MSI Press Blog

  My cat doesn’t just nap — she surveils . From her perch on the windowsill, she tracks every rustle, every shadow, every suspicious movement of the neighbor’s squirrel. I used to think she was lazy. Turns out, she was conducting surveillance. She taught me the art of pattern recognition . When the food bowl mysteriously empties faster than usual, she doesn’t accuse — she investigates . Paw prints, crumbs, motive. I’ve learned to follow her lead: no assumptions until the evidence purrs. She’s also a master of interrogation . Her stare could make a guilty party confess to crimes they haven’t committed. I’ve tried it on my kids. It works. And then there’s forensic analysis . She can reconstruct a crime scene from a single overturned plant. I now approach household mysteries with the same precision: “Who knocked over the vase?” “What time did the pawprints appear?” “Was there catnip involved?” Finally, she’s taught me intuition — that sixth sense detectives brag about. When she freez...

  Humor doesn’t trivialize pain — it metabolizes it. It’s one of the few human capacities that can hold suffering and hope in the same breath. Research shows humor is a resilience factor in trauma recovery: Soldiers who used humor had lower PTSD symptoms , even after accounting for deployment stressors. Firefighters who practiced coping humor showed reduced burnout and trauma‑related symptoms. The key is benign humor — the kind that connects rather than wounds. Psychologists describe two healing styles: Affiliative humor: shared laughter that builds belonging. Self‑enhancing humor: the ability to keep a hopeful outlook, even under stress. 💡 Why Humor Works Humor re‑engages the parts of the brain that trauma shuts down. It restores flexibility — the ability to see more than one possible outcome. When people laugh together, their nervous systems synchronize; cortisol drops, oxytocin rises, and the body remembers safety. Humor helps people: regain perspective feel less alone tr...

  Donnie was slow...at typing...bac in the day when typewriters were in use. Yep, that dates us. I imagine many kids today do not even know what a typewriter is. But Donnie did even though he did not use it. He handed his typing to me. Not smart! I am the one who is oblivious to detail--and it kept showing up in typos that not only slipped out but also slipped past and right out into the public world where Donnie needed them to be accurate, not inaccurate, sometimes funny, and often embarrassing. Three little examples...(but I could share a host more!). But perhaps the fact that all three examples come from one resume is "nuff said." First error. Donnie was born in 1948. Now, how that got converted to 1848, I don't know. Definitely, Donnie was not making a start to becoming as old as Methusaleh, and anyone reading the resume should have understood that. (There were other dates on the resume that would have quickly pointed to this as a typo.) Second error. Just one missing...

Humor is more than entertainment. It’s a survival skill — a way the mind keeps itself intact when life becomes too heavy to bear all at once. When people laugh in the middle of difficulty, they’re not denying reality. They’re reframing it — turning pain into something that can be held, examined, and even shared. Used well, humor doesn’t erase pain. It makes pain bearable . 1. Humor as a Psychological Shield Strong emotions — grief, fear, anger, shame — can feel overwhelming. Humor acts as a buffer, giving the psyche a moment to breathe. It’s the mind saying, “Let me translate this chaos into something I can survive.” That’s why people often crack jokes in hospital rooms, funerals, or moments of crisis. It’s not disrespect. It’s resilience. Humor transforms helplessness into agency. It gives people a way to participate in their own survival. 2. Humor Eases Social Tension In difficult situations, humor can diffuse discomfort and restore connection. It signals safety — “We can still be h...

  in honor of Ginger Cat Day   My cat doesn’t file returns. She doesn’t balance ledgers or reconcile accounts. But she does understand the principle of allocation . Every morning, she allocates her time precisely: 40% staring at the food bowl, 30% inspecting the sunbeam, 20% monitoring me for signs of movement toward the kitchen, 10% miscellaneous (usually judging). That’s a perfect pie chart — and she never needs a calculator. Watching her, I realized that good accounting isn’t about numbers; it’s about attention . Cats notice everything. They track inputs (treats), outputs (energy expended chasing imaginary prey), and depreciation (the slow decline of toy mice). They even understand accruals: the promise of dinner is recorded long before delivery. She also taught me the art of audit defense . When questioned — “Did you knock that off the counter?” — she maintains eye contact, blinks slowly, and says nothing. Silence, it turns out, is a powerful compliance strategy. And then...

  We often think of laughter as emotional — a reaction to something funny, a moment of shared joy. But the body treats laughter as medicine. It doesn’t distinguish between a witty remark and a deliberate chuckle in a laughter‑yoga class. Either way, the physiological response is powerful. 🌿 Endorphins: The Body’s Natural Painkillers When we laugh, the brain releases endorphins — those “feel‑good” chemicals that lift mood and dull pain. They’re the same compounds that flood the system after exercise or a moment of deep connection. Endorphins don’t just make us happy; they help the body relax enough to begin repairing itself. Pain feels smaller. Hope feels larger. 💆 Stress Hormones: Lowered by Laughter Chronic stress floods the body with cortisol and adrenaline, hormones that keep us alert but also suppress the immune system when they linger too long. Humor interrupts that cycle. A genuine laugh lowers stress hormones, giving the immune system space to recover and respond. It’s a p...