Saturday, November 17, 2012

Sadness Lamp

I recently googled the phrase "Sadness Lamp". Obviously, it's a great band name, but my reason for the search had nothing to do with that. Before I get into my real thought process, here are some Google image results for "Sadness Lamp":


A crying ghost that also happens to be a lamp


A sad man in 1862

A not-exactly-sad cat/lamp combo

Some girl poking a giant doughboy (Not all search results are entirely relevant)

Whatever this is

A pretty realistic rendering of Jennifer Aniston (the artist is named Sadness, I think?)



What I was actually hoping to find was something more like this:


This is a lamp designed by a company called Uplift Technologies and its purpose is literally to improve the mood of its user. A lot of people with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) use these lamps as a defense against depression during the winter months. 

It's hard to believe that staring into a light could actually improve your mood, especially when you are doing it the way this lady is:

This looks like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard...if she actually cared
about curing her depression.
But now that I am about to enter my first real New York winter, I am wondering if this is a fashion statement I might have to make soon. Since daylight savings began, darkness starts to descend on Manhattan around 3:30 PM. In other parts of the city, this may not be the case, but because of the towering buildings, midtown is basically shrouded in an evil shadow by mid-afternoon.

I already feel it affecting my mood. I am losing patience and feeling lethargic. I am ready to bathe in the 10,000 lux of fluorescent light any day now.

Not only am I experiencing a new level of darkness, but now I am expected to dress the part. The first day that the weather got even slightly nippy, I watched a good number of seasoned New Yorkers dawn the following winter necessity:


While it may look like one, this is not a harbinger of death. It is a down coat designed for maximum warmth. This article of clothing is something I never really saw before coming to New York, but it seems like a really aggressive defense against being cold. Every single woman in New York City has this coat, and with the readiness with which they began wearing them this fall, I am nervous that they know something I don't. 

I'll keep you posted, but I'm pretty sure I'm not ready, physically or emotionally, for a New York winter. You know who is though?



This weirdly furry horse. 


3 comments:

  1. every time i see those coats i say "tina, you need to get one of those soon or else people are going to think you're a tourist with your fashionable yet flimsy peacoat" then i think, eff that! those are pricey and i'd rather spend that money on ceramic animals from west elm.

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  2. Honey, I came to New York...I saw what you're talking about. You articulated it perfectly! At 4 in your neck of the woods (and I can really understand how it happens earlier in Manhattan) evening started descending. Since I am one of those people who starts feeling a need to quit functioning when it gets dark, I started to feel my body slowing down! If you like, I'll buy the sadness lamp for you...if it works, it's worth the investment.

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  3. hehe, how was your first winter? I'm from NH, and yes, it gets dark pretty early during the winter months....but it's lovely, too. Nothing more fun than running around outside in the snow and dark. :) And contrary to popular belief, that huge coat won't necessarily keep you the warmest. I wear a wool trench for out and about and a Carhart for chores, and I survive. :P

    ~Gillian
    youngyankeelady.blogspot.com

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