Rathbone's Ramblin'

by **rathbone** » 12 Jun 2006, 13:42

Doesnâ€™t the hot weather make people do funny things?

For a start, yesterday Mrs. R. said that sheâ€™d come and support me on my race. Now, given that over the thirty two years that weâ€™ve been together sheâ€™s never bothered before, I could only put it down to the heat. To be fair, she did change her mind and decide that it would be a more productive use of her time to do a washing instead.

Last night, late, the youngest rathbonette phoned up to say that it was too hot to come home, so she would be staying at Ryanâ€™s. (Oh yeah?) and this morning the elder rathbonette said she had decided to take the day off work to go to Alton Towers with her mates. (Shame .. itâ€™s supposed to be thundery there today.)

There was a piece in New Scientist a little while ago on the mating perferences of flies. A mere change in temperature is all it takes for the male flies to switch from being heterosexual to suddenly courting other males. The mutation is temperature sensitive, meaning neurons carrying the mutation suddenly become inactive above 30Â°C. At the normal 19Â°C, males are heterosexual. But ramp up the heat above the critical temperature and in about two minutes their behaviour changes. When put in a chamber with females, the males become largely disinterested. Add them instead to a vial with other males and they pursue them vigorously. Flip the temperature back to normal and the flies become heterosexual again.

I have to say that this does not appear to be true of humans... or at least I have not been propositioned by another man so far this summer.

Obviously our bodies are designed to work within a fairly narrow temperature range and find it hard to cope with extremes, but they are also responsive to changes in pressure. The higher the atmospheric pressure goes, the crankier we become. Hot, humid days are apparantly the worst possible combination as they cause sleeplessness, decreased activity, poor reaction times, irritability and lethargy.

Despite that, itâ€™s also true that most of us tend to feel better when the sun is shining.For weather to improve mood, people need to spend at least 30 minutes outside in warm, sunny weather. Researchers have found that spending time indoors when the weather outside is pleasant actually depress your mood. They suspect this is perhaps because people resent being cooped-up indoors or perhaps because improved weather can make normal indoor activities feel boring or irritating.

Lots of research over the years, both in Europe and the USA, has also shown that violent crime increases with temperature. However, this is not to say that scorching weather causes all types of crime to occur more often. There was little or no correlation found between heat and occurrences of rape, robbery, or property crime. Since violence is (typically) not the primary goal of these crimes, the weather had little effect on them. Of course, this is just a hypothesis. It could hardly be used in a court of law as a defense - "I swear, I did not mean to kill him! It was 110 degrees that day!"

Still, the implications are scary, especially with so many reports on global warming being released. It's bad enough that my ice cream will not last as long outside; now I'll have to deal with people trying to hurt me when I don't share it.

by **rathbone** » 19 Jun 2006, 10:31

So it was off to the wedding of Sunnyportyâ€™s daughter.

Logistically, our journey north had to take place on Thursday afternoon, when England were playing Trinidad and Tobago. The match sounded really boring on the radio, and presumably was really boring to watch on the television as well.

We decided to stop at Charnock Richards services on the M6. It was a looterâ€™s paradise. When you walked in all of the counters were deserted. No-one on the sweets, no-one on the papers and mags. No-one on the food. Everyone was in the restaurant, watching the match. Not only were they showing it on a big screen, but the commentary was being relayed around the whole complex on loudspeakers.

I went to the gents. Every urinal was taken. There were two Rooneys, a Lampard, a Crouch, an Owen and a Beckham with a wonky â€˜Bâ€™. Just as I came in England scored their first goal and to a man the ersatz team leapt in the air. Pee went everywhere.

The wedding itself could not have been better. The rain on Friday morning cleared and the sun came out in time for the brideâ€™s arrival. The flower girls behaved themselves. The babies didnâ€™t cry during the service and no-oneâ€™s mobile phone went off.

The reception was in a really nice country hotel. The food was excellent, the speeches were funny, the music was fine and no-one got into a fight.

The younger Rathbonette discovered relatives that she never knew she had and her eldersâ€™ vowed to stay in touch and stop relying on weddings and funerals as a method of communication.

As the evening wore on Epykitten entertained everyone by demonstrating that he had nothing on under his kilt and Epykat entertained them all over again with her motherly reaction.

