Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader

I love these books. There are buckets of them - Presidential trivia, New Jersey facts, etc. These are a nonstop source of weird and interesting factoids and tidbits. And if you are wondering about the name, these books are designed for the loo. That's right - why load up your bathroom with periodicals when you can put one 675 page book with one-page, two-page or more sections. I believe four pages is the maximum for any given topic, but they will break up bigger ones into different areas of the book.

Before you wrinkle your nose at the idea of people reading in the loo, stop. Most of us do. I do - for the more, uh, time-consuming trips and only at home. Unless I'm lucky enough to find reading material in other homes, which even then, one tries never to do that in other homes. (The only thing that I really hate in other homes is when there is no spray. We all want to think that we won't stink up another's loo but inevitably if one has to defecate, it will stink. Provide spray for those of us who don't want to kill the next person inadvertently.)

Anyway, there are a gazillion little tidbits in these books and I thought it would be nice to share them one post at a time. (I've been instructed time and again about the multitude of posts that are inappropriate and need to be avoided and I am taking it very much to heart. However, writers who are good need to write about what they know. Since about 45% of my writing material has been DQd, I am trying to expand my horizons to ensure that I'm avoiding that which I enjoyed writing about... and knew... Look, don't ask - it's an open sore. Just accept it.) So here is this post:

COLORS

Colors have a lot more impact on our daily lives than you might think. Here are some things researchers have found out about people and color.

BLUE

Blue has a tranquilizing effect. Bridges are often painted blue to discourage suicide attempts. And according to one report: "When schoolroom walls were changed from orange and white to blue, students' blood pressure rates dropped and their behavior and learning comprehension soared."

Researchers say blue is the #1 color for women's sweaters, because women think men like it. (They're right: it's U.S. men's favorite color.)

RED

Red is a stimulant that can cause "restlessness and insomnia" if it's used in bedrooms.

According to marketing studies, red makes people oblivious to how much time is passing. That's why it's "the color of choice for bars and casinos."

Women tend to prefer blue-toned reds, while men like yellowish reds. Businesses keep this in mind. For example, the Ford Mustang, which is targeted to men, is orange-red (called "Arrest-me" red at Ford) the Probe, targeted to women, is offered in more blue-red shades.

GREEN

Because it reminds people of fields and foliage, green makes us feel secure. Researchers say it's a good color for bedrooms; and green kitchens reportedly make cooks more creative.

Studies show that "people working in green environments get less stomachaches than people in areas where other colors predominate."

YELLOW
It's the color most likely to stop traffic...or sell a house.

But yellow also represents "caution or temporariness-- so car rental agencies and taxis use it, but not banks."

Too much yellow makes people anxious. "Babies cry more and temperamental people explode more in yellow rooms."

I loved reading this. I have a good knowledge of colours and actually used that knowledge in my home office and elsewhere. I still need to have the master bedroom repainted, because it is a weird washed out burgundy colour, which is a terrible colour for a sleeping room. (Maybe it inspires sex, but that has not ever been an issue - I'm married not a parent, ha ha...) I want to have it painted a pale blue-green colour, hopefully one that will work with the sun-faded bedroom carpet. That will be some neat trick, I know.

My offices are a pale yellow - inviting for short periods of time, and then it is time to go. The kitchen is beige, but the rooms beyond - the eating area is pale yellow and the sun room is a pale blue, are both great rooms now. I love those colours. Luis' room was painted by the previous owners and is weird - one wall-papered wall and two blue walls and one grey wall. I can't wrap my head around that, so I spend very little time in it.

Here are some more fun facts that I have read about colours:

1. Red is an angry colour. Police do not pull over more red car owners just because... but a dark blue speeding Corvette will not be as tempting a prize as a cherry red speeding Corvette. It likely works that way for all vehicles... I have noticed lately that bright yellow cars have become popular... I wonder what statistics say about that.

2. Orange and brown are hungry colours, but they are fast-hungry colours. If you go to McDonald's, you'll know the colours are yellow, orange, red and brown. Those are "hurry-up-and-eat" colours.

3. Your fine dining establishments are decorated in dark browns and burgundy tones. These colours are hungry colours, too, but not designed to rush you out after five or ten minutes. These are more pleasant, stay and relax hungry colours. I know that I love the food and (as long as it is not too formal) the dining experience, but once I am finished eating, I really want to leave.)

4. Black is only slimming to a degree. Wearing black all the time won't hide the extra 40lbs I often carry about. (I just had to throw that in...)

5. White is a sterile colour. Hospitals all used to have every room in white, but I'm guessing that some psychologist suggested that patient rooms use muted colours. It's depressing being in an austere white room all the time. Every house I've lived in has had colour - maybe not when we moved in, but painting the white rooms was top of the list anytime they showed up.

6. When I was a kid, my parents would paint my bedroom when I went to my grandparents' house in Truckville, PA. My mother bounced between light blue and then (for reasons passing understanding) red and white. As in the north and south walls were white and the east and west walls were red. Sounds pretty cool, right? My friends thought so, but my parents and I couldn't figure out why I'd be bouncing off the walls when they'd gone to red and white.

When I was 14 or so, my mother learned how to do people's colour palettes and professional make-up. She did the four seasons type colours - I'm a winter, someone with red or auburn hair and green eyes with pale skin is usually an Autumn. I wear "winter" colours well - navy blue, white, chocolate brown, black, blue-reds, purple, hunter green, burgundy. I look awful in russets, yellow, light blue, pink, orange, orange-red, anything neon, icy tones. We also learned about rooms and the moods created by colours, and this is when we realised that a red and white bedroom is a HUGE mistake.