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Happiness

20:22 / 29.11.05

Just caught the end of a great BBC program called Making Slough Happy. It's a kind of mission impossible style thing where they appear to have scientifically proven that you can fix many things with a 'big splashy musical number', singing in a group is great for cheering people up apparently. It's full of cool stuff like that on their website.

So what stuff makes you happy? With me it's getting lost in something that I enjoy and building something that I can look at the end of it and think "jobs a good 'un".

02:16 / 30.11.05

Isn't Slough where The Office was set?

it's getting lost in something

There's a whole book on this called Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. My copy of this book was borrowed & never returned, but I don't think I was so overwhelmed by the book so much as the concept of flow; and it's still a key concept for me. Anyway, I thought of it because flow is often described as getting lost in something.

What also makes me happy is --if I tackle a project, like hanging up a picture. Then I'm in the room & the picture catches my eye, I get this flash of happiness. Just because something is in that space? Because now I can enjoy the picture? I don't know, I just do. And I'm very bad about hanging up pictures. I've had pictures leaning against the walls in my house for years at a time. Why don't I do it more often? Because it seems like there are a hundred annoying little steps, probably actually three, to get the picture on the wall. I mean, I've never gotten lost in hanging up a picture. Until the picture is up, I feel like I'm being bitten to death by ducks.

Things I get lost in: writing, organizing things. It scares me sometimes to lose so much time, though.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

04:22 / 30.11.05

It's a kind of mission impossible style thing where they appear to have scientifically proven that you can fix many things with a 'big splashy musical number'

I have never doubted this. Its actually my fifth line of defense against Worse Case Scenario X (WCSx). On the list after "Desecrate Jonthan Brandis's Corpse As Offering To Fell Powers Of Night" and before "Do Something Unexpected".

Lilly Nowhere Late

05:58 / 30.11.05

Hey one of my clients made that show. She said it was really an inspiring thing to work on.
Hotel rooms make me happy. Really great hotel rooms.

foot long subbacultcha

14:37 / 30.11.05

I was born and raised in Slough. The existence of the TV show is news to me. Did they manage to make it happy, then? I didn't notice that much difference last time I was there, but then I suppose everyone I knew (apart from immediate family) left.

14:40 / 30.11.05

Why is Slough called Slough?

To me, a slough is a part of the Everglades where the water gets deeper. Sort of a lake within the river.

Pronounced "sloo," not "slaow."

I wondered about that during every opening credits of The Office.

14:41 / 30.11.05

I saw some of that last night. "Making Slough outrageously camp" might have been a more accurate title for what they seemed to be doing there.

And I'm going to have nightmares for weeks about those creepy singing old ladies and the psychologist who seemed to be taking an unhealthy interest in them... brrr....

15:50 / 30.11.05

The Psychologist with the Piano and a selection of show tunes was a bit weird I admit, but the bit about all the kids at a local being so desperately focused on what job they want and, god help them, their' work life balence' was genuinely insightful. The guy doing that part of the show almost was ranting when he talked about 'how dare we do this to our kids' and the need to 're-take our schools for fun'.

And the lady who discovered an interest in photography after they gave her a camera and said go point it at anything you like was very sweet.

16:22 / 30.11.05

grant, it seems that your guess is as good as anyone’s. From Wikipedia:
The first recorded uses of the name occur as Slo in 1196, Sloo in 1336, and Le Slowe, Slowe or Slow in 1437. The name may have derived from the various sloughs (wetland) in the area; although some people think it may refer instead to Sloe bushes growing in the vicinty.

I think it's a lovely name, myself. Makes me a little bit happy.