Is Old Man Luedecke Actually Old?

The one great thing about iTunes, at least for me, is the excitement of stumbling across a new artist that I otherwise would never have known about. One such artist calls himself Old Man Luedecke. The first song I ever heard of his was called I Quit My Job and I loved it. It's super simple, all voice and banjo singing and is about throwing off the shackles of working for the man. Sample lyric "don't let them take the joy that you make on your own." At the time that I first heard it one of my best friends was going through a tough time at her job and I played the song for her to inspire her. Unfortunately, because it was Old Man Luedecke and not Justin Bieber, the message didn't really get across. Still, I was lucky enough to have found a new Canadian musician to enjoy.

OML's newest album was released on October 2nd and I instantly fell in love with his new song I'm Fine (I Am, I Am). It's pure aural pleasure and makes my heart happy to hear it. It's also a little inspiring for me as I struggle through some tough times. You can listen to the song and watch the super charming video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIEEDYowZhA.

Anyways, it occurred to me (before watching any of his videos), how OLD is Old Man Luedecke? And after some serious rooting around online - and I mean serious (Wikipedia didn't do shit for me this time!) - I found that Luedecke (real name Chris) is only about 36. He was 35 at the printing of an article that was published last June, which you can find here: http://www.thetelegram.com/Arts---Life/Entertainment/2011-06-09/article-2570595/Old-Man-Luedecke%26rsquo%3Bs-search-for-honesty/1 

So, all in all not exactly what you would call old. Or, at least, not what I would call old. Anymore. *cough* Perhaps an 18 year old would disagree?  

What Causes That 'Lump" in My Throat?

In the past few weeks I've become more comfortable with crying in public. Being an empathetic person who absorbs the moods and manners of all around her means that I am a ticking time bomb of emotion. I could burst into tears at any moment, and that's just in my regular day-to-day life. Add in the distress and anguish of the illness and subsequent death of my mother this month and now what I have developed is a complete inability to restrain my emotions, regardless of where I am. But that doesn't mean I don't try! And when I do try to hold back the fluid courses of grief my body reacts with what is commonly referred to as 'a lump in the throat.' 

I've experienced having a lump in my throat hundreds of times before, but had never before paid attention. The other day, though, I found that I was curious about this lump. Where did it come from and where did it go? So, I looked online. 

According to Michael Onken of Washington University* when our body experiences stress it's first unconscious instinct is to increase the level of oxygen that is being taken in. To do this, our glottis expands. Unfortunately, when we are crying - or trying our best not to cry - we swallow, and this makes our glottis want to contract! So that 'lump' that we feel isn't a lump at all. It is simply the sensation of the glottis receiving contradictory demands and struggling to cope. Much the same as we are! 

Too bad there are no exercise programs or weight-training regimes to prepare and strengthen my poor little glottis for the days ahead. 

*(http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar97/855114309.An.r.html)