The benefits of alcohol

I went to a family (in law) get together last weekend. It was the first time I met many of them and I felt quite welcome.

However, looking back on the evening later, I realized there had been several awkward moments and slightly tense exchanges. Everything was resolved quickly, as the general atmosphere was good and there was genuine love present.

…or not.

I came to the conclusion once again that most of the irritated glances and insensitive remarks had one thing at its core: alcohol.

This morning, as I strolled through my news and blog apps, I stumbled upon several alcohol related stories, finally ending up at this one, describing the health benefits of wine.

And I couldn’t help but cringe… No matter how intellectual people get about what “good wine” is and what foods you can (or can’t) combine it with, the conclusion for me is always the same: it is poison.

Don’t get me wrong, I know there are situations in which alcohol can be used for good; as a disinfectant for example. I also know alcohol acts as an anticoagulant, which I suppose can be positive for some people. I guess snake venom and plant toxins have been used for medicinal purposes since the beginning of time, so why would alcohol be any different?

The thing is that most articles and blogs I read about the benefits of wine (or other alcoholic beverages), to me, are just sorry attempts of drinkers trying to justify a bad habit. I truly believe more bad comes of it than good and hardly any drinker consumes their poison to a degree that is beneficial to their bodies, let alone their spirit (no pun intended).

If I ever were to bring this up at a party (risking acute ostricization or eviction to pariaville) I imagine one of the reactions I would get, would be “That Coca-Cola you are drinking isn’t exactly good for you either”, which would absolutely be true.

I was going to say that drinking Coca-Cola may harm my health but at least it doesn’t turn me into a shitty person, but I guess diabetes can make you kind of moody too, so I’ll have to rethink that one…

But you catch my drift. Alcohol is not cool. It’s not good for your body, your self-esteem or the general atmosphere in the room, and I think you know it too.

 

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Mind Cleanup – February ’16

First of March today and I’m staying home sick. Not the best way to start a month but it was bound to happen. Everyone around seems to have had their share and for a bit there, I thought I would dodge the bullet but today I caved in. My body demands some R&R, some TLC and some extra Z’s. Wish granted.

I must admit a snot filled head is not the best state to be in while conducting a mind cleanup, but I already had some stuff lined up so might as well finish it up and hit the Publish button. If it comes across as a tad incoherent, now you know why…

Remarkable

I overheard two of my colleagues talking the other day and I couldn’t help but tune in when I heard them discussing TV series, films and documentary recommendations. And then I heard one of them saying with a slight smirk “Can you believe there are still people that believe it was the planes that brought the towers down in New York?”. When I turned around, sort of rolling my eyes, he said: “Ah, I see you are one of those gullible souls too…”

Now, I must admit I wasn’t even that surprised by the fact that that particular colleague thought like that. He is a notorious conspiracy theorist, which is simultaneously something I like and dislike about him. The surprising part was coming home and telling my boyfriend about this, who in turn said he didn’t exclude the possibility that the twin towers were brought down by the U.S. themselves either…

And now I feel like I really need to watch me some conspiracy theorist documentaries because I really have no good arguments to contradict it, other than “…but that’sjust ridiculous”.

Getting to know myself

I went to an inspirational get together the other day, called the “Superhero Boostcamp”. It is meant to boost self-esteem and help people who feel they are stuck in an unfulfilling phase, place or job. All though none of these things particularly apply to me or my life at the moment it was not a waste of time. The crowd was friendly and welcoming and the tea hot and soothing. And there were cookies too. I am also a firm believer that a little self-reflection every now is good for the soul.

Uppers

• There is a new service on Dutch trains: USB power banks to charge mobile phones and tablets. You buy it once and then you can swap it for a charged one every time you need it. Came in pretty handy during my last trip up North!
• An old chair that’s been in the family for ages and came with me when I moved into my apartment has just received a fancy makeover and looks a million bucks (and for now it kinda feels like that is actually what it cost too)!

Downers

• Watched Fruitvale Station. Haven’t cried like that in a loooong time… And it wasn’t because one guy was killed. It wasn’t because I saw his family mourn. It wasn’t because I knew how it would end from the very first minute. It was because I realized it wasn’t an incident. The size of the issue and the hopelessness just stuck a knife in my heart.
•  Trump -> #makedonalddrumpfagain

Music

• I don’t watch American football (or even really know the rules), I am not a big fan of patriotistic symbols or rituals and I was born on the other side of the Atlantic. Somehow or other though, I decided to click on a youtube video of the pre-superbowl national anthem being sung by Lady Gaga. And wow. Those windpipes. Just wow.
• I love James Corden’s carpool karaoke vids. It would be even better if they would mute the studio audience, though. And boy, I wish I could watch full un-edited versions of these carpool rides somewhere (except the one with Mariah)!
• I love Sia’s new album.  I love how she goes full-out in the car ride with James Corden. I love how she pulls heart strings I didn’t know I had. I love her crazy balance between sanity and lunacy.
• New discoveries of the month
  • Tenterhook – What I like
  • Brika – Mumbai
  • Alex Vargas – Till forever runs out
  • Paolo Nutini – Scream (Funk my life up)
  • Sia – House on Fire
• I learned a new word, thanks to the Brika song named above, being Limerence. I’m not sure I know exactly how to use it, but if I ever manage to put it into context somewhere I’ll be sure to let you know!

