In today’s world where 350,000 tweets are sent every minute, the battle for someone’s attention is more crowded than the line to jump off the Cam Newton bandwagon.

I recently learned of one person who knew how to win this battle for attention — Welsh physician and psychiatrist Robert Armstrong-Jones. In 1920, Armstrong-Jones penned a report about a medical condition in which a person hears loud imagined noises when falling asleep or waking up. Armstrong-Jones could have called this disorder something like “Imagined Noise Disease” or “Sensory Sleep Sickness” or even something like “You Can’t Take Naps Because You Hear Fake A Hubub Affliction.”

Instead, he called it “Exploding Head Syndrome.”

Exploding Head Syndrome? Really? For a condition where your head does not actually explode?

But I will tell you one thing…it got my attention.

I am the type of person who can’t spend too much time on WebMD because I start to fear that I have everything from lower back pain to irritable bowl syndrome. That being said, if I were to see a listing for something called “Imagined Noise Disease” I may not even blink an eye.

But Exploding Head Syndrome…that would make me stop, collaborate, and listen. And then call my doctor. After all, I think I can remember a time or two when I woke up to a loud noise.

Armstrong-Jones knew this condition afflicted many people. He listened to their comments about how they would wake up when it felt like bombs were exploding in their head. He knew how to get people attention.

Pretty amazing what three vivid words can do.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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I like to highlight this fact by, once a month, looking at things we encounter on a daily basis and seeing what important lesson we can from them.

In today’s installment of “Five Things We Can Learn From Everyday Objects” we are going to talk about something very timely….

5 Things We Can Learn From Calendars

1. We Don’t Have To Be Boring

To channel my inner high school speech… A calendar is defined as “a system for fixing the beginning, length, and divisions of the civil year and arranging days and longer divisions of time (as weeks and months) in a definite order.” Talk about a boring definition. But calendars are hardly boring. You can find sports calendars, movie calendars, & music calendars. There are calendars with babes, babies & Babe: Pig in the City. Anything we can think of, we can turn into a theme for a calendar. Just because we may be seen by others as a system…civil…definite order…, doesn’t mean we have to be boring.

2. When We Are Memorable, We Outlive Out Shelf Life

In 2009, I was given an awesome calendar featuring characters from The Simpsons. Guess how long I have kept it hanging up in my room? If you guessed 12 months, you are wrong. The correct answer is 7 years (and counting). Sure, the day, months & years expired on December 31^st, but I have kept it hanging for all these years and turned it into decoration. I can’t be the only one that keeps an old calendar around. This Christmas, my grandpa was given a customized calendar featuring pictures of his great-grand kids. You better believe he will keep that thing around into 2017 and beyond. As I mentioned above, there is nothing that says we have to be boring. When we are memorable, we will last long past our expiration date.

3. Order Is Important

Yes, I keep my 2009 calendar hanging, but I do not use it to track my week. If I did, I would be thinking January 12^th is a Monday. I get a new calendar every year and it is one of the many tools I use to keep my life in order. Calendars are great because they can feature things like the cast of Downton Abbey, but they are also great because they give us structure. They show us the days, weeks, & months and can help us plan accordingly.

4. It Is Nice To Have A Back Up Plan

I like to think I will always remember my mom’s birthday. Even though I have not forgotten it in 30 years of living, I still put it on my calendar. Why do I do that? Is it because I am actually afraid that I will forget what day it is and not send her a birthday cake emoji? Not really. I do it because my memory is not perfect. Things happen and distractions arise. We all get busy and it is nice to have a backup plan.

5. Make Sure You Can See It

My wall calendar is above my bed. My phone calendar is in the top left, aka lead-story, position on my cell phone app list. I rely on both so much that I keep them front and center. Whether it be our calendar, our bank account or our hair spray, when something is important, we make sure we can see it.

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The remainer of the non-conference schedule only improved slightly, as the team lost four more games – three of which were at home – and did not defeat a team ranked inside of the top 100.

With an 8-5 record, it is safe to say the conclusion of 2015 was a disappointment for head coach Buzz Williams. And with ACC conference play beginning in January, the outlook for 2016 didn’t appear to be getting any brighter. The conference is considered one of the top 2-3 in the country and the Hokie’s first two games were against one good team in NC State and one great one in 4^th ranked Virginia.

You would have been crazy to pick Virginia Tech to start 2-0 in conference action.

But that’s exactly what they did. Buzz Williams and company knocked of NC State 73-68 in overtime and then upset rival Virginia 70-68.

They are now sitting atop the ACC and their season has gone from a bomb to the bomb (how the kids are saying it these days).

What happened to cause this turnaround? Did they get a new player? No, LeBron James didn’t enroll for classes in Blacksburg. One might argue that they only won the conference games because they were played at home, but let’s keep in mind that they had already lost 4 games at home, including that defeat to bottom dweller Alabama St.

So, what changed. Let’s ask star guard Seth Allen.

“We’re 0-0. It’s a new season,” Allen said when asked if he was excited for the start of conference action.

