Segacs's World I Know

Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

However you look at it, 30 years is a friggin’ long time.

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad.

Frustration is: Anticipating a million details and getting screwed by detail number million-and-one.

Yes, that was random. But I just had to get it out.

So I came home today and checked my mail, only to find – among the many pieces of junk mail I reguarly receive – a glossy advertisement for a new luxury condo development in the area.

Now, I don’t live in a dump or anything, but these ain’t fancy digs either. My place is a one-bedroom, with relatively low rent and, I would guess, a fairly low average income for the building.

So what marketing “genius” came up with the bright idea to spam our neighbourhood with ads for condos that probably cost more money than I, or any of my neighbours, will probably see in four lifetimes?

Just asking.

A phobia is a deep, irrational fear that can take over someone’s life. Common phobias include heights, spiders, snakes, small spaces… and my personal phobia, needles.

Thanks to this fear, I’ve never had a flu shot, I avoid blood tests like the plague, and I’ve even shied away from traveling to countries that require certain immunizations, which, for a travelaholic like myself, is a really big deal. It’s no use trying to argue me out of it, either; I know full well that there’s no logical basis to the fear, but then, with a phobia, that’s not the point.

Lindsay pointed me to this article talking about a study she worked on that suggests that the simple act of distracting kids can alleviate their fears. But I’m skeptical. A kid – or even an adult – who is truly phobic of needles is likely to just remember the attempt at distraction and be even more distrustful the next time around.

Instead of researching distraction techniques, I’d suggest to the medical and scientific community that they find a way to administer vaccines or take blood that doesn’t involve any kind of needles. Yeah, I know, not too likely… but it would be nice.

(By the way, in case you’re wondering, I’m perfectly fine with heights, and skydiving is awesome.)

Update: Lindsay informs me that, actually, the studies she reviewed excluded kids with actual phobias. That makes much more sense. A run-of-the-mill fear is probably easily alleviated by distraction, but a deep phobia wouldn’t fit that pattern.

why blogging has been so light lately.

Well, it has to do with a rarely-mentioned topic on this blog: Real life. I just started a new job, and things have been pretty hectic.

That’s my excuse, anyway. The truth is, the only news I can bear to watch these days is the faux-news of the Stewart and Colbert variety. I’ve been getting headaches again when I try to watch anything else, so it’s time for a breather.

If you are intent on getting the blood pressure to skyrocket, however, I suggest checking out the links in the blogroll on the lefthand side of this page. Meanwhile, I’m still around and posting, but expect things to be spotty for a bit until I get back on track. Thanks for your understanding.

It was raining all day today, my car’s muffler decided to fritz out, I flubbed a job interview this morning, and I have a splitting headache.

But I’m alive and nobody shot me or shot at me. So all in all, I’d have to say it’s been a pretty good day.

Funny what a little perspective does sometimes to make our daily problems seem minor in comparison.

Wind chimes.

Who thought it would be a good idea to put them up in an apartment building, anyway? My neighbours, that’s who.

Living in a wind tunnel just got much more musical.

The lack of posts about the Lebanon war in the past few days has nothing to do with there being nothing to blog about. On the contrary.

But I’ve had to shut down for a few days, to block out that whooshing noise that goes to my head every time I turn on CNN or read too many of the headlines in the papers. I get too angry, too depressed, too weary of the downwards spiral and the feeling that somehow we’ve been here before and we’ll be here again, far too many times.

I’m lucky enough to have the luxury of taking a breather here. A luxury not afforded to people currently in Haifa or Beirut. In the meantime, there’s certainly no lack of options for people looking to get some opinion, editorial or perspective on the events of the past few days. I won’t even post a reading list; there are far, far too many to list.

Sorry for the lack of weightier posts since my return to blogging. You surf over here looking for Gilad Shalit or North Korea, and instead you get treated to googling and hockey talk.

Well, I make no apologies, but I do have plenty of good excuses.

For one thing, it’s bloody hot outside and, by extension, in here. Too hot to think, let alone rant.

For another, I’m still not caught up on the main news headlines since I’ve been away, let alone on all the zillions of bloggers who have been covering them. The travel bubble is all-encompassing, and it’s ironically easier to learn about what’s going on “out there” while “in here”.

Besides, the news is kind of like a bad soap opera: stop reading it for a few months and pick it up again, and you’ll realize that nothing much has changed. Same shit, different day. Frankly, it’s exhausting.

So I’ll probably be blogging about fluff for a while yet. But hey, it’s summer, we can all use a little lighter fare these days, right? If not, you know where to go for your servings of meat.

Yep, it’s really me! Not a mirage or an illusion, I’m actually up and running again.

So… did anyone miss me? Didn’t think so. But on the off chance that someone is actually checking this site, regular blogging resumes as of now. Sorry for the long hiatus, but those of you who know me know where I was and understand why I couldn’t blog. As for everyone else, well, suffice to say that I’ve been travelling for a while, and I’m sure that stories from the road will be creeping into my posts from time to time.

It may take me a bit of time to catch up on what’s actually been going on in the world, but I promise to entertain you with random thoughts and tidbits until I can get some meatier postings going.

It sure is good to be home! (Where’s my ticker tape parade?)