We’ve talked about waiting before, but it was mostly about how we spend our time when we have to wait for an appointment or for a meeting. The consensus was we have effective strategies for using that time wisely instead of feeling frustrated. I cheerfully admit, though, I wouldn’t do nearly as well as the Chinese stuck in a 100-km traffic jam that as of this writing has been going on for about 11 days. Apparently it’s moving along at up to two miles a day and the drivers aren’t showing any sign of the road rage that would be breaking out here in America.

I thought that was bad until I read about the 33 trapped miners in Chile, who might be trapped for four months before they are rescued. They will be given food, water and other supplies, and the government is asking NASA for strategies to keep the miners from going bonkers during the wait.

Yes, I cheerfully admit l would not be good dealing with those long waits. If you were trapped in a 500-square-foot space for four months with 32 other people, what do you think you could do to keep your sanity?

One thing they will be doing is to try to stay in shape. For safety reasons the rescue shaft will be only 26 inches in diameter, and if they want to get out they need to be able to fit.

 
bikehikebabe told me about this video. The little otter resisting his swim lesson reminds me of the many times I dragged my feet over learning some new life lesson. Have you ever felt that way?

 
I don’t know what the dog in the kudzu patch is looking for, but scientists down in Antarctica are digging for something of vital interest to us all….more information about global warming.
 

Wikipedia. Creative Commons license.

 
Most scientists agree that the world is warming up. The question is how much of that current warming is due to human activity and how much is simply natural variation. Scientists have been trying to guess how temperatures have changed in the past by looking at tree rings, harvest records, and sediments in seas and lakes. The trouble is too many assumptions have to be made for all scientists to agree.

As Mining for Cold, Hard Facts explains, American researchers are taking ice cores at the WAIS (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) Divide, 600 miles from the South Pole, to see what the climate has been like for the past 100,000 years. Researchers will especially be looking at the relationship between the greenhouse gases and temperature changes.

I think it’s a great way to shed more light and less heat on the global warming issue. What do you think?

The above cartoon raises some questions about how our minds work. Do you ever talk to yourself? If so is it out loud or just internally? I’m more of a visual thinker than an auditory one, but I do find myself mentally writing and rewriting my posts, trying to keep them as concise as possible.

A great deal of my thinking is in the form of images. When I think of topics for posts my first step is to try to figure out what picture or graphic to use. As I said, I try to keep my posts relatively short…my main goal is to present food for thought so I can share ideas and experiences with my readers.

Sometimes when I’m thinking of an idea or situation my talking is aimed at some abstract listener. Mostly I’m just observing, I don’t have a sense that “I” am doing the talking. The exception to this is when I’m facing a challenge…then I give myself pep talks and any emotional support I need.

Things are somewhat different when I’m going through a big transition in my life. Then I do a lot of free-association journal writing to make sure my decisions and actions are connected to the deepest part of me. I don’t need to do this at this point in time, but it’s nice to know that method is always there for me when I need it.

What about you? Do you have internal self-talk? Are you an observer or do you have a sense of yourself doing the talking? Does your inner voice tend to be supportive or critical? What exactly is your mind doing when you’re “thinking”?

Many people use chocolate to lift their spirits, but according to a recent article about chocolate and depression this hasn’t been scientifically proven yet. That came as a surprise to me, I had assumed that was true. I’m also surprised by another statement in the article….research has shown that people who eat at least one chocolate bar a week are more apt to be depressed than people who eat chocolate less often.

selva. Creative Commons license.

 
Do you believe this? If so do you think they’re eating chocolate to self-medicate? Or maybe chocolate gives temporary relief with rebound effects. I still remember my husband getting a headache every afternoon and for some reason a Sunkist orange soda relieved it. This went on for month and months until we read an article that Sunkist had caffeine in it. Ah! Who would have guessed? So once he stopped the soda the caffeine headaches went away after a few days.

Anyway, what do you think about chocolate? Scientists have decided more research needs to be done. I personally think it’s a fun topic.

Have you ever been glad you procrastinated? Have you ever been sorry you didn’t? Hopefully your story isn’t as sad as this poor fellow’s:

Rick’s father was clearly having his last illness and would be dead in a few more weeks. When he died Rick would inherit 40 million dollars. So Rick decided it was time to plan ahead and look for someone to share his good fortune with. Then one night at a singles bar he found the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He went up to her and said he knew he wasn’t much to look at, but in a few weeks he would inherit a fortune. Needless to say she was impressed and went home with him that very evening.

Three days later she became his stepmother.

What about you? Do you have any procrastination stories?

Recently Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress that inflation in the U.S. is low and will probably stay that way for the next 5 to 10 years. When my husband read that he said either Bernanke is telling us a story or else he has lost touch with reality. What do you think? Do you agree with Bernanke or does inflation seem higher than he says?

Do you think Bernanke deserves the Pinocchio nose? If not, can you think of anyone who does?

If you live in a country other than the U.S. do you have much inflation? Does it affect you much?

This past winter Mattel Inc., decided to let their customers choose what Barbie’s next career will be. Anyone who visited the Barbie.com website could vote for architect, anchorwoman, computer engineer, environmentalist or surgeon. More than 600,000 votes were received and computer engineer was the top pick.

The interesting thing is it wasn’t young girls who voted for her…they chose anchorwoman. But the voting was open to anyone. No one could vote more than once, but adults were not excluded. And some female computer engineers who learned about the election launched an internet campaign for Barbie as a computer engineer. Mattel was happy to oblige. Computer-engineer Barbie will come out this coming winter and Mattel hope she “inspires a new generation of girls to explore this important high-tech industry, which continues to grow and need future female leaders.”

I applaud them. I also applaud them for also deciding to honor the youngsters who voted by also producing an Anchorwoman Barbie. The world is big enough for both.

What do you think?

Get rid of your office chair and replace it with a therapy ball: this too uses more muscles, and hence more energy, than a normal chair, because you have to support your back and work to keep balanced. You also have the option of bouncing, if you like.
—New York Times article

Rummuser told me about this article in his comment on my March 5th post Don’t Forget to Fidget. The idea intrigued me because I hate sitting in chairs. So I bought myself the ball shown on the left and am sitting on it as I write. It is great for fidgeting and bouncing and I do notice it exercises my core muscles. Thanks Rummuser!

What about you? Have you done anything unusual, whacky, fun lately?

 
This past Monday my husband said, “Look at our neighbor’s Jeep. He’s been tearing up the roads. That’s irresponsible.” Yes, throwing up that much mud does leave deep ruts in dirt roads, making it hard for other drivers when the mud eventually dries. As we can see from the above pictures, it’s not just children who like to play in mud and make terrible messes.

It’s also clear that in spite of the occasional snow we’ve been having, winter is gradually leaving here. What’s the weather like where you are?