Each of us has two categories of identities. We have the identity that we see ourselves having. And we have the identity that everyone around us makes up for us. As I’ve thought about all those identities people have for me, I’ve also been thinking about how they came up with the one they did.

Since getting married I’ve had to learn to play pinochle. I’m even getting better at spelling it. Maybe I’ll get better at playing it too. But one thing I’ve learned is that the order you play your cards in can be very important. And I’ve noticed that I play my identity cards in certain orders too.

I’m not the type to say hello and then share my entire life story. I’ve met some of those people. They’re interesting. I’m not closed. But I’ve learned that certain identity cards can lead to different assumptions. For example, when people ask where I’m from, if I tell them I went to high school in El Paso they assume my family is still there (they aren’t, and haven’t been for a long time) and that I’m very familiar with the area (I haven’t lived there in almost 14 years). If I tell people my parents live in Indiana, they assume I’m from there. I’ve actually only been there for Christmases and one summer. If I tell people I’m from heaven they assume my dad is in the military. That one is a weird one. But they are assuming we moved a lot and thus why I can’t name a place and the only reason people would move a lot is if they are associated with the military.

So when I’m getting to know new people I play my cards in a certain order to try and control the directions the assumptions are taking. I release certain cards about me before others so that I can set a sort of foundation that will influence the assumptions that are built.

Some cards I’ve even modified a bit because I know what the assumptions would be and I don’t want to deal with them. A common card I modify, and one I play early, is what I’m studying. I even made a flowchart showing the assumptions people make. (Yea! Flowcharts!)

So now I just jump that whole chart and tell people I study educational learning theories. And generally there isn’t enough experience with that idea that they can make a lot of assumptions. Then we see what the next card I need to play is.

I know people are making assumptions about me. I know they are filling in my life with their own experiences so I make sense to them. But the more holes I have control over when they are realized and when they are filled, the closer I feel their assumptions are to who I think I am.

I feel so sheepish. I’ve been using Dreamweaver since I started this website and I only now discovered there’s a “make photo album” function. But I used it. And boy did I ever. I put up an album on Ooh Shemo with just a few (120) of my favorite photos from our wedding that Amy took.

Hee! It makes me so happy to see them.  

So now you go see them because they’ll make you happy too (I hope, or you can just pretend because that will make me happy too).

Wedding Photo Album

It’s time for another Random Giggles parade seeing as how today is the perfect day for a parade. I’m hoping this one will be bigger than past virtual parades we’ve had.

Join the parade by posting in the comments what you want to do in the parade. You can be in a band, be a clown, ride a float, ride horses, be a police officer on a motorcycle. Whatever it is that you want to do, go for it.

(But no raining on the parade, k? We’ve got beautiful weather today.)

This year I think I’m going to ride around in a little clown car.

Several times since we’ve gotten married, Brett and I have been asked if I have him trained yet. Trained for what? The Olympics?

Without realizing it, the asker is implying that I didn’t like Brett the way he was when I married him, but married him anyway with the hope that I could make him change. What sane person gets married for that reason? As Brett answered one such asker, I already liked the way he did things, that’s why I married him!

But there has been some training going on. In fact, he had me trained before we even got married.

Brett is always a gentleman, in so many ways. One way is that every time we go somewhere he opens the car door for me, both when we get in and when we get out. It’s so regular that he’s trained me to wait for him to do that. In fact, he’s trained me so well that no matter who I’m in the car with, I wait for them to open my door for me now. Which is a little weird when I go out with other people. When I realize what I’m doing I try to make it look like I was gathering my stuff before getting out. I’m pretty sure none of my friends realize the problem they cause in my mind when they don’t open my door. So that’s something. But it makes me laugh.

I used this as an example of classical conditioning in my class today. I generalize the stimulus of being in the passenger seat no matter who is driving. I do get my own door when I’m driving though. I have stimulus discrimination on that at least.

I wonder what else he’ll train me to do over the years.

Happy Dr. Seuss Day!

Now, how to celebrate? Here are some suggestions.

• Possibly with Green Eggs and Ham (My dad makes green Jell-O eggs and then regular ham, nothing in the book indicates the ham was green.)
• Maybe by wearing 500 hats (or just a few, or one real good one). (The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins)
• Mooing like Mr. Brown. (Mr. Brown Can Moo. Can You?)
• Checking out feet. (The Foot Book)
• Hop on Pop.
• Having a beetle bottle battle. (Fox on Socks)
• Putting stars on thars. (Sneetches)
• Listen to people, no matter how small. (Horton Hears a Who)
• Think some great thinks. (Oh, the Thinks You Can Think)
• Just getting up can make it a great day. (Great Day for Up)
• Find out what comes beyond z. (On Beyond Zebra)

Whatever you do, I’m sure it will be a spectacular day.

