Category — Microblog Mondays

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

Going hand-in-hand with avoiding dreaded tasks like getting my hair cut are things that I refer to as Schrödinger’s problems. While I don’t love the dentist or doctor, I’m not scared of the tasks that take place in the office such as a cleaning or Pap smear.

The reason I put off going to the dentist or doctor or any like task is the idea that if I don’t go, I won’t know about a problem. I’m aware that like Schrödinger’s cat being alive or dead whether or not the box is opened, if I don’t go to the doctor, the problem still exists. In fact, it could even be worse because I didn’t address it in time.

But I put-off tasks that could potentially bring me bad news. If I don’t go, I can’t receive the bad news. The same thing holds true for social situations where I suspect the person may tell me something I don’t want to hear.

Do you avoid things to keep yourself from hearing bad news or do you like to know definitively where things stand?

P.S. Before my mother asks: I have dental and doctor’s appointments scheduled.

P.P.S. Before anyone states this, I know this popularization of Schrödinger’s thought experiment is a bastardization of his actual statements on superposition.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

Dolce & Gabbana (who last I checked were two separate people but apparently speak in unison) want you to know that they think your IVF baby is synthetic… like that cheap polyester that unfashionable people wear.  Can we pause a moment to allow them to throw up in their collective mouths?

Will I support Elton John’s boycott and not wear Dolce & Gabbana?  Yes.  I will now wear my Superman t-shirts and jeans in protest.

It is hard for me to become irate because two inconsequential people offered up their ridiculous opinion. (“The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed.”)  It is easier for me to become irate when sentiments like that are expressed by people I need to interact with on a daily basis, or people with a strong platform who have the ability to reach and influence a large group of people.  I guess my lack of anger comes from the fact that I don’t really see Dolce & Gabbana falling into that last category even though Elton John clearly does.

We all have a responsibility for what we put out in the world, and everyone who has a social media account or a blog technically has a platform.  But where is the line between rolling your eyes and clicking away AND addressing something hurtful put into words?  How do you determine what idiotic things you ignore and which ones you comment on?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

I was recently reminded of why I only get my hair cut once every two years when I took the ChickieNob.  The stylist spent the entire haircut trying to convince us to switch shampoos, conditioners, and combs.

It is worse when I go.  She tacks on how I need a new hairstyle, how I need to colour my hair, and how I need to change the products I use.  I’m sure all these changes would be lovely, but I don’t want them and I’ve made that clear.

This isn’t unique to my stylist: the suggestions come from all stylists I’ve used.  And I am also aware that she works on commission and needs to sell me these products or services to supplement her styling income.  It’s a terrible system because the implied message to the customer is “you do not look good.”  And that just makes me feel like avoiding her vs. buying a product.

Getting a haircut is a dreaded task up there with sitting in the waiting room at the gynecologist’s office (yes, I prefer the Pap smear to sitting amongst the pregnant bellies).

What are your dreaded tasks that you avoid?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

I save too much stuff.  It’s time for a massive decluttering.  I need to go through the drawers, go through the cabinets, clear out the storage room.  I need to admit that oversized sweaters from the 80s are not going to have a renaissance.  And I don’t need to save all the back issues of Mental Floss.

Part of the problem with my clutter is that it isn’t really sentimental in nature.  There aren’t, let’s say, a lot of tchotchkes.  My clutter is of the “could be useful” variety.  I can convince myself to save anything with a well-intentioned what if.  What if I need glasses cleaner one day?  What if someone visits our house with a baby and needs a booster seat?  What if I’m in a crazy situation where we need 12 travel mugs at the same time?

I’m prepared.

The other problem is that I hate to waste things, and throwing perfectly useful items into a landfill feels like waste.  It also feels like a waste of money if I end up needing to buy the item again.

We have a wonderful donation solution a few blocks away — a thrift shop that will take anything from kitchen stuff to baby bottles.  I’m going to do it, but it’s hard to get rid of things.  To trust that we have no need for them anymore.

Are the things you save more emotional or “what if” in nature?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

There were a few things in the Rosie Project that hit close to home.  One was a thought on page 173 about repetition: “I settled on Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty.  With the repeat button on, it became the soundtrack to my driving and reflections over three days.  Unlike many people, I am very comfortable with repetition.  It was probably fortunate that I was driving alone.”

I love repetition.  I love repetition so much that it takes a lot for me to try something new.  Back in graduate school, I had one audio cassette from Bob Dylan’s Biograph, and that was all I played for several years.  It ran on a 90 minute loop.  No one wanted me to drive because they were so sick of “Lay Lady Lay.”  It was a big deal (to me) when, in my final year, I sometimes played the second tape of Biograph.

I am the type of person who would be fine eating one food, reading one book, watching one movie, or listening to one album for the rest of her life.

Are you good with repetition, or do you always need the thrill of something new?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts that are connected to businesses or are sponsored posts.