Meandering through the days of our lives

The philosopher, Martin Heidegger, said that time persists merely as a consequence of the events taking place in it. The old saying, "time flies when you're having fun," is apparently more than a truism. Our brains, according to recent studies, do a poor job of tracking time. Our internal clocks seem to respond more to the kind of activity in which we are engaged than to the actual passage of time. Which is why an hour in the dentist's chair passes so much more slowly than an hour eating chocolate and reading a good book. (Feel free to insert your own dreaded and favoured activities into that sentence.)

Speaking of truisms, I had to look the word up to make sure that I was using it correctly. Cliche, platitude, banality. I never knew it was such a despicable word! Which led me, as is wont to happen when surfing the web, to this website, which has compiled a hilarious list of truisms.

Here are a few, with some commentary by yours truly.

Never go to Dudley. It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.

I was born in Dudley, therefore I resent that remark.

Never pretend you can horse-ride.

Ask Bethany, if you don't know why.

If you can't believe it's not butter, you're an idiot.

There is only butter. Nothing else.

Never mix sleeping pills and laxatives.

Ouch.

The trouble with being punctual is no one's there to appreciate it.

Eh, Ellen?

My hope for all of us is that 2010 zips right on by, we're having that much fun.

We're having a new baby, did I tell you?

A little Annie or Edwin.

Send good thoughts their way.

Annie is really sick, in the tradition of the Tuft women.

She's going to have a really LOOOONG seven months or so.