![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 26. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by curtm on August 22, 2006, at 10:25:24
I have noticed that many of the posters of uncivil comments rarely visit this board. Some never have.
Posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 16:32:28
In reply to An odd pattern of behavior, posted by curtm on August 22, 2006, at 10:25:24
An interesting observation. Any theories (that are civil)?
Jost
Posted by curtm on August 22, 2006, at 16:35:15
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior, posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 16:32:28
Theory a) Self esteem too high (narcissistic)
Theory b) Self esteem too low (narcissistic)
Theory c) Thrives on conflict (narcissistic)
Theory d) Narcisstic
Posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 17:50:08
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Jost, posted by curtm on August 22, 2006, at 16:35:15
Curt, I have noticed that Dr. Bob and deputies rarely find an opportunity to remind us to be civil on the S-E board. This makes me so happy. It's like a safe safe place to be supported. To reveal even my soft underbelly of wounded psyche. My innermost yuckiest shames. It's like a microcosm of the babble experience, minus the chemistry and receptor affinities of the more scientific contributors.
I would love for it to stay that way. A pristine little world in the perilous world wide web.
Did you know that there is a moon crater named after me? I just found that out today from a dear friend, and I will remember that everytime the sky is clear at night...
((((mooncrater))))
Posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2006, at 22:01:57
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » curtm, posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 17:50:08
Lurpsie you and curtm make a nice couple. And the reason people might not come here is they really don't know it's here? Love Phillipa
Posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 22:47:23
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2006, at 22:01:57
> Lurpsie you and curtm make a nice couple. And the reason people might not come here is they really don't know it's here? Love Phillipa
I'm going to take that the right way (in the way that it won't crush my self-esteem). It's true. We do make a nice couple (OF FRIENDS). Well we're both married, and curtm knows my husband knows who he is. And I'm happy that we don't have much romance between us (which is a good thing I think). I think we make a nice couple of friends too. And curtm writes things that make me less depressed. He has made me laugh on some of the worst days I've ever had. I think that everyone needs friends like that. Thanks Phillipa for pointing out how lucky I am. :)
Posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2006, at 23:06:48
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Phillipa, posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 22:47:23
Very lucky lurpsie and so is Curtn. I know you're both married. But friends are wonderful to have. Especially the ones that can make you laugh. Love Phillipa
Posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 23:11:10
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » curtm, posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 17:50:08
A mooncrater? That's something to contemplate.
There's a psychological desideratum named after me. I didn't know it until I came here though. Guess it doesn't have wide dissemination. Nevermind which. At least until I change my name, which I guess I could do. The only hangup would be ordering new checks.
Did you know that they're about to make Pluto not a planet? Astronomers must be an odd group. Seems they want the definition to be definite. Ahistorical bunch also. Don't seem to understand the concept of grandfathering. Not that it makes my life different, but why not say that any planets discovered henceforth shall have such/such characteristics, but we'll keep the ones we've got? Just cause if civilization keeps on going, someday the first 2000 years of books are gonna be real confusing.
My Sig O, by the way, has been the victim of my terrible cantankerousness. Until I almost passed out from dehydration (or as yet undiagnosed pneumonia or pleurisy), I was at a fever pitch of utter misanthropy. While we were in this absurd hot water thing, with the loudest, most roaring "waterfall" in the universe, blaring in the background, Sig told me this story, the happy punchline of which was that now there was an excuse to argue for hiring this couple (B and K) who Sig knows I am utterly opposed to hiring, as a couple-- meanwhile sort of rattling my cage about other faculty people, one of whom mistakenly emailed Sig about Sig, instead of emailing someone else about Sig. Not to say how great Sig is, either-=which apparently gave Sig quite a pleasant tweak. This apparently was imagined to be a story I would love. Sigs are very weird.
Having consumed a half a small shakerful of salt, several mini-bottles of ketchup (ketchup being a vegetable, of course) and some hamburger (not over-cooked enough, and possibly harboring mad cow disease), I feel sort of not so great, but less likely to come down with the pox, or whatever.
Llrrrpp, you seem to have the most delightful temperament, which is a great blessing. Tomorrow, I'll have to practice having a better one than usual, to compensate for today.
PS. Stop!
In the words of the great Geraldo Rivera, as for the following:
I am begging you-- if you are a parent and you've got kids there--that this subject is just too upsetting for your young children--Please get them out of the room or change the station. --- We urge you, to use parental discretion!
