Hexendrucken

I'm doing some "research" right now on wikipedia. I call anything on the internet research. I'm reading about sleep paralysis. The scientific explanation made a lot of sense. Basically some neuron inhibitors get involved to prevent the body from enacting the dream activity. But things got really interesting when I got to the cultural references. Almost every single "folk" (does folk just mean "olde"?) culture in the world believes sleep paralysis has something to do with evil spirits pressing on you.

Chinese: Ghost press bed; Mexico: dead climbing on top; Laotian: Ghost silencing you;

But my favorite one? German. Hexendrucken (with an umlaut over the u). And it means "witch pressing." Those germans, they just get right to the point. They're saying basically "sleep paralysis" means "be very afraid."

When science has an answer that every single culture in the world eschews in the name of a ghost explanation, what is going on there?

Next topic...
I'm getting ready to move from New York, and trying to get some very important things done. Number one on my list is afternoon tea at the Plaza. The website says "jeans are tolerated." so I won't be wearing jeans. I know what "tolerated" means to the richy riches. It means "seriously frowned upon." I'm very excited to act fancy.

Also...
There is one elderly friend of mine who I have been helping for several years. Every Saturday I go and buy her groceries and do her laundry. Basically, she is very unhappy about me "abandoning" her. But somehow, her guilt trips have become much less painful as they have become the end of her every sentence. "Did you check the date on the milk? Oh what am i gonna do without you." and then two seconds later: "I told Pete at the Diner that you're leaving (oh what am I gonna do without you, my whole life is changing, everybody leaves me) and he said to wish you good luck." Its sad, but now its just like breathing for her. It softens the blow to both of us I think.