
6. Latest Cancer Update...
7. Stop Being Contrary Just to be Contrary!
8. End of Life Options...
9. The Surgical Consult - Just When You Think It Can't Get Worse...
10. The Best Underrated Female Vocalists...

Thank you, my faithful readers! 2013 was a crazy year. Here's hoping that 2014 is a little less exciting.

Best,