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Hello all. It’s Day 5, and time for a Youtube Clip. Wouldn’t you know it? My father chose today to make a quantum leap ahead of me on the internet. He has posted two videos on Youtube. So far, I have posted…none. Yay Dad! So, here is one of the videos he posted:

Yep. Those are my Mum and Dad. That person with the hoarse voice apparently works at the Apple Store…and showed them how to make these videos.

…And here’s one other video to keep you entertained. it a time lapse of the Northern Lights as done by National Geographic.

Today’s recommendation is of a website. I have all sorts of sites to offer…I mean, I do deal with information for a living. But I figure that you all will most enjoy:

Stop You’re Killing Me.com – This is a fabulous website for Mystery lovers. It keeps track of the order in which series have been published, which books are in which series, and it even offers a way to look up by character if you have forgotten an author’s name. Never read a mystery series out of order again!

It’s Day 3, and therefore time to recommend a book. As it happens, this recommendation dovetails nicely into something else I’ve been wanting to do on this blog. First, let’s look at the book I’ve chosen:

This is the Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron (check out her website here.)

Now, on to the thing I’ve been wanting to do here. *deep breath*

I am a Highly Sensitive Person.

This is what Elaine says to HSPs just learning about the trait:

“If you find you are highly sensitive, or your child is, you need to begin by knowing the following:

Your trait is normal. It is found in 15 to 20% of the population–too many to be a disorder, but not enough to be well understood by the majority of those around you.

It is innate. In fact, biologists have found it to be in most or all animals, from fruit flies and fish to dogs, cats, horses, and primates. This trait reflects a certain type of survival strategy, being observant before acting. The brains of highly sensitive persons (HSPs) actually work a little differently than others’.

You are more aware than others of subtleties. This is mainly because your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. So even if you wear glasses, for example, you see more than others by noticing more.

You are also more easily overwhelmed. If you notice everything, you are naturally going to be overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time.

This trait is not a new discovery, but it has been misunderstood. Because HSPs prefer to look before entering new situations, they are often called “shy.” But shyness is learned, not innate. In fact, 30% of HSPs are extraverts, although the trait is often mislabeled as introversion. It has also been called inhibitedness, fearfulness, or neuroticism. Some HSPs behave in these ways, but it is not innate to do so and not the basic trait.

Sensitivity is valued differently in different cultures. In cultures where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem. They are told “don’t be so sensitive” so that they feel abnormal.”

Think you might be an HSP? Take the self-test.

Now, apart from outing myself as an HSP, I also chose this book to talk about today because I’m planning to read it cover to cover soon and post my reflections on it here, chapter by chapter. This book changed my life. Perhaps there are other folks out there who would like to discover, “I’m not crazy, just different.” And that’s always nice to learn. Check back soon to join me on my journey.

Okay. This is day 2, and as with Day 1, I am going to offer you not one picture, but two. The photo that appears above is of my favorite subject…My red sneakers. Speaking of which, I need a new pair. As you can tell by the angle, I did indeed take the photo. Anyway, do you see the heart? (you can see a larger version here.)

Now, for the second picture, I point you to the website for Cole Thompson Photography, where you may behold the fabulous Archangel Gabriel. If it is the last thing that I do, I will get myself a copy of this photograph, all matted and beautiful on my wall.

I borrowed this meme from a certain Earlgreytea68. This is how it goes:

Sharing is Caring:
for one week, recommend / share
Day 1: a song
Day 2: a picture
Day 3: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day 4: a site
Day 5: a youtube clip
Day 6: a quote
Day 7: whatever tickles your fancy

This, by default, is Day 1. Now, I have shared all kinds of songs here in the past so, this is a fairly difficult task. This is what I ultimately chose:

Okay. Code Monkey is just what it sounds like. Still Alive (a most bizarre song that really grows on one) is actually from a credit sequence, as near as I can tell, and is by by Jonathan Coulton & GlaDOS.

and here’s the video type thing for this one: Portal Credits song: Still Alive by Jonathan Coulton & GlaDOS .

For my Mum, with whom I discussed this concept, I offer this LOLcat.

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A comment on my day yesterday.

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“Fail” is the opposite of “Win.” (Remember them from the slang discussion the other day?) This caption paradigm was do popular that it spawned it’s own site – Failblog. This one has never really appealed to me. I’ve always much preferred “Win” over fail.

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More recently known as “UR doin it wrong,” this caption paradigm also spawned its opposite: variations on “UR doin it right actually.” Some of these are hilarious, and others are just dumb. (Yes. Some win, some fail.) Amusingly enough, I do prefer this paradigm to the one above.

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I’m just including this one to provide a bit of variety. Often LOLcats can be considered rude, crass, distressing, or just plain not funny. This one stands as proof that the opposite is also true. I like it. It’s sweet.

Source here

The caption paradigms from ICHC continue.

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(date: 1/12/2007) Behold! Monorail cat. (Close cousin to hover cat who appears later.) Folks took this idea and ran with it.

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(date:1/17/2007) Here we see the “Invisible X” paradigm. This particular caption trend is one of my favorites. This is the first one listed on the site. (also, check out “Invisible Bike“.)

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This is an example of the incredibly popular “Im in UR (blank) doing (blank)” caption paradigm. This one actually transcends the LOLcat genre and can be found all over the internet. This is not the first example of this sort of caption on the site, but it’s the first one that isn’t rude.

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In LOLcatland, you can “has” something, you can ask “I can has?”, and you can also state that you “Want”/”Do not want” something. In this picture, we can see a cat airing his opinion of Coke Zero. This is another of the caption paradigms that has escaped the confines of LOLcatland and has invaded other forms of internet communication…and actual speech.

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