Fluff and Such

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it – always.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

OK man. Meanwhile, how many people will die as a result of the Orange Menace’s utter incompetance, imbecility, extreme prejudice and despicable dictatorial weaselshittery?

How many people will die because Republicans (who control ALL three branches of government, just FYI) refuse to act?

How many will die because the rest of us can't seem to get beyond, in general and specific, the Bernie/Hillary thing?

Another tip from Jessica Hagy’s book How to be Interesting (in 10 Simple Steps):

6. Minimize the swagger.
Egos get in the way of ideas. If your arrogance is more obvious than your expertise, you are someone other people avoid.

Brill advice but someone with an elephantine ego is not likely gonna look at this handy dandy tip and say “ Oh, this is why so many people hate me! I’ll stop my hubristic assholerly right now!” Yeah…no. I don’t see Eddie Egomaniac paying attention to this.

You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.
~ Jonathan Safran Foer

True anough and…ummm….fuck you!

Nothing thicker than a knife's blade separates happiness from melancholy.
― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

I was just wild about this movie. Tilda Swinton was utterly BRILL and I've got to see it again. I just googled and, wildly, it's playing at The Brattle this Thursday evening. I wonder if they have closed captioning.

The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day, you are off it.
~ Jackie Gleason

My diet, which I've been on since late May, feels like a forever thing. Yes, the weight’s dropping but at a monster slow rate. What happens when I eventually, on some distant day, hit my goal? Will I stop counting calories? Will I continue to feel guilty when I crest over 1,000? Is there cake after diet? What about pie?

When I buy cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful, though, because that Raid really doesn't taste that bad.
~ Janette Barber

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.
~ Orson Welles

Rock solid advice!

Inflammation can be a depression spark. Huh.

Although current treatments for depression mostly focus on brain chemicals such as serotonin, scientists now think inflammation throughout the entire body (triggered by an overactive immune system) may be the root cause of the problem. (source)

The new anti-inflammatory drugs, which are currently used to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, were found to also reduce symptoms of depression, according to the review, which was published today (Oct. 18) in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. (source)

That science stuff sure is fascinating.

There’s a difference between being sad and being depressed. Sad is a normal reaction to painful circumstance (losing my beloved TAB, fer instance). Depressed is an all encompassing, seemingly inescapable pall. Happily, luckily I don't have that.

So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.
― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly