I don’t even KNEEEEEEE
This is mesmerizing.
(Side note: do you ever just forget how to spell a word you KNOW how to spell? I tried like six different spellings of “mesmerizing” – a word I definitely know how to spell – before I got there. The hell.)
(Side note #2: title reference)
TWSB: Hear Me Out
DID YOU KNOW: the loudest a sound can be (on earth) is 194 decibels?
By definition, something that is 0 dB is giving off a sound that is just detectable to the human ear. Softer sounds get negative dBs, louder sounds get positive dBs. A 10 dB increase corresponds to a doubling in loudness, meaning that, for example, something that is 30 dB is twice as loud as 20 dB and three times as loud as 10 dB.
So why is the upper limit the very specific loudness of 194 dB? Because sound is vibration. More specifically, it’s longitudinal waves. It’s like if you took a slightly stretched slinky, laid it out straight, and then rapidly pushed in and pulled back on one end of the slinky. The compressed metal spirals would move along the slinky’s body. That’s a longitudinal wave form.
For sound, this “compressed slinky” is compressed air (or whatever medium we’re in) and the compressed parts are parts of higher pressure (the expanded parts are parts of lower pressure).
Once we’re to the point that we’re hitting 194 dB, we’re at the threshold where this pressure wave switches to a shock wave. The energy is no longer moving through the air but is instead pushing the air outward. The “wave” becomes so extreme that the low pressure regions no longer have any molecules of air left in them to continue the push of the wave. All the molecules just move outward at once. It’s no longer technically sound as we define it in wave form. For example, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were likely well over 200 dB and thus created shockwaves.
Also, if a shockwave is strong enough, it can freaking liquify you.
Isn’t that fascinating?
One of my old NaNoWriMo projects was about some guys trying to engineer the perfect sound that would resonate with the human body, but they get hooked on the euphoria they experience by this sound and continue to increase its intensity and volume and eventually kill themselves with it.
Y’know, just another one of my cheerful NaNo topics.
Anyway. Super cool, huh?
More Nostalgia. SURPRISED?????
I was watching a YouTube video of someone reviewing a recently-published Disney art book and it made me think of this huge Disney art book I used to have when I was a kid. A little of the good ol’ Googling brought me to Walt Disney’s Treasury of Children’s Classics. There are like four different dust jackets for the different editions, but I know the book itself was red for whatever edition we had. Like this:
(From this eBay listing)
I remember loving the illustrations. As is always the case with nostalgia-triggering items, it’s so tempting to buy this, haha.
Music Fun
Here’s a fun little test thingy where you can see how well you can keep a steady rhythm, distinguish between pitches, hold a musical sequence in your memory, and repeat a beat.
I’m going to blame my bad score on not wearing headphones. TRY AND STOP ME
May Mileage Wrap-Up
(This year is going fast as hell, isn’t it?)
The fifth month of the year is done, so let’s check out that mileage:
May mileage: 673.99
Monthly average mileage: 620.62
Current end mileage with this pace: 7447.44
THAT IS SO DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO 7,500 HNNNNNNNNGH
(Also…could I do 700 miles in a single month? Do I dare try?????)
The May List: 2025 Edition
I KEEP FORGETTING TO DO THESE
- I like to imagine all three of these trending Twitter topics are related.
- The population of Saskatchewan would be like twelve if they got Thanos snapped.
- I noticed the two different answering screens, but didn’t know why both existed. Cool!
- I had one of each. MA was the first; MS was the second. The second was better.
- I hate generative AI. I hate it I hate it I hate it. How quickly my opinion of you will worsen if I know you approve of – or worse, use – generative AI.
- Every single game. (Source)
- I want those purple AirPods Max headphones SO BAD, bro. I absolutely cannot justify the purchase, but nnnnngh. PURPLE and MUSIC.
- There’s a dog that chills out on a balcony that I pass by on my way to school. His name is Gucci and he always recognizes me, barks to get my attention, runs inside to get a toy, and then comes back out and shakes the hell out of it. This e-scooter code is the perfect spelling of the noise he makes when he shakes.
