The robot war has a brief armistice.

So last week I was in my shared office, cramming for something or another, and had one of those moments where you all of a sudden realize that you've been staring at something for a while that has nothing to do with your coursework. Not the staring at something with intent to glean information kind of staring, more of the "I'm looking off into space and anything that is technically in my line of sight will stay there for awhile" kind of staring. If you know what I'm talking about, then you also probably know that coming back to reality can be a weird experience because you haven't been seeing whatever it is your eyes were looking at in your head, but you still know something about it. In this particular situation, the thing that was in the way of my gaze was this health advisory poster from Boynton:

Signs of chronic stress
Physiological
*Headaches
* Insomnia
* Gastrointestinal problems
* Weakened immune systems
* Fluctuations in eating patterns and weight
* Fatigue
Psychological
* Irritability
* "Low" moods
* Impulsivity
* Inability to concentrate
* Low motivation
* Emotional tension
* Behavioral and attitudinal Perfectionism
* Procrastination
* Avoidance
* Dissatisfaction, disenchantment, or cynicism
* Isolation or disconnection
* Overcommitment or feeling pressured

And then, as I came out of my trance, it dawned on me that in the past couple weeks I've had all these symptoms (except the GI problems, thank God) at some point.

Therefore, if this that stupid poster is worth anything, I guess I've been a little bit stressed out. But, I have some questions about the matter. Aren't these really common symptoms, that everybody is going to deal with to varying degrees? Can we just say that life is stressful?

Then again, there's a chance they could know what they're talking about. I mean, I have a right to be happy about the 4-day weekend that starts tonight, but probably not *this* happy. I admit, I was gettin' my dance on at the bus stop this afternoon; every now and then you find yourself in such a situation and I think are morally obligated to act on impulse (which, i suppose, is a sign of chronic stress). What's the worst that will happen in that case? That someone you've never met before and won't ever see again might enjoy seeing you do something out of the ordinary?

This might be another entry where my conclusion ends up being "whatever", but as such, I don't care. Thanksgiving rocks and that's mostly what I wanted to say anyway.

Nevermind, one more thing: As part of my expected thanksgiving rumination about my various blessings, again I'm really, really thankful that farts aren't socially contagious like yawns are. Just imagine it, you observe another person fart, and then all of a sudden you have this incredible urge to pass gas, too. In a room of 500 people, there would be a toxic gas buildup in less than an hour unless there was awesome ventilation going on. Although that would be a barrier to the formation of the megachurch... hmmmm....