The Anxiety Pirate and the Rainbow Doom-Brella

I should have known that buying this would be a mistake

The problem with anxiety is that, even when you've mostly got it under control, sometimes you still have a Bad Day. 

Anxious days turn me into an anxiety pirate.  This is my new favorite term, invented as of yesterday, so named because I spend my time going "argh argh arghity argh" and wishing I could make myself walk the plank (or head-desk, which, while distinctly un-piratelike, is more practical for everyday use.)

Marriage and the scientific method

To the happy newlyweds - my sister-in-law Kim and Jordan on the eve of their wedding. May your adventures be many, and may you not worry so much about statistical significance.

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Before I got married, I spent a lot of time agonizing - how could I know with absolute certainty that I was making the right choice?  How, based on 3 years of data, could I definitively make a decision which would impact the next half-century (or longer!) of my life?

In statistics, the larger your sample size, the more confidence you can have that a pattern is emerging in your data.  When you have a statistically significant sample size, you can say with greater conviction that the trends you've observed actually support a particular hypothesis.

But in matters of love, how do you quantify data?  How do you know when you've got a large enough sample?  What even counts as a measurable data point - is it number of kisses and "I love yous"?  Number of breakfasts in bed times the average duration of snuggle time?  Something else entirely?

How could I ever support my own marriage hypothesis?