That time an octopus wanted to punch me in the face

This week’s weird idea

Admittedly, I was standing in front of his house with a camera like some sort of paparazzo. But he didn’t even need to come out. He’s really good at hiding. Then he squeezed out from a dark crevice, saw me and – well. Here’s the video:

He heads straight for me. At one point, you can hear Mari say “Oh, he likes you!” But from the red tint he takes on, and the way he holds the “top” two tentacles up like a big angry mustache under his eye, I’m thinking he’s not happy that I’m there. He’s ready for a fight. And he climbs right up that tank to get in my face.

But when we get eye to eye, something interesting happens. His stance softens. His blush starts to fade. He even moves his body to get a look at me with his other eye. And then he backs off. I’m still a little suss – the big mustache is still there – but the original alarm has faded.

It has all the tells of a classic “sorry, I thought you were somebody else” moment. And that, to me, was what made our little interaction the most human. I watched a thinking creature change its mind. Meaning there was a mind there to change in the first place.

Just a long way of saying that I don’t eat calamari anymore.

Go see

How deep does the ocean go? And what lives down in the deep dark depths? Scroll through this and find out:

Have a listen

I just listened to an inspiring interview with this guy. Jacob Collier has an incredible mind, incredible talent, and generous spirit. Here’s a quick fun one that help introduce him to the world:

And keep breathing

One of the things I love about taking a conscious breath is that the motion of exhaling reminds me to drop my shoulders. They tend to crawl higher and higher as I get tense, like I’m trying to cover my ears with my trapezius muscles. And just as mental tension gives me muscle tension, loosening those muscles can conversely get my mind to loosen up, too. So I take a breath in, breathe out, and drop my shoulders as I do. And everything gets just a little bit better.

Until we talk again, I remain,

Your pal,

Jamie