Rhubarb growing in the dark

One of those weekends brought a very specific curiosity around forced rhubarb, a peculiar farming practice where rhubarbs are kept in a shed lit only by a few candles so they can be tricked to rapidly grow in the dark. In fact, it happens so fast it is possible to hear the pops and squeals of their growth while their cells multiply at high speed. I know what you are thinking: let's hear it! My path in search of the actual sound (which, by the way, I was well aware from the beginning that would be nothing special besides, you know, hearing a plant grow) was paved by many, many unexpected memes on youtube. While they were not what I was looking for and made me doubt my skills to search for videos, they served me some great laughs.I love jokes, especially the nonsensical type and puns - oh, the puns! It's all about breaking expectations; you introduce a situation and deliver something that contrasts to what would be "logically" expected of said situation. Set up and punchline, classic comedy. One of the many theories around why some things are funny calls this benign violation, where there is a violation of expectations that is uncomfortable but ultimately harmless. But there is no one size fits all when it comes to why we laugh at some things. The absurd is also funny, the clicking of an idea or finally understanding something can be funny. Sometimes we laugh in the worse situations because for no particular reason they suddenly seem so funny.Somehow, some people just seem to have a special knack for humor. They are naturally funny or are very good at catching a joke where you couldn't see it before. Some studies show that people who are perceived as funnier tend to take more risks, in a sense risking that violation of expectation, and are more sensitive to how people react to them, like an innate ability to "read the room". At the same time, people who tend to self-deprecating and dark humor have more proved connections to depression and mental illness. Either way, our sense of humor seems to be reflective of how we perceive the world and most of all how we present ourselves.And there is also the question of what is humor for? To relieve tensions, for one; it makes situations lighter and relieves stress. But its part is much more visible in social living. Humor is a social lubricant, a way to bond with other human beings, to make them laugh and release serotonin, endorphins and all the good stuff we are hooked in. Meaning, when we are back into socializing in normality again, humor can be a great ally to muffle the fact we have been talking to ourselves for the past year and a half.Anyway, here is the sound of rhubarb growing. Not one of the memes. Enjoy.-Maíra