Aye Captain
There are four kids in my family - I have a brother 2 years older than me, a sister 2 years younger than me and another brother 7 years younger than me. I am proud to call them my brothers and sister. We are all very different and at the same time - we truly do come from the same parents....ahem! I think a lot of adolescent girls go through a phase of no one knows what it is like to be me - my adolescent phase lasted well into my early 20's - god save my parents! They managed through it all and still send me birthday cards every year.
What I think made my adolescence different from most 13 year old girls was that Mr. Spock took my breath away- I could so relate to the gentle kindess of his logic and his steadiness was, well, impelling, stirring, provacatvie - hard to get enough of Mr. Spock or so I thought. I was sure that Captain Kirk was going to somehow find me and beam me off this planet and traveling the galaxy we would find my people - my species. Did I say I was a bit dramatic as a child - yes, well that and a bit of an imagination. I knew the difference between reality and imagination, but my fantasy was that I would somehow find a way to fit into the world and that my true intentions and the misunderstandings people had about me would be uncovered. I wasn't like anyone else I knew. What I didn't know then was that no one is like anyone else.
So, here today I am in the dog world and I am reminded of my young days trying to figure out what the rules are and how to fit in on this new planet. I do my best to use Spock logic and reason things out but I just don't think the same way that these people think and I can't really wrap my mind around it all. There are many unwritten rules in this dog world and you find out about many of the rules as you are breaking them. Then there is this very funny shaming thing that happens that makes it seem like you should know the rules. Argh - I just want to scream - I am new to this planet - I don't know your ways and I have good intentions but you have to tell me the rules before I can follow them. Simple things like which door to go out, which grass you can let your dog pee on, where you can and can't have treats, where you can crate your dog and what is a reasonable amount of space to take up with your dog, everyone should bring their own chair, water and crate everywhere they go.... One time I was volunteering at my first agility seminar and no one talked to me all morning except to tell me what ring I should be at each session. I asked what I should do and was told to write down everyone's name and the jump heights of the dogs and then reset the bars. I did this. So lunch time comes around and no one told me whether volunteers can have lunch or not and I am dying for a cup of coffee. No one is talking to me, everyone is eating and I run out to get a cup of coffee. I am gone for all of about 15-20 minutes. When I get back some woman who hasn't introduced herself comes out of the building with a paper in her hand and tells me in a very firm voice that if I am going to leave the building next time could I please check it out with someone first. People were looking for me and I could not be found. Clearly my actions had rattled this woman and I was appearing to be a slacker volunteer. I had no idea who to check in with to find out what was needed - who exactly was in charge seemed to be quite a mystery to me. I don't have any trouble following directions or asking questions - how could I be missed if no one was talking to me in the first place. To get myself through the rest of the sessions that afternoon I entertain myself rattling off an explanation of my coffee break to explain my mis-steps...
Bones, disgusted tone of voice - "Corporal Heidi did not report to duty at lunch time."
Kirk, triaging and trying to get to the root of the issue - "Computer, location of Corporal Heidi please?"
Computer , monotone female voice - "Corporal Heidi is in her quarters enjoying a simulated cup of earth coffee."
Bones, now shouting - "Ridiculous, she needs to report to Nurse Chapel at once, how could she be in her quarters, Jim this is insubordination."
Spock - "Dr. McCoy, I believe a charge of insuborindation would imply Corporal Heidi to have known that she was to be on duty. How were her duties defined to her this morning?"
Bones - "Defined to her? What are you talking about? "
Spock - "Logically, if a starfleet officer is informed of activities they will be performed. If there is no defined duty, how could Corporal Heidi be out of line?"
I am sure that there would be some comment from Bones like Poppycock but Kirk would make him understand the good intentions of the Corporal and insure that things were staffed appropriately by have Nurse Chapel go over the rules with the Corporal.
I wonder if Gromit has these conversations with Chewie? Or Emme or for that matter any of his dog buddies....maybe he and Schmadios console themselves over the mannerless and directionless humans that they have to cohabitate with daily. I am sure I break some fairly big rules, but I rarely feel bad and I try really hard not to make them feel bad - however that might work for dogs. I know I once hear Gromit in the kitchen pulling things out of the sink and sternly called his name to come to me. He came into the room I was in but sat next to Kristin and would not budge. I realized that I had been expecting him to follow rules for a game he didn't know I was playing with him. He wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen sink but I never told him he couldn't be in the kitchen sink, I never gave him a better option than the dishes/food in the kitchen sink but I did have the nerve to clap my hands and demand that he happily leave the food in the kitchen sink and come and hang out with me even though I was clearly frustrated with him. Poor boy, I believe I was shaming him - I highly doubt he knew that, but he wouldn't come to me until I realized what I was doing. I then changed my voice, grabbed some treats and called him again with a different level of motivation and reward for Gromit - this time he came quickly - he knew the rules and knew what he was going to get for coming to me instead of pulling food/dishes out of the sink. He was happier and more sure of his actions.
