I just found a web site called the Happy Planet Index. It provides an interesting measure of how satisfied people are with their lives. I wholeheartedly disagree with their rankings of some countries as being happier than others.

But when I took their survey to calculate my own Happy Planet Index (HPI) I was impressed with the questions, because those ARE the questions whose answers do indicate how happy I am. The link to the survey is below, and from it you can figure out how to find the map and the rest of the site, I’m sure. By the way my HPI is 59.7, which is higher than the average person living in Mexico.

• Calculate Your HPI

I just got yet another email from yet another well-meaning acquaintance. She forwarded an email that has been forwarded at least 5 times before. She left the headers of each of the previous forwards intact, which means that ALL of the email addresses of all the people who’ve received this email before me are present in the top of the email.

Great. Lovely. Just what I needed. Another email that forces me to scroll past a mile long list of header info just to read. Scroll and scroll. Way to dilute your message there. Way to make it a job instead of a pleasure to read your email. I promise you I will NOT FORGET THIS!

What if your stupid email isn’t interesting enough to warrant all that frickin’ scrolling? What then? Then I’ve just wasted all that energy scrolling down the whole email. And I’ve put some wear and tear on my mouse.

Excuse me but it’s OK TO TRIM THAT SHIT OFF! The email is not going to self destruct if you trim the headers. It’s not going blow up your computer if you get rid of all those email addresses and To’s and From’s and Sent Date’s and Subject lines.

Christ almighty, some people should be required to pass an emailing test before they are allowed to inflict their bad humor on the rest of us!

I swear!