Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mojo

How do I get my mojo back?

SebastianKnight — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:23:15 -0800

How do I get artistically unblocked, fast? I'm about to start the next year of a (sort of) art-photography course and I need to come up with a Big Idea very very soon (like, two weeks soon). I've had a rough few months and have lost of lot of momentum, had to scale back my reading regime dramatically, and effectively done nothing creative since Spring. Now time is running out and my idea-tank is dry. I've been trying to expand on the one or two mini-ideas that I do have, and frankly, they're terrible. I need tips on getting unblocked in a hurry.

Over the last week or so I've been trying (and mostly failing) to do some brainstorming, mind-mapping, and general idea-capturing, and I've also re-read Art and Fear and The War of Art. I've had a copy of The Artist's Way on a shelf for months, but now I don't have time to work through it, so if anyone could recommend the best bits that might help me. I'm hesitant to start reading any new books in the short time I have left, so other book recommendations might not be so helpful.

I have come up with some very vague parameters for the project, and I know which artistic movements I have an affinity for, but beyond that I'm completely stuck.

Thanks everyone.

Valentines Day has left me partially blind

msali — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:31:53 -0800

Is there an ophthalmologist in the house? School me on central retinal vein occlusion. I woke up this morning and couldn't quite wipe the fuzzies out of my left eye. Before too long, I realized that those fuzzies were in my eye, not on it. Concerned, I scheduled an exam with my local optometrist who tentatively diagnosed me with central retinal vein occlusion.
Pretty common eye disorder, so it seems, if you are over the age of fifty. Being a 35 year old woman of sound mind (hah!) and body, I guess it is fairly uncommon. This optometrist referred me to a retinal specialist, and cautioned me to take an aspirin and not do much until my appointment tomorrow morning. My understanding is that there is no treatment for "CRVO", rather it is more important to determine the cause. My own research is freaking me out, so I thought I would pose it to my internet friends. What know ye of this illness in the young?

Caffeine—can't live with/out it

humblepigeon — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:50:46 -0800

Caffeine is killing me but I need it to work well. Is there an alternative? I work in a 'creative industry' and need to generate good ideas on a daily basis. Pretty much all my career I've drank a lot of coffee. Last year I was found to have high blood pressure (a family trait), so I cut it out. I suffered badly for a week or two, but became clean. The trouble is that I kinda lost my mojo. Over the past two weeks I've been reintroducing caffeine and, wow, the buzz is good. I've realized that it's just what I need to work well. But caffeine is slowly killing me. So is there an alternative? Maybe even a lifestyle change? Background info: I'm overweight and pretty unfit, and spend all day at my desk. However, I don't smoke and have never taken drugs.

Joie de vivre

Amizu — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 08:16:37 -0800

What are your secrets for preserving joy in your life? Background: I'm in my late twenties, and am working as a lawyer at a very interesting, rewarding job with good hours. My lovely boyfriend similarly has a great lawyer job with good hours. We have lots of friends and loving families. We're in good health and exercise frequently. When we were younger, we both traveled overseas for a couple of years, and consider those to be some of the best years of our lives.

However, I've noticed increasingly (past 4 years or so) that I seem to be losing my joie de vivre, as it were. When I was younger, the world seemed so much more colorful and riveting. I used to make lists of things I wanted to do/see in my life. These days, for all the amazing luck I've had in my life so far, my world seems gray and it also seems to be zooming by. It's not that I'm unhappy, it's just that my days seem to be consumed with exercise, work, chores, and a bit of relaxation in front of the TV bc I'm exhausted. I have a mild interest in learning new languages or improving my yoga, but it's only mild whereas in the past it would have been a passionate interest.

So my questions, is this just a function of aging, or are there ways to preserve that feeling of vibrancy and energy? (Writing this makes me think I may be mildly depressed, but I don't feel depressed, I actually feel pretty content and happy most of the time. I'm a bit anxious about the future and my family's health, but otherwise I feel pretty happy.) What are your tips for enjoying life so that it doesn't flash by?

I tried to find prior questions like this and struck out, but maybe I was searching incorrectly.

A short course in guilt.

the giant pill — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:47:33 -0800

What are some easy/common ways to make a stranger feel guilty? Have researchers studied what things make people feel guilty? Apart from an emotional relationship with another person, what specific sorts of stimuli are most effective at making people feel guilt? I've tried searching the scholarly journal databases on "guilt," but all I seem to turn up is either guilt in a personal relationship context, guilt in the eyes of the law, and self guilt. And those things tend to be extremely dense and not written for a guy like me What I am trying to find are social mechanisms could produce guilt in strangers during the natural progression of a "get to know each other" conversation. I'm not really interested in the "I have cancer / my dog just died" types of ruses.

