There once was a writer from Saskatchewan /
Who wasn’t sure he could still catch one /
He gave a good chase /
In a world of bodice and lace /
But his writing, like his love life, had come undone.
Monthly Archives: December 2018
Monday morning writing joke: “A writer from Saskatchewan”
Filed under 2018, Monday morning writing joke, poetry by author
New words to live by: “Clusterphobia”
Time, once again (though it has been a while), for New words to live by. This is a word or phrase not currently in use in the U.S. English lexicon, but might need to be considered. Other words, such as obsurd, crumpify, subsus, flib, congressed, tantrumony, and others, can be found by clicking on the tags below. Today’s New Word is created by taking two nouns and creating a new word. In this instance, the new word does not borrow from the names of the old words, but from their definitions.Without further waiting here is the new word: clusterphobia.
OLD WORDS
Claustrophobia, n. An abnormal fear of being in
enclosed or narrow places.
Cluster, n. A group of persons or thing close together.
NEW WORD
Clusterphobia, n. Too many people or things gathered in too close or small a space eliciting a fear bordering on abnormal.
Adjective version: clusterphobic.
Used in a sentence: Donnie was afflicted by clusterphobia. He had too many people too close by who knew too much more than he did and he couldn’t stand it, so he fired them.
Most recent new word: tantrumony.
Filed under 2018, new word, New words to live by
Sunday writing prompt: “Happy Holidays”
Filed under 2018, Sunday silliness
Haiku to you Thursday (and photo): “Dreams”
Old, abandoned trunk /
Life is not always as it seems /
Damaged, distant dreams.
Monday morning writing joke: “Wolf packed”
There once was a woman from Tangier /
Who had a wolf on her head, it appears. /
It would not go away /
Not even on Thanksgiving Day. /
He said, “By Christmas, I’ll have eaten you, my dear.”
Filed under 2018, Monday morning writing joke, poetry by author
Monday morning writing joke: “Paper trail”
First brother digs around and pulls out all sorts of material from the storage area: “Bro, you want this pamphlet?”
Second brother: “Brochure.”
Later two women come across a stack of the pamphlets and brochures scattered on the floor.
“Look at this mess those two brothers left.” Pam reaches done to pick up some of the mess, but then pulls back up and grabs at her lower back.
Julie: “Pamphlet me get those.”
Filed under 2018, Monday morning writing joke
These 10 songs are scientifically guaranteed to chill you out
Feeling stress over your writing? Maybe a little relaxing will help. Sound therapies have long been used to help us cope.
Source: These 10 songs are scientifically guaranteed to chill you out
Neuroscience says listening to this song reduces anxiety by up to 65%
By Melanie Curtin
4 minutes
Everyone knows they need to manage their stress. When things get difficult at work, school, or in your personal life, you can use as many tips, tricks, and techniques as you can get to calm your nerves.
So, here’s a science-backed one: make a playlist of the 10 songs found to be the most relaxing on earth.
Sound therapies have long been popular as a way of relaxing and restoring one’s health. For centuries, indigenous cultures have used music to enhance well-being and improve health conditions.
Now, neuroscientists out of the UK have specified which tunes give you the most bang for your musical buck.
The study was conducted on participants who attempted to solve difficult puzzles as quickly as possible while connected to sensors. The puzzles induced a certain level of stress, and participants listened to different songs while researchers measured brain activity as well as physiological states that included heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing.
Related: What Music Does To Our Brains
According to Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International, which conducted the research, the top song produced a greater state of relaxation than any other music tested to date.
In fact, listening to that one song — “Weightless” — resulted in a striking 65 percent reduction in participants’ overall anxiety, and a 35 percent reduction in their usual physiological resting rates.
That is remarkable.
Equally remarkable is the fact the song was actually constructed to do so. The group that created “Weightless”, Marconi Union, did so in collaboration with sound therapists. Its carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines help slow a listener’s heart rate, reduce blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
When it comes to lowering anxiety, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Stress either exacerbates or increases the risk of health issues like heart disease, obesity, depression, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, and more. More troubling still, a recent paper out of Harvard and Stanford found health issues from job stress alone cause more deaths than diabetes, Alzheimer’s, or influenza.
In this age of constant bombardment, the science is clear: if you want your mind and body to last, you’ve got to prioritize giving them a rest. Music is an easy way to take some of the pressure off of all the pings, dings, apps, tags, texts, emails, appointments, meetings, and deadlines that can easily spike your stress level and leave you feeling drained and anxious.
Of the top track, Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson said, “‘Weightless’ was so effective, many women became drowsy and I would advise against driving while listening to the song because it could be dangerous.”
So, don’t drive while listening to these, but do take advantage of them:
- “We Can Fly,” by Rue du Soleil (Café Del Mar)
- “Canzonetta Sull’aria,” by Mozart
- “Someone Like You,” by Adele
- “Pure Shores,” by All Saints
- “Please Don’t Go,” by Barcelona
- “Strawberry Swing,” by Coldplay
- “Watermark,” by Enya
- “Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix),” by DJ Shah
- “Electra,” by Airstream
- “Weightless,” by Marconi Union
I made a public playlist of all of them on Spotify that runs about 50 minutes (it’s also downloadable).
There’s also a free 10-hour version of “Weightless” available if you want a longer listening experience.
Filed under 2018, abbreviations, Sunday story
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