Captain Janeway - A Powerful Older Woman From The Future

Captain Janeway? Really? OK, I am giving myself away as an unrepentant female geek and Trekkie. While I do not attend conventions, or dress up in Enterprise (or Voyager) uniforms, I have certainly re watched a lot of Star Trek episodes and movies with my Nextflix account.  Isn’t that why people subscribe to Netflix, anyway

Not only is Captain Janeway a powerful woman, and Star Fleet Captain, she is obviously of an age – where if she was alive now – she would be a baby boomer. I did post an article about today’s powerful women, and that discussed real life individuals. But now, I’m turning turning to TV for role models.

What I love about dear Katheryn, is the fact that her being a female, was just incidental. Sure, she could be feminine, but she could also be tough. I believe the word to describe here would be post-feminist.  She played a very direct person who was trusted and respected by her subordinates, even if they did not always agree with her.

Favorite Captain Janeway Quote

I embedded the video, so you can see the quote in context. But I love this!

“I don’t like threats, I don’t like bullies, and I don’t like you!” — Captain Janeway (State of Flux)

How many women feel like they need to be indirect, or even sort of passive aggressive, in order to get their way? I guess my favorite thing about the good captain is she just tells people what she wants, what (and who) she likes, and what she is going to do.

The Captain Janeway Bully Quote Video

Get the quote in context with this video of the captain on the deck of Voyager.

Are You Too Sleepy?

Most of us spent our early parenting years reminding our kids to get enough sleep. When did we forget to remind ourselves? It must have been some time between breast feeding, juggling kids and a job, and the present day. Maybe it’s time to catch up on that date with Mr. Sandman. As we age, our bodies do not seem to forgive a lack of sleep as well as they did in our younger years.

Are You Starved For Sleep?

The National Institute of Health reminds us about the importance of getting enough sleep. It is not really normal, and healthy, to have that 3PM feeling that we hear about on advertisements for energy drinks. Apparently going without sleep is similar to going without food. Rats, for example, will die if deprived of sleep for a couple of weeks – about the same length of time it would take them to die of starvation.

Junk Food Sleep?

Most of us do not totally go without sleep. We just may have irregular or insufficient sleep, which could be compared to a junk food diet instead of a healthy one. I thing the comparison is pretty valid. I know that a lot of times when I felt like I needed to eat something, what I really needed was a nap. A lack of good food, or sleep, can make us feel lethargic and induce cravings.

Even losing one hour of sleep a night creates a sleep debt. Of course, different people always seem to require different amounts of true sleep every night, but the generally accept norm is about eight hours. If you go to bed and midnight and wake up at seven in the morning, you are going to have to replace that hour of sleep at some point. Do you frequently nap late in the afternoon or after dinner? You could be making up a sleep debt. If you have no time to nap, you could be suffering from some symptoms of sleep deprivation that are hurting your mood and your health.

Do We Need Less Sleep As We Get Older?

It is not true that people need less sleep as they age. What is true is that sleep disruptions may mean they get less sleep. If you have ever watched your teenager stay up for three days in a row, and then make it up over a long week-end, you will probably know what I mean.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

There are some surprising symptoms of sleep deprivation. Some of these may be mistaken for other problems. In fact, a study at the University Of Pennsylvania demonstrated that people are not very good at recognizing these symptoms at all. These can include cognitive impairment, mood disorders, and weight gain.

If you suffer from symptoms of sleep deprivation, and cannot remedy the problem on your own, it is time to visit a doctor.