City Life Isn't Easy

"Surprising the number of human beings without a purpose."
-as heard in the 1975 Australian film,
'Picnic at Hanging Rock'
& based on the novel by
Joan Lindsay

I came across an article in the Boston Globe in early January 2009 by Jonah Lehrer that I have been meaning to share. He wrote about how the city hurts your brain and what you can do about it.

I laughed because after my first few days of returning to New York City I do feel a sudden 'head rush' and 'exhaustion' from all of the activity. Read these tidbit excerpts from his article (or read the entire article via the link below):

THE CITY HAS always been an engine of intellectual life, from the 18th-century coffeehouses of London, where citizens gathered to discuss chemistry and radical politics, to the Left Bank bars of modern Paris, where Pablo Picasso held forth on modern art. Without the metropolis, we might not have had the great art of Shakespeare or James Joyce; even Einstein was inspired by commuter trains.

After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things in memory, and suffers from reduced self-control.

Natural settings, in contrast, don't require the same amount of cognitive effort. When a park is properly designed, it can improve the function of the brain within minutes.
The key, then, is to find ways to mitigate the psychological damage of the metropolis...seek out more natural settings...The woods have become a kind of medicine...one is better able to cope with the stresses of city life, while still enjoying its many pleasures and benefits.
www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/

Twenty-five years ago today:

I took a drive to Longs Drug Store in Alameda to buy that new bike poster print that Chris and I firs saw at the Sun Valley Mall. It goes well with the Paris Bike print that I adore.

I ate breakfast at mom & dad's while assisting in peeling the potatoes (for a change of pace).

I returned home to a phone call from Frank Vasconcellos of Hayward, CA.
"I tried calling you last night to see if you wanted to see that movie...Angel," Frank said.
"Oh yeah, that was the one we saw being filmed in L.A. last year, huh?" I asked.
"It sure was," he replied as he added his insight on Tammy Duhr, "I haven't seen or heard from Tammy but she's been avoiding the skating rink."
"I wonder why?" I asked.
"Who knows...but Bill and George are there all of the time!"
He knew how to trigger my interest by mentioning my ex (George Jones).
PHOTO: August 1983-George Jones

Was Frank trying to see if I would take the bait and decide to revisit the rink? I dislike mind games. I decided to chalk this off as old and boring news. Frank went on to say that he was moving in with a friend of his named James. He described him as a nerdy Mexican-type.

I went bike riding to 'cool off'. It wasn't as far a ride as I would have liked. I returned to my place to wash clothes only to find my mom was already there helping out. She got pissed off at me for putting my newspaper on the couch. She is right. The newsprint does smear. Mom made me laugh. She could not imagine me scolding one of my friends for placing the newspaper on the couch.
"That's not true," I said even if it probably did depend on which friend.

The rest of my Sunday night was spent watching "LACE" starring Phoebe Cates on television. Dad called to see what I was up to. I simply told him I was watching a movie. I wonder if 'ma & pa' are checking up on me. It was strange tonight. As I was snacking on crackers and cheese I looked at the knife and considered death. Who would react or care? What a morbid thought. It must be a direct thought from the stupid TV-movie. I wouldn't dare.