As I was out shopping for a green dress this week, an earworm found its way into my head. If you’re Canadian and old enough to remember the 1990s, you’ll know exactly what song I’m referring to. And, I offer my apologies in advance to all those who have earworms after reading this.
Welcome to the 55th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a decluttering challenge for the week. In addition to earworms, this week I look at the math behind leap years, eco-friendly eyewear, China’s progress with renewable energy, and decluttering shoes.
On my mind this week: What do green dresses and earworms have in common?
“But not a real green dress…that’s cruel.”
Do you know that song? Did those words take you back to the 1990s when the song If I had a Million Dollars by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies had everyone humming it all day long? If you don’t know the song, give it a listen. It’s a silly song full of pop culture references.
I rarely buy new clothes and I’m not a fan of clothes shopping, but this week I went on an expedition to find a green dress to wear to an event on St. Patrick’s Day. The event’s dress code is “resort casual” so I thought my usual St. Patrick’s Day attire of shamrock pyjama pants and a green t-shirt might not be suitable. And, being of Irish heritage, not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t an option.
So, as I did the rounds of local stores and thrift stores in search of a green dress, the song If I Had a Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies was ringing in my head. Ahh! Earworms!
Where did the term earworm come from?
This made me wonder why some songs are just so catchy you can’t get them out of your head, so I did some research. I learned the term earworm has been around for over a hundred years. It originated from the German word öhrwurm. Scientists call it “stuck tune syndrome” or “musical imagery repetition”, but earworm definitely has a better ring to it. (Source: The Kennedy Center)
The Kennedy Center article indicated that 9 out of 10 people experience earworms. As to why certain songs become earworms, Harvard Health reports wormy songs are usually faster and simpler in melodic contour, and the music often has unique intervals between notes that make them stand out.
For some, hearing these songs in their head can become annoying or intrusive, leading to an assortment of strange strategies to extract the earworm. Personally, I like to just go with it. I usually find the song and listen to the whole thing.
In the end, I didn’t find a green dress. I settled on a green jumpsuit instead. The one I tried on in the store was a little snug, so I came home and ordered a bigger size from the online store.
And that Barenaked Ladies song is still swirling around in my head.
“If I had a million dollars…”
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- On Wednesday I went into the office for our global colleague forum. I had a chance to catch up with some of my work friends.
- My new glasses arrived on Friday. They’re made by a company called Eco Eyewear. This carbon negative eyewear company has integrated sustainability into everything they do. They make their cases and cleaning cloths from recycled plastic bottles, and they plant a tree for every set of frames sold. This is the second pair of glasses I’ve had from this company. I loved the first pair so much, so my new glasses are the same style…but a different colour.
- On Friday, I went out for dinner with the “girl gang” from work. I’ll definitely miss my co-workers when I retire.
Three things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
The complicated math behind leap years
This week we experienced something that happens every four years—a leap day! But it turns out the math behind leap years is much more complicated than “divide by four”. I learned this week that years divisible by 100 do not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400.
Are you still with me? There was no leap day in 1700, 1800 and 1900, but 2000 had one. If we continue to follow that practice, there will be no leap day in 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500. (Source: CityNews Kitchener)
Hmm, I’d be 136 in 2100. Even with increased longevity, I don’t think I need to be concerned about this, but I thought it was interesting.
Selfridges leads the way from an environmental point of view
My daughters and I loved the TV series Mr. Selfridge, so when we were in London a few years ago, we visited their flagship store. I learned this week that, unlike most department stores, sustainability is a priority for Selfridges. Banning animal fur, cosmetic glitter, and products made from endangered fish species are just a few examples of how they’re greening their stores.
My favourite example though, is RESELFRIDGES. Through this program, customers can rent designer-brand clothing. Selfridges buys back used clothing. They even sell second-hand wedding attire!
(Source: Happy Eco News)
China makes significant progress in renewable energy
China produces one-third of the world’s carbon dioxide emission, but some experts say 2024 could be the year China’s emissions start to fall. That would mark a significant milestone in the war on climate change.
China has made the transition by investing heavily in renewable energy and electric vehicle battery production.
Will the rest of the world follow suit?
(Source: CBC What on Earth)
This week’s decluttering challenge – The great shoe purge
In 2024, I’m revisiting the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge I completed in 2021. This week’s decluttering task was shoes. I’m not a shoe-aholic, but I still managed to declutter 4 pairs of shoes. You can find the details, along with my tips and learnings, in this week’s decluttering post.
If you’d like to join the challenge, visit this post to download your free checklists and jump right in with this week’s task.
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
Ah…that Barenaked Ladies tune is new to me! Fun…thanks, Michelle! Almost as much fun as your reference to an evening out with your ‘girl gang’. Love it! 😜
It is such a fun song. Definitely a favourite from my School of Rock days. Have a fabulous Sunday, Vicki! 🤗
You too! ☀️
I’m susceptible to earworms, but my husband is like a magnet for them and gets caught up in them all the time! It gets a bit annoying and sometimes I have to tell him to find something new, haha! I love the idea of an eyewear company that focuses on the environment, I will have to look into this for when I get new glasses. It’s also good to hear that China is making progress with renewables, this is something that is so very important!
Ha ha. Yes. Change the tune!
The interesting thing about the glasses is, when I bought my last pair, I bought them because I liked them. It was only after I got them home that I learned about the company’s sustainability record. This time, I specifically sought out that brand. And I also dropped two pairs of old glasses off at the optometrist’s office for recycling/repurposing. All in all, a good day!
Love that song which is now stuck in my head. I learned something new with the team ear worm.
Proud that I was a small part of 2 of your highlights from last week 🙂
It is a great song and one that was so much fun to sing in my School of Rock days. I’m happy you were part of our gathering on Friday night. Such fun!
I love an earworm but I do wish Texas Hold ‘Em by Beyonce would love my head right now.
LOL. I will send you some Beyonce vibes!