SPOT the LOONY!

[the_gneech]

When I was younger, I pooh-poohed the idea of "lunacy," i.e., the idea that people got a little ... funny ... on days of the full moon. However, when I mentioned same to a worker in the Fairfax Hospital emergency room, she quite adamantly said that not only was it true, but that she had evidence. On days (or nights) of a full moon, she said, the frequency and stupidity of accidents, assaults, and other such, er, clients, was always extra heavy.

Well, the jury's still out as far as I'm concerned, but today is certainly suggestive. We woke up to radio reports of a massive, fatal accident on the George Washington Parkway; when Laurie checked it out on the TV, she described it thus: "Geeze, there are auto parts everywhere!" That's not that unusual a way to start the day around here, of course. But then we started our drive in to work. For this area, we have a very short commute: almost exactly 20 minutes, along a fairly lightly-used back route that delivers us almost precisely to our building with very little interaction with major traffic. Nevertheless, we saw:

1. Light turned red as we stopped; people in next lane kept on going. And going. And going.
   
   
2. Same light, other side: light turned red, motorcycle stopped. Minivan behind motorcycle did not stop. The quick reflexes and superb jumping ability of the motorcyclist very definitely saved his life. Didn't save his bike, tho.
   
   
3. One block past that: GOOD GAWD THAT'S HUGE moving truck (18-wheeler) exited off of the Dulles Toll Road into packed traffic. Unfortunately, the turn was too tight, so the truck had to stop, back up, and reorient itself. People kept on driving by behind the backing-up truck as if it wasn't even there.
   
   
4. Finally, we're in the parking lot! Should be safe now, right? Ha! Somebody starts backing out of a parking place right in front of us, forcing us to brake, then aborts when they notice we're there.
   
   
5. Ten, maybe fifteen feet past that: pedestrian blithely walks out from between cars right in front of us, forcing us to brake, then ducks back betweens the cars with a sheepish wave when he notices we're there.
   
   
6. We're out of the car, out of the parking lot, all we have to do is cross one little lane where couriers come in and park. However, we need to stop first, because a little sedan is zooming up to the area at way-too-high a speed until she spots us waiting to cross, at which time she slows to almost a crawl, forcing us to stand there and wait for her to creep by with her tail between her legs at being spotted speeding in the parking lot.

Emergency room lady, wherever you are: you may be on to something!

-The Gneech

Comments

No. 4

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

Parking lots seem to always be the most problematic places. It's not a road as such so the 'rules of the road' such as they may be get ignored.

As for the rest... I wonder if people noted a new moon or first quarter moon if they'd then see relationships with those times.

[illian.livejournal.com]

Ask any school teacher (K through 12), they will tell you that they can tell when the full moon just by the behavior of the class.

[hbar98.livejournal.com]

Another "really freaky thing that you will never believe":

More women give birth during full moons than any other night. Mom, a retired ORT, told me this last night while we were discussing strange things about full moons. She said that many hospitals won't even schedule induced labors during a full moon.

However, the full moon thing isn't as freaky as the 3-1 rule. I found out about this while working at a nursing home during high school. People in nursing homes (and other assited living places) will die in threes, all within one week.

[mooncat.livejournal.com]

*nod* we always seem to get an overload of psycho patients around the time of the full moon (of course, many of our patients are crazy no matter when in the month it is). I've also observed the "3" rule in our office, since we did have 3 deaths of various worker family members in the span of about a week.

[furloph.livejournal.com]

Was at work on a fullmoon once, had five drunken brawls to break up and saw three accidents on my way home.

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

There is truth to that adage.

Being i have worked as both a security guard, mostly in ER's and as an EMT, I know for a fact when the moon is full, things and people go "wonky". :=/

Also, if you ask any policeman, firefighter or any other emergency type personell they will tell you they can tell when it is a full moon and not even look at at the sky or a calendar.

Crime, accidents, and other things go off the scale. I have witnessed it first hand in the ER's. :=/

So "lunacy" in being influneced by the moon is a fact. :=/

BTW, did you know our "disease" called "flu" comes from the word influenza, which is the Italian word for lunacy? IIRC, they thought the sickness was caused by the moon.

[pholph.livejournal.com]

Gneech? You've been living in this area for how long?

I see 1-6 happen -ALL THE TIME- not just on the full moon.

