So I'm pretty proud of my window furnishings project at my office. I have recessed windows that needed blackout coverage. I bought tension rods and hung two sets of heavy IKEA drapes from them – a dark color in back and white in front. Great, cheap blackout! The drapes are heavy, however, so I needed extra support. I ended up buying hardwood pole sockets for like $2.50 a set and used a dremel tool to carve them out to fit. Voila! Beautiful, functional blackout for $40 a window!!

Did you know that there’s a little chemical in your body that is activated by cuddling, and causes you to feel relaxed and MONOGAMOUS? I’m pretty sure the MONOGAMOUS effect is gender-specific – i.e. women start feeling monogamous. Not fair.

Did you know you can overdose on oxytocin, if you get too much at once (like during orgasm), you will feel like pushing a person away from you rather than cuddling(?), wow! A solution is to cuddle at times OTHER than sex to keep the chemical more constant. It is activated during activities such as petting a cat, which explains my cat’s reaction when I pet her too long . Apparently her oxytocin tolerance is much lower than mine.

I’m sure there is some relation to oxytocin and massage. We have had one or two semi-creepy clients ask for super light strokes, which probably sets off the nerves the most quickly to instantly produce the chemical. Junkies.

I remember being totally grossed out in high school when my 2 best friends (you know who you are!) would spend waaay too long stroking each other’s bare feet. I suppose I assumed there would be some kind of side-effect sexual stimulation that I wanted no part of. But I guess I have experienced many times that you can give a massage, or pet a cat, with absolutely no sexual “firings” of any kind, so perhaps it was all too cautious.

The next problem is withdrawl. Couples can literally become addicted to each other for this substance.

Doped up.

I <3 Chemistry.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Relationships/Hormones

"…bestowing liberty upon a person who had known nothing but servitude had its share of complications. When Jefferson freed his chef, James Hemings, the poor guy didn't know what to do with himself, begged to be taken back, became an alcoholic, and ended up committing suicide."

-from Secret Lives of the US Presidents