On Tuesday, I wrote about the fresh-start effect and how a clean slate can do wonders for our motivation. Virginia Tech was given a clean slate when they entered conference play. They may have had a poor non-conference record, but as Allen pointed out, they were 0-0 within the ACC.

This had to make them feel that anything was possible. And now they are playing like it as they have begun 2-0 in ACC league play for just the second time ever.

That is what a fresh-start can do.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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I have appropriately named this segment “Wonder Why Wednesday” and it is by far my favorite reoccurring feature on this blog. I enjoy it so much because I am constantly wondering things. I always have questions floating around in my brain and it is fun to look up the answers.

But this blog shouldn’t be all about me. It should also be about you, the reader. I am sure you are like me and wonder many different things, right?

I want to hear what you wonder about. What have you been dying to know? Is there a question you want to know the answer to?

This Wonder Why Wednesday post is all about you. What are you wondering? Let me know in the comment section below and I will add them to my list of questions that I will answer this year.

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We should want to make these changes at any given time, but we typically wait to make the decision to improve these areas of our lives until January.

Why do we make New Year’s resolutions and not May 13^th resolutions? The date should make no difference when it comes to bettering our lives, right?

Maybe not.

Of course we should always want to tackle the deficiencies in our lives regardless of the date, but we aren’t always motivated to do so. Research by Wharton professor Katherine Milkman has found that we can use the day on the calendar to our advantage.

Milkman coined the term “fresh-start effect” which refers to the energy and determination we feel when we are able to wipe the slate clean.

When the calendar turns from December to January, we experience a fresh start. A year filled with mistakes and failed goals is on its way out and a bright, beaming new year is rolling in. We feel like we can take on the world, and we use that momentum to make goals – ones we feel good about our ability to achieve.

This explains why, in January, my brother thinks he can beat me in ping-pong, even after a year of experiencing nothing but defeats.

A fresh start can do wonders for our motivation.

And Milkman has found that we can harness this clean slate momentum to focus on the pursuit of goals at other times throughout the year. Milkman points out that there are fresh-start moments are all around us. We don’t have to settle for a new year.

We can use new months, new weeks, and birthdays to refocus our efforts.

If we look for them, we can find many opportunities to take advantage of a clean slate. A new relationship, a new job, even a new wardrobe. By focusing on these fresh-start opportunities, we can harness motivation to pursue our goals more actively.

Just don’t tell my brother…I don’t want him thinking he can actually beat me in ping pong.

Photo credit: Flickr

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January

What are the white marks on fingernails?

What is the Difference Between a St., Blvd, Ave & Rd?

Where Does Belly Button Lint Come From?

February

Where Did Gum Come From?

Where Does New Car Smell Come From?

Where Does The Phrase “Nick Of Time” Come From?

March

How Does Quicksand Work?

How Does Carbo-Loading Work?

Where Did The Name March Madness Come From?

Daylight Saving Time – How Is This Still A Thing?

April

How Much Money Has the Fast and the Furious Franchise Made?

What was the first movie ever made?

Why Do Caddies Wear White Jumpsuits At The Masters?

How Was The Length Of A Marathon Determined?

Why Do Birds Fly In A V Formation?

May

Who Named The Months?

How Did The Stop Sign Get Its Shape?

What Are They Saying In The “Circle of Life”?

What is Cloud Nine?

June

Who Invented The 7th Inning Stretch?

What Are The Seven Wonders Of The World & How Were They Picked?

Who Invented Punctuation?

What is Brain Freeze?

July

Why Do We Celebrate Independence Day With Fireworks?

Why Do Schools Have Summer Break?

Why Do We Call Them the ‘Dog Days’ of Summer?

Origin of the Expression “Nothing to Sneeze At”

What does the 2 stand for in a #2 Pencil? And, why is it the most well known pencil?

August

Who Named The Days of The Week?

Where Did The Term Smack Dab Come From?

Where Did The Custom of Getting on one Knee to Propose Marriage Come From?

September

Origin of the Phrase: Throw Your Hat in the Ring

Where Did The Name Quarterback Come From?

Who Signed The First Autograph?

How Many Popes Have There Been In The History Of The Catholic Church?

October

What Was The First Ever TV Commercial?

Which TV Show Has Had The Most Episodes?

What Was The First Movie Trailer Ever?

Why do we say ‘boo’ on Halloween?

November

What Are Nooks and Crannies?

When Was The First Veterans Day?

Why Is This Holiday Celebrated On November 11th?

Is It Veterans Day or Veteran’s Day (or Veterans’ Day)?

How Big Is A Rainbow?

Why Do the Dallas Cowboys & Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving?

December

Who Invented The Chair?

Who Invented Coupons?

Who Is Parson Brown?

How the Christmas tree became the center place of our holiday celebration?

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One thing makes Buddy stand out in the cynical world of the big city…he is always smiling.

