What do you point your furniture at?

I don't have a TV. As it happens, in my current situation, I couldn't have one if I did want to, which I don't.

I do watch TV shows.  We have a Netflix account, before which we had a BBC iPlayer account. We own and borrow box sets.  But at home when I watch a television show, I am doing it on purpose.  And that, to me, is the key difference between me without a TV and me with a TV.

When I'm visiting somewhere that has one I find we end up watching the least bad thing on. The same thing used to happen to me when I had a TV. You have a time in your schedule, consciously or not, that says 'TV'. You fill that time with whatever is on. You pay various companies money so that you can have a large variety of choices. And you choose whatever is best from there. Not watching TV at all only becomes an option when really isn't anything on that's even passable.  Given the tendency of tired people who've been making decisions all day to take the easiest path, that bar can be pretty low.

To put it another way, for me, the difference between not owning and owning a TV is the difference between watching Firefly, or The Blue Planet, or Avatar and 'watching TV'. There are plenty of shows I like. But I don't like TV.  I don't like half the stuff I end up watching in other people's houses.  Yeah, a lot of the time I get into it and I keep watching because I want to find out what happens or whatever.  But that's not the same as coming out the other end really glad I spent that time that way.  And I don't like ads.  There are a now, I understand, many ways to record it and/or fast forward ads.  But I haven't come across one that's less effort than streaming the show or watching it from a disk in the first place.  Not to mention the price.

On the other hand, to mention the price, Mr. Money Mustache covers it quite nicely.  TV is expensive.  Organising it so 'the best thing on' is actually decent costs even more money.  Way more money than an account with Netflix or BBC iPlayer or something.  Heck, for the amount of money most people spend on cable, or satellite or whatever, I could more than afford to buy pretty much all of the shows I actually want to watch in box sets.  

I get the question 'what do you you point your furniture at?' from people I tell that I don't have a TV.  We point our furniture at tables.  Then we put things on the tables.  

Something I heard

Something I heard

We’ve had a few high tides lately

And a recent storm has left the normally placid and fairly stationary shingle

Spread out down the sand somewhat.

I’ve always loved water,

Particularly the sea,

Particularly beaches,

But most of all; this beach, my beach.

I’ve rarely seen a tide so high.

So tonight I went exploring,

My beach,

But different.

And that is when I heard it.

The sound of a wave pulling back through loose shingle.

Not much, maybe,

But that pulling, tumbling, clacking, clapping, laughing, calling sound,

Resonated with a joy string in my heart

And left it ringing.

Rambling thoughts on being an extrovert alone in public.

I like being out, alone, in places that have other people in them. I realised the other night that that is because of my extroversion, not despite it. I like short, reasonably meaningless, but pleasant interactions with strangers.

For example, that evening I had one conversation about queues, two about directions (the first one didn't really sink in) and one about the weather (I mean seriously, sleet and hail a week after that sunshine? Madness.).

I understand that these interactions would have been at best dull and and worst intimidating for many of my introverted friends, family and acquaintances. But I really enjoy them. I like those simple sharings of humanity. I know I make a good first impression in person, probably partly because I know it.  Talking to people usually makes us both smile and I like to think I've increased the sum total of happiness in the world, just a fraction.

Obviously, it's not as straightforward as 'I am an extrovert, therefore this is good'.  While I am one of the most extroverted people I know, no one is right at either end of that scale.  I also enjoy being alone in otherwise empty places, and time inside my own head.  But obviously, my reasons for that are different.

'A bit more than enough to get by' is relative, but $75,000 is not.

This is a great article on The Overjustification Effect.  And it demonstrates something that I've come across recently while listening to the audio book of Ben Goldacre's 'Bad Science'.  It's important that people reporting on studies, or any kind of science, mention figures.

The article refers to some research by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That research appears to show that above a certain threshold, money doesn't make you happier.  I’ve come across references to that research before, where that threshold was reported, as it is in the You Are Not So Smart post above, as basically 'just a bit more than enough to get by'.  But last time there wasn't a number attached.  This time there is; $75,000 a year, just over €57,000, according to  xe.com today.

