Unnatural Acts

I posted some photos on my IG this week, and I'll probably continue to do that, here: www.instagram.com/frescadp.
Among other things, that's where the #Madelinedoll pictures are--mostly from Asia (Korea & Japan).

I'm such a written-word person, it hadn't occurred to me that people would think blogging without pictures for a month was a bad idea.
Several commenters weren't too keen on going picureless, however.

I love pictures myself. When I was old enough to start reading chapter books, I was sad they weren't illustrated. When I was a kid and my family went on trips, my mother gave me the camera to take photos.

Pictures are easy--a natural visual language, unlike the alphabet.
Reading and writing are unnatural acts.
In the span of human history, they're new adaptations (only five-thousand-years old).

Biologically, we're not even coded for those behaviors:

"Speaking is natural. Learning to read is a cultural invention. We have to build a neurocircuitry... to pull words off the page. [Having a hard time doing that] has nothing to do with intelligence."

--Literacy expert Margie Gillis, Why Is Reading So Hard?

I'm not usually one for challenging myself. Writing is maybe the only thing I do not because it is easy but because it is hard. My brain likes it, but I don't work that hard at it, even so.

Blogging photos made me slack off––it's like, "You can have all the marshmallows, now, but you never get steak"––and I didn't like that.

Learning to read was easy for me. Writing well, or to my satisfaction anyway, is not.

I don't even read well.
I'm a quick and messy reader, gobbling up the story (even nonfiction), swallowing chunks without chewing, and leaving the gristly bits on the side of the plate.

I'd loved the Murderbot quartet of novellas so much, when I finished reading them I started all over at the beginning.
I was shocked at how little I remembered. I'd forgotten entire scenes.

So I worked at reading the stories the second time. I jotted down notes, and I looked at and drew pictures to help me envision the character of the genderless, synthetic person.

Sloppy reading aside, age must be the cause of my memory gaps. I used to remember everything. Now I don't.

This week I listed "Bridget" (not her real name) for sale on eBay. She's a gold-haired girlette marketed as a Friend of Madeline.
(Her photo is on IG.)

Someone made an offer for her.
Luckily the seller is not obliged to accept offers, because as soon as I received it, I regretted putting her up for sale.
I rejected the offer and took the listing down.

There was much rejoicing among the Orphan Reds, who then informed me (why didn't they say right away?) that she was the goalie on their soccer team.
(Soccer team?)

Now she goes by the name Satisfied.

Anyway, the thing is, I cannot remember how I came to have this gold-haired doll in the first place!
Did I buy her by herself?
Or--more likely--did she come paired with a red-hair girlette?
It can't be that long ago--she hasn't been here long--but I CANNOT REMEMBER!*

Age & intentional attention affect memory.
Can't do anything about age. "Age is just a number" [that indicates your proximity to death].

Could pay more attention. For me, that includes slowing down and taking in less. Same thing I'm practicing in gym class: to move with more deliberation, which usually means more slowly.

With most people I know being vaccinated, social life is starting up again, and I've instantly felt overwhelmed. I'd said at the beginning of Covid that I didn't mind staying home alone (mostly).
I want to pay attention to my rate of intake of people-energy too.

I'm taking today off--canceled a plan with a friend and am staying home. With Satisfied.

Love ya'll! Be well!

* Oh! I just remembered, days later! where gold-haired Satisfied came from. (Geez. )
She came with a couple red-hair girlettes as a bundle I bought on FB marketplace. Also with a Miss Clavell, who went to live with Linda Sue.

Writing about it helped me remember.
Thanks, brain.