Self-benefiting favors Nov 29, 2007
Every now and then I get to do someone a favor that primarily benefits me.  It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. 

My grandparents used to live in an area of Florida heavily populated by old people (a.k.a. anywhere in Florida).  Their neighbor behind them was an old guy with a screened-in pool.  Every time my family visited my grandparents, my parents would strike up a conversation with the neighbor, and I would get to swim in a luxurious, naturally-heated, 86° pool.  It was heaven.  And every time I swam in the pool, the old man would thank me for doing him a favor.  He said no one ever used the pool, so it was good to see it put to some use.  There's no victim in a situation like that. 

Oftentimes at large meal-gatherings, the host doesn't want a bunch of leftovers, so he/she will encourage everyone to eat a lot and finish everything.  On a normal occasion, I might feel bad about finishing the last of someone's home-cooked stuffing or freshly-made apple pie, but when I hear "No, please, finish it; you're doing me a favor," I comply.  I wouldn't want to be a bad guest. #psychology
Coulrophobia (1) Nov 19, 2007
Coulrophobia:  An abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns.

Does anyone really not have coulrophobia?

(via Cynical C) #psychology
Mafia fear (3) Nov 9, 2007
When I was about 7 or 8, I remember hearing my one sister say something to my other sister about the mafia.  I asked what the mafia was.  She answered that it's a group of people who commit organized crime.  I asked why the cops don't stop them.  She said it's because they own the cops. 

The mafia was my number one fear for the following few weeks. #psychology
Fair Nov 5, 2007
I heard it suggested recently that the word "fair" actually means "getting what you deserve" instead of "everybody gets the same thing".  The latter lines up better with the idea of "equality".  The topic was brought up by a high school teacher who's sick of students claiming something's not fair (e.g. one student getting punished for something while another student isn't).  She says to them, "Based on your performance up to this point, this is the outcome you deserve.  That's only fair." #psychology
Inflatable lawn decorations (1) Oct 29, 2007
I don't fill my lawn with inflatable Halloween and Christmas decorations.  It's mainly because they're hideously ugly, but it's also because I'm a lazy decorator. 

However, a lot of people disagree with me about this, which is why a lot of people's lawns are filled with inflatable lawn decorations.  Or, more accurately, their lawns are filled with deflated inflatable lawn decorations.  So not only do their lawns took ridiculous because they're filled with $150 pieces of gaudy air-filled plastic, their lawns look ridiculous because they're filled with $150 piles of gaudy plastic. 

I personally believe it should be a civic responsibility to keep these decorations inflated.  If you went to the trouble of buying it and setting it up, you should continue to go through the trouble of making sure it's inflated and making sure it's still standing upright.  If you can't fulfill your end of the bargain, your inflatable lawn decorations buying privileges should be revoked. 

I'd be willing to cut some slack based on manufacturing defects and simple laws of physics.  If your inflatable decoration has a slow leak, that's not necessarily your fault.  So if it's deflated by the end of the day, I'll let that slide, assuming you fill it up sometime within a 24-hour period.  Concerning physics, cold air takes up less volume than warm air, so it's not too surprising to see a bunch of deflated lawn ornaments on the way to work after a cold night.  But since this part of physics is pretty easy to understand (or at least easy to observe), there's no reason why the decorations shouldn't be re-inflated within a 24-hour period of deflating. #psychology
Everything has a science Oct 19, 2007
I'm always amazed at the amount of detail involved in what would otherwise seem like an ordinary job or activity.  In that respect, there's no such thing as ordinary.  Everything has a science built around it, and the people who work these jobs and do these activities every day are essentially scientists in their specific field. 

One example is a friend of mine who owns a turkey farm.  They butcher their turkeys and sell them in their little farm store.  The most recent bit of science came out when talking about the upcoming turkey-eating season.  Every year, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.  This year, November 1 is a Thursday, so Thanksgiving is officially the earliest it can be.  This equates to an especially busy turkey-buying season because Thanksgiving seems to come around quicker than normal.  And for turkey farmers, this means trouble because people will wait until the last minute to order a turkey, and then they'll be mad when they can't get it right away.  This seems like a simple thing, but coupled with all the other turkey farmer wisdom I've heard over the last few years, it makes me realize that not just anyone can be a turkey farmer.  The person who says, "That doesn't sound too hard ... I could be a turkey farmer" is actually quite out of their league. 

