Fo(u)r example(s):
- my brother can hear a pitch and identify it. Hum a note, he'll tell you it's a G. Listen to your refrigerator drone, he'll pick out a C.
- my wife can spot a "good" vein from across the mall. Put her in a room full of people, and she can rank the people from easiest to hardest intubation simply by looking at their necks.
- my friend can spot and name a typeface anytime, anywhere. Give her a couple of letters, and she knows exactly what family, style, etc.
- an old high-school buddy of mine could spot a four-leaf clover from six feet away (meaning from a standing position).
I'm interested to hear if any of you dear readers have such personally-developed instincts. If you want to share, let me know. I think mine comes from spending hours and hours reading/studying/teaching literature and writing/grammar. I can spot a typo a mile away. Give me a page in a book, and, even if I can't see the exact error immediately, I will know that something is amiss. Give me two more moments, and I'll point it out. It's not always the most blessed faux-instinct, and I don't think it is all that unique, but it's mine, nonetheless.
Oh, and I can usually tell you the exact time (well, down to the minute; I haven't mastered seconds yet) even if I haven't seen a clock in hours. I don't know where that one came from.
Chime in if you would like to share or if you have a bubbling-up revelation. I'd love to know what instincts further separate us, making me = me and you = you.
shanti,
mjh
6 comments:
John has some type of internal alarm clock that allows him to wake up at 6:00 every morning in whatever time zone he is in. Even when we change to daylight savings time, it doesn't throw him off. And even though he doesn't always trust himself if he has to get up earlier than 6 to catch an early flight and usually sets an alarm, he still seems to be able to wake up on his own at whatever time he tells himself the night before. I guess this amazes me because I am so NOT a morning person :). Babs Christy
I always know which direction I am facing (and not based off the sun). Even when we are on vacation somewhere, I can tell you which way is north, south, east and west. When we are turned around, I can get us back in the right direction. I think that is just a born-ability.
Feel free to tear apart my grammer! I obviously don't have that gift.
The internal alarm clock is impressive by itself; changing it based on time zones, however, is superhuman. That's a good one!
Alison, that's a gift I wish that I had. I have gotten lost in my own house before (no kidding). And this blog is not a place of teaching or editing, so feel free to write/spell at will. No judgments here. Oh, and it's "grammar". :o)
I promise I did not do that on purpose! My mom (the English major) is hanging her head in shame right now!
I'm a fortune teller. Well, actually, I'm just good at reading people--using astrology as my decoy. After, like, two minutes of conversation/observation (s/he doesn't even have to be talking to me), I can do a pretty spot-on personality interpretation.
Sidenote: I use the astrology thing (sun sign, moon sign, whatever) to reassure the people I read that I am not, in fact, a stalker.
Dr. Wright, that is just scary. Remind me not to take any of your classes. Though truthfully, I'd love to sit in some day and ask remarkably wonderful questions about Derrida, though I don't know if you deconstruct that Second-Life rhetoric or not. Either way, you're scary and super, super cool.
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