Scene - Blogs - This day is just sad.

This day is just sad.
Published: 1/25/2010 12:25 PM
Last Modified: 1/25/2010 3:56 PM

No, really. We have the math to prove it.

About six years ago, there came out of England a press release, supposedly by a tutor at Cardiff University who described how he had worked out a formula to determine "the most depressing day of the year."

According to this fellow's highly dubious mathematics, by adding together the weather plus the debts one owes, multiplying that by the length of time since the joys of the Christmas season increased by the length of time since we gave up on our New Year's resolutions, all divided by one's lack of motivation multiplied the feeling we have that we should take some positive action of some kind, you get the result that, for the year 2010, Jan. 25 is officially "Blue Monday," the single most depressing day of the year.

I write for a living, and the last math class I took was my senior year in high school. Even I can tell that's dodgier math than the state legislature would use.

The Independent, an English newspaper, decided the mark the occasion with a list of wonderfully depressing books to capture the mood of this "Blue Monday." Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" -- maybe the most unrelievedly bleak novel ever written -- topped the list.

Read the story: Read 'em and weep

And then, there's this:

As for me, I'm planning on having as happy as day as I can -- even if blue is a favorite color.

ADDENDUM: I spoke too soon. So much for a happy day....

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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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Past Articles By James D. Watts Jr

2/15/2013		'Concept/OK' exhibit ends Saturday
2/14/2013		Symphony to host piano soloist
2/14/2013		Broadway tours bring 'Shrek,' improv musical to Tulsa area this weekend
2/14/2013		Arts roundup: Improv reigns at several upcoming theater events
2/14/2013		'Lion King' returns to Tulsa PAC June 4
2/12/2013		Review: Signature Symphony reprises '100 Years of Oklahoma Music'
2/11/2013		Tulsa Symphony's concert salutes diverse American music
2/10/2013		Cherokee artist weaves messages into baskets
2/10/2013		Tesla Quartet set for Tulsa residency next week with variety of activities
2/10/2013		Jim Murphy wins 2013 Anne Zarrow Award
2/10/2013		LBJ chronicler Robert Caro to speak at TU on Tuesday
2/9/2013		Theater review: Playhouse makes "Barefoot in the Park" believable

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