Repetitive repetitiousness

Have you ever noticed that when you look at a word for a while it starts to look like it's not right?  It seems as though it can't possibly be spelled correctly. You look it up, speak it out loud . . . in your mind you know it's spelled correctly but it still looks like gobbledygook.  Weird huh?


Well, guess what?  There's a word for that.  It's called 'verbal satiation'.  Ha!  Who knew? 


Verbal satiation is caused by the rapid repetition of a word causes different parts of your brain to fire over and over again which causes 'reactive inhibition' . . . a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning . . . meaning . . . meaning . . . meaning . . . meaning.

Wait . . . huh . . . what?  Yeah, just like that.


Rapid repetition causes both the peripheral sensorimotor activity and the central neural activation to fire repeatedly, which is known to cause reactive inhibition; which is to say that repetitive repetition (yeah, I said that) causes a simple decay of functionality within those parts of the brain. 
 

Basically, you're brain gets bored of the stimuli and says I've had enough this crap, can we please move on now?  And that is what makes that word look so freaking bizarre-o even though you know it's right-o.


See?  You're not crazy . . . or are you . . . . . . . . 

Cher’s Spicy Garlicky Refrigerator Pickles

2 Lbs. Cucumbers

2 Jalapeños

Garlic

1 1/4 cups white Distilled Vinegar 

1 3/4 cups water

1 packet (1.94 oz) Mrs. Wages Polish Dill Pickles Refrigerator Mix

(Yield 2 Quarts)

Note that I use regular garden cucumber and not the little pickling cucumbers.  Why?  Because they are cheaper and make good pickles.  A win / win! 

Pick cucumbers that are dark green, firm, and bumpy.  Cukes that  have yellow or white areas in the skin and the warts are almost all gone have more seeds and they make mushy pickles.

Figure 1 or 2 large cucumbers for a quart sized jar.  I use half gallon jars with gaskets and make two batches at a time.  Hubby is a pickle eating machine and we never can have too many. 

Wash and cut the vegetables.  I use one jalapeño for every cucumber and cut it in half.  I cut the cucumbers in half and then half again.  And then crush 2 or 4 or more garlic cloves and remove the skin, leaving them mostly whole.

Pack them into clean jars leaving ½-inch of headspace . . . cucumbers first and stuffing the jalapeños into empty spaces and the garlic on top.

Combine pickle mix, vinegar and water into a large non-reactive pot. Do not use aluminum. Bring mixture just to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture dissolves.

Evenly divide hot pickling liquid among the packed jars, leaving ½-inch of headspace. If more liquid is needed for proper headspace, add a mix of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water.

Cool to room temperature, label and store in refrigerator. Product is ready to eat after 24 hours. When properly processed and sealed, unopened refrigerator product can be stored up to 6 months.  See if they last that long!