IT’S THE END OF THE BLOG AS WE KNOW IT
Relentlessly Mammalian
(Blame my husband for the title.)
TWO THINGS TODAY:
One: we’re in a little mini heatwave up here and it was supposed to get up to like 86 or something today. So I decided to do my first night run of the year last night. I think the last time I did a night run was around Halloween last year, so it’s been a while. I like not having to put on sunscreen and being able to run down the middle of the road without much threat of cars, but I’m also more limited route-wise (I am NOT doing the creepy Bowness Park nonsense this year, sorryz) and I do just like being out during the day. Also, the nights are relatively warm if it’s hot enough for me to be night running.
Two: My mom, Nate, and I watched Captain America: Brave New World last night. It’s pretty sad that everyone seems conditioned to hate everything Marvel has put out since Endgame; I thought this one was pretty solid. It definitely had one of the best post-Endgame action sequences with the battle over Celestial Island:
Really good choreography in my opinion. Love the shots at 1:26, 2:11, 2:46, and 3:31.
DONE!
MATCHA, MATCHA MAN (An Update)
Yo.
So further research on matcha revealed to me that I may have used water that was too hot, which may have messed with the flavor. So today I:
1) used water at the oft-recommended temperature of 175 degrees;
2) used the higher recommended amount of matcha powder (1 teaspoon)
Picture of result:
And the taste?
Yup. Still nothing.
I reiterate from yesterday: my chemical senses are so broken, man.
MATCHA, MATCHA MAN (I wanna be…a matcha man!)
In my “One of These Teas Must Taste Like Something, Dammit” quest, I bought some matcha powder when I was in the States. Y’know the stuff that apparently has a super strong taste.
“Matcha has a bright, vegetal, and slightly bitter taste, with notes of sweetness and umami” according to Artful Tea.
Pic of final product:
It looks like someone took the wet grass clippings from under a lawn mower and squeezed the liquid into a cup, huh?
Want to guess what it tastes like to me?
My chemical senses are so broken, man.
Attention:
I am garbage.
That is all.
Can We Survey? YES WE CAN!
Is there someone you would like to meet of the opposite sex?
LEIBNIZ OMFG WHO ELSE EVEN MATTERS
Where is the furthest place you’ve traveled?
Like…from where I was born? Helsinki, Finland.
Which do you prefer, to eat or sleep?
Run. I prefer to run.
Do you look more like your mom or your dad?
My dad, definitely.
How long does it take you to shower?
Too long. I try to be fast but I suck at it, mainly because I spend half the time adjusting the shower curtain so that no cold outside air can get in around the edges.
Who likes you right now mere then a friend?
Probably my husband? Hopefully?
Can you do splits?
Absolutely not.
Are you flexible?
See above. Well, except for my tongue. I can do weird things with my tongue (giggity).
What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Was your mom there?
I cried, because that’s New Year’s Eve tradition. My mom was not there.
Can you speak any other language than English?
I’m trying to learn French. I’d say I’m at a B1 level.
What is the last letter of your middle name?
E.
How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
Uh…three?
Do you wear your seatbelt in the car?
Duh.
Are you scared of flying?
Nah. I just don’t like it.
What do you sleep in?
An old Bloomsday shirt and undies.
Who was the last person you kissed?
Husband!
Do you like funny people or serious people?
Both. Or neither. Depends on how I’m feeling.
What are you listening to?
Nothing.
What jewelry do you wear all the time?
I don’t wear any jewelry all the time.
What do you have planned for tonight?
Making broccoli. Watching Riverdale for the 100th time. Hating every aspect of my being. Y’know, the usual.
Sickness
Please watch this.
Dianna has been sick for so long; I’m glad it sounds like she’s slowly getting better. And I’m glad her inclusion of Tobias in this video has brought attention to his situation as well (here’s his GoFundMe, which is also linked in the video description).
It can be really hard to do so at times (and even in the best of times it’s easy to forget), but try to appreciate what you’ve got, especially if you’re in good health. It can all be taken away so quickly.
