November 5: Remember, remember, it's stress awareness day

This Wednesday is November 5 and that means:

It is Guy Fawkes Day. "Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder, treason and plot. I know of no reason, why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

And it is Stress Awareness Day. (Do you suppose Guy Fawkes felt any stress as he was bringing explosives to Parliament?) In any event, don't just be aware of stress, as in, Gee, I sure am feeling stressed; do something about it. Take a walk, have a run, or swim some laps; practice Tai Chi; knit; bowl; dance; wear a Guy Fawkes mask; tell knock-knock jokes; eat comfort food; put on that silly piece of clothing you've been looking for an excuse to wear.

I plan to put on one of my hats and count how many smiles I get as I run my errands for the day. Of course, if I don't get any smiles, then I will feel stressed and depressed and that's actually my normal state so how will I see the difference!

Work is NOT Supposed to be Fun

Here's an interesting take on work and fun and what the author calls The Flow.

https://www.workreloaded.com/2011/02/work-is-not-supposed-to-be-fun/

The basic idea seems to me that if you are doing work you love, then work can be fun, which is different from having fun at work. I think there is truth in that which begs an important question: Do we love what we do? And if we don't, what choices can we make to change that?

Hoaxes

I am reading a book that features the editor James Bennett, the man behind sending Stanley to find Livingstone and other such promotional and sensational ideas. But one of his most brilliant stunts in the Great Zoo Hoax.

 

http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/the_central_park_zoo_escape/

 

http://hoaxes.org/text/display/the_central_park_zoo_escape_text/

 

Well, this made quite an ado and led me to think about other great hoaxes, intended or otherwise.

 

One is certainly Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, although how widespread and believed is subject to debate --

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/history/2013/10/orson_welles_war_of_the_worlds_panic_myth_the_infamous_radio_broadcast_did.html

 

Another is Piltdown Man - http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/the-scientific-process/piltdown-man-hoax/

 

And some of us lived through the infamous autobiography of Howard Hughes written, in fact, by Clifford Irving - http://www.cbsnews.com/news/liar-liar/

 

So, do you have a favorite hoax? Or one that you'd like to perpetrate assuming it is done in fun - always in fun - and not maliciously?

Sparano v Soprano

The interim head coach for the Oakland Raiders is a former coach of the Miami Dolphins by the name of Tony Sparano. And doesn't that just conjure memories of TV's Tony Soprano. Do you suppose the former channels the latter? And that current players might get whacked or just disappear if they don't play up to snuff? Is there a job here for Paulie Walnuts?

My guess is that the Miami papers had tons of fun with this when Sparano was down there, but that's no reason why we can't enjoy the moment as well.

So, fans of The Sopranos, what advice do you think Tony would give Tony?

Make Up a Word

You've seen these games where the challenge is to create a word to describe a new social or personal phenomena. Well, have you thought of doing this for your place of work? For example, I worked in libraries and I might conjure up Circplop and LibBabble. What do they mean?

Circplop: A book hitting the bottom of the book return bin.

LibBabble: The sometimes esoteric language that librarians use when talking to one another that no one else understands. (This could just be called jargon, I suppose, but LibBabble sounds so much more fun; plus, you can purse your lips and blow through them and make a funny noise when you get to the "babble" part.)

So, you get the drift? What word(s) can you, your team, etc. make up that are appropriate (and fun) for your organization? Or, can you come up with better or alternative definitions for Circplop and LibBabble?

Lyrics that make you smile

I was listening to a wonderful new recording of West Side Story by the SF Symphony and was captivated by the seamless interplay of words and music. And in the song America, this particular lyric made me smile:

I'll take the island Manhattan,
Smoke on your pipe and put that in.

I have heard that song many, many times and only now appreciate the gift of the rhyme that Sondheim provided.

So, so you have a particular lyric that makes you smile with pleasure and delight at the craft of the lyricist whenever you hear it?

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: September 9

I think I post this every year, but this really is one of the most fun days all year to celebrate. Maybe you can get people to come to work in pirate paraphernalia; speak in pirate lingo; have a pirate feast; board another department and make them walk a virtual plank; watch some pirate movies; and so forth.

As for me, I am so ready. Got my hat. Got my patch.

 

 

 

And, of course, tattoos!