After I post this, I'm putting in my earplugs and going to bed, I'm way too tired right now.
Comments:
Yensid:
I've got me a set of earplugs rated at 33dB, they help, and coupled with a good pair of headphones playing something soothing like Anime music and the noise goes away for the most part. I'm a nightowl of habit mostly, if I could get into a regular pattern I'd be all right, but this isn't the way to go about it.
I'm trying to work on them when I get the chance after the roofers head home for the day, they're not supposed to take too much longer either which will be a help. I'll do what I can and go from there.
There is also those Chinese balls that you can get some places (the store that sold them near me closed before I could get me a set), but the stress ball is probably a better bet. You might actually find them in the sporting goods section of mass merchandisers (Wal-Mart, K-Mart Target etc.) near the dumbbells (not referring to the store staff) and other weight equipment.
I'll try, and you too.
Outlaw Melfina:
Never had the displeasure of a long commute to school or work so I can't speak on that, but I know coming home after a day at school was always tiring for me. I have a fierce temper that shows itself once in a while, but usually it comes out quicker when I'm tired. I guess not sleeping shortens the fuse to near instant temper explosion point for me.
sikaurai
Your words remind me of a study I was told about in Psychology, and of some news reports My sister brings up once in a while. A person can go insane if they go without sleep for as little as nine days. People have also died of exhaustion after slightly more than 24 hours of playing video games straight (how does a console last that long?), so rest, particulaly sleep is very important, and you can bet I'll be making myself get some before it gets bad for me.
The roofers aren't supposed to take too much longer, I hope they'll get everything done in the next day or so, that would be really nice, becuase they seem to have saved the worst part, the spot over my head, for last. The end will justify the means, but I guarantee it'll not rain for a long time after the roof is fixed since it's being fixed to stop the leaks. Life is funny that way.
alphonse13:
The lack of sleep affecting one's mood seems to be a universal one, maybe psychologists should study that aspect of sleep deprivation.
Yahoo! is smart about some things, but really stupid about others, their messenger hasn't been right since version 7.0, their e-mail system really reaks in terms of misdirected e-mails (I get e-mail on a daily basis that's not even to my Yahoo! ID at all), and some of their other site features royally suck anymore. I use Geocities because it's there, it's free, and I don't have to set up another user account for it.
My grandfather was a railroad engineer, he ran the rails through NJ and PA hauling freight. The worst injuries I ever had in my life were both self inflicted, and I never went to the hospital for them. I had a 24" TV fall on me, hit me square in the chest, and I took my bike handlebars right in the chest before I went over them and landed on my backside. That was a couple years after the TV. I think I was three or four when the TV thing happened, so I would have been eight or nine when the bike handlebar thing happened.
Mamma Vash:
I haven't gone back through your archives yet to get the whole story, but I remember skimming something about a water heater, that's tragic. I hope you get things all straightened out and settled down soon too.
Given the choice of getting some sleep, or insanity or death, I think I'll choose getting some sleep. If I have to haul my sleeping back out and use the living room floor for day or two, I'll do it to get the rest I need. The past week for me is a bit of a blur from overstimulus, the noise, the lack of sleep, and the sugar all at once isn't doing me much good. If those studies and news reports are accurate, then I really need to take a proactive approach and make myself rest.
This weekend won't be quiet, the roof isn't finished yet, so another day or two of banging and all the other noises that I'm not sure I want to know what they are, and hopefully they'll be done everything, and it will be done right.
kout3uka
My lack of sleep thing will change soon enough, I'll see to that.
What are the top few causes for humanity's unhappiness? You came to the right person for the answer to that question. Oh, you might want to make a special note of how hard I'm laughing right now, I'm LOL, ROFL, LMAO, and all the other netspeak shorthand for various degrees of laughing, all at the same time. I'll have to pull out a new section header for this one. Keep on reading, my anwer is right below.
Flashpoint: An Editorial on Steroids (Don't Try This at Home, Kids)
What is the cause, or are the causes, of humanity's unhappiness today? What do you think?
Those are what I call "loaded" questions. Because the topics are highly flammable in terms of debate and opinion, they can generate some rather aggressive and indeed provocational answers. Because they are hot button related, it requires a lot of thought to give a full answer. The best way to start to answer, is to categorize the most promminent responses that come to mind:
- Politics
- Self-Righteous Arrogance
- Economy
- Job Security
After catergorizing the most prominent causes, the details can be fleshed out. Lets's take the list from the top.
Politics Why is the political landscape a cause of humanity's unhappiness? We've gone back to the days of McCarthyism, only now, people who disagree with the government aren't branded "communists" but "enemy combattants" or "terroists" without just cause. We have a spoiled, rich, oil industry, brat in our oval office who's fully armed temper tantrums and fulfillment of family vendettas are majorly dividing the people, and hurting the morale, of this country. We have local politicians who won't lift a finger to assist their constituents with real issues as well, they're too busy couting their under the table incentives to vote big business into power over the little guys.
Self-Righteous Arrogance Since September 11th, 2001, Americans have been increasingly rude to each other, and to our allies across the big ponds both east and west. The prevailing attitude seems to be the misconception that America was attacked that day, and we have the right to be rude. The rudeness makes itself most prevalent between those people desecrating the flag with those magnetic flag "ribbons" plastered to their cars, and the people who don't have them. The assumption of Americans seems to be that if you don't support the war, or don't have a flag glued to everything you own, you're not being patriotic, so you don't deserve the courtesy of respect. It is not patriotism to blindly follow a misguided leader barefoot into Hell, it is true patriotism to stand up for what you believe, even if no one else stands with you. For the record, I do not support the war, but having had two uncles, my father, my grandfather, many of my cousins, and a friend of my sister's serve in the military (Notably WWII, Vietnam, and Desert Storm[the first Persian Gulf War back in 1990]), I can say that I do respect the soldiers for what they are doing.
Economy This one is self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway. The news is talking about Price Wars for the holiday season already, shoppers didn't spend as much in October as stores would have liked. EVen new cars aren't selling as much as they could be. What does that tell any half intelligent person? It says these numbers, figures and projections my government is giving me are a bunch of crap. Every time I hear a politician say the economy is great, I think of all the stores Ames, Big Bear, Moore's Micheal's to name a few, that either went bankrupt, or closed their franchises here where I am. If the economy is doing so hot, why is it factories are shutting down? Why are people being put out of work, why are people spending less money on frivilous things? Sounds to me like the economy isn't doing as good as certain people would like us to be deluded into believing.
Job Security Following on the heals of a bad economy, people's jobs being taken from them after years of devoted service, or people like me who've been out of work, but trying desperately to get a job, are another major issue in the United States. People who don't work can't spend money, and that keeps the economy down too. Employers are getting too anal in their screening processes, wanting to pay minimun wage for more experienced labor, or not wanting to take the time to train a new person properly. Minimum wage hasn't been increased in over nine years (September 1, 1997 $5.15 per hour was established) but the cost of living sure hasn't remained steady. All the inhibitors in the job market, all those knit-pick details that employers want it their employees are basically shopping good workers out of the market.
In a nutshell, those four things are what I think are the biggest causes of humanity's unhappiness right now.
ATTENTION ALL READERS: This Flashpoint is for Kout3uka, any comments or remarks regarding the content of this feature by any other users will be ignored. This was not written for general discussion.