It's the same with sports like golf.  Golf seems pretty simple:  Hit a ball into a hole.  But there's an elementary science about how to hit the ball, which club to use at what distance, how to putt on a sloped green, and things like that.  And once you get past that, there's an intermediate science about head placement while hitting the ball, grip tightness, arm angles, foot placement, and things like that.  There's probably also an advanced science, but I haven't made it that far.  It probably has something to do with ball dimples, tee material, and emotional preparation.  It wouldn't surprise me. 

I used to work at a pharmaceutical company, and that's where I learned how much thought goes into making such seemingly simple things.  For example, the company made pills.  To make the pills, they mixed powders together, then they put the mixture into a pill press.  After that, it went to a coating chamber where the pill was sprayed with various chemicals to make it stay together and to aid in digestion.  Then it went into packaging where it traveled over several series of conveyor belts, got sealed in blister packs, put into little boxes, put into bigger boxes, then put on a pallet and shrink-wrapped.  At each step of the manufacturing process, there were layers and layers of details that I can't even begin to understand or remember.  Hundreds of people worked on the process, and hundreds more scientists, engineers, and mechanics came up with the process and made sure it worked.  There was so much complication in the process, it was easy to forget we were just in the business of making pills. #psychology
Blood on hand Oct 19, 2007
You know it'll be an interesting day when you look down at your hand and say, "Who's blood is on my hand?" #psychology
Canned response (12) Oct 17, 2007
I really need to come up with a canned response to a few common questions.  The current system of trying to think of something on the spot just isn't working.  The questions are usually variations of the following: 
What's new?
How's work?
How was your weekend?
They're simple questions.  And they have answers.  But I'm not good at communicating under pressure, and my brain equates conversation with pressure.  I'm sick of sitting there trying to think of an appropriate response to an otherwise unimpressive question, only to come up with "Not much" or "Pretty good".  My goal for the next few weeks or months is to come up with acceptable answers to these questions.  Then I'll be complete. #psychology
Seasonal affective disorder Sep 25, 2007
Seasonal affective disorder is one of those newly-invented diseases that sounds made-up because everybody has the symptoms.  "Most SAD sufferers experience normal mental health throughout most of the year, but experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer."  Not to minimize what's likely an actual disorder, but who doesn't feel sad in the winter when they have to walk out to their car in 7-degree weather to scrape the ice off their windshield so they can spend another dangerous commute on the snow-covered, idiot-filled roads and sit in a cubicle for 9 hours? 

I'd say I feel most "SAD" at the border of summer and fall.  As much as I like football season and milder weather, fall has always brought with it three terrible things: 
  1. The end of lazy summer days, beaches, vacations, free time, and any fun whatsoever.
  2. The beginning of cold weather, ice on your car, extra blankets, and no more sandals.
  3. The start of school.
And that last one is what I think really makes the difference.  Even now that I'm out of school, that dread of starting things up again, being forced into an uncomfortable routine, and introducing an untold amount of stress into my life is built into the core of my being.  It doesn't matter that I graduated college over three years ago.  It wouldn't matter if it was 30 years ago.  That feeling, that pit in my stomach, is so ingrained into who I am, I doubt it'll ever go away.  Plus, I still know people who are in school, and I'm sure I'll always know people who are in school.  I feel bad for the people who are still entrenched in the education system, and I accept their pain and discomfort as my own. 

But anyway, thank God for school, summer, fall, and the ability to feel, because without any of it, we'd all merely be moist robots. #psychology
Relative regret (2) Sep 25, 2007
I think I do certain things because I'd regret not doing them more than I regret actually doing them. 

The perfect example is grad school.  I can't put into words how much I hate school and learning.  I can't wait until I can sit around and bask in my stupidity, without even a thought as to when the next assignment is due or how I'll find time to do it.  But at the same time, I know that if I didn't get my graduate degree (which is provided freely and conveniently by my employer), I'd regret it even more. 

Getting graduate degree:  Regret level = 6/10
Not getting graduate degree:  Regret level = 8/10
8 > 6 → get graduate degree

When things are broken down into numbers, they make much more sense to me. #psychology