Buddy says that smiling is his favorite. Research says that maybe Buddy is on to something. Here’s an article I wrote for Fulfillment Daily that discusses 5 reasons why…

5 Things Buddy The Elf (& Science) Can Teach Us About Smiling

Photo credit: Pixabay

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How did I know he wouldn’t receive a ride, you ask?

Did he look deranged? No, he was well kept and wasn’t holding a human head or doing anything that screamed, “villain from the Saw movie franchise”. 

Was he unclear on where he wanted to go? No. His sign was very clear. It was simple and said “I-10 E” in big letters. Signifying that he wanted to go to the I-10 freeway going east. He even put a fun smiley face in the 0. 

Was he asking for too much? No, the location he needed to go was less that 5 miles from where I entered the freeway. Not too much to ask at all. 

So how did I know he wouldn’t get a ride?

Because he was set up halfway down the freeway’s on ramp. He wasn’t right on the corner where he could actually get in the car of someone willing to pick him up. He was standing on the side of the road almost all the way to the entrance of the freeway. 

Even if his mother was driving by and saw him, it would be too late for her to give him a ride

Which reminds me of a very important aspect of asking for something. Timing

In the past I have written that studies show that one of the biggest reasons people give, is because they were asked. But as my hitchhiker friend illustrates, we need to know when to ask. To put it more clearly, we can’t ask for something when it is too late. 

Children who ask for a list of toys on December 26th will get laughed at by their parents. A man who asks his high school crush out on a date when she is married with 3 kids is going to be shot down. And a hitchhiker who asks for a ride when doing so would cause a 10 car pile up is going to get left in the dust. 

Timing is a critical part of asking for something. 

Because I am a freeway-half-full kinda guy I like to think that I just caught this man at the wrong time. Maybe he was working his way up the on ramp and just stopped to catch his breath. Maybe he was trying to improve his positioning and eventually he set up his smiley face sign at the corner. 

For his sake I hope that’s the case. Because where I saw him, he had everything going for him but one vital detail. Timing.

Photo credit: Pixabay

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Once the calendar turns to December, I turn on the station that plays non-stop Christmas music. I was listening to that station this week when the popular song, Winter Wonderland started playing.

As someone who lives in Arizona, that song is the closest I will get to a winter wonderland. While singing along in my car, I paused when I got to the following lyric:

In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is …“

I paused because I didn’t know which words ended that line. I thought it might be “parts of brown” as if, the snowman has some dirt on him. Then I started thinking, maybe they are saying “parcel brown,” as if in reference to a color that resembles a package you might receive in the mail. For all I know, there is a Crayola color called “parcel brown.”

Confused by the actual wording of that lyric, I decided to look it up. Which brings me to today’s Wonder Why Wednesday…

Wonder Why Wednesday: Who Is Parson Brown?

As I quickly learned, the line from Winter Wonderland says neither “parts of brown” or “parcel brown.” The actual line is “pretend that he is Parson Brown.”

Which leads me to by second question: Who is Parson Brown?

Turns out the answer is…no one.

There is not one person named Parson Brown that the song is referencing. Rather, it is more of a figure of speech, like “John Doe.

In 1934, when the song was written, the term “parson” was used for Protestant or Anglican ministers who would travel from town to town and perform weddings for anyone who was without a local minister of their own faith.

Which makes a lot of sense give the lyrics that follow:

He’ll say are you married
We’ll say No Man
But you can do the job
When you’re in town”

The song is referring to a fictional minister or “parson” who could “do the job” of performing a wedding. That is, if the snowman actually came to life.

So there you have it, the song is using a make believe word/name, not too unsimilar to my guess of “parcel brown.”

Sources:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/was-parson-brown-from-winter-wonderland-a-real-person?page=all

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/25/the-most-confusing-christmas-music-lyrics-explained-video.html

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Parson+Brown

Photo credit: Wikipedia

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Questions We Asked –

What Are Nooks and Crannies? – Does your house have them?

When Was The First Veterans Day? – The holiday was known by a different name at first. See what it was.

How Big Is A Rainbow? – Is it possible to measure a rainbow? Let’s find out.

Why Do the Dallas Cowboys & Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving? – It is all thanks to some shrew businessmen.

Things We Learned –

What Johnny Cash can teach us about worrying – Check out what Cash scheduled into his day.

As time goes by, things become less scary and more silly – You’ll never believe what I was afraid of in 1991.

Sarcasm makes us smarter – Seriously!

I learned a new word – Find out what it is.

How my old blog got better once I left – Should I take it personally?

What It Takes To Get 1 Joke On TV – It is much harder than I would have guessed.

Fun With Numbers –

The One Coin Loophole – Do little actions add up? Do the small things we chose to do, or not do, even make a difference?

20 Extremely Well-Mannered Insults To Use On Your Worst Enemy – This is a great list. #6, #9 & #15 are some of my favorites.

5 Things We Can Learn From Cleaning Our Bathroom – In the latest installment of “Five Things We Can Learn From Everyday Objects” we talk dirty. Very dirty.

25 Reasons To Be Thankful – We can never have enough reasons to be thankful, but here are a few of mine.

Photo credit: Veeboy2

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