imagined-community

Yeah, I made it! Even though I was a total curmudgeon the last few days. NaBloPoMo has definitely given me a new appreciation for people that post every day, especially the single working moms & dads out there that blog regularly. I definitely did not enjoy posting every day and I am SO glad that I don’t have to post tomorrow. =) In a way, this month has caused me to ask myself why I am blogging. I read many new blogs this month (new to me) and have been impressed by the writing and whatnot that bloggers are doing on their plots of virtual space. I’ve been inspired by some of the stuff I have seen and I have a feeling that my blog will be getting a revamp in the future, but not tomorrow…or even the next day! Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting this month! I appreciate your support! And congratulations to all the NaBloPoMo bloggers out there that made it the full 30 days!

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Here I am, stuck in bed, watching night after night of dismal health news. I don’t usually get upset when the weekly “new cancer culprit” story breaks, but over the last couple of days scientists have uncovered some unexpected sources of ill health. First there was the news that working at night increases a person’s cancer risk because the body doesn’t make enough melatonin when it sleeps during daylight hours. Yesterday, we learned that doctors are inappropriately using CT scans, a habit that is increasing cancer rates (I had a CT scan two months ago. Didn’t think twice about it). And today we have a study from the University of Michigan that claims that exposure to violent media increases a person’s risk of aggressive behavior at close to the same rate that smoking cigarettes would lead them get lung cancer. (Can I just say that I have been arguing that violent media promotes aggressive behavior for 20 years. It’s common sense people. Humans are imitative creatures. I also find it interesting that the concept of violence in /violence out is only credible when framed as a medical problem). In the last year we have seen studies showing that long commutes cause high blood pressure, increased heart rates, back and neck pain, short-term memory loss, chronic frustration, and illness. Once you arrive at your job, after that long commute, your body is in for even more abuse. According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting on the job all day is harmful to our health. For a society so attached to the notion that we are improving our quality of life through technological advancements, it seems like culturally we are heading toward barbarism. We are building lifestyles that damage our minds and our bodies. Wine appears to be nature’s cancer fighter, but our decade seems to be unwittingly raising our wine glasses in a toast to the grim reaper.

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I think I am a little bit stoned from the pain medication. Last night I sat on the floor and pulled out every box of tea stored in my kitchen cabinet so I could give my friend Vicky a full range of tea choices. Even I was struck by the oddness of my behavior. I don’t think I have ever sat on the floor and spent ten minutes disemboweling a cabinet while my friends watched in quizzical amusement. Today has been a little less weird. Let’s hope tomorrow is even closer to sane. =)

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