The Dodo

The stereotype firmly attached to the Dodo Bird is that it was too dumb to flee and too fat to fly. Thus it became extinct in the 1600s.

So, the term “Dodo-head” is not a compliment, as it suggests a fundamental – nay, a fatal – lack of intelligence. And he was not very cute either.

I confess that a few weeks ago, I found myself uttering “Dodo-head” under my breath on a rather frequent basis. This epithet was most often directed at the preposterous things I was finding in many of the Family Trees on Ancestry.com. (As well as on other genealogy websites that shall remain nameless . . . .)

The Knight was somewhat shocked to hear me spewing such colorful invective. He gently suggested that I ought not to say such things.

He’s right, of course.

But like so many other bad habits that are important to break, attempting to repent of this one seemed to result in an alarming increase in the recurrences of said bad habit.

I found myself saying “Dodo-head” All. The. Time.

To the cats.

To other drivers.

To talking heads on TV.

To inanimate objects.

In short, to anything whatsoever that caused the tiniest bit of frustration.

Yesterday, I was in a hurry as I was typing data into my PAF file, and I kept mis-typing. And . . . you guessed it: I heard myself calling myself “Dodo-head.”

If I have to be a Dodo-head, I hope I can at least be a cute one.

SPRING ... FORWARD

I was debating about which blog I should write: One about daylight saving time? Or one about Spring?

Daylight saving time begins next Sunday, while Spring begins the following Sunday.

Thinking about DST always makes me feel a bit depressed because we essentially will be retreating back to the darkness of early mornings typical of January.  We will not regain early light again for another month.

In contrast, thinking about Spring makes me feel excited and optimistic because soon there will be daffodils, and Gordon’s crocuses blooming across the street. And robins returning in big flocks. And buds on the trees. And violets between the cobblestones in the backyard. And warm southern breezes. And apricot trees in bloom. And birdsong at dawn.

It’s too bad that DST’s “spring forward” so often carries negative connotations for me, as it seems to be an oxymoron for a big step backward. But, now, I am going to try really hard to think of DST as just another wonderful harbinger of Spring.

Spring Forward!!!