Friction and Harmony

Hi folks…

*crickets chirp in response*

Okay, well I’ll ask this anyway…  I’m taking some online courses, one of which happens to be a Psychology “virtual classroom.”  Every few weeks, we’ll be getting discussion topics, and I thought I’d share to see if I get any interesting ideas to throw at the group. 

SO… since I can’t peek over anyone’s shoulder for ideas, I thought I’d enlist my dear readers.

Here goes:

Is it necessarily true that all stereotypes are bad? Given our ‘global’ exposure through world travel, international trade, communication and immigration, do stereotypes still have an effect on our daily attitudes? What say you?

Any takers?

Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

But if you even dare to TRY IT – you simply won’t get anything done all day.

I have my own plans… More »

 Time for a little funny.  (This joke reminds me of some former classmates and why I don’t do class reunions… )

Four men got together to play golf one sunny morning. As they were heading out to the course, one of them was detained by a phone call.

The other three were discussing their children while walking to the first tee.

“My son,” said one proudly, “has made quite a name for himself in the home building industry. He began as a carpenter, but now owns his own design and construction firm. He’s so successful, in fact in the last year he was able to give a good friend a brand new home as a gift.”

The second man, not to be outdone, boasts how his son began his career as a car salesman, but now owns a multi-line dealership. “He’s so successful, in fact, in the last six months he gave a friend two brand new cars as a gift.”

The third man brags that his son has worked his way up through a stock brokerage firm, and has become so successful that in the last few weeks has given a good friend a large stock portfolio as a gift.

As the fourth man arrives at the tee box, the three smugly tell him that they have been discussing how successful their progeny are, and ask what line of work his son is in.

“To tell the truth, I’m not very pleased how my son has turned out,” he replies. “For fifteen years, he’s been a hairdresser, and I’ve just recently discovered he’s gay.”

As the other three recoil in horror, he continues, “but on the bright side, he must be good at what he does, because his last three boyfriends have given him a brand new house, two new cars, and a big stock portfolio.”

Some time ago, our friend Dawn at Overactive Imagination tagged me with the Eight Things meme, and I’m only now getting around to responding.

I know. Sad.

So here goes. Here are eight random facts or personal observations about me, myself and I. Somehow, I had thought that having posted a 100+ Things About Me would have sufficed, but noooooo…

1. I’m not alone in my head. Really. There’s someone else in here with me. I don’t know his or her name — we were never formally introduced — but I’m thankful for the company… I guess. He/She keeps my left prefrontal lobe from spilling out of my cranium, you see… Rather than steel deck-plating, they just gave me cadaver bone to seal the new hole in my head. Ewww!
2. I therefore have someone to blame for The Voices™.
3. The blown sinus cavity above my left eye was the result of an ATV accident in 1983 – two days before Halloween – which pulverized a portion of the frontal bone large enough to place three fingertips into, after the swelling went down. The radiology reports were negative. According to them, the gaping hole I had in my head didn’t exist. Even after repeat X-rays and a CT!!
4. I no longer trust doctors, since I could see the fucking thing on my very first X-ray from 10 feet away, while lying on an Emergency Room gurney with one eye swollen shut and bandaged. They told me I had no idea what I was looking at – and assured me that professional radiologists saw nothing of concern. Gah!
5. My mathematical ability was measurably diminished after my head injury. Dammit! Wait, this list was supposed to be random facts. Hmmm…
6. Uh… I adore Marzipan! More than chocolate. I used to frequent a deli that made the best rare roast beef sandwiches, and I’d always get a slice of raspberry marzipan truffle cake for dessert. Mmmmmmm… (Okay, boring, but I just decided I’m hungry. Can that be #7? ‘I’m hungry?’ No? Shit…)
7. Random… Random. Oh… My therapist broke up with me. It’s not the first time – nor the first therapist to reach the remarkable conclusion that life has generously endowed me with the notorious Flaming Grab-Bag of Shit™. And it’s all weird stuff – most of it too weird to believe, anyway. But it’s mine, and I deal the best I can, which isn’t too well lately… *sigh*
8. Okay, just one more… Hmmm… Short, pithy. Ah! Well, that’s the problem. I don’t do pithy… Pissy, maybe. When I write, I seldom can keep from vomiting through my fingertips onto the screen. I’m sorry!

Since I’ve taken so long to get around to this, and since it already seems that everyone has been plagued tagged with this meme, I’m not tagging anyone. Sorry, but I’m like that. Count that as a bonus #9