lighthouse keepers and mercury poisoning

Lighthouse keepers were known to go mad quite often, but it wasn't just being alone too long. No, it was the mercury. There are some horror stories out there. 

4th order (mercury floated) Fresnel Lens
 Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor

In this blog today we're going to be talking about the perils of lighthouse keepers, people who had a hard job to begin with - even without the mercury poisoning that happened. It wasn't out of the question to have a lighthouse keeper go mad every once in a while. Go mad, in this instance, is not rage; it refers to someone going crazy. There are even stories of a man being trapped with his dead fellow lighthouse keeper because of a storm not allowing authorities to come closer. Even worse, the arm slightly outside the coffin seemed to wave at him in the wind. It was bad. Suicides were also common occurrences here. 

What was it like keeping a lighthouse? Lonely, that's what. You are at the beck and call of keeping the lights on and everything functioning - not a shocker - but you also are isolated by the sea and must be a jack-of-all-trades to make it work. Some lighthouses are actually reported to be haunted, too, much like any space that wasn't good for mental health (cough cough, asylums, cough cough). Modern lighthouses are usually automated fully, which is probably for the better. While it is an adventurous job some loved, it was also a place mercury poisoning was common (after 1860).

How To Run A Lighthouse

These beacons of light were vital. Sailors reaching land needed to not crash onto the rocks. I think this concept is quite self-explanatory, so I'm focusing on how you ran a lighthouse. First, assuming it was not the modern lighthouse, you lived there sometimes. Yep, this required you to move homes (and you could bring your family). This is 1800s -ish, just to clarify the time period. The 1960s began the automated lighthouses. Women keepers were rarer, but not uncommon, especially if the man running it had a family and died, leaving the woman to inherit the duty. Black people also ran lighthouses in some places, many places in fact after the Civil War. 

Courtesy of CADENAS PARTsolutions

Here's where it all gets quite suspicious. Fresnel lenses created more light and rotated. To keep that light rotating like it should be you had to lubricate it or crank it every once in a while (before mercury). It was lubricated on a track of liquid mercury at one point. This began in the 1860s. Alarm bells should be ringing in your head if you know how "mad as a hatter" became a common phrase. Breathing that in was toxic. Touching it was toxic. Part of your job as a keeper would have been to strain out impurities in the mercury. Ouch. They were poisoned the same way hatters had been. Confusion, depression, hallucination, memory loss, and erratic behaviors were common to lighthouse keepers. 

Oh, and you had to take care of the occasional shipwreck and weather storms (in which one led the three keepers to evacuate and then die in the water, at least they think they died). Until the lightbulb, flames could be perilous. Henry Hall (94 years old) discovered one day the tower had been ignited by the lantern flame. To his horror and peril, molten lead poured over his face and throat before he could throw water on the fire. He somehow lived 12 days. He had 200 grams of solid lead in his stomach when they did the autopsy. 

Only one lighthouse remains manned at this point. Boston Light in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is the only one. I'm guessing that they no longer use mercury. The Coast Guard has taken over most of the duties a keeper would, for the most part. Weather is still an issue, obviously, as a modern lighthouse keeper. The modern keepers are ones that love adventure, not surprisingly. They plant gardens, write, and keep their wits about them. 

Boston Light and Keeper -
Courtesy of USA Today 

When Things Go Wrong and General Madness

I will have the video that was the source material for the Smalls Lighthouse in the sources (because Kaz Rowe did a lot of research and has already done some of my work for me) if you want even more info. I'll give you the lowdown on one of the worst stories here. 

Smalls Lighthouse off the coast of Wales was particularly cursed. This is 1776, for time period reference. The structure needed repair and the keeper left someone else in charge to go get those parts. A message was thrown into the water and received later on. It said they had next to no water or fire left and were doing quite badly. They wanted to get out of there by next Spring or they thought they'd die. Fortunately, all survived. But that wasn't the only ordeal. 

Smalls Lighthouse
 - Courtesy of factsrepublic.com

Fast forward 25 years and two keepers were put there. Thomas Griffith and Thomas Howell were put on duty. There was a distress signal at the lighthouse. The sea conditions made it impossible to get there right away. Yes, the lights were still on, but the distress signal remained. Griffith was feeling unwell and they needed help. No help came in time and Griffith died. Throw the body? No, Howell could not do that unless he wanted to be thought a murderer. Instead, the body decomposed in the lighthouse. He made a coffin since he had the skill. For three weeks the coffin with the body was secured to the railing. After that, the storm passed and they could take both the live and dead keeper away from the lighthouse. Some accounts say the arm was out and the wind made the hand look like it was waving at Howell. They'd been there four months. The keeper number was then upped to a three-person crew until the automation of lighthouses.

