Stress and lists

I've suffered from both stress and lists. It seems to me that stress is caused when you have a list of things to do and you keep skipping from one to another rather than grabbing the bull by the horns, taking the first item on the list and getting it done.

Total perspective vortex

Ever since reading the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy I've been in love with the concept of the total perspective vortex. At school I wanted it in a gun format so I could shoot arrogant people, now I'd rather it as a way of putting life's problems in perspective (they're pretty trivial really). When you think about it though, there's enough evidence of the enormity and complexity of the universe all around us. Certainly enough to overwhelm the mind of a simple man.

Guilt for who we are

I'm not heir to a billionaire's estate (that I know of, if your a billionaire and want to adopt me, that's fine by me) but I still feel guilty for the relative affluence I was born into being brought up in the middle class of a western country. It occurs to me that whilst I feel guilty for this, I feel no guilt about being above average intelligence (per the IQ test) and not being horrendously ugly. Money, innate ability and looks all have a part to play in determining out quality of life so it is irrational of me to feel guilt for only one (I'm using this as an excuse for feeling less guilty not more).

Pots with lids

I hereby admit to being the laziest person in the world: I get a pot out to cook pasta and I can't be bothered to root through the cupboard to find the lid, so I boil the water without a lid. The result: it takes longer and is worse for the environment. So how can this be cured? I know of no medication that can cure my laziness, but a pot with a built-in hinged lid would help encourage people (and me) from wasting energy. The diagram illustrates an unlidded pot, one with a single hinged lid, and one with a double hinged lid.

Thought of the day

Authors make things out to be more than they are.

Thought of the day

Bad laws make criminals of good people.

Thought of the day

Don't plan too far in advance, you never know what mood you'll be in.