Of BattleBots & Bits of Laughter

Meet Team Witch Doctor and Shaman. Bitching, right?

‘When the robots rise up, we’re all going to face their wrath because of this carnage,’ I told The Weed last night as we settled in to watch yet another episode of BattleBots.

He laughed and shrugged off my rather foreboding prediction. I’ve seen ‘The Terminator.’ I know how this ends, people.

We’ve been watching a lot of BattleBots at the King-Weed Plantation lately. Repeat episodes are airing on the Science Channel. For The Weed, the TV show is brain candy served up from the couch. As an aerospace engineer, he enjoys — really enjoys — geeking out over the Bot designs and the wreckage when a fire-breathing, whirling dervish of metallic death meets its match.

For me, watching the show isn’t so much about the mechanics or even the stupid comments made by the play-by-play announcers. (My apologies to Chris Rose and Kenny Florian.) It’s more about decompressing and laughing with The Weed.

That said, I know far too much about the ‘kill power’ of Tombstone and the aerial capabilities of Buzz, the drone that accompanies the main Bot, Poison Arrow. Seriously, why can I remember trivial stuff like this but I can’t do long division?

My two favorite Bots, four really, in no particular order are: Witch Doctor and the accompanying mini Bot, Shaman, and the already mentioned drone, Buzz, and the main Bot, Poison Arrow. As my Twitter bio mentions, I am a wannabe BattleBots drone pilot. Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to learn long division before that can happen.

So, back to last night. The Weed and I were watching another Bot bout when I thought of a creative exercise: What Is Your BattleBot Name?

To come up with your name, simply combine your favorite color and your biggest fear. (Note: This is VASTLY different from the What Is Your Stripper Name? exercise where you combine the first street you lived on with the name of your first pet. Me, you ask. Well, my stripper name = Shady Latham. #Quality.)

So, when I pressed The Weed about his Bot name, he thought a moment too long and I quickly blurted out my names: Purple Toilet Snake and/or Black Clown.

The Weed thinks the second name sounds racist. I don’t mean it to be. I just really love the color black and really hate clowns. Really. Hate. Clowns.

Finally, The Weed proffered his BattleBot name: Falling Down Blue Stairs.

When he said this, I looked at him for a second and guffawed like I haven’t in weeks.

The straight-laced, former-world class athlete would be known for a fear of falling down stairs.

It really is true laughter is the best medicine. After The Weed’s revelation last night, I felt better than I have in weeks.

The stress of Bravo being so ill is taking a toll. I am quick tempered and almost as sullen as our sick dog. It’s not good for a marriage and not healthy for a person. I know this. I’m trying to work on it.

I’ve run more this week than in previous weeks. The cool temperatures are helping me feel better about getting out and dragging my running shoes over the hills in our neighborhood.

And, I am trying to laugh more.

A June 2017 article in Forbes highlights the healing properties of laughter, including:

> Laughter is an endorphin release. A recent study shows that laughing with others releases endorphins in the brain via opioid receptors. The more opioid receptors a given person has in their brain, the more powerful the effect.

> Laughter forms social bonds. The endorphin effect also explains why social laughter is so contagious. Spreading endorphin release through groups promotes a sense of togetherness and safety.

> Laughter is central to relationships. A study showed that women laughed about 126 percent more than their male counterparts. Women usually rate a sense of humor as a top-three trait for a potential mate.

I found this tidbit particularly apt. When anyone asks me why I chose to spend the rest of my life with The Weed, I usually respond something like: ‘He has eyes the color of a highly prized marble. He usually keeps his mutant ‘E.T. toes’ under wraps. And, he makes me laugh every single day.’

> Laughter has an effect like antidepressants. Laughing activates the release of serotonin, the same brain chemical affected by most common antidepressants.

> Laughter protects your heart. Studies have shown laughter has an anti-inflammatory effect that protects blood vessels and heart muscles from cardiovascular disease. Why this happens is not entirely understood but it seems related to lessening stress.

There you have it. Laughter is good medicine. I have always suspected this. It is good and more often than not, it’s cheap.

To read more about the health benefits of laughter, check out this article in Forbes with links to the studies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/06/05/six-science-based-reasons-why-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/#3925a0d07f04

I’m going to sign off for the weekend with a pledge to keep on laughing. I hope you will too.

•••

Quick Bravo Update: We will return to the animal hospital tomorrow for another push of fluids, some acupuncture and maybe some antinausea drugs.

Our poor pupper is so tired of me accosting him with syringes filled with food. He needs a break!

Have a wonderful weekend … Thank you for reading and sending good vibes to our Bravo!

BattleBots Poison Arrow and the drone, Buzz. Some day, I aspire to be a BattleBots drone pilot.