The following afternoon there was a barbeque hosted by the best man. Priorities were suitably established when care was taken to ensure that the showing of the wedding video was over before the start of Doctor Who.

I hadnâ€™t anticipated the barbie, so I felt a little out of place in a stripy top and jeans facing two Rooneys, a Lampard, a Crouch, an Owen and a Beckham with a wonky â€˜Bâ€™.

by **Epykat** » 21 Jun 2006, 20:57

by **rathbone** » 26 Jun 2006, 11:15

by **rathbone** » 03 Jul 2006, 10:01

by **Dadaist** » 03 Jul 2006, 10:32

by **Epykat** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:25

by **Cleopas** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:39

by **Epykat** » 04 Jul 2006, 22:46

by **rathbone** » 09 Jul 2006, 13:51

by **rathbone** » 17 Jul 2006, 15:19

by **rathbone** » 30 Jul 2006, 14:16

by **Epykat** » 30 Jul 2006, 20:20

by **Epykat** » 30 Jul 2006, 21:35

But not everything is dead!

by **rathbone** » 21 Aug 2006, 08:48

Just a quick note to say that having completed a delightful tour of Porty drinking establishments putting faces to avatars over the last week, normal ramblings and on the beach things will resume shortly. (Things have been curtailed due to the difficulties of finding enough elastic bands to keep Epykat's computer running.)

I really enjoyed meeting Ali and Jackson Priest. Our evening in the Ormalie was a delight and the discussion on the relative merits of Arthur Lee and Bryan Maclean led to an even livelier discussion the following afternoon up in Liberton ( but that's another story.) Jackson, I'm really getting into the Joe Meek CD and will get it back to you soon ( honest).

As has been posted elsewhere, the Barby on the Beach was really cool, to the extent of being arctic. Gilo, your entrance was like Amundsen coming out of a blizzard... unexpected but entirely appropriate. Good to catch up with Bob, Bellybabe, Sunnyporty, Wangi, Sandra and Bearcub. (Don't believe what he says --- the sausages may have been overcooked, but they were delicious.) Marya's late arrival was the signal to enter the Dalriada. I was running the following morning so I wasn't drinking ........ It's good fun watching other people slowly deliquesce before your eyes while you remain completely sober. :twisted:

I was,however, drinking during my session in the Forresters, which was probably why I had the courage to walk up to someone I'd never seen in my life before and say : "I believe you are Zargonian and you are spladooshed." Nice for taking it in good part mate, and thanks for pointing out Novastar (who was also spladooshed).

Finally, Gedge, yes that was me who was smiling at you at the bus-stop on the way to the Hibs match on Saturday. Sort of a silent spladoosh. Maybe next time we'll be able to talk.

by **Zargonian** » 21 Aug 2006, 13:00

Aye I got spladooshed well and truly by Rathbone.

Good to meet another Poller! :shock:

by **Novastar** » 24 Aug 2006, 17:16

by **rathbone** » 04 Sep 2006, 10:31

by **rathbone** » 11 Sep 2006, 09:52

by **rathbone** » 25 Sep 2006, 10:24

by **rathbone** » 02 Oct 2006, 10:35

It was like trying to inflate a marquee with a hair dryer. In fact, it was just like a marquee: it was so big all fourteen of us could walk around inside it.

Mrs. R and I had bought the youngest Rathbonette a balloon ride for her birthday, and here we were in a field in deepest Hertfordshire helping to inflate the thing. It was good fun.

After about half an hour of blowing the excursionists clambered into the basket and were off off and away.

Unfortunately, while the day was bright and sunny, there wasnâ€™t much wind, so they drifted very very slowly across the fields, which was fine by me because I had to follow them in the car.

Creeping along country lanes at five miles an hour allows you time to miss the pheasants crossing the road and to wind up the queue of traffic which builds up behind you. I now know the sense of power that tractor drivers have.

An hour or so later the balloon came down in another field, only about seven miles from where they took off, the pilot skilfully missing the power lines and the trees, but upsetting a learner driver who made an emergency stop when the basket began to appear in her rear-view mirror.

Despite the short distance they travelled, the Rathbonette was suitable impressed by the experience.

by **Epykat** » 03 Oct 2006, 14:28

Rathbone's Ramblin'

Forresters Spladoosh!

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