No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on February 13, 2020

Pressure is part of life. There is pressure holding us on this planet. There is air pressure all around us. There are the pressures that society puts on us and pressures we put on ourselves.

Then there is a pressure created artificially by companies through marketing to sell products to consumers.

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays. 

The feast of St. Valentine was a replacement for the pagan holiday of Lupercalia which was an ancient pastoral festival observed in Rome to avert evil spirits and purify the city thus bring in health and fertility. It was done by Pope Gelasius I as the end of the 5^th century. The romantic aspects came in around the 14^th century thank you Chaucer. 

The first commercial Valentine’s cards were created in the mid 1800s and it has snowballed from there.

Giving cards at school was a popularity contest. We made our paper bag or box mailbox and put them on our desks then went around and put the cards in them. Some parents made us give everyone a card and others allowed their children to pick and choose. It was a physical manifestation of your standing in the class. 

By the time that Caroline was giving valentine cards, the rule was everyone got a card if someone brought them in.

As I have grown up, Valentine’s Day has become a holiday with a lot of pressure and it really shouldn’t.

First part is do you have someone in your life as your Valentine?

That makes a lot of people feel bad because they are single. There is nothing wrong with being single. I was single for the most part on Valentine’s Day until I got together with Peter. There are a number of businesses promoting speed dating on Valentine’s Day or the various matchmaking apps promoting their services. 

Second what are you going to do to knock their socks off?

There are cards and candy and flowers and stuff animals and…well there are a lot of things created for that specific day. Jewelry stories promote the idea that given expensive jewelry show how much you love the other person. 

Valentine’s day is also a big day for restaurants. Many have specific things that they only do that day. 

This year I saw my first car commercial promoting the idea of giving your loved one a car.

I don’t like the implication that you have to buy something or do something specific to prove your love. 

I don’t like the implication that if you don’t have a significant other, you are less than others on Valentine’s Day.

You are not less if you are single. You are not less if you can’t give expensive gifts.

The pressure put on us is artificial and a social construct dating back to the 14^th century.

If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, go for it. I hope the day is everything you wanted and more.

If you don’t, there is no shame in that. You do you.

I am grateful for not having relationship pressure. 

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 12, 2020

We are learning or probably re-learning the mind-body connection. When the body is hurting the brain is not working as well. When the mind is hurting, the body seems to manifest those feelings throughout the body.

We go to a doctor for help with physical problems that manifest within our bodies. We are given things to get us to normal readings like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and pain. They can see through tests what is wrong and what needs to be done to correct the problem.

When a general doctor asks a patient,’how do you feel?’ the assumption is that the doctor wants to know physically how you feel. The answer is usually a list of physical symptoms that gives the doctor a starting point to sort out what is going on. 

I think that we should make a mental health check part of the general physical for people. Have the doctor ask ‘how are you feeling’ and it means emotionally how are you feeling. A mental wellness check for people. This would do two things. It would give the patient a safe space to talk about their mental health and would allow doctors to help both the body and the mind of their patients. It would also go a long way to destigmatizing mental health.

And it would help the doctor in diagnosing the problems within the body. We know stress, both short term and long term, can do some screwy things to the body. Depression can cause all kinds of problems physically, but the mental issues can cause all kinds of damage. Substance abuse, weight gain, lack of motivation, and many other things can take a toll on the body. 

The mind/body connection is real. The science supports the concept. It is no longer based on a religion or spirituality. 

Doctors need to make mental health part of the discussion of how to help and heal the body. And we as patients need to as well.

I am grateful for physicians who believe in the mind/body connection.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 11, 2020

You would think that since I can make puppets I would make a few for me rather than to sell or gift or as part of a sketch. 

I have had puppets that have become mine but were originally build for something else. 

This year I thought I might build a few just for me which will also allow me to showcase my talent. 

I have nine days to work along with the other things going on around the house. 

I can do this.

I feel a list coming on.

I am grateful for soft pads on bandages.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 10, 2020

This morning it was raining because the temperature was just high enough to prevent snow. It was still wet and cold. 

The cats have picked their spots based on how much heat they can get on their bellies from the baseboard radiators with the exception of one box that has become an occasional bone of contention. Right now the owner is Phoebe but Mewlan is trying to evict her.

I finished the first draft of my short story for the Bad Úš Moms anthology edited by Mary Fan. The kickstarter will be going live later today and I will post a link tomorrow.

I can now go on to the next piece of my list for Farpoint. And the piece after that and so on. I have a plan that is so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel. 

Today is regroup day to get ready for the next two weeks.

I am grateful for finishing something.

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Posted By Kathleen David on February 8, 2020

Today is the birthday of the patron saint of Steampunk, Jules Verne.

His works have influenced many both in literature and invention.

Things he wrote about came into being like electric submarines, computers, and elevators.

Funny thing is that most people don’t know that his adventure novels were actually a series published by Pierre-Jules Hetzel called Voyages Extraordinaire. There were 54 books and stories in the series, and it was set out to explore the science and knowledge of the time and extrapolate what might happen next.

My favorite is 20,000 Leagues under the Sea but Master of the World is really good too.

The term Steampunk came into being in the late 80s and there is some variation as to where it came from. Most people give K.W. Jester the credit since they can point to the letter in Locus. Others give the credit to the gaming industry which was developing games with a steampunk vibe. It was a twist on the popular cyberpunk tropes. 

Once the word was out there, fandom embraced it with both hands. 

For costumers it gave the excuse to bring back their version of Victorian and Edwardian fashion with a science fiction element. It is now an entire fashion type. 

For writers it gave another genre to work in. It fit in well with the other popular genre at the time Alternative History. 

But Steampunk has always been there in the corners. The TV series Wild, Wild, West proved that one. There is Disney’s version of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Even Doctor Who had a bit of a steampunk vibe since the beginning.

And then there is the works of Jules Verne who is a writer of speculative fiction.

So, on this day let us raise a glass to Verne and all that came after him. 

They made it cool to wear Top Hats again but only if they have gears on them (joking).

I am grateful for the whole steampunk movement because it really is my aesthetic.

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