Epilogue

Happy B-day dad.

Gratitude attitude

• …to my nieces and nephew for showing me I am actually OK with kids.
• …for my five senses.
• …for social media, despite my occasional eye-roll
• …for my shower’s trustworthy steadiness in temperature and perfect intensity.
• …for my health, both physical as mental.
• …for my boyfriend, who keeps me balanced, entertained and on my toes.
• …for my freedom, which is so easily taken for granted.
• …for my blog.

SDG’s – tell everyone you know!

There are seventeen SDG’s and you need to know about them.

I know, it made me think of some sort of icky disease at first too, but they’re actually a good thing! The disease may actually be us, but it turns out, we are also the cure.

Looky here:

Spread the word!

PS I’ll be posting some blogs on the Sustainable Development Goals over on my other blog in the coming weeks (I’ve been telling myself this for months now, but this vid was just the kick I needed)

Heal the world

Imagine walking through the desert. It’s hot. You’re thirsty. You see something glistening in the sand… Is it water? A mirror? Is it your imagination playing tricks on you? No, it is actually your lucky day and you’ve just stumbled upon of those super rare genie bearing lamps! What were you doing out here in the desert anyhow and why are these things always found in the middle of nowhere? Nevermind… Quick quick, rub it and see how many wishes you’ve been granted….

POOF! A genie! But not just any genie… This one went to University! That’s Dr. Genie for you! And you get ONE wish. A very specific one too, it’s all in the small lettering at the bottom of the page, I assure you… The bill will be sent to you in a couple of weeks. Now please sign here…

The instructions: You may name any disease or ailment, physical or psychological and the world will be rid of it.

Such a precious wish. But it’s just the one, so you must choose wisely!

There are so many diseases cutting valuable lives short. So many wonderful people being taken from their loved ones. Sure, some of them are probably ass holes but they still didn’t deserve to die like that, right? According to this list the top ten deadliest diseases are:

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Still, I would not name any of these diseases to be annihilated because I am one of those horrible beings that believes people need to die at some point. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t enjoy losing people, I cry at funerals and hope those I love live as long and prosperly as possible. My dad has (had) at least three of the ailments from that top ten list and I’m glad they didn’t kill him (yet).

Making these diseases disappear will decrease mortality rates and only increase the world’s population. Sure, It will prevent some individual’s personal losses and hypothetical traumas. They will not thank me though. They will not value the no-longer-dying person more, nor will they make the most of the time they have just won. They probably never even knew their time was running short. And even if they did, you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone anyway. They might never value life like they would have if they’d had lost their mother, brother, father or child to that mortal disease.

Now that all of you think I am a horrible person I could go on and say that I wish to rid the world of hatred, or I could go full blown hypocrite and say that I will eradicate cynicism but I’m not here to troll.

The ailment that I wish to wipe out is depression. I’m sure some will say this doesn’t qualify as a disease, but I disagree. Seeing people I love suffer from depression is the worst thing. I have never been depressed myself and am quite certain I never will be touched by this dark demon but I do see its shadows in my environment every now and then. It’s horrible horrible horrible.

It’s a disease that doesn’t kill you, but makes being alive feel pointless. All the beauty of the world is lost to those suffering from it. No “I love you” ever enters their heart, no matter how often you say it. They still feel worthless and alone, no matter how tight you hug them. I hate that bloody disease and would ask the genie if I could give that wretched black mut of a dog one last kick in the balls before he blasts it off the planet.

A for August

Exactly one week from now it will be the first day of August and instead of starting with good intentions, fresh new promises and strict commitments in January, I decided to just start completely randomly in the eighth month.

Contrary to new year’s resolutions they will not be plans for the following 12 months but just for the month of August itself and we’ll just decide how to proceed when September comes peaking.

So what are my goals for the month of August?

• Post one blog a day all month
• Eat at least one piece of fruit every day of the month
• Go jogging at least once a week
• Add one new item to my bucketlist

And that’s it for now! So to sum it up: 31 blogs, >31 pieces of fruit, >5 jogs, 1 bucketlist item in 31 days.

See you on the other side!