Recently, Dave (of Blogography fame) was hit by another blogger named Neil with a meme. Many fellow bloggers know what a meme is, but I know I have a few readers who are not bloggers and would likely appreciate an explanation before they run away banging their heads against all solid objects on the way. Here you go, courtesy of Wikipedia...
In casual use, the term meme often refers to any piece of information passed from one mind to another.
If you'd like to read more, check out the full entry.
In lay terms, it's like one of those e-mails you dread to receive from a friend asking you to answer all these personal questions and then send on to ten (or however many) people as well as sending it back to the person that initially sent it to you.
For bloggers, it takes on a whole new meaning because we post the results on our sites for hundreds to read (in Dave's case) or 5 to read (in my case).
Dave did this meme about ways to deal with anxiety on his site and hit up the requisite five people afterwards. I mentioned that the next time he does one of these, he can tag me. When that comment went out, SJ of Chronic Listaholic took me up on the offer to Dave and tagged me with my first meme.
Here it is...
List five things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it to your journal, and then tag five friends and ask them to post it to theirs.
- Watch comedies that I know far too well on DVD and can recite line by line - usually Office Space, Fletch, Johnny Dangerously, and Ghostbusters will do the trick.
- Write in my blog.
- Mentally plot the death of the person or object that has caused the stress/blood pressure/anxiety level increase in the first place. This is typically plotted out in such extreme detail that, by the time I'm done, I've forgotten what the target of my rage is and I wind up feeling better. Ignorance truly is bliss.
- Log on to the Web and read about the exploits of really stupid people. Hollywood news, Darwin Awards, or other completely ridiculous headlines (may require registration - but it's free) typically help in this capacity.
- Create a new playlist on my iPod and take it to the gym for a workout. I find that following up a workout with some time in the sauna can relieve almost any stress. Try it.
I know it says five, but I do have one more...
- Playing disc golf. Even though it is more fun with friends, I have played alone. That's when you can replay shots and get away with it. Always a bonus.
The catch is that I now need to find five other bloggers that I can send this on to. I've got plenty of Web-enabled friends, but only a few that have blogs. Dave's already done this one. So has SJ. However, SJ recommended that I tag Mark, so I shall. I'm going to tag Carol as well and see if she'll play.
That's all I've got in terms of people to send to at the moment. Hopefully as more people discover this site, I'll find more victims... er... "friends" with whom I can converse on such meme-ical topics.
If you'd like to respond to this meme and don't have a blog, feel free to do so via the comments link below.