My jaw dropped when I read this figure.  That's a lot of money!  More so in 2008 and 2009 when the study was completed.  I earn a good bit less than that.  I struggle to get by sometimes, but that's because I'm supporting a family on one income.  If I were single and childless, or if both of us were earning what I earn, I'd be laughing.  I'm reasonably paid for what I do, in what is considered a high paying industry.  I admit that I don’t live in America, where the study was completed, but the cost of living is certainly pretty comparable.  I’m not sure that it’s reasonable to think that, for most people, $75,000 a year is ‘just a bit more than enough to get by’.  It sounds, to me, like substantially more than enough to get by.  It sounds like enough to make you a little bit rich.  

I've heard before that more money doesn't make you happy once you have enough to get you out of poverty.  Now that I see the figures involved, I'd interpret it more as 'more money doesn't make you happy once you've hit a little bit rich', which isn't nearly as interesting or surprising.

My best guess is that to the people writing these articles, $75,000 doesn't sound like a lot of money.  But that must be relative to their own incomes.  And that's why you need to put numbers, statistics or other details of what you're reporting on in what you're writing; because 'a bit more than enough to get by' is relative, but $75,000 is not.

Male tailored (spa) treatment package

Ok, I get it, you run a Spa. You think ‘most of our clients are women, how do we go about getting more men in?’ I’m with you so far. In fact, trying to share what you do, which you clearly think is a good thing, with both genders equally? Well that’s practically feminist logic! But then you think ‘Well, what do we do that men might like? Certainly not facials, exfoliation or moisturising. Because, after all, men can’t have skin that needs to be treated, unlike women.’ And you start to loose me, particularly when you get to ‘More like relaxing and de-stressing. Because men get stressed, unlike women.’ Um. I could let all of this go, right up until ‘And, just in case there is any doubt, we’ll offer two separate packages, and we’ll use the word male all over the one we’re aiming at men.’ So you get this:


“Indulge that special person in your life to a relaxing and de-stressing treatment! The White Pebble Spa have designed an exclusive Men’s package based on the most popular Men’s Treatments at the White Pebble Day Spa. The treatment begins with a deep tissue back massage using essential oils that will help to melt away those aches and pains. This is followed with a face, neck and scalp treatment tailor made to suit each individual client
The White Pebble Spa is ideally located at the 4* Stillorgan Park Hotel where there is ample free parking. The contemporary styled Spa uses the exclusive range of French YonKa products and have been awarded YonKa Day Spa of the Year 2012. The White Pebble Spa has a total of seven treatment rooms with an additional relaxation area, excellent changing facilities for the ultimate in relaxation.”

Which is, of course, completely different and separate to this:

“This fantastic spa package ensure you’ll blossom into spring! The luxurious Daffodil package begins with an Invigorating Full Body Exfoliation. The body is then deeply moisturised using a ginseng and comfrey rich body milk, after which a brightening YonKa express facial will give tired, dry, winter skin a luminous spring glow!
The White Pebble Spa is ideally located at the 4* Stillorgan Park Hotel where there is ample free parking. The contemporary styled Spa uses the exclusive range of French YonKa products and have been awarded YonKa Day Spa of the Year 2012. The White Pebble Spa has a total of seven treatment rooms with an additional relaxation area, excellent changing facilities for the ultimate in relaxation.
Bring a friend, Sister or Mother and enjoy the tranquil surroundings of the White Pebble Day Spa!”

You might notice how while the large text at the top advertises both as valentines gifts, the smaller text in the one for ‘males’ is aimed at the person buying it for him, but the text under ‘Valentine’s gift for her’ is aimed at, well, her.

