Nostalgia means something different to every generation and every household. But for me, Mental Yoga Sunday is a throwback to those lazy mornings and afternoons where I found something warm to drink, something immersive and informative to read, and the ticking clock meant absolutely nothing. I'm bringing lazy back. Here are my favorite long form reads this week.
1
You're Not Going To Believe What I'm About To Tell You (The Oatmeal)
The Oatmeal's real name is Matthew and he lives in Seattle, Washington with his two dogs: Rambo and Beatrix. His newest comic is particularly relevant as it comes at a time when fake news is one of the biggest issues plaguing social media and the internet. It's not often a comic is the voice of reason.
...CONTINUE COMIC
2
The Most Important Scientist You've Never Heard Of (Mental Floss)
Clair Cameron Patterson
"Walter Dymock didn’t mean to jump out his second-story bedroom window. He was queasy, not out of his mind. But on a mild October night in 1923, shortly after Dymock groggily tucked himself into bed, something within him snapped. Like a man possessed, Dymock rose, fumbled through the dark, opened his window, and leapt into his garden.
Hours later, a passerby discovered him lying in the dirt, still breathing. He was hurried to a hospital.
Dymock wasn’t alone. Many of his coworkers were acting erratically too. Take William McSweeney. One night that same week, he had arrived home feeling ill. By sunrise, he was thrashing at phantoms. His family rang the police for help—it would take four men to wrap him in a straitjacket. He’d join his co-worker William Kresge, who had mysteriously lost 22 pounds in four weeks, in the hospital.
A few miles away, Herbert Fuson was also losing his grip on reality. He'd be restrained in a straitjacket, too. The most troubling case, however, belonged to Ernest Oelgert. He had complained of delirium at work and was gripped by tremors and terrifying hallucinations. “Three coming at me at once!” he shrieked. But no one was there."...FULL ARTICLE
3
The Surprising Benefits of Being (Slightly) Crazy (Mark Manson)
"Despite being the greatest and most influential mind in human history, Isaac Newton, by all accounts, was a bit of a headcase, as well as a total dick. Newton was famously petty and vindictive. He would go through manic episodes where he would work furiously for days at a time without eating or sleeping. Afterward, he would fall into deep depressions, refuse to see or speak to anyone, and often contemplated suicide. During these darkest episodes, Newton would often have hallucinations and speak to imaginary people. Kind of like a four year old."...FULL ARTICLE
4
"It's All Coming Back To Me now" is a Very Weird Song (The Awl)
"On July 30, 1996, Céline Dion released the third single from her incredibly successful album, “Falling into You.” The single, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was a hit, ultimately peaking at number two on Billboards Hot 100 chart. But dear God, was it ever a weird song. Selected as the leadoff song on the album, it’s placement both as a widely released single and as the introduction to Céline’s most-popular album brings up one really interesting question; who starts a mainstream, 90s “adult” (i.e., mom) pop album off with an abnormally long ballad about dancing with a corpse?" ...FULL ARTICLE
5
19 Emotions You Never Knew You Had (BBC Future)
"Have you ever felt a little mbuki-mvuki – the irresistible urge to “shuck off your clothes as you dance”? Perhaps a little kilig – the jittery fluttering feeling as you talk to someone you fancy? How about uitwaaien – which encapsulates the revitalising effects of taking a walk in the wind?
These words – taken from Bantu, Tagalog, and Dutch – have no direct English equivalent, but they represent very precise emotional experiences that are neglected in our language. And if Tim Lomas at the University of East London has his way, they might soon become much more familiar."...FULL ARTICLE
