Dirty Dishcloths and Pangolins

I went to Girl's Camp when I was fifteen or so. I had great leaders. One of them was a woman in probably her mid-forties. She had short hair, was very capable but a little quieter than some. She told us never to take on-line quizzes because she had once gone on a yarn website looking at colors. there was an online quiz on the website to tell you which color of yarn you were. After taking the quiz the result came through. It declared her "dirty dishcloth off-white." (Or something close to that). She was understandably offended. Who even has that color?
Despite her advice every so often I have taken online quizzes. This week, for Earth-day google had a quiz about which animal you are with 12 options. I got pangolin (as did my brother) -I know when to curl up to protect myself from predators. It's like they had read my post about Curling or something.  My dad got Mammoth because he was so unique he is practically extinct, and my mom got Honey Bee.
When I was sorted into my House on Pottermore (and pretty much haven't used that obnoxious site since) I was sorted into Ravenclaw, which I think is pretty fitting.
I guess I just find online quizzes fascinating at times. Sometimes they are completely off (my leader did Not deserve to be labeled "dirty dishcloth off-white.") But other times they really do seem to hold a fragment of truth. Or maybe they are just like astrology things or which zodiac animal you are (Dragon, by the way) where they are so broad or easy to interpret as you wish that you can choose to see the truth in them. Anyway. I find them mildly entertaining. I will now curl up and roll off.

New Englander

Happy 19th of April. Yes it is a holiday but you probably only know about it if you are a New Englander.
Here are a list of other things that I picked up from my New England childhood.

• I know New England is a group of states like "The South" or "The Midwest."
• I love fluffernutters. Delicious.
• I can pronounce Billerica, Gloucester, Concord, and Peterborough correctly.
• If someone says "That movie was wicked," I know it's a compliment.
• I can recognize a Boston accent, and even had a bit of one.
• I know what "I pahked the cah in Hahvad Yahd and gave the man a quahter," really means, and I can say it pretty well.
• I've walked with the "Make Way for Ducklings" ducks.
• Even when I was little I knew about the Revolutionary War. 
• Feel free to call me a Yankee.
• Wide roads are disconcerting and so are strangers that wave at you.
• Dunkin' Donuts is a classic.
• I know Elwood City from Arthur (like the Aardvark) is based on a Massachusetts town.
• I hide inside when there is a nor'easter.
• Hotdog buns are supposed to be cut on the top.
• I have the tendency to think that anywhere I can see must be close (because otherwise the trees would block the view)

I also know that most people who read my blog are New Englanders.... so I don't think I need to bother to explain any of these things.... so I guess you can call this my New England inside joke post.
But again, Happy 19th of April aka Patriots Day. The Day of the 'Shot heard around the world.' No reenactments for me this year.

Writing

This week I have done quite a bit of writing. I like writing, at least aspects of the writing process, so here are a few comments on writing that are applicable to creative and non creative writing (that's kind of a terrible name). Just don't judge me on my writing for this post...
I often put off writing, and then when I finally get around to it I enjoy it.

• For pieces that are of some length (for instance I don't do this with emails) I prefer to write things out by hand and then type it in. This makes it so I can edit it as I type it in. Also, for some reason it seems less permanent or stressful to put it on paper first.
• Writing is a little like talking. Sometimes when I talk I say something that I hadn't really thought out but when it comes out of my mouth I think, that's cool. Sometimes I write things I don't really expect.
• No matter how much you include in the finished version there is something left out, and it's kind of fun when someone asks you a question that makes it possible to explain it.

Red-winged Blackbirds

My favorite bird is the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). I am pretty sure I have always liked them but lately I have decided they are my favorite. They lived in the marsh behind my house growing up, and they are fairly easy to identify. Robin sized black birds with red and sometimes a strip of yellow on their wings. Every time I hear their long call it makes me happy, in a way reminding me of home and good times.

Here's a terrible video but you can hear them. :)

Here are three pictures of Red-winged Blackbirds none of which are taken "at home" in New England, but they always make me feel like I'm there.

