You never know

The sky is gently turning pink as we get ready for a new day. I think I know what's in store for me today (class, studying, and more studying) - but you can never be sure until you've lived it.

Pre-linguistic Requisites

In my Preschool Language Disorders class we've been learning about the prerequisites for verbal communication. That is to say, before children are ready to communicate using language there are a few mile-markers they need to achieve. This got me thinking. 

For starters, young children who are learning to speak need to be vocalizing. Let me tell you, my cat vocalizes. We can check that off the list. They should be able to recognize and respond to their name. Check, again. Kids need to exhibit joint gaze with others. Vespa can stare me down like a pro. Children who are ready to start speaking should be able to participate in turn-taking exchanges. Vespa does this too - if I say "meow" she will respond "meow" and then I say "meow" and she says it back ad infinitum. Child-preverbal communicative acts should be represent a variety of communications such as greeting, calling, and protesting. Again, Vespa will vocalize in each of these contexts. A crucial pre-linguistic accomplishment is the concept of intentionality. A child needs to be able to communicatively express an intention, need, or desire. When I am eating my chicken soup, Vespa can tell me, unambiguously, that she wants some.

 As far as I can tell, my cat is ready to say her first word.

I will keep you posted.

I seem to have accrued some good Karma...

I'm good with the universe today. Let me tell you why:

- I remembered my baseball hat when I went to yoga, so I could cover my sweaty bangs on my way home afterwards
- Yoga was awesome; I feel energized and relaxed all at once
- I unclogged the toilet without calling a) a plumber b) the landlord or c) my father
- It's a beautiful fall day
- I got groceries after going far too long without any
- I had a nice chat with the man putting pretzels on the shelf who was grateful that I didn't knock them all down after he had just stacked them so neatly
- Ben and Jerry's mini-ice-cream cups were on sale
- A mom pushing her baby in a stroller gave me a "Wooo McGill!" chant when she noticed my sweatshirt
- The postman thoughtfully stepped aside to let me pass with all my grocery bags on the narrow sidewalk
- Snack of apple cider and ginger snaps
- I seem to have gotten over my "settled into grad school life" ennui

Moral of the story: noticing what's good in every moment makes me a happy camper.

Texting: it doesn't have to be this way

Making plans isn't rocket science. At least, it shouldn't be. But with the advent of cellphones, specifically text messaging, there is ample room for error. For example, the following text series can be interpreted in two ways (apparently).

"Let's grab drinks Friday"
"Sounds good"

Interpretation A) This is a plan. An idea was suggested by one party and accepted by the other. One of the two texters gets ready Friday night in anticipation of final details.
Interpretation B) This is not a plan. One of the texters pretends this conversation never happened and gives no notice that he or she is not in fact meeting up for drinks.

Why is this constant miscommunication allowed to persist? It is frustrating and lazy. In my own life I have come across it on numerous occasions. As you might have surmised, I usually fall into Interpretation A. It gets kind of old but I am no longer surprised when I get stood up (for lack of a better phrase) due to texting vagaries.

I feel that as part of the first generation of texters, we owe it to posterity to develop appropriate texting communication etiquette. Cellphones should not be used as an easy out. Classic examples: "Sry running 10 min late!" "Sry, already left Club Fancy-Pants, now @ Brew Pub McGoo". Guys, this is so lame! We need to cultivate a respect for making plans and sticking to them! It's really not that hard. In fact since the origin of humankind, that has been the only way of developing any kind of lasting relationship with others. Naturally, I put more stock and effort into friendships and relationships that I can rely on - and I take into account texting behavior. Last minute cancels or straight-up silence doesn't fly with me. Yes, some might accuse me of being uptight but you don't see me hanging out with them, do you? Personally, I prefer the term reliable.

Moving Forward

At the behest of my step-father (whose opinion I hold higher than he may know) I am updating my blog after a 6 month hiatus. Having just re-read my last post, the timing is appropriate. Despite my own earlier-expressed skepticism, I did in fact get my act together and apply to grad schools for speech language pathology.

Today I was rewarded for my hard work. I received a normal-sized business envelope from Emerson University. To prevent immediate heartbreak on the outward appearance of the "small" envelope, admissions had the courtesy to print "Congratulations" on the bottom left. I tore into it as I walked distractedly up the driveway. My mother, waiting for me at the front door, asked desperately what was wrong - I was crying and speechless by the time I reached the house. The only explanation I could give was to hand her the acceptance letter as I pulled myself together.

Typically I don't put too much stock in astrology. My early July birthday makes me a Cancer, which I've always thought was a horrible name for a sign. Pointing out that the Cancerian symbol is a crab doesn't do much to improve things. But one typical characteristic of this star sign is a heightened sense of intuition. Along those lines, my mother will tell you some freaky stories about my childhood psychic abilities. Today I woke up with a dream still resonating in my foggy brain. I dreamt I had gone to the mailbox to find it stuffed with 4 large acceptance envelopes from schools I'd applied too. Initially I thought that was mighty presumptuous of my sub-conscious. But whether I get in to three more schools or not, I did get into my first choice, Emerson College in the heart of Boston.



"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.”
~Marcel Pagnol