(check out these great Dr. Seuss cakes!)

For the gold medal hockey game, I was okay with either team winning. As long as the Russians didn’t get it (we kind of have a thing against Putin these last two weeks). Of course I was cheering for the United States. But it was real neat for Canada to win at home like that. And in over time even!

I like the knit hats our athletes wear. I like the heathered look to them. Wonder if I could find some yarn like that and knit me a hat.

Yea clowns!!! That was brilliant.

The close-ups on the dancers at the beginning were funny. You could see them thinking a little too hard about what they were doing.

I wear more white socks than Brett. Oh, sorry. That was laundry. This is the Olympics.

Cool maple leaf with the snowboarders.

Okay, which female US athlete broke her foot and then needs to be carried into the Closing Ceremonies? Darn you Bob! You’re supposed to tell me these things.

This is a whole bunch of singing by opera style people. I can’t tell if they’re singing in Greek, English, French, or Russian. Gotta love opera. The reason Russia didn’t win more medals – their anthem is too long and it would’ve extended the Olympics another week if we would’ve had to listen to that more.

Oooh!! I want to be in a giant inflatable bouncy ball!

Either Bob is an amazing French translator (which, could be possible), or he has the English transcript. Now, if he could translate the English into French, that would be something.

Yea for booing! That was so cute that they booed when he declared the games closed.

I have a hard time doing two different things with my hands (I have mastered the whole rub your belly pat your head thing, I can even rub my head and put my belly). But playing the harmonica with my mouth and the guitar with my hands – that’s impressive.

Canadian comedy – now that’s good stuff.

Yea! Mounty kick line!

“And the always enjoyable, giant inflatable beaver. Soon to be accompanied by a giant inflatable moose.” “You need them both.”

Japanese women’s speed skater pursuit team looks like a bunch of Oscar statues. And I loved the slide to the finish by the German team. We both have decided we like the event.

Brett says I can watch curling in 2014. That is supposed to make me feel better.

The women’s 30km cross country skiing is just a real long way on skis.

Yea Bobsled!!!! Sometimes people don’t sing along because they’re too emotional. You could see it in their faces. If they’d moved their mouths they would’ve done some very unmanly bobsled crying. I know I’ve felt that way before.

Here’s a question for you. What kind of flowers are they using in all those bouquets? They’re pretty but simple. And I haven’t been able to make out what kind of flowers they are.

Brett has decided to learn the Canadian national anthem so that he can sing it by the next Olympic games. I think he should learn it in Inukitut.

Watching women’s slalom yesterday, all I could see what a white screen. There was an NBC logo in the upper corner, and a time in the bottom left corner. And I could maybe make out a gate in the middle of the screen. I wasn’t sure they had the right position. Was there supposed to be a skier out there? That was crazy.

Also, I believe, women’s bobsled commentators, that there are people who practice crashing. But most of them probably aren’t bobsledders.

I love Scott Hamilton’s commentary. Not only is he very knowledgeable about the sport, but he’s so passionate about it and all the competitors too. It’s great.

Tonight Brett and I are sitting on the couch watching the Olympics together. He’s studying Hebrew and I’m preparing my lecture for tomorrow. The random comments back and forth are fun.

For example, we were watching the Nordic Combined and he asked me what the difference was between what we were watching now and what we watched the other night. And I totally made it up and he believed me! Okay, I listened to the commentators and tried to remember what they said, but still, he believed me. Okay, he’s saying he just didn’t argue with me.

Then we were watching one of the downhill skiing and you could hear a guy yelling at the skier at the start to get him pumped up. I turned to Brett and told him I want that job. I could stand at the starting lines and yell at people.

Lisa: YEA!!! Svindal’s dad!!
Brett: yea. Why are we cheering for him?
Lisa: He’s a great cheerer!

I think Brett changed his mind at least five times who he was cheering for in women’s skating. Or at least when it’s between Japanese and Koreans.

Ice dancing – Original Dance: Brett has decided that they require twizzles because they think it’s funny when the commentators say it over and over again. The French did a can-kind-of! I do like the theme of folk-dancing though. Other French girl skinned a muppet for her skirt. Love the India one by the Americans. Also liked the Italian Tarantella

Two-Man Bobsled: I like the sack the American 1 driver wears on his head at the top.

Ski Jumping: Brett is wondering how long you have to be on your feet to count as landing the jump. Can you go three feet and then crash and have it still count? I’m thinking it’s a good thing they ski jump in the winter when there aren’t any bugs because a lot of them jump with their mouth open. Imagine if a bug flew in and they started to cough and sputter and then they’d fall out of the ski and break a leg and that would be bad.

Ice Dancing – Free Skate: I like the ones that had the theme of time. And go France! That was inspiring. I like the Russian’s firebird’s wings. Go Canada!!!