~~~Note: you are best advised to skip the following rant, which I apologize in advance for appending.~~~
I decided that co-worker A had actually not become entirely unexpendable, so I've got to tell her that it isn't going to work. I hate doing that, and it's psychologically jarring to replace people, once I've made an investment, but I guess there is a limit.
Coworkers B and C are more problematic. (I hadn't mentioned C, who is a little more reliable, but who also has me as a low priority, or D, who is barely visible at the outer edge of the solar system, but who does revolve around this way every once in a while, non-periodically). It's partly because I'm not that excited about A, B, C, or D-- and when I'm iffy, then I hesitate, inwardly, myself. Although everyone can always tell that I'm sort of pliable and not strong. But at least when I'm excited about someone, I probably have put some kind of unconscious emotional pressure on them-- about disappointing me, or not fulfilling some crazed aspiration I have about them. Or maybe I've gotten somehow too deeply into my work to be that in love (intellectually or emotionally) with or about (a strange locution, but probably accurate) anyone. I don't know. Probably not. Probably no one has come around.
Maybe I need a few more glasses of water to complement the salt and my blood pressure will be higher (which is good) and I won't be so much like the Dead Sea.
Jost
PPS I shure hope no one read this.
Posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2006, at 23:15:20
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 23:11:10
I did!!!!!!Love Phillipa
Posted by finelinebob on August 23, 2006, at 0:19:09
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 23:11:10
> Did you know that they're about to make Pluto not a planet?
I heard the opposite. That by confirming Pluto to be planet-worthy, they may have to classify other Solar satellites as being planets and not just planetoids or meteors or big chunks of dirty ice or icy rock.
> Astronomers must be an odd group. Seems they want the definition to be definite.Yes and no. Been one, so I know they're weird. Even in these days of computer-guided telescopes (no more hanging around in the dead of a cloudless--ie.freezing!--night so you can point-and-click at your favorite pinpoint in the sky). So what if you don't have to freeze your butt off anymore; you can always ruin a child's day when they ask "Why is the sky blue?" and you start explaining about the differential scattering of light due to the size of atoms and molecules compared to the varying wavelenths of different colors of light and why it's the same reason sunsets and sunrises are red.
And there are different factions that want different definitions to be definite. It's all about bragging rights and who gets their grants funded.
> PPS I shure hope no one read this.
... reading what?
Posted by curtm on August 23, 2006, at 8:52:17
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » curtm, posted by llrrrpp on August 22, 2006, at 17:50:08
There is a moon crater named after me, too! Curtis crater it's called.
I didn't know there was a crater called "llrrrpp crater." Fascinating. It must have been formed by...?
Posted by Jost on August 23, 2006, at 9:03:29
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior, posted by finelinebob on August 23, 2006, at 0:19:09
Seems they (astronomers) have changed their minds (and may change it--if there is an it-- back). The jury is still out. Or the votes have been counted (or voted). They're in Prague now.
There was an uproar when they decided to keep Pluto, because it probably would have meant having alot more than 12-- I'm not sure, because someone read the story to me when I was semi-passed-out. Might have only read part of it.
Also, Pluto doesn't have enough gravity to pull everything around it into it or into an orbit around it, so some think it shouldn't be promoted to full status.
Do you read the NY Times? I think the article may have been on their website last night.
By the way, exactly why is the sky blue? No one ever explained that to me.
Jost
Posted by Jost on August 23, 2006, at 9:04:54
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Jost, posted by Phillipa on August 22, 2006, at 23:15:20
Phillipa, you're sweet!
I'm glad you read it. Even if I was rambling an awful lot.
Jost
Posted by llrrrpp on August 23, 2006, at 9:55:54
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by curtm on August 23, 2006, at 8:52:17
> There is a moon crater named after me, too! Curtis crater it's called.
>
> I didn't know there was a crater called "llrrrpp crater." Fascinating. It must have been formed by...?by a projectile Slurpee
(going back to bed now)
Posted by Racer on August 23, 2006, at 14:12:25
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » finelinebob, posted by Jost on August 23, 2006, at 9:03:29
>
> By the way, exactly why is the sky blue? No one ever explained that to me.
>
> Jost
>
>Because it is, that's why. (Don't say my mother didn't know all the answers...)
