The Introverted Detective

We see asylums as creepy places, and some of them are legitimately haunted. When and why did they start? Let's begin there.  The Kirkbride Plan  - PBS Learning Media During the times of at-home treatment for those with mental illness, some could not be around others or be contained. This is where being sent to "a home" started. Private hospitals depended on the money of wealthy families to care for their patients. Most hospitals had a ward for those who needed it. Asylums became something big when the idea of open space and kind treatment began to be considered the way to cure the mentally ill.  This required secluded places. The Quakers were the first to run with this and had laypeople running it, rather than medical physicians. Most other facilities had physicians as the head of the establishment. Thomas Kirkbride developed a plan and outline for how they should be set up. Almost every place used this system for at least 40 years. Kirkbride's plan called for only 25...

We know of Loki through Marvel movies and streaming services, but what is the actual mythology behind Loki? Is he more than the god of mischief? Let's find out.  Photo by The Atlantic Starting with bare-bones basics, Loki is the god of mischief and possibly fire. He is considered neutral (not good or bad). It explains why he'd be an antihero. Odin may not be his father, but he's still considered part of the deities known as Aesir. He is commonly a companion of Thor and Odin. He can change shape and sex at will. His father is indeed a giant. He's also caused the death of several gods in Norse mythology. Loki produced Hel (goddess of death), unlike what the movies seem to tell you. He also (with a female giant) produced Jormungand and Fenrir. He gave birth to Odin's 8-legged horse, too (yes - gave birth). With his wife Sigyn, he has a son (Narfi or Nari) whose name could mean corpse. In all aspects, he defies all society and makes a mess of everything. He often has to...

 Introverts are like phones; we need to be left alone for a bit to recharge. Our time by ourselves is for your safety. How well we function depends entirely on how charged up we have been. In other words, we have introvert zones and should be allowed to sit in them, much like how you set a phone on the counter and do something else.  Photo by Elle Australia An introvert zone is a place or general area where an introvert goes to recharge alone. Sometimes other people are let into it and other times they invade without permission. Quite a few people are oblivious to the introvert zone. Perceptive people step into it and step back out if you seem annoyed. Today I'm going to give you the basic rundown of why this is important.  Why We Need It Introverted people need a break from socializing and the noise of the outside world a bit more often than extroverts. Extroverts need it too, yes, but not nearly as much. We only have so many safe places that are sacred, such as our offi...

 We watch the same movies and play the same games all the time, but why? We know the ending of our favorite media and consume it over and over despite the lack of surprise. Let's figure out why.  Photo by Filmic The definition of comfort media is media that you love to watch over and over. TV show, movie, video game, music.....it all goes into this category if you listen to it time and again - especially if you are upset and find it soothing (aka, using it as an escape). Nostalgia has prompted me to re-experience all my Nancy Drew games (a blog in progress that will come later, after I finish Midnight In Salem). Those games are comfort media to me, along with movies that include Scott Pilgrim vs The World and the Minions movie. I have a few more, of course, but it is a long list. You have to love it and find it amazing.  Too Many Choices Pull up Netflix, Youtube, or any streaming service and you will be overwhelmed by options of new content. They do gear it toward your pr...

  Fellow readers, I'd like to suggest several books that are not mainstream, are great, or both. These authors need more love and attention. Consider this a reading list of lesser-known or awesome books. Photo by Literary Hub Many authors in the world are not advertised like JK Rowling and James Patterson. The bigger the name, the more advertising you have, and the more money you make. Small authors need some love. I can suggest a few that I know are good. Are you ready to go buy more books? Need some ideas for the upcoming Christmas season? Let me help.  Maggie Sullivan Mysteries Photo By Amazon You don't see much Marlowe-Esque hardboiled fiction anymore, especially if you want a female detective. Today you are in luck. Maggie Sullivan Mysteries are written by Ruth Myers, who won an award for these books. There are Nine of these mysteries and two short stories starring the tough woman Maggie Sullivan. She takes cases during the depression era and lives in Dayton, Ohio, where ...

 If you were to rewatch any Jimmy Stewart movie you would find the "Hitchcock" look in a lot of them. You would also see what looks like a PTSD episode in several scenes of It's A Wonderful Life . Let's talk about that. Photo by Talk Film Society Audi Murphy and Jimmy Stewart both had PTSD. I'd like to honor those veterans by talking about their war experiences. In It's A Wonderful Life the film crew recognized that when Stewart's character broke down it wasn't acting. Look for the scene where George Bailey comes home and screams at the children, then clears a table in one swoop. He then snaps out of it and apologizes after looking at what he'd done. It looks convincingly like real fear in the actors' eyes. Watch the clip below from the time 6:42 to almost the end if you want to see the scene I am referring to. One Facebook post once claimed that was a PTSD episode, but I don't have positive (written) proof of it (and not for lack of searc...

It is so rewarding to see a small waist, flat stomach, lower numbers on the scales, etc.......but what if trying to conform to the "beauty" trend of the current fashion is harming you? Today we look at what fashion trends hurt both genders the most.  Photo by Global Founders London Fashion trends promote different shapes of women every century or so. S-shaped, curvy, flat and boyish, or rail thin have all been trends that have come up in history. The 2010s promoted a big booty. My point? If fashion is going to change its mind every few years we need to stop obeying its rules. We need to stop buying into a harmful image of beauty, in some and many cases.  Some of it is less harmful after the industry was regulated (like makeup, for instance). Makeup, perfumes, and hair products have now been held to a safety standard. That is because people lost hair, went blind, went insane, and severely damaged themselves with lead paint during the early years of using it. We have learned fr...