New Perspectives on Life

I spent some time with a few of my nieces and nephews this week. I like how it makes me see life from a new perspective. The way they struggle with the concepts of distance and space, or how technology really works. It's like getting another chance to see the world  new all over again. And to realize I guess I have learned a few things already.... like how to keep a burning stick over the fire and not waved in someone else's face. And how to get a towel for myself even if I'm not only soaking wet but freezing cold.
But I also do not know the difference between clams and oysters. I don't know everything... yet.

You Want an Honest Answer? Which One?

Sixth Grade Lunch. Each class had an assigned set of tables, but at those tables we could sit anywhere. Each table had three attached stools on each side. I always sat on the last table, on the seat closest to the other tables. One day a girl who was more or less my friend, and who sat next to me, got into a fight with some of the other girls. I have no idea about what. Honestly, I was probably reading during it. I think the girl told and she and the other girls went to the Vice Principal's Office to work it out. The next day at lunch I sat down in my seat, and was told I had to move. Apparently, the way the problem had been worked out was to have a new seating arrangement. I was told I had to move down a seat. Really this shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was, and I still get upset about it when I think about this incident. I'm not even entirely sure why.
That day, after I was told to move, I refused. The girls told me I had to. I said "make me." They didn't, and I stayed. Later I was told to report to the guidance counselor's office, which I did, to set up an appointment to talk about it. I broke my first appointment, but when the girls were still telling me to move 3 days later I went and met with my counselor, who casually mentioned that when they had negotiated the solution she had been under the assumption that my seat was actually just an empty chair. All the girls involved had just assumed I would move without complaint. They treated me like an empty chair. Before it was all sorted out I had a meeting with the Vice Principal as well. Eventually, my seat was returned to me. I had fought for it and won. Looking back I'm always surprised that I actually went through all that hassle. It's not really like me, then or now.

But here is why I brought up this long story.

• The girls asked me why I wouldn't move. I told them that it was my chair.
• My Mom asked me why I wouldn't move. I told her that I had sat on that same seat since second grade when my two other friends had taken up the rest of the table. That was probably the first and last year I was truly one of the popular kids (not that I cared about that, but I did care about those friends).
• The counselor asked me why I  wouldn't move. I told her that no one had asked if moving was OK with me, they had just demanded that I change to solve their problems. 
• The Vice Principal asked me why I wouldn't move. I told her that I always sat on the end, at school, at home, in the car, everywhere. "You like your space," she said. "Yes," I answered.

Every single one of those answers is and was true. Every one is also different. So many questions we are asked, every day, have so many true answers. I guess I just find it interesting to think occasionally about why I chose to answer in a particular way.

Here are a few reasons I can think of for why we answer differently with different people, and in different situations.

• Say what is easiest. Like when I told the other girls it was my chair.
• The long answers are more likely to be given to people we are more comfortable with or who are willing to listen. My explanation to my Mom was longest. 
• We change our answers so that the other person will understand. My Vice Principal understood wanting her own space, so I agreed with her that that was the reason.
• Sometimes, like in the above situation, I didn't even fully know myself (still don't) why I chose to do something, so whatever plausible answer that comes to mind gets used.

3 Stars is Good

About a week ago I was reading a lot of book reviews on Goodreads. I was trying to find out if some free books I had were decent, or not worth my time. They have a 5 star rating system. My sister had already warned me not to look at the 5 star reviews. They tend to be worthless, all they do is talk about how this was the best book ever, and the author is amazing and the plot was new and fantastic and the characters are well developed and awesome. Some of the 4 star reviews are like that too. With everything they say, they say nothing at all except that the reviewer liked it.
It was kind of interesting though, because I found the 1 star reviews to be much the same (not quite as useless as 5 stars but close). They just rave about how pointless this book was, how they hated it and didn't finish it. How the plot was predictable and stupid and the characters were flat. Pretty much just the opposite of the 5s.
Overall it seemed like 2 and 3 star reviews (and the occasional 4 star) were far more helpful. They didn't rave or rant, they were more even minded. Some explained the plot, others listed things they did or did not like. Their reviews were not punctuated by profanity or exclamation points, and overall they seemed more likely to explain actual details of the plot, characters, and writing.
I guess it shouldn't be a surprise to find that someone who is not quite as emotionally  involved actually makes a better argument.  It's just a good reminder that the next time someone comes to you raving or ranting about how good or bad someone treated them... their story might not be entirely just.