In 1860 mercury began being used for the lenses, because before they used other means to keep the lens rotating. This was so much easier, they said, even though soon after keepers kept going insane. Suicide rose like the high tide. Drinking and psychological troubles? That rose, too. Keepers began thinking the lamp was cleaning and filling itself. Someone drank methyl hydrate, went into the bushes, came back into the radio room naked, and screamed while swinging an ax. And this wasn't only the keepers that started going a little off their rocker; the families shared the symptoms. Mercury wasn't such a great idea and no one knew the perils of it at that time. Whoops. 

*

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

Mad as a Lighthouse Keeper -- Not the Solitude, but the Mercury (oldsaltblog.com)

The Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai Magazine

Mad as a lighthouse keeper? – Recognition, Evaluation, Control (wordpress.com)

Lighthouse Keepers (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

The life of a modern lighthouse keeper | Kinute

(2) Why Did So Many Lighthouse Keepers "Go Mad"? - YouTube

Smalls Lighthouse Tragedy | Fact# 29490 | FactRepublic.com

Normal is relative

 What is normal? Let's find out today. 

Courtesy of thesimplecatholic.blog

First of all, we need to consider that people come from different regions, countries, homelives, and traditions. We are raised uniquely and with different personalities attached. Normal to one person can be abnormal to another. I can point out lifestyle choices that make sense to me, but not to others raised in cities. Even in the same region habits differ. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as 

"a: conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine

b: according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle"

As well as free of impairment or occurring naturally. 

From this, we can glean that normal is meeting the standard set without deviation and being without impairment. By this definition, I can already see that asylums (which hid the 'abnormal') functioned based off of societal standards that were broken already. The standard is not always good, nor is it always bad. Some standards have a reason, in fact, most do. It just depends on the society setting the standard whether it is good or bad. Can you name the unspoken standards you feel the pressure to adhere to? 

Misconceptions

Psychology Today says the two misconceptions for normal are a poor understanding of human variations and an assumption that the average of the population is socially 'right'. This means punishment of the people who deviate is inevitable. Deviants (or abnormal people) have harder lives. I can name many examples, like minorities or those that question the normal standard. I felt this way in some social groups. This doesn't mean 'anything goes', but does mean we need to understand that social variations make our world continue on rather than constricting us to an eternal minimal standard.

Courtesy of Reddit

I looked into asylums and the cold war era and found that people who were not quick to take up 'normal' got put into the asylum perfectly sane or got marked part of the Communist party. This explains why the 1950s were so cookie-cutter (fear). It also explains how a lot of people got out of the asylum via appeals once their rights were returned to them.

Psychopathic behavior or misunderstood behavior?

There is a disorder that literally is someone only caring for themselves, but social deviants also got the term psychopath applied to them. In 2004 it was suggested they assess normal and abnormal by the 4 Ds; deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. It also has to be considered through the lens of that place and the culture. Deviance in this scenario has to be viewed with that in mind. Distress has to do with stress levels. Danger is either a threat to themselves or others (or both). This person could be starving themselves in order to commit suicide or violent towards others. Dysfunction explains itself - basically, can they function well? You get the idea. Abnormal behaviors can be categorized as disorders (in some cases they are and sometimes they are not). 

Normal is used as a form of measurement. It often does discourage people when we say success in areas such-and-such is normal, especially when they struggle to keep up (me in math as a kid). Humans have different talents, perspectives, beliefs, and ways of viewing the world. My view of the world is not yours, nor is yours mine. You may not value what I value or have seen what I've seen. The point is that not all social deviance is bad. Serial killers are a whole other issue, of course, but the extremes aside we are all raised in different ways to value different things. 

*

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/busting-myths-about-human-nature/201403/why-normal-is-myth#:~:text=The%20myth%20of%20normal%20tells,very%20strong%20and%20very%20wrong.

https://medium.com/psych-pstuff/one-persons-abnormal-is-another-person-s-normal-af61575fd8d9

https://www.avalonmalibu.com/blog/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-normal-person/

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/16/713798970/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-normal-person

TBR lists, card catalogs, and tracking reading

 If you have ever wanted to track your reading for the year this is the blog for you. If you ever wanted to make a TBR list this is the blog for you. Even if you wanted to create a card catalog for your library, I'm here for it. Let's dive in. 

