more animals

more animals

I don’t think lolcat pictures necessarily need to go in the Brain Break file if they’re related to mental health, do you?

I’ve shared really cute pictures of cats here before (but, they weren’t my cats and they belonged to the lolcats family, which means they had equally hilarious captions), but today I have some really cute kitten pictures to share that…well, they don’t technically belong to me (they’re my sister’s kittens), but, close enough, right?

Either way, they’re really cute and the perfect way to give your brain a break this Sunday!

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My bookmarks and email inbox have been bursting at the seams this week, just waiting to get into Saturday Sanity for all you fine people! Now that the day has arrived, it’s clear to me there is so much Saturday Sanity-worthy news, I’d best break it up so as not to take up 3/4 of the front page, ha!

So, read on for what’s been going on at Mental Health Notes, in the world of mental health news and advocacy, and throughout the b5media Health & Wellness Channel!

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Ah!

Today might be the best Brain Break ever!

Well, aside from the Lolcats, of course.

As I was stumbling around last night, I came upon The Automachine. I almost passed it by, at first, because all the little letters and such made me think it was some guitar-related Web site. (Don’t ask why I have “guitar” set as one of my Stumble interests. I just do.)

Anyway, the little cassette tape with arms and legs bopping around at the top of the page caught my eye, so I decided to tinker around with the site.

Imagine how delighted I was when a very catchy techno-ish tune started wafting out of my speakers!

I know this isn’t a new concept; there are loads of Web sites out there that allow you to make your own music. However, it was a nice break for my brain so I thought I’d pass it along.

If you’re interested in other Web sites that help you make your own music, try:

• Splice, which holds contests.
• The Music Lab, which is mostly educational and seems to focus more on symphony-esque music (not surprising, as the San Francisco Symphony owns it).
• CreateBands.com, which does just that - creates a band. You choose the members and everything.
• Punk-o-Matic, which focuses on - you guessed it! - punk music. You can create an account and share your music with others.

Still, my favorite of those is The Automachine, and my favorite combination is F (over Synthe), H (over Electro), K (over Nappe), and C (down in the Rhythms section).

What’s yours?

For more musical enjoyment, check out b5media’s Music Channel.

Image: Newscom

Remember! You have until May 31, 2008 to enter the Mental Health Notes Birthday Giveaway, and forever to join the This Is Why I ROCK! series!

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve experienced the following:

• Extreme joy. (My baby sister is now a college graduate and beginning a profession she loves.)
• Extreme stress. (My computer keeps freezing up for no reason and with total disregard to my work deadlines.)
• Extreme fatigue. (Travel, late nights, uncomfortable hotel beds - need I say more?)
• Extreme pain. (Having some wisdom tooth issues.)

Needless to say, I just don’t have the energy to dedicate to a meaningful post.

What I really need, in addition to an extreme nap, is some extreme cuteness. Unsurprisingly, I found it in the Lolcats:

more cat pictures

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

I’m trying a bit of a different style for Saturday Sanity. Let me know what you think!

First up, let me refresh your memory regarding some of the more interesting things that went on at Mental Health Notes this week: The Lolcats paid us a visit, Boston Legal made me proud, the folks opposing the postpartum depression legislation confused me, I offered fellow American Idol Michael Johns fans some help, and, oh yeah, Mental Health Notes wants to know why you ROCK!

Next in line, I have a couple of Saturday Sanity-worthy Web sites to share with you sent in by MHN readers: Chato B. Stewart would like to announce the launch of his Web site, Mental Health Humor - and remind folks that the site is in no way meant to promote stigma. I checked it out myself, and while it seems to be in the beginning stages, I was certainly not offended and give it a Sparks Stamp of Approval. (I would also like to take this time to remind folks that, in my opinion, there is a very clear difference between mental health humor and tasteless, stigma-promoting. For example, this is mental health humor. This, however, is disgusting and promotes stigma.)

Moving right along, Hana Hasani would like to let you all know about Mamaherb, a new Web site geared toward spreading the word about natural health remedies. While browsing the site, I’ve so far found information about natural treatments for depression, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, anxiety, and narcolepsy. I’m all about using what nature gives us, so I’m happy to pass along this beautifully-designed site; however, I’d like to remind all readers that you should always consult with a medical professional before trying anything new - natural and non-natural, alike.

Now, for some scientific, research, and government-related mental health news: With more than 53,000 soldiers having been deployed to Iraq three or more times, the Army is seriously worried about the mental health effects return tours are having on our men and women in uniform - even though senior Iraq commander is telling Congress he’s “not ready to endorse any drawdowns beyond those already scheduled through July.” According to an Indiana survey, 83% of psychiatrists currently support a universal national health insurance plan. Parents with children who have ADHD and take Ritalin may be able to rest a bit easier: Researchers don’t feel Ritalin boosts the likelihood of future substance abuse.

And, finally, what’s going on around the rest of b5media’s Science & Health Channel? Well, Jul over at Veggie Chic is giving you the chance to win a copy of Gorgeously Green, Kristina over at Autism Vox shares a simply heartwarming story of sharing, and Liz over at Alzheimer’s Notes wants to remind everyone about the “All About Alzheimer’s” Carnival.

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity! If you think you have some Saturday Sanity-worthy news, shoot me an email!

Image sources and credits here, here, and here.

This week’s Brain Break is a serious attempt at redeeming myself after last week’s nonsensical ramblings.

And, aside from refraining from linking to that post (and, um…just deleting it altogether), what better way to take your minds off it than by sharing some hilarious Lolcats?

Answer: There is no better way. Lolcats RULE.

Every few days (or, every couple of weeks - it all depends on my busy schedule), I visit www.icanhascheezburger.com and Lolcats immediately proceed to take over my Internet life. (I never visit two days in a row. You see, I like to let a good, high number of Lolcats pictures accumulate on the Web site first. In addition to building anticipation, waiting ensures having numerous Lolcat pictures to peruse, and that just makes for some good brain breaking.)

The following are some of the Lolcats pictures that have recently made me LOL:

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

see more crazy cat pics

Read on for more of some hilarious Lolcats pictures that, um, don’t feature cats.

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