#1 Stop for a red light? Fuck that, I'm TOO IMPORTANT TO STOP.
#2 Minivans and SUV's don't pay attention to traffic laws.
#3 With the "If he touches me, I'll SUE" mentality of current America? I'm surprised someone didn't stop in his blind spot and wait to get hit.
#4 This happens to me -constantly-, to the point where when I back up, as my truck starts rolling, I step on the brakes. 99 out of 100 times, there's a car -zooming- behind me.
#5, I don't see very often. When I do, the pedestrian doesn't stop, but keeps on walking, usually cursing at me for DARING to breathe, or giving me a view of the back of their middle digit.
#6 I'm -very- stunned that this driver slowed down at all. Didn't you know that YOU ARE THE LEAST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE!! HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT SOMEONE INFINITELY SUPERIOR'S DAY!

Full moon? Heck no. People in this area are dicks.

people are wrong!

[electronin.livejournal.com]

4 I can understand, would you rather they tried to force you to back up for them? Some old guy did that across an extra lane between us and didn't stop until he barely nudged my car, then said he didn't see me.

I've never seen 5. pedestrians at the local walmart fan out and groups space themselves to maximize how long they can make you wait to continue.

[galish.livejournal.com]

I used to work Police dispatch, so let me tell ya. On Friday the 13th, we had alot of crime, accidents, drunk drivers, fights. But if it was Friday the 13th AND a full moon, you might as well give up. Things were MAD I tell you MAD!

Gal'ish

MAD, you say.

[lowen-kind.livejournal.com]

You mean they all had Multiple Avatar Disorder? :=3

As the lion ducks the broom that is headed his way. :=3

Note: These are NCD (Napping Cat Dream) jokes. ;=3

[merryjest.livejournal.com]

Just ask any Witches about the Moon. We know the moon makes you go boogy boogy- just look at my post today about things just going berzerko!

hrm

[katsunewolf.livejournal.com]

I'v read alot of articals on this when i was 10 or so. Since i had a likeing for Astrology an such physics.
some articals actuly spoke about whats refered to as "Lunacy".
If i recall correctly (give or take a few minor details)...

Given we already know the earth isnt compleatly round. Its slightly Egg shaped (not exactly, but close). The moon's gravity causes the ocean to bulge on one side of the planet. Thus, tides.

And also Given our bodys are 80+% water. It would make sense we get affected by this. haveing more water bulge down to our feet on some weeks, an then have it bulge in our brains on other weeks.

We all know the effects of haveing to much water in our system, or to less. Both tend to result in a slight impaired judgment. The range of impairment (either hullucinations, or just small memory glitches, etc) tends to depend on other factors. Like if the person has more or less water in there system, if there drinking, hormones, etc.

also, humans tend to have PMS (both males an females) based on the moon's cycle.

the combo of the two (which may very well be the same) would often result in odd actions, or "lunacy".

all in all, its a facinating subject.

^~Kai

it's true

[wildfox.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who works in the ER. Every full moon she is swamped with stupid/silly things people have done!

[praeriedog.livejournal.com]

      You should try working a full moon in a convenience store.

[murrrmaiyd.livejournal.com]

It's not just people either....I had to deliver Shoppers on the full moon this time, and this time of year you do see a lot more deer, and we have the past four times seen a lot more deer, all of them usually laying down in certain fields we always pass, sometimes up grazing, just generally hanging out being deer.

The full moon night, they were all running all around at top speed, we had three leap out in three separate places right in front of the truck, and the last one was so close we hit him. Luckily we just winged him and knocked his hind feet out from under him, he got up and jumped over the fence and continued running....not only were there more deer and more active deer, but there were about five raccoons, several possums and armadillos, a fox....I mean..we do see a lot of animals while we're out, but it's usually more like, this week we see a fox (that's rare, we only see them about once every couple of months), next week we see a bunch of rabbits, the next week it's owls, we usually spot one possum or one armadillo, sometimes both, and lately it's been the deer... and once it was a Florida Panther!! (Boy was that way unbelievably extra cool!!) But it's never been this many animals in one night and this actively.... it's more than just the full moon, it was THIS full moon....Bob and I both felt a general...energy or tenseness, I guess is the best way to describe it that night...and then saw it borne out by the extreme activity of the wildlife, and now just today I found from reading several different people's posts, that they all had particularly weird days or nights during the full moon this time....most weird.

...and no, I'm not just seeing this because I'm looking for it on the full moon, (like one commenter said, don't remember which), I always watch the moon phases, and I always watch for wildlife because I really love wildlife, and haven't seen excessive activity on any other night, no matter the phase of the moon...that's why I specify that it was particularly THIS full moon.... it was a weird night...

Mur