Courtesy of shilpaagarg.com

Today I will explain how to do three things: making a card catalog for your personal library, making a TBR (to be read) list, and tracking your reading for the year. I personally use Excel for all three, but I will add some other options in case you don't want to use that. It is also a viable option to open a notebook and handwrite your personal logs. You can access them offline if the power goes out when something doesn't depend on your battery life and technology. 

Card Cataloging Your Library

The first thing you need is time. Take a day and do this. Plug in some lofi or play some Pandora while you sit and log your book collection. Depending on whether you have one bookshelf or five, it may take all day. After you have the time to sit, stand, or walk around doing this, your next step is to take an Excel document and put in several columns. 

The first column down is going to be the title of the book, the next is the author, and the next is what form of book it is (audio, physical, ebook...). I personally mark what app it is on (kindle, kobo, chirp...) for easier finding. When you get all this down (pull up that lofi and take your time) go ahead and mark what you've read and haven't read if you'd like to keep track of that for the future. You can even put the unread in their own category on another page. I took the master list of all the books and created individual pages for the form of book (physical, chirp, kindle, kobo) for easier tracking of what I have and don't have. Organize it by whatever category you want to (mine's by title alphabetically). Mark your master list "master list" and mark your categories as what they are on the tabs of the Excel sheet. You can arrange them by author, genre, or any category you choose. Do what works best for your tastes. 

Alternatives to this include actually buying a barcode scanner and scanning books into a program. You can organize it from there. The only downside is buying the scanner itself and then the books that don't have a barcode. For more on this method, click here.

To Be Read (TBR)

Step one is estimating how much you read last year, or last month (depending on whether you TBR for the month or year). Don't bite off more than you can chew. All the same, if you do put too much expectation on yourself you can cut it down to a handle-able list later on. Keep in mind that longer books take longer to finish and heavy topics take longer to digest. You might want pallet cleansers (light reading) in the mix around heavy content. Take into account how much time you have to read in your daily life before putting ten thousand books on your month or year TBR. Holidays also take up the reading time you have. Make the list smaller around the major holidays, or not. Up to you. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

Now, I pull up Excel again, but you can literally pull up a notebook, Word document, or notetaking app to make your list. Make it a checklist if you want. Literally, the sky is the limit. Again, though, manually written notebooks are immune to the power going out. On the other hand, you can pull it up on your devices easier from apps and online clouds. 

On whatever you choose to use, write out the books you plan to read. In my case, I mark when I started reading in Excel and when I finished it. I am tracking how many I decide to abandon, finish, and start.

Tracking Reading

Why track how much you read in a year? In my case, my coworkers actually asked. I didn't know so I'm tracking my 2023 reading and will track every year onward. So far I've got about 23 books read and one book I chose not to finish (Game of Thrones was wrecking me). Maybe you want to know how much of one genre you read or make stats of your yearly reading. Up to you. Track what you want to track. 

I used an Excel sheet, but you can pull out a notebook or note-taking app. Just like my TBR, I track how many I finish, but I also track what form of book I read. I put the title in one column, then three after that in whatever order you choose - finished, started, DNF (did not finish). The last column is the form of the book it is.  I keep a few cells of the Excel devoted to keeping track of the overall number of the finished, started, DNFed, and what forms of book I read. I keep track of how many audiobooks, ebooks, and physical books I read in a year. This is an audiobook year for me, according to my data.

Other things you can keep track of are genre and whether you borrowed or owned the book you read. At the end of the year I'm probably going to post my stats on my blog for everyone to see. I'm doing well on my TBR and will probably go the whole way with it, adding more books to the list as I finish books. 

Goodreads is also a good way to track your reading, which many people use all the time. I have an account but don't often go onto it. Storygraph, Italic Type, Bookshelf, and Bookly are also great options for you to explore. More on those here if you're interested.

Benefits of Tracking, TBRing, Cataloging

The benefits of tracking your reading are many. For one thing, you know you read a book last year by just checking your logs. In my case, I can now tell my coworker how many books I read in a year. It encourages reading to try to rack up the number on my reading log. The TBR does the same thing. If tracking genre or book form is your goal, you may find the genre/form of book you love the most by looking at your end-of-year reading stats, which helps you know what you like. You can even find biases within your reading log stats, towards a certain genre, author gender, or form of book. 