Neither one of us had to be beamed away to get on the same planet. I am going to have to keep working on this fitting into the dog world stuff.
What I think made my adolescence different from most 13 year old girls was that Mr. Spock took my breath away- I could so relate to the gentle kindess of his logic and his steadiness was, well, impelling, stirring, provacatvie - hard to get enough of Mr. Spock or so I thought. I was sure that Captain Kirk was going to somehow find me and beam me off this planet and traveling the galaxy we would find my people - my species. Did I say I was a bit dramatic as a child - yes, well that and a bit of an imagination. I knew the difference between reality and imagination, but my fantasy was that I would somehow find a way to fit into the world and that my true intentions and the misunderstandings people had about me would be uncovered. I wasn't like anyone else I knew. What I didn't know then was that no one is like anyone else.
So, here today I am in the dog world and I am reminded of my young days trying to figure out what the rules are and how to fit in on this new planet. I do my best to use Spock logic and reason things out but I just don't think the same way that these people think and I can't really wrap my mind around it all. There are many unwritten rules in this dog world and you find out about many of the rules as you are breaking them. Then there is this very funny shaming thing that happens that makes it seem like you should know the rules. Argh - I just want to scream - I am new to this planet - I don't know your ways and I have good intentions but you have to tell me the rules before I can follow them. Simple things like which door to go out, which grass you can let your dog pee on, where you can and can't have treats, where you can crate your dog and what is a reasonable amount of space to take up with your dog, everyone should bring their own chair, water and crate everywhere they go.... One time I was volunteering at my first agility seminar and no one talked to me all morning except to tell me what ring I should be at each session. I asked what I should do and was told to write down everyone's name and the jump heights of the dogs and then reset the bars. I did this. So lunch time comes around and no one told me whether volunteers can have lunch or not and I am dying for a cup of coffee. No one is talking to me, everyone is eating and I run out to get a cup of coffee. I am gone for all of about 15-20 minutes. When I get back some woman who hasn't introduced herself comes out of the building with a paper in her hand and tells me in a very firm voice that if I am going to leave the building next time could I please check it out with someone first. People were looking for me and I could not be found. Clearly my actions had rattled this woman and I was appearing to be a slacker volunteer. I had no idea who to check in with to find out what was needed - who exactly was in charge seemed to be quite a mystery to me. I don't have any trouble following directions or asking questions - how could I be missed if no one was talking to me in the first place. To get myself through the rest of the sessions that afternoon I entertain myself rattling off an explanation of my coffee break to explain my mis-steps...
Bones, disgusted tone of voice - "Corporal Heidi did not report to duty at lunch time."
Kirk, triaging and trying to get to the root of the issue - "Computer, location of Corporal Heidi please?"
Computer , monotone female voice - "Corporal Heidi is in her quarters enjoying a simulated cup of earth coffee."
Bones, now shouting - "Ridiculous, she needs to report to Nurse Chapel at once, how could she be in her quarters, Jim this is insubordination."
Spock - "Dr. McCoy, I believe a charge of insuborindation would imply Corporal Heidi to have known that she was to be on duty. How were her duties defined to her this morning?"
Bones - "Defined to her? What are you talking about? "
Spock - "Logically, if a starfleet officer is informed of activities they will be performed. If there is no defined duty, how could Corporal Heidi be out of line?"
I am sure that there would be some comment from Bones like Poppycock but Kirk would make him understand the good intentions of the Corporal and insure that things were staffed appropriately by have Nurse Chapel go over the rules with the Corporal.
I wonder if Gromit has these conversations with Chewie? Or Emme or for that matter any of his dog buddies....maybe he and Schmadios console themselves over the mannerless and directionless humans that they have to cohabitate with daily. I am sure I break some fairly big rules, but I rarely feel bad and I try really hard not to make them feel bad - however that might work for dogs. I know I once hear Gromit in the kitchen pulling things out of the sink and sternly called his name to come to me. He came into the room I was in but sat next to Kristin and would not budge. I realized that I had been expecting him to follow rules for a game he didn't know I was playing with him. He wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen sink but I never told him he couldn't be in the kitchen sink, I never gave him a better option than the dishes/food in the kitchen sink but I did have the nerve to clap my hands and demand that he happily leave the food in the kitchen sink and come and hang out with me even though I was clearly frustrated with him. Poor boy, I believe I was shaming him - I highly doubt he knew that, but he wouldn't come to me until I realized what I was doing. I then changed my voice, grabbed some treats and called him again with a different level of motivation and reward for Gromit - this time he came quickly - he knew the rules and knew what he was going to get for coming to me instead of pulling food/dishes out of the sink. He was happier and more sure of his actions.
Neither one of us had to be beamed away to get on the same planet. I am going to have to keep working on this fitting into the dog world stuff.
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