MANNEQUIN SHOP

Today was one of those days where I just tried to lose myself in my music. I find that if you put the earbuds in, crank it loud enough and appear not to see the person who has just approached your desk for the third time, he/she will most likely walk away once again. If you're really lucky, they will have given up by now. Which just goes to prove, if it was really important in the first place, they wouldn't have walked away, right? Right.

I started out my ride to work with my good buddy Tom Cochrane. Now there is one musician that I just cannot for the life of me, find a category for. People ask me, who are you listening to? I say "Tom Cochrane." They ask, "What does he play?" I say (his most well-known) "Life is a Highway." If they are totally clueless still, they will say, "What kind of music does he play?"

If I answer "rock" and they want to know what kind of rock, then I'm clueless. There are just certain musicians who aren't easily categorized. John Hiatt is another. The band Morphine is another. I could say about 5 different categories that they might well fit into, but how much help is that. I'm not into pigeon-holing music. Or people, or anything else for that matter. When you put a label on something or someone you automatically apply limitations. There really still is such a thing as originality out there. But sadly there are so many things that can be labelled and catergorized. People, even. And that is a sad crime to me.

Please don't ever tell me that I'm "one of those people who..." or "the type that..." That would be like the ultimate insult to me. I try to be an original. I try to be unpredictable. I go to great lengths not to be like everyone around me. "Against the grain" is my middle name. Aha, I made a funny.

I never really thought about what it must be like to live with me. My poor husband. Gee Honey, why didn't you say something? Or what kind of mother I must be... When I think about my mother, (No news to report on that front as yet...) consistent is a word that comes to mind. Normal. Predictable. Of course I am referring to her mothering skills as I observed them growing up, not exactly as the person who I am having such a #&%$*# dealing with presently.

Aside from some really quirky things my kids do, and never in public mind you, (wink) I really don't think my different-ness has had any negative effects on either of them. By the way, you all are familiar with my daughter JuJu. I also have a son, JuJu's older brother, Zog. (not his real name.) I will ask him if he has a problem with me referring to him by his real name here. I have asked my husband by what name he would like to be referred to here. He got pretty silly at one point, so I dropped it and never pursued it after that. I think I will call him Poopy-Doo. (Just until he reads this and throws a hissy. Then I will change it to something else until he tells me what he wants to be called.)

Anyway. I could never understand why people would want to be just like everybody else. I can understand maybe emulating a hero/heroine, but please, do it with your own style. The people in my life who really stand out are the individuals with their own panache and style. Course, there are those who carry it too far. The secret I think is knowing when to quit. Like they say (and I always wonder who the hell "they" are) when you get dressed to go out, turn away from your mirror. Spin back around and take off the first thing you see in the mirror. Hopefully it will be that fourth bracelet and not your pants. I don't think this works for men because they only wear the bare minimum of pieces at any given time. Where was I going with this? Oh, when you are building character and personality, if you use this formula, does it mean that you lose that most vivid and visible trait? Nah, I don't think that works in this case. Don't mind me. I knew when I sat down here to write that my brain wasn't in the right gear. It's Monday and it's foggy here in my head. Anyway, be yourself.

That's it for today's lesson, class. Or that's it for today's class lesson. Or that's class for today's it lesson. Or that's it.

STHTTMMS: Talking to LittleJuJu on the phone tonight. He said he's learning to count by fives. I asked him how he likes counting by fives. "I love it!" he said. Good, he's not taking after Nana in the math department.

GSL: (It's a beautiful night out and made me think of this-) "And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush. And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush. Can I just have one more Moondance with you, my love?" from Moondance by the very cool Mr. Van Morrison.

RQ: "There never were, in the world, two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity." - Michel De Montaigne