Courtesy of Pinterest

Why catalog your books? Easy, to know what you have and what you don't, and remember how many digital books and audiobooks you have. You don't buy duplicates this way. Your relatives are less likely to give you duplicates because you asked for a book you already had. By keeping an unread list I can now pinpoint what books I need to read when I'm not reading my bucket list series'. I'm even taking on a "read it or unhaul it" challenge every few books or so, mostly because I am a book dragon who hoards. Ask my husband and my bookshelves. They will tell you. 

*

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

https://bookriot.com/8-reasons-catalog-books/

https://bibliolifestyle.com/best-book-tracking-apps-for-readers/

https://justplanbooks.co.uk/are-reading-logs-effective/

https://medium.com/swlh/why-you-should-start-tracking-the-books-you-read-bff0b144b4cf

Cat conspiracy: did the aliens already invade?

 Did you ever wonder if the aliens already invaded and they live in our houses? Our cats - aliens? No, I'm not at all serious, but let's talk about it anyway. 

Courtesy of Pet Paradise

Truthfully, I need some posts that are easy to throw together and fun to make. Cats being aliens? Sure, let's do it. Again, nothing about this post is at all serious. I just love cats and think it's a fun idea that the aliens have decided to get pampered (conquer us by being cute). Others shared that thought, according to my Google search. Let's look at what I found on this conspiracy. 

Proof?

A sci-fi horror movie had the same idea. The Cat or The 1000 Years Cat is a film about cats (and some other beings) being aliens. I'm not sure what level of horror this is. I don't know how intense it is. I just know I'm not the only being on earth to ponder the question. 

One of my (not serious at all) sources gives me a list of when your cat might be an alien. Let's run down the list. 

1. they want to taste you

2. they change from solid to liquid

3. look uncomfortable in their own bodies

4. watch you with freaky eyes

5. they study your technology

6. look like they are telepathically communicating 

7. they try and imitate spacemen

8. investigate water and its properties

Five other signs your cat is really an alien may include mind control by demanding attention. You wanted to read a book, do laundry, and just game - and then kitty notices. They control your mind to pet them and you get nothing done. Another is the solicitation purr, which can manipulate you into paying attention to only them. We are powerless to their lovable purrs. They find our weaknesses daily. The next is mistaking boxes for the mothership. They think they'll be beamed home. Yet another is the cuteness of an internet cat that could get away with anything (like all cute small kitties). Last, but never least, is the ability to see what we can't and speak at it. Are they phoning home? We'll never know. 

Do you want proof in pictures? Click here to see 12 pictures of alien cats.

Did you know cats in Egyptian culture were given as gifts from the gods? Also, gods were pictured as cats often. Another bit of proof is the unexplainable nature of purring, which scientists can't explain. It originates in the brain, so it isn't a specific organ. 

Go take a picture of your cat when you hold their ears back. Do you need more proof?  I think not. Their eyes are so much better than ours, too, but only if you want to black and white images and night vision. When cats awake and run around they might get transmission from the mother ship. What comes out of their bodies is also just strange. Hairballs are proof of that. 

Cat survival is off the charts. Jump from a four-story building? Yep, still alive. They land on their feet almost all the time because of their tails. They are amazing creatures. Also, if you die and you're the only thing to eat, they will eat you.

Invasive species

Did you know cats are an invasive species? Yep, they are aliens, in the environmental sense. To be invasive you have to be nonnative and do environmental harm to other species. Cats have caused the extinction of some bird species and go after many small animals (though many of us that have gardens don't object). Indoor cats are not a problem for other species according to studies, but outdoor ones are. The ones who go hunting frequently do eliminate some species in an area. 

Conclusions

No, cats aren't aliens. No, this was not serious. I just wanted to be entertained by silly cat stuff. Now you are, too. I hope you and your cat are having a great day! 

 *

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page.

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Are Cats Spies Sent by Aliens? A Deep Examination of One of the Internet's Best Conspiracy Theories (vice.com)

We Have Irrefutable Proof That Your Cat Is, in Fact, an Alien - Catster

8 Signs Your Cat Is An Alien - Do You Know The Signs? - Cole & Marmalade (coleandmarmalade.com)

Cats are cute, furry, cuddly — and an invasive alien species (nbcnews.com)

All Cats Are Aliens - The Stranger

beauty tips that cost nothing

When I say beauty tips, I mean you don't have to get your wallet out for anything. These are things you can do with no product.

Courtesy of Clearclinic.com

Today is a day for a light topic and a good time. I found tips and tricks that cost nothing to do. Some of it should be common sense and a few things are little hacks that save you from running to the store. Most of them have to do with your skin. 

