My sister Rachel literally had one of her little friends say, "She's from New York, but she's real nice!" upon introducing her to someone.

I think I've told this story before - my grandparents have an annual bookselling/buying trip down the East Coast starting from their store in New Hampshire and going all the way to Florida. Now, my grandmother was born and raised her entire life in New England, and people on the Southern leg of the tour always compliment her on her politeness in spite of this obvious handicap. One time she happened to mention that her mother's family has roots in Tennessee, at which one of the women she was talking to exclaimed "Oh! Well, that explains it!"

So sorry, smonster. May this be what pushes you towards happier things, without negatively impacting you.

Fuck people that think "no problem" is rude. I don't talk Jamaican often and if it was Jamaican rude, they'd not know.

job~ma, smonster!

I'm so sorry, smonster.

Hey, Steph, when you come by, do you know of any good visual resources for ropework? I'm not looking to tie, I'm looking to draw.

ION, Cheery people die sooner, and more longevity secrets

For decades we’ve been told that stress can kill you, that happy people live longer and that hours in the gym will keep you healthy. Now researchers have turned this kind of long-cherished conventional wisdom on its head. The new mantra: Stress can be good for you. Serious people may live longer than those with sunny dispositions. The treadmill may not hold the key to longevity.

...

If you’re an exceedingly sunny person, tone it down a bit. “People tend to think of cheerfulness as good, but we found exactly the opposite,” Martin says. “Cheerful kids lived shorter lives. That was a big shocker.”

Overly optimistic people tend not to be as careful as those who have a more serious take on life. “If you’re one of those people who expects things will always turn out great, you may benefit from listening to the perspectives of others,” Martin says. “Awareness is a key component. And being a little more prepared and a little more risk-averse.”

Huh. Now I wish I could find the woman who told me she hates unhappy people and show her this. (She was one of those aggressively cheerful people....)

Viagra Beer

To commemorate the royal wedding next week, UK outlet Brewdog is selling a limited edition run of 1,000 bottles of Royal Virility Performance, a specially brewed beer that contains Viagra!

According to the specially commissioned label, the Royal Virility Performance contains Viagra, chocolate, Horny Goat Weed and ‘a healthy dose of sarcasm’. The beer is a 7.5% ABV India Pale Ale and has been brewed at BrewDog’s brewery in Fraserburgh.

Cheery people may die sooner but some wouldn't their shorter lives be happier?

Depends if their cheeriness is real or fake.

Also, can someone with better eyes than mine please read the copyright/credit text in this photo? [link] Profile addy is good.

Thanks.

So, anyone doing anything special on May 21st? That's the end of the world, in case you forgot. Also, it's on a Saturday.

You know, I kind of want to hang out with these people [link] just to see how they react on May 22nd. Although if history is any guide, their faith might just get stronger.

eta: Rapture watch-n-post? "Goddamn it - my cat just got raptured!"