I'm a Barbie Girl

Do you ever have a memory that you didn't find significant enough at the time of its occurrence to file it away for conscious recall, but then have it unexpectedly be triggered, years later, by something totally random, and it's there in your mind, as fresh as if it happened yesterday?

I was in a situation at work wherein I was griping to my boss (Cookie Boss, yes) about how I was at a disadvantage in our industry, being female and blonde. I suddenly had a recollection of something that happened when I was a very young engineer at the Humongous Anonymous Technical Company, and apparently I had repressed the memory or just did not think much about it for the past nine or so years.

I was a lively young thing in a world of older, socially stunted men, and quite a few of them were holdovers from the era preceding political correctness (or just plain courteous treatment of others). One fellow was from somewhere on the east coast, and was known for (is still known for, in point of fact) being rather noisy and opinionated about a good many things, with a New England accent that just makes things funnier. I, too, am opinionated and can be noisy when I deem it appropriate. He and I had a discussion about some technical matter; I'd been less than a year at the HATC, so I had very little knowledge and no expertise, but that didn't stop me from being assertive, and I ended up questioning his methods and conclusions, and ultimately, disagreeing with him.

He looked at me, astonished at my audacity, and declaimed, "Oh, what, so now you're rocket scientist Barbie?!"

I may have found the Best Halloween Costume Idea Ever.

Friday Five

Five Books I Have Read Multiple Times

1. Mister God, This Is Anna
2. The Blue Castle
3. The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me
4. A Child's History of the World
   
5. The Bible
   

Dear beloved people,

I miss you! I'm so tired and I know I'm boring. I'm just trying to keep my head above water. Tomorrow is Friday. Till then, let's get some rest.

Love and hugs,
Me

Friday Five

A new feature in which I publish random lists of things for no particular reason, other than alliteration, really.

Friday Five: Five Reasons Why I'm Slightly Odd and Occasionally Socially Awkward

In no particular order:

1. I make inappropriate jokes inside my head. For example, there is a billboard on a road where I drive often, with a picture of a little girl and a caption, "Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with autism." And every time I see it, I mentally complete the sentence, "...and boy, is she getting tired of it!"
   
2. I say unwittingly inappropriate things out loud. When my verbal filter fails to catch the output from #1 above, as well as other faux pas. Like this one time, years ago, I asked a pregnant woman, "Is it like having a parasite?" and she didn't take to the question very nicely. [Note: This woman's lack of understanding aside, I can assure you that being pregnant IS like having a parasite. So the query was valid, but not appreciated.]
   
3. I will tell you when you're wrong about something. And then provide you with all the pertinent facts so that you can change your views and become right. I consider this a public service. You're welcome.
4. I know a lot of dry facts and don't mind trotting them out on seemingly random occasions. Part of the reason for this is that I see connections between ideas that a lot of people don't, and so a conversation about, say, color blindness, is (to me) an obvious precursor to in-depth discussion and analysis of the Russian revolution.
5. I subconsciously check and correct the grammar, spelling, and punctuation of EVERYTHING I read. I can't help myself.