Common Sense

Taking care of yourself overall is the first thing we should note. Everything is connected to everything else (mental and physical), so having good habits and health are at the top of the list. Drink water, eat meals...etc. On this list we find sleep is vital. Please sleep. It will not be good if you don't. It is also vital to manage stress and exercise. 

Not smoking is great for you. I think we were taught this from a young age. Unfortunately, many people do smoke. It was found in a 2012 and 2022 study that wounds heal slower and skin cancer happens more often in smokers. Avoiding smoke, in general, is suggested.

Courtesy of huffpost.com

 

Sunscreen this summer is highly suggested. The sun does damage out on the beach and we should be using it. It is recommended to be put on every two hours. UV rays are out there. They do impact you. On a completely related note, we should be seeking shade and covering our skin with clothing during the hottest hours of the day. 

Avoid using harsh products on your skin, unless prescribed. I think we've all seen some proof that harsh chemicals do damage, yet we still put on lots of hair products and skin products. It's better to use less soaps with sulfates and less products with harsh ingredients.

We've heard 'don't touch your face' all pandemic, but it truly does matter. There is an acne form caused by pushing more oils back into your skin and friction on your face. Don't skin pick. It isn't good for your face. 

We have a professional's opinion saying we need to remove all our makeup from our faces at the end of the day. Don't leave it on your face until morning. It causes blemishes. 

Not So Common

Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase is suggested because you can cause wrinkles while sleeping. It also helps your hair be less frizzy to sleep on satin or silk. I don't think many people know this. People with frizzy hair should try this. 

Knowing your skin type is a good idea. Knowing what your skin likes and doesn't is even better. Based on your experience, you find what does and doesn't like your skin. Keep that in mind for the future.

Wash makeup brushes. I know not many of us actively do this one. Many of us even keep expired makeup and use it for years after. It can cause more acne and breakouts. Wash the brush that puts makeup on your face and go through that makeup every two years or so.  

I have bad news for all those people who love hot showers (me); it doesn't help your skin. Short showers are helpful in hot water, but doing those long baths and showers we love so much isn't good. We are also supposed to pat dry instead of scrub dry with towels, as well as apply moisturizer afterward. I don't think many of us do this. It is suggested that lukewarm water be used. 

What you eat matters, according to experts. Processed foods are not good for you and natural foods are. Dairy in excess isn't good. Everything is connected. Your skin will care. Sugary foods are also not beneficial.

Smile! No, really, this is the tip. If you want to look younger you should find a reason to smile. Laugh over some dad jokes on the internet. Go spend time with friends. Smile at a child because they're adorable. 

Courtesy of drgrubb.com

Proceed With Caution

This section is specifically the ones that involve makeup and hacks. I would be cautious toward any beauty hacks in the world. Some of them don't work. Think before you attempt. If you try it and it doesn't work at all, comment so I can remove it from the blog post. 

Broken nails happen, but you can do something. Cut fabric from an unused tea bag into your nail shape, apply a top coat over it, and file down. 

Your eyeliners or lipliners may break or melt on you. If you notice crumbling you can pop that into the freezer for 15 minutes. That will allegedly fix it. 

Lipstick used as a blush? I know, but hear this hack out. Do it at your own risk. Rub it onto your finger and dab it across the apples of your cheeks for a natural flush. 

Glue sticks can be swiped lightly over your eyebrows (white or clear) and combed out for a feathery soft look. Try at your own risk. 

No pore strips? Easy, let a thin line of Elmer's glue dry on your nose and peel it off. Again, try at your own risk. 

For perfect cat eye, it has been suggested that you place a spoon where you would draw a line and trace it with your eyeliner. This may actually work. 

Forget to buy more shampoo? No worries, try baking soda - at your own risk. Mix it with water and wash with the paste you created, then rinse. You can also use this for toothpaste (which some people actually have done). 

To exfoliate lips you need nothing more than a washcloth and warm water. This is the safest one you could try, in my opinion. 

*

I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have two five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page.

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.

Sources:

 8 Dermatologist-Backed Habits For Healthy Skin — No Fancy Products Needed | HuffPost Life

11 Ways to Take Care of Your Skin Without Products (greatist.com)

The skin care tips that need no products whatsoever | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)

7 Skin Tricks That Will Cost You Nothing | HuffPost Life

9 Beauty Hacks That Will Cost You Zero Dollars (thezoereport.com)