Accelerate Your Distain
Did anyone else have to take those Accelerated Reader quiz thingies in junior high (and/or elementary school and/or high school)? For us, these started in sixth grade and went through junior high. We would read a book and then have to take a quiz on it in order for the book to “count” for our English class. I think you had to get like an 85% or something on…I don’t know…15 multiple choice questions in order to “pass.”
I don’t know what reminded me of those things today, but I remember how much I hated them. I always found them very difficult because the multiple choice questions were always about very specific things. That’s fine if you’re reading a relatively short book, but I remember reading Gone with the Wind in 7th grade and having to take one of these AR quizzes on it. That book is 1,000+ pages and the quiz still focused on incredibly specific things. Like…ask me about the major themes or events, not about the color of Rhett’s shirt the first time he met Scarlett.
I much preferred the way we “proved” that we read books in 10th grade. We’d finish a book and our teacher, Mr. Murray, would sit down with us for a short one-on-one conference where we’d very openly and informally discuss the book. I remember doing this with As I Lay Dying and feeling like I got to explain more of what I got out of the book rather than having to demonstrate that I remembered which sibling drilled holes through their mother’s coffin.
Anyway.
Bottom Eyelashes
The one single facial feature of mine that I don’t ABSOLUTELY DESPISE?
My eyelashes.
Well, sorta.
They’re naturally very dark and long. The ones on my left eye piss me off because there are like three lashes that grow in a different way than the rest, but in general, they’re like the one part of my body that doesn’t disgust me constantly.
Anyway, when I wear mascara, I typically just put it on my upper lashes. Why? Because my lower lashes are basically the same length as my upper lashes and so when I put mascara on both the lower and upper lashes it looks like I shoved a handful of spider legs into my eye. Observe:
That just looks weird to me.
(Sorry, I have nothing else to blog about today, haha.)
Phood Phixation
So I’m sure this is a relatable thing to quite a lot of people, but does anyone else latch on to some specific food and want THAT FOOD and THAT FOOD ONLY for like a month and then never want to touch it again?
Remember all those freaking string cheeses I showed y’all a few months ago? Yeah, I’m over those now.
This month’s fixation is this:
Will I hate them forever by June?
Probably.
Humans are weird.
Dots
Super interesting. I also love his voice.
Age of ULTRAmarathon
May’s ultramarathon COMPLETE!
I haven’t done this route in a long time (not since late last spring, I think); it’s nice if you’re not doing it too often. It gets old pretty fast, though, which is weird ‘cause it’s a nice flat route with not too many people once you get past the Bird Sanctuary.
I think the path grading past there is a little weird in a certain spot, though. It always throws me off a bit.
Also, I’m slow as hell.
Humans: Ruining Everything Faster Than We Ever Thought Possible!
Well this is horrific.
I don’t even have anything else to say about it, except to mention that this is not the first discussion of this kind of thing; I blogged about another bird-and-plastics article more than ten years ago.
Sports = Art
Happy birthday, mom!
So I’ve come across this Twitter account called ArtButMakeItSports. The guy who runs it finds photos of various sporting events and compares them to artworks that have similar compositions, vibes, and/or colors.
Today’s example:
The best thing is that he claims he doesn’t use AI to do the photo/art comparisons, which is fantastic. He’s got several breakdowns of his process on his website, too. Example.
Some of his “best of” comparisons look like they were just made for each other (all pics from his website).
That last one, hahahaha.
A Music Blog!
It’s not like I have one of those every other day, huh??
??????
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?
Anyway.
Music #1: I had the “Mr. Booze” song from Family Guy stuck in my head all afternoon. Whether you like Family Guy or not, you have to give Seth MacFarlane credit for how good he is at finding catchy songs and having them sung very well.
Music #2: Again, even though it’s not an original, Peter singing the entirety of the “Shipoopi” song from The Music Man as a touchdown celebration is pretty great, too.
(Now I want to watch The Music Man)
Music #3: While on my walk this morning, I had my “favorites” playlist on shuffle and this song came up. I hadn’t listened to it in a long time and I forgot how beautifully heartbreaking it is.
Music #4: I absolutely love this song. I would have lost my mind if I had been at this thing.
