Blue light.

So, three time this week I have exposed my lack of knowledge about the physics of light in everyday things.

1)  The blood in veins is NOT blue.  I was taught this in public school and never questioned it.  In spite of the fact that I was a science major and worked as a medical tech for many years and drew blood samples.  Blood in veins does not turn blue because the oxygen has been used up.  Blood does not "immediately oxidise" when exposed to the atmosphere.

2) Swimming pools do not appear blue/turquoise because the pools are painted that colour.  That is the colour of large amounts of water.

3) Ice bergs do not have those beautiful blue areas because of Rayleigh scattering.  That explains why the sky is blue but not why ice is.

But, though I was ignorant of these things I am not anymore.  And that's good.

Sometimes I look at little tiny yappy dogs,

and I think,

we, human beings,

took

wolves,

and turned them into,

that.

This morning I decided I would make the effort and go shopping for clothes.  This is not an activity I in any way enjoy.

I went into several stores, even tried some things on, but no luck.

One problem of course is that I don't like the current men's fashions.  (Yes, OK, I'm old.)

I also don't like the colours.   This is at least the second summer when almost everything is in tones of blue, black or grey with the occasional dash of pink or coral.   One of my decisions in working toward a minimalist wardrobe has been to buy/wear only clothes in the beige, brown, green and (subdued) yellow pallet.   Shirts in those tones are pretty much non-existent on the shelves.

Another issue for me is the smarmy pushy sales clerks in so many stores.   Especially the ones who want to give you "advice".   Anytime I've listened to a sales clerk about what to purchase I've come to regret it - often those are the items that end up going to Goodwill after a year or two of not being worn.

Fortunately, as a senior citizen, no one actually cares what you wear because they don't even notice that you exist.   (Often now people walk straight at me on the sidewalk as though I'm invisible - it's like they expect they will be able to walk right through me like I'm mist).

Nowadays I wear clothes until they're frayed and give up on them only when they actually develop one or more holes that are beyond stitching up.

But eventually I'm going to run out of things to wear and have to find something new to buy.

Today I watched this guy driving downtown in heavy traffic with this woman scrunched up against him in the front seat shoving food in his mouth while he was trying to make a turn through a crowd of pedestrians.

Stupid.

Even as a teenager I used to think it looked so cheap and silly when girls rode around glued to some guy trying to drive.

What is it with people who think it's just fine to bang the door of their condo unit?
Not even to just let it bang shut, but to actively pull it so it bangs.


It's a lifetime of dealing with this sort of self-centered self-involved ignorance that leads to old people being crabby.