Sunday reading...

I love it! I'm reading an article in today's Washington Post about SETI (the Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and why we have yet to find definitive proof that aliens exist. Two of the more humorous reasons Joel Achenbach tosses off: "they're insular and aloof" and (my favorite) "they're watching in mild bemusement and wonder when we'll grow up." (If this is their reason for holding back, we'll be waiting a long time for their visit.)

SETI needs a more proactive stance these days and is considering transmitting messages to "boldly announce our presence." I love that Mr. Achenbach writes: "Naturally, this is controversial, because of...well, the Klingons. The bad aliens."

It is, of course, hard to say whether any possible (stressing possible) response would be benign or hostile. Experts argue that this doesn't really matter in the end because, good or evil, any aliens out there already know about us since radio and tv broadcasts (maybe they've gotten to catch up on "I Love Lucy"?) are beaming from Earth at the speed of light.


For more, read here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-latest-debate-about-space-aliens-should-we-say-hello-or-keep-quiet/2015/02/28/43aa4a52-bcf5-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html



I'm also reading the March issue of Elle, which has a lot of interesting things to offer this month. I'm not a fan of her voice so much as her mind (she likes Henry James!!) but I do enjoy reading about Kim Gordon and can't wait to check out her book:

 

There's also an article about it in today's Post:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/life-on-the-cutting-edge-kim-gordons-girl-in-a-band/2015/02/26/38bd704a-b937-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html

 

 

I love reading about food more than I like eating it...there's something about the way food writing lifts off the page and into your imagination that I really like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every time I find the night too quiet and I'm tempted to post a personal ad or try to go out and meet new people, I shrug down the fleeting thought and pick up a new book to read.

 

Almost always, I get the comfort I want so much from many of my favorite novels and the highs and beauty of life from my favorite albums. And I rationalize, however horribly, that the less I'm around people, the less I will worry about all the social mistakes I make.

 

My dating history is not very good and it's hard to miss something that you've never had in the first place. And one of the very few perks of unrequited love is that, right or wrong, after you've met someone you truly like, no one else really interests you in that same way, anyway. You're fine being home on a Saturday night and you realize that with no irony or bitterness.

 

When you do get out there and try, no matter what your orientation, it's pretty hard to meet someone who prefers cuddling to sex, talking over a nice, long meal to hitting the club scene. As you can probably imagine, aging lesbians with really old-fashioned ideas of love and romance aren't exactly in that high a demand.

 

I know none of that's much of a big deal, but given how low I've been lately I am glad to be excited about anything and to still have my connection with books and music.

 

Most of the friends I do have are married with their own full lives and my niece is busy with so many things this school year we don't spend quite as much time as we used to together. My parents...well that's a lot shakier.

 

In the end, it may sound pathetic or even socially stunted, I don't know. All I know for certain is that quiet Saturday nights are fine with me and that's better than it could be...

Saturday night music

Maybe it's the oven cleaner fumes I've been exposed to this evening while doing things around my place, but I really am enjoying Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun album, which I found on Amazon Prime and is apparently one of his less received albums from the late 70s.

 

I like a lot of it though, so far. "The Best Days Of My Life" reminds me of what I like most about his craggy, sincere, classic rock-ready voice. "Blondes [Have More Fun]" is really lots of fun...you kind of want to be dancing on a wooden floor with your best dancing boots on and a pool table in the corner of the room.

 

There are some favorable reviews on Amazon (see Mr. Vengeance's review), but most critics didn't seem to like that much:

 

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3TFCRTJ4W2GQC/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00004Y6O4&nodeID=163856011&store=dmusic#wasThisHelpful

 

The below review is right on target (I mean, come on, that cover?), but I got to say I still like this album. It's kind of mindless, which I definitely need right now, though I'd rather skip the fourth grade flashbacks I'm getting from "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy."...some of the kids in class singing it out loud during recess like they knew what it was all about. I remember how taboo it seemed back then...how funny that sounds now.

 

In its simplest terms, Blondes Have More Fun is Rod Stewart's disco album, filled with pulsating rhythms and slick, synthesized textures. It's also his trashiest, most disposable album, filled with cheap come-ons and bad double entendres. Of course, that makes Blondes Have More Fun one of his most enjoyable records, even if all the pleasures are guilty. With its swirling strings and nagging chorus, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was the reason the record hit number one, and decades later, the song stands as one of the best rock-disco fusions. The rest of the record isn't as engaging, but he throws out a handful of winning tracks in the same mold, including "Ain't Love a Bitch," "Attractive Female Wanted," and the title track. --Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The new issue of Washingtonian has a lot of neat stuff in it this month, including some of the D.C. spots that you must put on your bucket list. Well...you don't have to, but a lot of them really do seem worth it. :)

Two that I want to add to my list:

Plus this is intriguing as well, You can read it all here:

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/eleanor-roosevelts-worst-enemy-was-her-cousin/

from the Sunday Times (UK), February 22, 2015

I think I'm having a more peaceful weekend than usual because I got a lot done at work yesterday and was able to concentrate better than I have been lately. And getting some sleep and resolving something that has been plaguing you a lot can also help. I woke up this morning with a cold (or cold-like symptoms) but I have my heater, my laptop, lots of blankets and old movies to watch so it's almost actually nice.

I'm trying harder with meditation** Ongoing stressors (my relationship with my parents, the feelings and affection for someone I've mentioned before that I shouldn't be experiencing, worrying about the people I care about) aren't going to necessarily improve so I have to improve how I think about them.

Really, it's only the middle thing I can do anything about...tuck away those feelings deep down somewhere in my heart...because they will always be there, I'm starting to fear...but (as if this needs saying) obviously I can't do anything with them. Of course, it's a little easier to be certain and confident you can do this on the days that person is not around.

One of the things I did yesterday, during a quieter part of the afternoon, was work on an online course through a company our workplace uses for training. There's obvious (but still nice) information like this:

Everyone has positive qualities that you admire. Even if it is the type of shirt a man wears or the sound of a woman's laughter, everyone has at least one thing you can compliment them on. Many studies show that when people are given compliments instead of criticisms, they are happier and more productive. Every time you praise or give recognition to another person for a specific behavior, you reinforce that behavior. You encourage the person to repeat the same behavior again.
Giving compliments to others helps them feel good about themselves and raises their self-esteem. When you compliment others, you communicate to them that they are competent, smart, effective, or lovable. You give appreciation, recognition, and admiration by sharing compliments. These are gifts you give to others that have a long-term positive effect on your relationship.

And then there is the below, which I hate to say, I am guilty of even if I mean well. You can kind of get carried away when you really like someone:

Don't Overpraise
Don't overpraise another person or you will make her uncomfortable. Don't tell her that she is "the smartest person you know" or is "the most valuable employee in the company." Keep the praise realistic and don't do it every day.

You can look into taking the courses here or check your local library to see if they offer them directly through their website:

http://solutions.cengage.com/GaleCourses/




**
written by Jonathan Leake:

YOGA lovers and mystics have known it for centuries but scientists have now confirmed that chanting “Om” really does soothe the brain.

The finding emerged from a study in which 21 men listened to the mantra while lying in a scanner that monitors brain activity.

Researchers found that, as the chanting progressed, the parts of the brain used in day-to-day activity slowed while those involved in emotional awareness took over.

“Listening to the ‘Om’ sound . . . activates areas of the bilateral cerebellum, left middle frontal gyrus and right precuneus,” said Uttam Kumar of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, India. The research was published in the journal Cognition and Emotion.
“Listening to ‘Om’ recruits neural systems implicated in emotional empathy,” Kumar said.

source: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Health/article1522437.ece