And so it goes....

Ive decided to mix things up a little bit on this blog. Chess has definitely taken a back seat to other things like school, work (quit one of my jobs by the way, but were still on good terms)and a renewed social life. I'm still playing but quickly loosing the sharp, crisp view of the board that takes so long to acquire. With that in mind Ill be posting things that I find interesting or funny from time to time. Chess will still be the number one feature but as life changes so does blog.

Ondine's Curse is a disorder where the automatic respiratory functions are disabled. Every breath has to be voluntarily taken otherwise the person will die. Normally the autonomic nervous system will take over and "breath for you." We have that great option of choosing to breath voluntarily or not depending on our mood. So Ondine's Curse must be diagnosed quickly otherwise when the person falls asleep they will quickly die. Luckily for us it comes with a nice mythological story line which I snagged from Wikipedia.

Ondine was a water nymph in German mythology. She was very beautiful and (like all nymphs) immortal. One of the "only threats" to a nymph's eternal happiness is if she falls in love with a mortal and bears his child - she will lose her "gift" of everlasting life.

Ondine fell in love with a dashing knight - Sir Lawrence - and they were married. When they exchanged vows, Lawrence said, "My every waking breath shall be my pledge of love and faithfulness to you." A year after their marriage Ondine gave birth to Lawrence’s son. From that moment on she began to age. As Ondine’s physical attractiveness diminished, Lawrence lost interest in his wife.

One afternoon Ondine was walking near the stables when she heard the familiar snoring of her husband. When she entered the stable, however, she saw Lawrence lying in the arms of another woman. Ondine pointed her finger at him - Lawrence felt it as if he was being kicked, and woke up with a start. Ondine uttered her curse: "You swore faithfulness to me with every waking breath, and I accepted your oath. So be it. As long as you are awake, you shall have your breath, but should you ever fall asleep, then that breath will be taken from you and you will die!"