No responses addressing any applicable ethical issues, please; I have considered those already and they are not part of the problem I seek to solve.

How do I handle dating several women at once?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 10:44:30 -0800

DatingFilter: How do I handle dating several women at once? I'm a male in my mid-twenties who's had some incredible mojo lately. It seems like every time that I go out I meet someone new who I end up going on dates with. In the past few months, I've gone on a ton of first dates, quite a few second dates, some third dates, and not too much beyond that. The problem is that I have a hell of a hard time explaining my mindset to the women that I meet. I'm usually capable of saying something like, "I just got out of a very long term relationship and am thus not really emotionally available for anything beyond casual dating." I keep meeting people who are really fun who I'd love to be able to maintain a casual relationship with, but it's close to impossible for me to mention that I am also dating other women. I feel like it's important to be honest about that fact, but I'm unsure about 1) what's the best way to get that across and 2) when is the appropriate time to let them know?

I end up cutting off all contact with lots of people becuase it seems like they're getting too into me, and hope that it will turn into something more serious. The last thing that I want right now is a girlfriend, and the possibility of something going in that direction terrifies me. I'd rather just ignore phone calls than have to tell someone that I'm not interested. How can I get over that?

The other problem is that I live in a small town, and I'm constantly paranoid that I'm going to run into someone that I'm dating while I'm out on a date. It hasn't happened yet, but I've had some close calls. Ideas for dealing with that terribly awkward situation? Humorous anecdotes would also be appreciated.

By the way, while I spend a lot of time at first and second base, I really don't have a lot of sex. When I do, it's very, very safe so I'm not really concerned with any health issues.

But baby - I've lost my mojo!

Anonymous — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 20:47:24 -0800

MojoFilter: Help - I've lost my mojo! How do I get it back? To cut a long story short, about 5 years ago I had this incredibly intense BDSM relationship which rather blew my mind. I foolishly thought I could recreate the relationship with my next GF, but even though she was pretty open minded, she didn't quite "get" it, so the BDSM fell away, and with it my sex drive, and finally the relationship. For my next GF, this time I'd come to terms with the idea that I'd never get anything close to what I had in the BDSM relationship, but again, my sex drive just diminished (which is also a real problem as it makes your lover very insecure) and again with it the relationship.

And since then, I've pretty much had no sex drive at all - so how do I get my mojo back? I live in LA, I have been to a Threshold Society orientation meeting, but I didn't join because my thing is not group displays of my sexuality - it's very very private to me.

And please, I will break down and cry if anyone writes that I shouldn't need subversive sexual practices to show how much I love someone - as Elvis said; never judge a man until you've walked in his shoes.

collective madness among Miskito people

MzB — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 21:15:52 -0800

MoJo:
Few days ago I learned about a "collective madness" affecting the Miskito indians in Nicaragua. This would be an excellent topic for the blue, but I could not find enough information, so I need help. [more inside] The condition is called "grisi siknis" and people who are affected are "wandering naked in the streets, machetes in hand, and appear not to recognize other townspeople."

The only link in English is on a UFO web site (search in page for Miskito). It is a translation of an article from a Mexican newspaper, and my little knowledge of Spanish does not allow me to figure out what was added/omitted during the translation. Here is another article in Spanish (google cache).

I was able to find a little bit more about the condition, it is belongs to "Dissociative Fugue" class:
Fugue is more often a unique Dissociative phenomenon. However, it may occasionally occur in other conditions; i.e. undirected wandering seen in neurological disorders, particularly complex partial seizures (temporal lobe epilepsy). Travel may range from brief trips over relatively short periods to complex, usually unobtrusive wandering over long periods, (i.e. hours or days). There have been instances where the individual has crossed numerous national borders and traveled thousands of miles.

From a somehow different perspective, grisi siknis belongs to Culture-Bound Syndromes. There are many other similar conditions and you might recognize some of them: amok, anorexia, mal de ojo, etc.

There is nothing on Goolge news, just some articles on LexisNexis, under "non-english language news"/"spanish language news" (again, I do not have the language skill).

Questions:
- does anybody know a reliable source in English? (I hate posting some UFO story on mefi)
- is the translation accurate? is the primary source a credible one?
- does anybody have other information related to grisi siknis or any other Culture-Bound Syndrome?

If enough information is gathered and I did not post the story, then, please, somebody edit it and post it on the blue -- for the next few days I might not have too much free time.

[I know this a little bit different from the other questions, but, hey, it is testing time for AskMe.]