whee!

for no particular reason, i'm in a great mood today. perhaps it is because i'm going to be done with the "final" docs ahead of schedule. (there will be a week or two of fine-tuning to be done in bits and pieces afterward, but it won't require me to be onsite or work full time.) but i intend to milk it for all it's worth.

wow

this article about the physiological response to being socially snubbed is really fascinating, but what's most fascinating to me is the last four paragraphs:

But there also seems to be a defense mechanism to prevent the pain of rejection from becoming overwhelming.

"We also saw this area in the prefrontal cortex. The more it is active in response to pain, the less subjective pain you feel," Lieberman said. "This part of the brain inhibits the more basic response."

In the volunteers, those who had the most activity here reported the least distress in response to the snub.

It seemed to be involved in consciously thinking about the pain, Lieberman said, but said the area needed more study.

perhaps this research will lead to a better understanding of the causes of social anxiety disorder? very interesting indeed.

also, memes

i can't believe peglegpete hasn't run across these yet:

What's your Pirate Name? and How Pirate are You?. for the record, i'm Iron Prudentilla Read, and i'm VERY PIRATE.

totally irrelevant

at first, i was really pissed off that The West Wing, Jake 2.0, and Angel were all stuck in the same time slot this fall. with two shows, i can just tape one; three was a problem.

however, based on the bits of Angel i've caught during the commercials in the West Wing, it's sucking so much ass this season (and yes, i know it sucked before -- last season was one long painful cringe -- but i had hoped it might rebound) that i won't miss it at all.

and i really like Jake 2.0. classic comic book goodness, complete with awkward, geeky guy who gets superpowers from a scientific experiment gone awry, a cute-but-glasses-wearing female associate to whose adoration he's totally oblivious, and after last night's episode, both a forbidden love interest and a brand spankin' new arch-nemesis. if you haven't been watching, check it out. it's not a new story, but it's a pleasing interpretation of the classics.

i'm kind of curious

what's the longest stretch of overall happiness you've had in your lifetime? i don't mean where you're just rolling in bliss all day every day -- just the longest period of being mostly pleased and reasonably satisfied with your life.