Sunday 23 January 2011

Gloomy Days

I find the idea of a predictable peak in the winter gloom fascinating. According to a press release by a mental health charity, the formula for the most depressing day of the year is:

[W + (D-d)] x TQ
-------------------
M x Na

where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=Na. 'D' is not defined in the release, nor are units. (source here)

So quite a crappy and ambiguous tool, to say the least. In legible terms, the date allegedly falls on the Monday of the last full week of January, which in 2011 is... tomorrow! Well, that's encouraging! Just one more day and things will ease off... right?

And a beautiful song suited for the occasion:


"Billie Holiday's 1941 ode, which was banned by the BBC after supposedly inspiring hundreds of people to kill themselves, earning it a new name of the ‘Hungarian suicide song'. Amazingly, composer Rezso Seres actually did claim his own life in 1968." (source here)

2 comments:

  1. Lucky day for a box of randomness to arrive, then, innit?

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  2. Indeed!
    It might have been the LOOOOONGEST Monday in history! I spent the day in hospital, got an AWESOME surprise package through the post, I fell asleep in my evening revision lecture, and went running. I topped it off with finally sorting through my 256 job choices, listing them "in order of (misperceived) preference" and collapsed onto my bed after midnight. I feel like that Monday should count as a whole week's worth of work!;P Indeed though, not much time for being gloomy;)

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