Shoulda read the book....

Crazy Little Thing: Why Love and Sex Drive Us Mad 

Get it for your crazy friends!

Lacrosse player sentenced in girlfriend's murder

On Feb. 22 George Huguely was sentenced to 26 years in prison for murder and grand larceny in the death of off-again-on-again girlfriend, fellow lacrosse player and University of Virginia student Yeardley Love on May 3, 2010 when her bloodied body was found by police in her apartment. Time magazine's Newsfeed ran a timeline of events leading up to Love's death, including previous incidents of violence and threats toward Love by Huguely, a pattern of violence that happened before he kicked her door in and attacked her the night before she was found.

5% would divorce for the chance to work at home

Happy Freaking Valentines Day: The Grindstone reports that 5% people would give up their spouses in order for the opportunity to work at home, according to a survey by TeamViewer. Now that's a low percentage and a lot more people would give up things like chocolate (29%) and daily showers (12%) but it goes a long way to say two things:  

    a) Our hatred of commuting - and communing - is pretty strong. No surprise, really. Sartre wisely said "Hell is other people," and where are other people? Well, there's a lot fewer of them at your house than there are at Starbucks, in traffic (see left: ew) or at your workplace.

    b) there are people - few, but in evidence - who would drop their sacred bond like it was a rabid mouse if it meant the chance to work in dirtysweat pants. And that's just the ones that answered the survey.

Shoulda read the book....

Crazy Little Thing: Why Love and Sex Drive Us Mad 

 Get it for your crazy friends on Valentines Day!

The Museum of Broken Relationships

      It doesn't surprise me to learn, via the Huffington Post that the Museum of Broken Relationships sees it's visitor numbers nearly double on Valentines Day. I can't think of a better place to be. If you're sad about love it would give you a feeling of commiseration. If you're happy in love it would make you feel lucky for what you have.
      The museum is in Zagreb, Croatia, not a hop, skip and a jump for most of us, but here's the website where you can look at pics of some of the exhibits and read the stories of the people who donated them, some very spare, some very sad and some of them odd, like the Divorce Day Mad Dwarf, about this garden gnome who became a soaring projectile on the day of a divorce, hitting a new car and some pavement: "It was a long loop drawing an arc of time...and this short long arc defined the end of love."
       People from all over have donated items to the museum, which was founded by Drazen Grubisic and Olinka Vistica after having to divide their things during their own break-up. Their stroke of brilliance won them the 2011 European Museum of the Year Kenneth Hudson award given to honor the year's most innovative museum.
        Way to make a sad event into a beautiful place that so many people can relate to. I had few examples of that in Crazy Little Thing  and am always delighted and inspired when it crosses my path.
         And you probably won't find many more lemonade-out-of-lemons stories on this blog so savor the mental health while you can...

Valentine's Day busiest time for...private eyes

Big 105.9 in Miami reports that Valentine's week is the busiest time of the year for private investigators, since cheating spouses feel obligated to spend some time with the other woman and therefore it's an easier time for suspicious partners to get them caught in the act. Private eye Charlie Parker says that he often catches cheating partners giving that goodnight kiss and that "When we're watching people it's a really sad thing."
The message? Well, that cheating's not as much fun as you might think, but also, if you're the kind that's gonna cheat maybe you want to rethink getting married.

Real life corpse bride: Man marries dead girlfriend in joint wedding/funeral

     Okay, if this doesn't bring a tear to your eye you need to have your ducts flushed.
     The Huffington Post reported in January on the sad case of Chadil Deffy of Thailand whose girlfriend had wanted to get married. Deffy put off the wedding but the young man wanted to focus on his education, as many do, before getting hitched. Unfortunately the young lady, Sarinya "Anne" Kamsook died in an accident, a car wreck, reports the Pattaya Daily News.. The Thai-ASEAN News Network reports they had been together for 10 years. So Deffy married her in a combination wedding / funeral ceremony. HuffPo reported that the groom said he followed through with the wedding out of guilt and a feeling of not having done enough for Kamsook while she was alive.
      Sob-inducing? Absolutely. But I'm not 100% sure this should make people run out and get married or take otherwise big steps they're not ready to take. There are a lot of small ways to let someone know you love them...concentrate on those and they'll get the message.
(Photo from Thai-ASEAN News Network)

Did you hear that? Man claims a ghost beat up his wife

Back in January The Huffington Post reported that a Michael West of Fon du Lac, WI explained told the cops that his wife's injuries were from a fall and, when pressed by police, tried to tell them that a ghost did it. The wife had called 911 saying that West had tried to strangle her and hit her in the face when she called 911. Even paranormal investigators called bullshit on that...and they often show people experiencing ghost or demon-related bruises.
     If the guy gets beaten up in prison one wonders if his fellow inmates will say the same thing.

Some people just don't know where their towel is

The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that a man in Niceville, FL was arrested after hitting his girlfriend in the face with a towel and allegedly throwing things at her as she slept - the towel woke her. He says she 'was nagging him;' he threw the towel to 'shut her up'. She felt unsafe and called the police.
    If a partner is throwing things and it's not in a playful, let's-have-a-pillow-fight way but in an argument you have every right to call the cops - they're there for your protection. "It was just a towel," the guy said, but check out this video, from the Palm Beach Post of a Florida basketball player getting a towel-related groin injury on the court.
      I've been to Niceville. It's nice. If you go there, keep your towel to yourself.

Shoulda read the book....

Crazy Little Thing: Why Love and Sex Drive Us Mad

We all love/hate Facebook but why get all stabby?

      In July of 2011 Jezebel reported that Kaileen Barney of Michigan smashed her boyfriend's iPhone and threatened him with a knife because he wouldn't quit using Facebook and because he had contacted an ex online. Speaking of smashed, police found Barney drunk and locked out of the house....she had waved an eight-inch knife around, telling the guy "I'm a chef and I know how to use this."
     Debatable. Few chefs, no matter how much Gordon Ramsey belittled them, would filet another person, but we hope she inspires a new show - Schnockered Chef - about who will come up with the most edible thing from what's in their kitchen after they get home from the bar at 2:20 a.m.
(Drunk Waffle magnet sold on Etsy)

Shoulda read the book....

Crazy Little Thing: Why Love & Sex Drive Us Mad