Thursday, January 20, 2011

Pet Peeves

Apropos of nothing, here are 2 of my pet peeves:

1) People (scholars even) who talk about "primitive people" who invented the winter solstice celebration because they didn't have science so they believed that the sun might not ever come back.  *PBBBBBBBBLT* to you I say.  Anyone who lives to be 12 years old knows the winter is dark and summer is light, and once you've figured out how to count, you know it comes round again in about the same number of days.  [muttering - Literalists!-mutter mutter] But I'm "modern" and every dang year around this time I turn inward and lose my will to, well, leave the house.  I feel that joyful exuberant summer energy has left my life, and I fear that it will never return.    I forget altogether that I'm going to feel much better when the sun gets up before I do and the trees have those cute little spring leaves on them.  Even I- who have the internet- need reminding that this too will pass. Winter Solstice celebrations are wisely held now as they were thousands of years ago.  Harrumph!

2) People who say "Teenagers want to be different, but have you noticed they all dress a like?"
And to you I say - do you know what this society does to people who dress completely uniquely?  We ostracize them and send them to mental health.  It's hard enough to be one of 7 teens in your school who dress within a different mores than your peers, but to be the only one?  Criminy.  I believe that even in Berkeley it's hard to be the one adult who rides around town on a unicycle wearing a pink hooded unitard. Have you forgotten entirely how hard it is to be a teenager as it is?  Double Harrumph!

Thanks for listening.