hysteria

Um.... really?
This was an uncontroversial treatment?

An article about the Top 10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders
One being:  Hysteria

In the Victorian era, hysteria was a catch-all diagnosis for women in distress. The symptoms were vague (discontentment, weakness, outbursts of emotion, nerves) and the history sexist (Plato blamed the wanderings of an "unfruitful" uterus).

The treatment for hysteria? "Hysterical paroxysm," also known as orgasm. Physicians would massage their patients' genitals either manually or with a vibrator, a task they found tedious but surprisingly uncontroversial. More contentious was the practice of putting "hysterical" women on bed rest or demanding that they not work or socialize, a treatment that often worsened anxiety or depression.

According to a 2002 editorial in the journal Spinal Cord, the diagnosis of hysteria gradually petered out throughout the 20th century. By 1980, hysteria disappeared from the DSM in favor of newer diagnoses like conversion and dissociative disorders.

Thank you once again Internet for giving me a laugh.

why I love the internet

There is a website for just about everything out there!
Case in point...

I am fat and I want to cut my hair shorter.  EVERYONE loves long hair.  So getting opinions on this is difficult because the standard response is "don't cut your hair."

So.... I decided to do what I do for most things.  I asked Google.

http://www.fatgirlsguidetoliving.com/2010/05/20/the-fat-girls-guide-to-flattering-hair-cuts-for-round-faces/

strange day

today, in here it was nuts.  So many people are having problems and so far it's not me personally (well not entirely, I'll get back to that later.)  But I care about the people around me.  I listen, I try to help and try to avoid "solving" because you know that just leads to a bad place.


So I'm laughing at some things on YouTube and came acrross this.  Thought I'd share.


http://youtu.be/r5R8gSgedh4

The comments had me just dyingl

 

Bridgette

count it all joy...

teaching history

Interesting article/show...

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/30/157604072/ever-growing-past-confounds-history-teachersI especially love the idea of tossing out the books to teach history in a way that really draws the student in and helps them understand WHY IT MATTERS instead of memorizing a bunch of facts; which in my book isn't learning.



I feel strongly about my kids (and myself) learning not just the facts, but the reasons why those facts are important.  Honestly, I went to school in one of the  best districts in the state and remember so little of what was taught to me.  The things I really remember are those that the teacher helped me UNDERSTAND!  I still remember the short story The Bet and my teacher telling me "it wretches me" as she described the issues in the story and what they really meant.  This ability to read and understand is highly under-developed in our world today.  I sincerely doubt we can point to any one reason why, thought I'm sure the technological revolution has something to do with it.  The short attention spans and the idea that within a few clicks on a keyboard, I  can know anything.  (I admit, I'm guilty here.)  However, I had a mom who felt it was important I understand how to have a discussion, how to reason. I ran with it and turned into what I now realize was a really obnoxious teen.  I was so sure I was right about everything because I read and thought I understood.  Add that knowledge to being a teen who already thinks we are unstoppable and you can imagine how I behaved.  (I'll give you a hint, there were a number of lunch tables that served as my soap box).  Fun times!


Do you know how to reason?  To think an idea through and know if it is logical and sound?  If not, this is something you should seriously consider adding to your "to do" list.  




And if you missed it in the link above:  http://histsociety.blogspot.com/2012/05/when-is-it-time-to-stop-teaching.html

stuff that should exist

I have been an admin for a long time.  Most of my adult life in fact.  I actually like doing this kind of work so I'm not complaining.  There are some things about this kind of work that can be frustrating.  There aren't any jobs without this I know.  One of the things that can cause difficulties is keeping my boss on schedule.  


Many years ago, at the cusp of the electronic revolution -- we're talking when alpha-numeric pagers were the thing to have; I came up with what I thought then, and still think today would have a really great market.


I introduce to you...
The Executive Pager/Cattle Prod

The idea is that only the admin has the code to make the cattle prod part work. You put the code in and zap!!  Time to go to that next meeting boss man!

I'm working on specs now.  I'm pretty sure I could write an app for this and secretly load it on smart phones. :)

I had to buy tape today for work

Whenever I look for tape products, the Tape Sketch from SNL comes to mind and it always made me sort of sad to think of someone being so foolish as to sell only scotch tape (or as they say in the UK ‘cello’ tape.)  so, I’m scrolling through 3 pages of tape options (thinking my life, really?!  This isn’t breakfast cereal we’re talking about!) and I come across this.

And I think to myself… what could this POSSIBLY do that would warrant spending over $500 on a tape dispenser!  A manual one at that.

Let’s look at the product description:

• Sturdy yet portable dispenser produces sharp, accurate cuts from 4" to 42" in length
• Easy-pull, snap-back handle and drop-in tape loading

I am going to need a bit more information…

So Amazon gives me a better description at least  (and a lower price):

United Facility Supply Manual Tape Dispenser For Gummed Tape w/48-oz Reservoir, Steel Blades, Black

An industrial-strength, portable dispenser that produces sharp accurate cuts ranging in length from 4" to 42". Made with stainless steel blades that will not rust or corrode. Features a large 48-oz. water bottle with a rubber valve to both reduce spillage and downtime. The easy-pull, snap back handle and drop-on tape loading is ideal for fast-paced working environments. Manually powered dispenser is designed specifically for reinforced and gum paper types. Global Product Type: Tape Dispensers-Manual; Tape Dispenser Type: Manual; For Tape Length: N/A; For Tape Width: 1 in to 3 in.

Obviously this is for packing and shipping in an industrial/volume manner.  I guess now we know part of the reason why all those companies charge such a high rate for shipping and handling! 

Cereal

Seriously, I think cereal is one of the greatest things God ever invented.  It is the perfect food.  Light enough for a bedtime snack and satisfying enough for breakfast.  You can eat it with or without milk.  There are so many varieties that it can actually shut your decision making process down in the entire aisle of choices.  I love them all. (OK, maybe not all.  The only chocolate I want in the morning is in my coffee or on a donut I will later regret; NOT on or in my cereal.)

Super Sugar Crisp, which is now called Super Golden Crisp... because you know that hides the fact that there are like 40 spoon fulls of sugar in it, is a longstanding fave.

Cheerios are a healthy standby, especially with a sliced banana.

I could, and have, eat cereal for dinner every night.  When it's my turn to cook and my husband isn't home or there are leftovers I can give to him alone, the kids and I pour some cereal.  I am most definitely passing on my Cerealaholicism to them.

At any given time I have 6-10 boxes of cereal on top of my refrigerator.  We have a terrible habit of leaving what might be enough for just one bowl in the bag, in the box, on top of the fridge.  When you can't remember when you purchased that box; it's time to toss it. 

We all love Wheatabix, which is one of the only cereals I can eat super soggy - because that's really the only option you have. 

If you're going for crunch and sturdiness in milk, I highly recommend Shredded Wheat in any variety although any of the Chex family do a great job of maintaining crunch while wet.

I just tried some Kashi Lean cluster something or other and it was good enough I broke my 1 bowl rule and had 2!  Hey, I had dinner like 6.5 hours ago.  I'm a little hungry.

Cereal is often a dessert and I really feel pretty good about it because of all those spray on vitamins.  What a great thing cereal is.

What's your favorite cereal!?