Saturday, September 29, 2007

Can't Explain

I have worked in corporations alongside tech writers for over 15 years (gasp). I always heard that using humor in technical texts is quite risky and should be avoided. Here is a case in point, taken from the label on my conditioner (yes, I read everything):

Directions: Try to contain your laughter. Work conditioner through clean, damp hair. Rinse and commence laughter.

Can somebody explain?

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Gratitude

I just finished reading The Secret, a book that gives advice on how to live better. I incorporated a few of the ideas in my life. One of them is to write daily things that happened for which you are grateful. A friend of mine has been doing it for two years just as a general morale booster. I always thought it was a good idea - for her. I bought myself a notebook and started writing a few days ago. It's actually a lot of fun. Example: I am happy for my visit to the dentist (it didn't hurt); I enjoyed stopping for organic vegetables by the side of the road and paying though the honor system; I loved the mushroom sauce Paul made tonight...

Anyways, we'll see where that leads me.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Evolution

Minuit died on July 24. I used to write to Paul's mom as though I were Minuit and, since he died, I send her "extracts from his diary". She asked us if we thought he had been a human being reborn into a dog, which sparked a discussion later between Yseult and me when she mentioned that exchange to me. I told Yseult that I did not think it was possible to reincarnate into anything other than a human body. She argued that she did not believe humans were the highest life form and that we might be better off coming back as plants. She told me of an experiment where two plants were separated : one was kept in a lab and the other was sent into space. The scientists did things to the one on Earth and the one in space reacted immediately as though it was happening to it. "If plants can communicate immediately over such distances, why are we the evolved ones?"
Which got me thinking about how presumptuous it was of me to assume supremacy over plants and animals...