END!
My BUTT, my BUTT, my BUTT my BUTT my BUTT
Also: a survey!
1. Rosehip tea: Which book did you love when you were younger?
How young are we talking, here? Because I’ve loved The Caine Mutiny since the first time I read it, which was back when I was twelve, so…
2. Oolong tea: Which book series could you read again?
I am slowly re-reading all The Baby-Sitters Club books in between my “adult” books, because 1) they’re like $4 each on Kindle and 2) I have autonomy and can read what I want.
3. Rooibos: What is one of your favourite books?
The Caine Mutiny is still my #1. The Great Gatsby is up there, too.
4. Strawberry tea: Tell me about your first kiss, if you had one.
We were at a drag show. We were both in drag. “Sex Tonight” was blasting over the speakers. It was inevitable, really.
5. Apple tea: Tell me about your first break up, if you had one.
No.
6. Earl Grey: Which countries have you visited?
Canada (before I moved here), Sweden, Finland, England.
7. Chai: Where do you want to travel next?
I don’t like traveling anymore, but I’ll always be happy to go back to Moscow. I already miss it and I was just there like a week ago.
8. Darjeeling: What languages do you speak?
English and a bit of French.
9. Hop tea: Do you have a favourite tea? Which one?
See this blog.
10. Herbal tea: Which person would you chose to travel the world with?
I don’t want to travel the world.
11. Nettle tea: Are you jealous on a person? Why?
Yes. Because I’m garbage and everyone else is better than me.
12. Ice tea: Do you miss somebody? Why?
I sometimes miss having friends.
13. Yellow tea: What shampoo do you use?
Monday.
15. Ceylon tea: Do you have a song you like, but have bad memories with?
Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” Beautiful song. Wonderful song. But it remind me of Rob.
16. Hibiscus tea: What is a song you can always hear?
Like…play in my head as if I’m listening to it? Pretty much all of them, haha.
17. Flowering tea: What is a movie you can always watch?
Mystery Men. Apollo 13.
19. Turkish tea: What is your favourite cake?
German chocolate cake, though it’s been a long time since I’ve had any.
20. Green tea: What was the first movie you saw in a cinema?
I have no idea. But the first one I remember seeing in the theater is Toy Story 2, for some reason.
21. Blueberry-Muffin tea: Tell me a memory, which makes you smile.
Noodle Fridays with the gang.
22. Panda tea: Do you have pets? Which one?
Yes! We have a Pepper. She’s wild.
24. Hot chocolate: Do you have (a) stuffed animal(s) sitting in your room? Which one(s)?
Missy Witch Witch is sitting on my suitcase right now.
25. 24 flavors: What is your favourite word?
Syzygy.
26. Jasmin tea: Can you draw / paint? Wanna show me something?
You be the judge.
27. Kombucha: What do you order on a pizza?
Extra olives. I’m cool like that.
28. Cloud tea: Which movie do you want to watch next?
Eh.
29. Gunpowder tea: If you had the chance: would you go to space?
YES
I want to BUY STUFF
I’ve been really good so far this year in terms of not buying extraneous stuff. There have been maybe two…three?…things that I’ve gotten, which is way better than I’d been at this point last year
I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve lost all interest in everything and thus even buying new crap doesn’t do it for my dopamine anymore or what, but I haven’t even had the urge to shop much this year.
But it’s still there sometimes, and thus I have my “FUN STUFF I’D LIKE TO BUY” bookmarks folder that I like to scroll through on occasion while trying to keep in mind that I actually don’t need any of these things.
But some of them are cool, so I’ll put them here in case anyone else wants cool things.
Whatev.
- STUDIOCULT earrings. Soda tab, corkscrew, shooting star, binder clip.
- Retro-style Apple shirt.
- I still use an iPod (I don’t think a lot of people do?), even though they no longer have these wheels. Old school.
- Many of the items from this cool store.
- Cute.
- Love the retro look.
- I don’t wear button-down shirts, but I LOVE this idea.
- Flare pants are cool.
- FLARE PANTS ARE COOL.
That is all.
Eigenblogger 