—
there came a time, he realized,
when the strangeness of everything
made it increasingly difficult
to realize the strangeness of anything.
-james hilton, lost horizon
Oct13
strangeness of everything.
Author Archives: beth
Oct12
“the world needs more canada.” president obama addressing parliment.
happy canadian thanksgiving
thanks for being a superhero of a neighbor
“i think maybe, if i could be a canadian super hero,
i’d have some kind of freezing power
and some sort of maple syrup weapon.
could be a little sticky.
-nathan fillion
—
Credits: Wikipedia, Marvel Comics
Captain Canuck is a Canadian comic book superhero named for former Vancouver Canucks Captain, Trevor Linden, nicknamed Captain Canuck. Created by cartoonist Ron Leishman and artist/writer Rchard Comely, the original Captain Canuck first appeared in Captain Canuck #1 (July 1975). The series was the first successful Canadian comic book since the collapse of the nation’s comic book industry following WWII.
Three characters have worn the maple leaf costume of Captain Canuck. The first Captain Canuck patrolled Canada in the then-future year of 1993, where “Canada had become the most powerful country in the world”. He was the costumed agent of the “Canadian International Security Organization” (CISO). In 1995, Captain Canuck was honored with a Canadian postage stamp.
CAPTAIN CANADA – Courtesy of Marvel Comics
Oct11
jamais vu?
What’s the opposite of deja vu?
you may encounter these disconcerting moments from time to time -instances where you walk into a new situation and find it oddly familiar despite never having experienced it before. This common phenomenon is called déjà vu, French for “already seen.”
At its opposite is a slightly less common phenomenon — jamais vu, which translates to “never seen” in French. It’s when you’re in a familiar situation but suddenly feel as if you’re experiencing it for the first time. This could happen with a certain place, an action, or even a person. Your sense of knowing disappears despite recognizing that something has occurred before.
Imagine, for example, that you’re driving to work or to your favorite shopping spot. You turn down one lane and suddenly find yourself momentarily at a loss — “Am I supposed to turn right or left next?” you wonder, even though you’ve driven this path so many times it’s muscle memory now.
At other times, you may find yourself forgetting certain details — blanking out, or unable to remember a name you use every day. It’s that frustrating “tip of the tongue” feeling where you just can’t get the words out. These floundering moments that leave you bewildered, blindsided, and questioning your memory are perfect examples of jamais vu.
You’ve Experienced Jamais Vu Without Knowing It
If you think you’ve never experienced jamais vu, think again. Pick a word — “shampoo” — and repeat it 15 to 20 times. Does it sound odd? Does it sound fake? Has it lost all meaning? Logically, you know what shampoo is, but it becomes an unfamiliar term as you repeatedly voice it aloud.
In 2006 a study conducted by cognitive neuropsychologist Chris Moulin induced jamais vu in his study participants with this word repetition method. In the experiment, 92 volunteers wrote the word “door” 30 times in one minute. Sixty-eight percent reported symptoms of jamais vu as they began to doubt the reality of the word. Moulin went on to relate the brain fatigue with schizophrenia, likening the mental illness to a chronic and extreme form of jamais vu.
It might be easier to understand it as a glitch in the system. When you experience jamais vu, you may try to reason with yourself that the situation should be familiar, but there’s a hiccup. The part of your brain that’s supposed to be processing and logging the information, connecting it to past experiences, isn’t responding in kind, leaving you wondering how to react.
If you experience this sensation on a few rare occasions, don’t worry — it’s completely normal. If this bewildering feeling starts to happen more regularly, consider a visit to your doctor. Jamais vu can also describe symptoms of certain neurological conditions.
At the end of the day, jamais vu, like déjà vu, is a tricky phenomenon to explain, but still a normal human occurrence. The next time you pause, bewildered, during a summary of your favorite movie, or briefly panic over which turn to take while on your evening jog, remind yourself it’s probably just a moment of jamais vu.
—
Source: Word Genius,
Image credit: Alexandre Ayer
Oct10
hawk.
today at school
we looked up
way up
on top
of the carved art pole
covered in languages
all saying one thing
‘peace’
a hopeful sign
the kinder
could not stop watching
this beautiful bird
as it flew up to the tree
and off into the sky.
—
we may be losing the ability
to understand animals who are not pets or horses.
we have less contact with them.
we don’t (most of us) tend to know even cows or pigs,
let alone bears or wolverines or red tailed hawks.
*-marge piercy
*Marge Piercy (1936) is an American poet, novelist, and social activist. Her work includes Woman on the Edge of Time; He, She and It, which won the 1993 Arthur C. Clarke Award; and Gone to Soldiers, a New York Times Best Seller, a sweeping historical novel set during World War II. Piercy’s work is rooted in her Jewish heritage, social and political activism, and her feminist ideals. She influenced the Women’s Movement through both her writing and her unconventional life.
Oct9
the power of humanity.
“we stand at a crossroads.
do we choose ‘the will to power’
or ‘the will to humanity,’
or perhaps a new configuration of both:
the power of humanity?”
― Yasmine Sherif (The Case for Humanity: An Extraordinary Session)
—
25 days
Oct8
the artery.
a child, a bug
watching each other
learning.
—
“science literacy is the artery
through which the solutions of tomorrow’s problems flow.”
-neil degrasse tyson
Oct7
apples, lumber, and shiny rocks.
drawn in by a homemade sign, a wave, a hi
to my favorite kind of store
some kids, a table, and some stuff
selling
apples, lumber, and shiny rocks
they had not sold anything
i’d love to be a customer,
but i’ve no money with me, i said
it’s okay, take some things and pay us tomorrow
we might even have juice then, too
they gave me credit!
—
“without hustle, talent will only carry you so far.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk
Oct6
raise.
drawing family
all tied up in a circle
connected as one.
—
‘your greatest contribution may not be something you do
but someone you raise.”.
-unknown
Oct5
possibilities.
on a rainy walk
a bridge
covered with shining confetti
a celebration
only thing I know
is that it was
something wonderful.
—
‘’I’m all about possibilities and about surprises and the life force.”
-joel grey
Oct4
run across america.
yesterday i took part in the ‘run across america’
a virtual 5k race
that takes place all over the country,
with the usual
friendly competition, medals, t-shirts
only each person chooses their own route.
registration fees, (free for teachers)
support Feeding America, Jumpstart, and Common Ground,
nonprofits currently tackling big challenges.
to join the Fall 5k, you simply register on the site,
download the running app,
put on your shoes on October 3rd, activate the app, and go.
after you’re done running/walking,
you’ll see how you performed versus others all over the country.
(as of this writing, i’m ranked 4,770th, so -)
your race has to start and end on October 3rd,
but your timing is up to you.
to make sure everyone across the country
has time to get the race done in their own time zone,
you can start any time after 12:01am EDT
and need to be done by 11:59pm Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time.
that gives you 30 hours to get your 5 km done
and that is my kind of race!
—
‘some walks you have to take alone.’
-suzanne collins
I didn't have my glasses on.... 