(Real answer has to do with the wavelengths of light: because blue is the shortest wavelength, it can make it through the atmosphere, where the other colors get knocked off course before they get here. That's the best I can do on explaining what is imperfectly remembered from many, many years ago...)
Posted by curtm on August 23, 2006, at 14:43:17
In reply to I'll explain as it was explained to me » Jost, posted by Racer on August 23, 2006, at 14:12:25
Blue is blue only because we say it is blue. What would it be if it wasn't called blue? Would it be as clear and calming? Would it be so deep and alluring?
Posted by Jost on August 23, 2006, at 17:55:17
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior, posted by finelinebob on August 23, 2006, at 0:19:09
The final vote on Pluto is supposed to be on Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/science/space/23pluto.html
Jost
Posted by finelinebob on August 24, 2006, at 0:19:24
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » finelinebob, posted by Jost on August 23, 2006, at 17:55:17
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/science/space/23pluto.html
From the article:
“Some people think that the astronomers will look stupid if we can’t agree on a definition or if we don’t even know what a planet is,” said Dr. Pasachoff of Williams College. “But someone pointed out that this definition will hold for all time and that it is more important to get it right.”Wrong and wrong. Science progresses, so no definition holds for anything close to all time. Second, science is based on falsifiability. There is no such thing as getting it "right" -- there is only "not getting it wrong", and there's a huge amount of difference bewteen the two.
So, this guy is essentially a wanker. A fraud. A poser. He doesn't even understand the fundamental tenets of his field of study ... how can the likes of him be trusted to make such a decision?
As for why the sky is blue, Racer almost had it right. Blue light has a short wavelength. Red light has a long wavelength. The wavelength of blue light is about the diameter of the most common elements in our atmosphere -- nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Because they're about the same size, the atoms can knock the photons out of their path, scattering them in all directions. So, those light "rays" from the sun passing through the atmosphere above your head? Well, the blue ones get knocked all over the place, including down towards the ground and your eyes. Other wavelengths are just the wrong size ... so we see blue for the most part and the others just pass over our heads.
When the sun is on the horizon, its rays are coming straight at us. Red light, having the longest wavelengths, doesn't really get scattered all that much by clear skies, but the blue is getting taken out. More red passes through, we see red. Dust particles (in clouds, from volcanoes, things like that) are near the size of red light wavelenghts, so that's why clouds at sunset can light up with those reds and oranges and yellows. Vulcanic ash scatters red pretty well but tends to only have a big enough effect at sunrise or sunset, when you're looking through the "fattest" amount of sky you can see.
Posted by llrrrpp on August 24, 2006, at 10:59:50
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by Jost on August 22, 2006, at 23:11:10
Jost, I just mustered up the strength to read it. I scanned it the other day. I'm flattered that you think I have a nice temperament. You (obviously) have not been the victim of my incredibly somnolence the last 3 days, where getting me out of bed requires a bradley armored vehicle and the threat of "if you spend any more time in bed, I'm going to have to join you" GOD forbid. I sprang out of bed at that one.
Several lines caught my attention, but I have been up for a whole 45 minutes, and that means that I'm already getting ready for my post-wake-up nap.
>>My Sig O, by the way, has been the victim of my terrible cantankerousness. Until I almost passed out from dehydration (or as yet undiagnosed pneumonia or pleurisy), I was at a fever pitch of utter misanthropy. While we were in this absurd hot water thing, with the loudest, most roaring "waterfall" in the universe, blaring in the background, Sig told me this story, the happy punchline of which was that now there was an excuse to argue for hiring this couple (B and K) who Sig knows I am utterly opposed to hiring, as a couple-- meanwhile sort of rattling my cage about other faculty people, one of whom mistakenly emailed Sig about Sig, instead of emailing someone else about Sig. Not to say how great Sig is, either-=which apparently gave Sig quite a pleasant tweak. This apparently was imagined to be a story I would love. Sigs are very weird.
I always tell my husband all this fun intrigue around the office, about who's being catty to who, and who is currently in alpha-female position, and why. He seems utterly uninterested. I hope that your coworker thing gets a little better. my T recommended me a book on the "verbal art of self-defense" There might be some tips in there to try to get difficult personalities on your wavelength.
