Day 2: Architecture

This is "Day 2" in Ziva's "30 Days of Photographs II" non-contest. All information about the contest can be found by clicking the link above.

The theme today is "Architecture". Again, me, with my crappy camera which doesn't hold a charge, piddled around the house for three minutes at a time a few times today. I tried to find the link to a set of architectural wooden blocks I have as I was going to set up a magnificent artsy shot of those...but I didn't know what to call them as I don't know where the box or the instructions are. They are quite old and they aren't a toy...so all my Googling led to me giving up and going with my first choice (plus I was missing one of the shapes). Not sure how many others will have done the same idea as I did -- I'm thinking at least one other participant will have.

With that said, here are the other participants (my photo and little caption are directly following):

MikeWJ, Nicky and Mike, Mo, Meleah, John, aka nonamedufus, Bryan, aka Unfinished Person, Malisa, Nora, LaughingMom, Tanya, Elizabeth A., 00dozo, Cheryl and Kristen

As Ariadne once said, "Oh what a tangled web we weave..." as she was admiring the architectural ability of a spider as it diligently wove its web in order to exist another day...only to dismantle it, strand by strand, in the morning. Like Sisyphus with the boulder, a spider might seem tasked to a repetitive futile existence...but the gossamer beauty which exists, however fleeting, is simply stunning. This eight-legged wonder should have a place among those "Seven Wonders" as the feat it does is not only astonishing but also strong enough to stand the test of time. The tensile strength of spider silk is greater than five times the same weight of steel...so it's nothing to sneeze at...especially if you are walking thru a web the same time you are sneezing.

(Whilst Ariadne never uttered that quote...I have full artistic license when I write my silly blog and I used it.)

The Three Degrees of Google

Charlie Chaplin was in a movie called "Monsieur Verdoux" with Herb Vigran...who was in "Amazon Women on the Moon" with Steve Guttenberg, who, in turn, was in "Diner" with Kevin Bacon. And so, the cult phenomenon known as "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" took its place in the annals of trivial history.

Based on the theory known as "The Six Degrees of Separation" - whereby any one person is separated by any other person by only six steps in the "human web", John Guare's play, later the popular film, "Six Degrees of Separation"...pretty much coined a phrase with which we are now more or less familiar. While this whole idea was not new...it took the film, and subsequently, the "Kevin Bacon" Internet game sensation of the 1990's to bring it to the forefront of most peoples' forays into it.

I remember, quite some time ago, being the [quote - unquote] filmophile that I am...trying to find a "Bacon Number" higher than anyone else's. Oh, yes...to get that elusive Bacon Number of eight...THAT would be a thing.

But the fervour of the game began to wane and I seemed to have my own issues and most of those issues centered around me personally...instead of him personally. Specifically, my health.

And because of my health...or the decay thereof, I've since made up another little "game". With the advent of "everything" out there at your fingertips - and only a click away..."imminent death" is as well.

It's really not that morbid when you think of it...let me explain. Gimme any MINOR illness, and with three or less clicks online...I can find out that it leads to death.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "So, what, Mariann...everybody and their uncle has a website or blog with a bunch of misleading health information." And you'd probably be true in this assessment...BUT...I only "play" this "game" on bona fide websites, such as WebMD and MayoClinic.com.

Oh, yes...many has been the night where I felt funny, found a bump that wasn't there before, or as my latest venture online...obsessing about THIS thing on my leg:

It can't be a simple, ordinary bruise - oh, no...no bruise looks like that...plus I asked the lady who checks my blood clotting level at my cardiologist only this past Monday...and she replied, "Hmmmm...that's an ODD bruise...I've never seen one like THAT before". And she's seen lots of strange bruises I'm sure...dealing with all us Warfarin-takers - who bruise if you only look at us funny.

Against my better judgement, I Googled. I've been told by a few doctors that I was not allowed to anymore...they forbade me to Google...in essence, my Google license has been revoked.

But...I still do.

So, what went from an innocent "skin" and "ring" quest - progressed to "bite"...then on to "spider bite" - culminating with "Brown Recluse bite" which ultimately stated necrotic tissue death and full-blown death. Blown out of proportion, hopefully...

...but you know the deal -- if it's ON the Internet, it must be true, right?