Now, this is primarily a feminist rant. This is about the fact that I would much prefer a 'deep tissue massage and face, neck and scalp treatment' to a 'Full Body Exfoliation, Deep Moisturisation and Yonka Express Facial'. I’ve had a full body exfoliation before, it really wasn’t my thing. Deep tissue massages, on the other hand, I can really get behind. But I’m going to let my linguistics nerd out just for a second. ‘Male’? Really? Not ‘for men’? Is my three year old son or my sister-in-law’s guide dog considered more suited to this than I am? Or are you just being as careless with language as you are with equality?

Allow me to draw your attention to the fact that the second package doesn’t mention women anywhere other than mentioning that it would make an ideal gift 'for her'. There are women in the picture. But they’re small and not the focus of the ad, unlike the one for ‘MALES’. There is no mention of women, or females, anywhere. I guess women is just the default audience of spas. That makes it ok, right?

I honestly believe that the majority of the lack of equality between genders that I come across (in my life, I realise it is not like this everywhere) is caused by people who genuinely don’t realise they’re doing it. With that in mind I emailed them.

“Hi there,

I'd just like to ask a quick question about your naming scheme for the
treatments offered in the Groupscheme. Is the 'Male Relaxing and
De-Stressing Treatment' available to women as well? If not, why not?
If so, why not call it 'Relaxing and De-Stressing Treatment'?
Certainly 'a deep tissue massage and face, neck and scalp treatment'
sounds far more appealing to me, a woman, than 'Full Body Exfoliation,
Deep Moisturisation and Yonka Express Facial'. And certainly more
worth the money. I can understand if you wanted to mention in the
text somewhere that it was suitable for men, because spa treatments
are more usually associated with women. But I think that this goes
too far.

As a feminist, I am determined to call out sexism wherever I see it.
Please stop a moment and question your assumptions.

Regards,
Sorcha”

I’ll update this if/when they reply.

Vibram Five Fingers

Having made a massive two attempts at running completely barefoot I decided to bite the bullet and buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers I couldn't really afford.  The guy in the shop said that I should get used to walking in them before I run in them.  And the instructions that come with them say to try them for an hour or two at a time at first.  So I sat in work with them on for a few hours on Tuesday and a few more hours today (Thursday).  Today I also walked to the car and drove home in them. 

One of the main reasons I got them is that running barefoot is really cold.  When I went outside in them today I thought ‘my feet are really cold’.  And then I remembered how cold my feet were running barefoot and realised that no, actually, my feet weren’t really cold.  The tops of my feet were cold, but nothing on running barefoot.  And the soles weren’t cold at all.  So that’s a win.

I also cheated a little and ran some of the way to the car.  I’m sure it’s largely psychological, but it felt really good.  It felt like I could go really fast and be happy to do so.  I am looking forward to this being the way I run.

Saoili runs barefoot, take 1

I've been reading a lot of things lately that have me considering taking up barefoot running. The foremost of these is Christopher McDougall's excellent book Born To Run. I've also read warnings against simply throwing your shoes in the bin and expecting a lifetime of injury free barefoot running to come straight from that. So this morning, despite not having read much detail on the actual mechanics our techniques of the whole thing, I decided to give it a shot. Not quite throwing my runners away and heading out the door. I ran two miles to the nearest beach, took off my shoes and socks and ran half a mile down the beach and turned around. I put my shoes back on when I reached them and ran back to the house.

My personal best pace is just under 8 minute miles, on a track, at peak fitness, on a calm night, in a race. Since I ran a marathon I've only once or twice managed to sustain 9 minute miles for any length of time. Which is why, when I glanced at my GPS watch .15 of a mile down the beach and it told me that my pace was 7 minute 14 second miles, I figured I should probably slow down, and did so. I was kinda sorry later, because it probably would have been a better experiment if is kept going at whatever pace felt comfortable until the end. About a quarter of a mile in I remember thinking about how I'd read that one of the reasons barefoot running is better is because your feet tell you things. I figured that any minute my feet were going to be to numb from the cold to tell me anything. By the turn around point they were clearly communicating. They were saying ow. Not just the cold, but the unfamiliar uncushioned impact hurt a lot. This will take practice. In short, I was glad to put my shoes back on, but I also look forward to taking them back off.