A Dish Best Served Cold

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. Well, in that case my bedroom is probably very cold. That's because I'm one of those illogical, but not unique, people who actively engage in revenge bedtime procrastination. In fact, that's what I'm doing right now. I should be going to bed, but, well, instead I'm writing this. Oh well.

In case you don't know, revenge bedtime procrastination is defined as "the decision to sacrifice sleep for leisure time" [1]. It's when people know that they should be going to bed, because sleep is a healthy and necessary activity, but actively choose to not sleep, engaging in something fun.

It's an endless cycle of me not going to bed when I know that I should and being tired the next morning. But you know I'll still do it. Because I'm me. The Medved.

[1] https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/revenge-bedtime-procrastination

The Radium Girls

Safety rules are written in blood. Simply put, they aren't changed until a sufficient value of people are hurt. And I say value, because, unfortunately, that's how it's looked upon. Only once the monetary cost of restitution outweighs the costs of increased safety do profit-driven corporations begin to make changes. Unless, of course, an external force acts upon the companies to make a change. But what happens if most people, including those in power don't realize that there is a danger? Especially if the companies know, but intentionally play it down? Well, the The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore attempts to describe the real-life horrors faced by women who worked in the luminous dial industry. 

The Radium Girls outlines the rise of radium and its glow to the forefront of industry in the early twentieth century. Seen as a miracle that could do no harm, it exploded into the commercial world, from health tonics to illuminated dials, leading us to the crux of the story: the women whose job it was to do the painting. Having illuminated digits is helpful, particularly once WWI broke out, exacerbating the need for them. The technique was, as repeatedly described in this book "Lip, Dip, Paint", or use the mouth to align the brush bristles, dip them into the luminous paint, and then apply it to the dial. It was the officially sanctioned technique taught to new employees. The trouble? Radiation's hazardous effects were already known to scientists. These women were simply told that if anything, ingesting radium was healthy. Well, as their painful and drawn out deaths proved, it wasn't. 

Overall, the story centers on the deterioration and legal struggle of the women as they desperately fought to any semblance of restitution. But as their bones literally crumbled, the justice they longed for was hard to find. Although their losses were not compensated, the Radium Girls fought for a fairer future for all works, and their sacrifices helped lay the groundwork for significant improvements for workers rights. 

This book is fairly well written in a literary format, but strongly supported using in-text citations. It's probably worth reading if not for its awards, then to learn about the brave women who helped craft the modern understanding of workplace safety.

Blinding Mess

 Darkest whiteness.

Blinding haze.

Running rat and 

High-walled maze. 

Envelop all

To spit it out.

Fearful lion.

Rearguard scout.

 

To the sky.

Rejecting land.

Flying high.

Head in the sand. 

Dec. 9, 2023

Outlander

    Yet again, I'm here with a cinematic tie-in to my literary adventures. This time it's Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. I read it some time ago and initially wasn't planning to write about it, but after a conversation with a certain someone, I felt the need to share.

    Best described as a historical fiction work crossed with time travel, it starts in post-WWII Scotland, where Frank and Claire Randall are taking a well-deserved break after their service in the war, as an intelligence officer and combat nurse, respectively. Scotland is an amazing place (my second-favorite country at the moment, in fact) and one of the reasons for that is the history and mythology that permeates through its air and soil. And so, while gathering plants near one of these points where historical markers crop up in the modern world, Claire falls back through time about two hundred years. Right into a Scotland on the verge of rebellion, soon to take part in the Bonny Prince Charlie uprising. 

   The beauty of the Scotland and castles clashes with the fierce harshness of the Highlands in the mid-eighteenth century. And through out it all Claire, an Englishwoman with mid-twentieth century sensibilities tries to navigate the cultural differences. She's an alien in that strange world... One might even call her an outlander...

    Starting with the book - it's a well-written, albeit hefty book, and the audio narration is also pretty good if you prefer that format. I have no complaints that I can think of right now. Good world building, amazing character descriptions, and all the characters act in reasonable ways - I never felt like there were uncharacteristic actions that ran counter to their motivations. Furthermore, strong character development was paired with great plot development. In other words - I liked it. As for the show - great casting and an impressive dedication to book accuracy. It's one of the closest adaptations that I've seen in a while.

    Overall, Outlander has a great story, great characters, and is an interesting idea. I liked it, and strongly endorse it for those who like similar works, like Game of Thrones. Actually, it's as if Game of Thrones was moved from a magical setting to a historical one. Interesting.