Don't get dehydrated. drink water, and gatorade. And wine too!!! And try not to be more cantankerous than usual (unless your Sig O likes it, and you like it too)
I don't really enjoy being in hot water. literally or metaphorically. I could never get used to jacuzzis over about 99 degrees. The hotter ones I either cannot enter, or once I'm acclimated (which takes 10 minutes or slowly advncing another inch of my delicate skin in every 30 seconds) I feel nauseous and dizzy.
I hope pluto survives the vote today. It would be so crushing to Pluto's self-esteem to be voted out of the solar system. I cannot even imagine. poor pluto (((((Pluto)))))
Jost, take it easy. have some quality time with your sigO. you guys deserve a nice break.
-ll
:o) naptime!
Posted by Jost on August 24, 2006, at 23:17:06
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Jost, posted by llrrrpp on August 24, 2006, at 10:59:50
Ll, you do have a great temperament. Even if sleep-smothered. I'm sure it emanates from under the covers.
Your post about your husband and yourself really touched me a lot. It must be so great and, at the same time, sad to have someone who's like that. Cause they go away, and you go away, and you can't protect them from things.
My SigO is kind of an anxious reminder of the undone/should-be-done, with a heart of gold. A very caring one, but also prone to forget that if you keep growling at someone to do things that you think they'll be glad they did, but that they aren't doing, they may start to feel bad. Esp. when the growling is accompanied by grimaces of annoyance, and such.
SigO is also a very contrary person. So if one says, abb, Sig will immediately say, BBa. and then if one says, "hunh??: you now say BBa? when yesterday you not only said abb, but claimed that abb was substantiated by incontrovertible evidence, or was based on a story in the Wall St. Journal, & on & on--so, hunh, how can you say that?" to which Sig generally responds with profound vacancy. Emptiness not of profound thought, however, but profound incomprehension or indifference. Sig insists there is no deafness involved. Sig is merely "thinking"-- however, as it turns out, this thinking, if allowed to ripen, matures into complete silence. Followed eventually by some sally, such as, so, have you done x (some onerous task) yet (despite the known fact that I've haven't done x); or, where are my keys?
But Sig's feelings are also easily hurt, particularly by my going on and on about Sig's many failings, which I also have a peculiar weakness for dissecting, in excruciating detail. Which leads to remarks about my overreacting, be paranoid, or otherwise failing utterly to do what anyone in their right mind would do, after having fallen out of bed.
We do love one another a lot, though. We seem to belong together, although sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be accepted more, and feel warm and really connected (ie not connected through struggle and ambivalent push-and-pull -ism). It sounds really like a wonderful thing.
Thanks for reading through my rambling-- this one (if you did) and the last one.
I do feel very happy for you. I'm sorry you and your husband can't be together all the time.
Sleep secure in the knowledge that you temperament floats over you-- until your provigil arrives, when it can become a more active force for good.Jost
Posted by curtm on August 25, 2006, at 9:09:51
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » llrrrpp, posted by Jost on August 24, 2006, at 23:17:06
>> Ll, you do have a great temperament. Even if sleep-smothered. I'm sure it emanates from under the covers.
That makes me think of the Dutch oven. PU. lol
Posted by Jost on August 26, 2006, at 18:16:54
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Jost, posted by curtm on August 25, 2006, at 9:09:51
Having no idea what a dutch oven is, I probably can forget you said that.
Remind me not to take a poetry workshop with you, though. :&
Jost
Posted by curtm on August 27, 2006, at 7:37:50
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » curtm, posted by Jost on August 26, 2006, at 18:16:54
A Dutch oven is when you f*rt under the bed covers. lol
I don't know where that expression came from. Have any ideas? Maybe it's an Olde World method of staying warm on cold nights?
(Bob thinks f*rt is a naughty word too?! Geez!)
Posted by llrrrpp on August 27, 2006, at 10:27:41
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » Jost, posted by curtm on August 27, 2006, at 7:37:50
Dutch oven? lol
I learn something new everyday...F*rting is a fun activity to do with the whole family. big bowl of broccoli salad, anyone?
I just wrote that sentence to see if f*rting would get the assterix treatment
-ll
Posted by Jost on August 27, 2006, at 13:06:46
In reply to Re: An odd pattern of behavior » curtm, posted by llrrrpp on August 27, 2006, at 10:27:41
Hey, curtm. You were supposed to not tell me. F*ck. I didn't wanna know.
Jeeesh. what do you got to do around here to not know.
/00\ (me with hands over ears)
_[~']_
Jost
Go forward in thread:
Psycho-Babble Self-Esteem | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.