The Book of Me (14)

"The Book of Me, Written By You" as introduced by Julie Miller of Angler's Rest is moving right along. Many bloggers have joined the popular challenge (as seen on the Facebook page) and present a variety of approaches to the different prompts.

Ulanova sculpture by Elena Yanson-Manizer ca.1950

When I grow up I want to be ... (Prompt 38)
Paraphrasing Julie: What did you want to be? What inspired you? Did you become what you wanted or did you do something different? Did you follow your dream and it was not at all what you expected? How did it all work out?

My childhood dream was to become a ballet dancer, or rather to become like Moira Shearer or Galina Ulanova. Let's face it, I spent a lot of time amongst a gaggle of similar-minded girls and young women. Over a period of years and examinations and performances, the dream faded into reality. Reality could not be confined to one narrow choice. University studies were not as forgiving as high school to allow for demanding dance classes six days a week. And not going to university was never an option for someone who wanted to learn about the whole world.

So then I thought I would become a philosophy professor. ?!What?! {I am nothing if not eclectic}. My mentor-professor was keenly recruiting for his mediaeval studies department. That was moving forward fairly well in grad school until I crashed into a major family disaster. Life took a left turn somewhere and before too long I found myself undertaking a traditional domestic role.

Now I want to be a writer when I grow up.

Do You Have A Safe Place (Prompt 39)

Paraphrasing Julie: Somewhere that you gravitate, to make decisions or reflect; Somewhere you go to think; Somewhere you go to take time out; Somewhere you keep things you must not lose or do you have more than one safe place?

Where Do You Think? (Prompt 40)

Paraphrasing: How do you record those thoughts? Or do you? Does thinking happen when you are in the bath, on the settee? Where do you go or what to you do when you need to seriously think of something?

Since Prompt 39 is much like Prompt 32(De-Stressing), and Prompt 40 is much like Prompt 39 (Safe Place) I am glossing over Where Do You Think? and said to myself, now don't get too silly. Such as, when are we not thinking? Seriously seems to be the key word, i.e. thinking about a major decision to make or big problem to solve. 

My answer may be similar to that of many other participating bloggers. Serious thought means at my desk, at my computer. A writer often works out serious thought on paper, if any of us use paper any more in lieu of a keyboard connected to the metal box that stores all the serious thoughts. Hopefully when I settle at my computer I remember what the serious thought was that I intended to mull and analyze and agonize about. Writing it out is like brainstorming with yourself. One-person crowd-sourcing.

  

It's imperative to be upright and tapping at the keys to get that professional feeling of properly addressing the issue. Required components in place ― reference material, specific notes, the internet, accumulated emails, and so on ― at my side. The position allows the illusion of controlling emotions and examining gut feelings. There is also something to be said for throwing yourself on your bed shrieking and pounding the mattress.

Blood Group (Prompt 41)

Paraphrasing: Do you know your blood group? Many people don't. Here in the UK many family doctors do not know or have it on record. A simple and yet important snippet of information. Do you have a popular blood group? What about other members of your family?

Holy crapola, I have no idea if my tiny perfect doctor knows my blood type. Because I used to donate blood and the Red Cross gave me a card, I know I am B Positive which is not as common as O, for example. True story: I read somewhere that the Great Plague as it was called in 17th century Europe wiped out most of the B Positive guys and that indicates to me that having it could be a risky business. It's true that I read this; I dunno if the story is true. Maybe the surviving B people have magical powers.

Blood type is good to know, I'm sure, if you need a transfusion but it seems nowadays there are miniscule ingredients of the blood even more important. Understanding the science fails me here, because it starts to sound like DNA. I do have an odd cell? component in my blood that requires monitoring because it could mutate? or do something weird. Monitoring ... that my hematologist says has to go to Utah for an expensive test, for crying out loud, as if I were deliberately imposing on our (basically pretty darn good) health care system. Well, it wasn't my idea to sit in her waiting room every January with my snowboots dripping on her floor, it really wasn't. Probably (20% probability) it's an Estonian cell? causing the indignity, I mean, until a few years ago I didn't even know I have Estonian blood cells too.

I passed my B on to one child and I forget what the blood type of the others is. Something to do with their father, could be. He is O Positive which is hard to forget because when he was racing he had to have it indelibly stencilled on his crash helmet. Oh yes, and he did crash once, at St Jovite it was, luckily no transfusion required.

© 2014 Brenda Dougall Merriman. All rights reserved.