The Heinlein meme is knocking on my door, thanks to TexasBestGrok, inspired by this list from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" in Robert A. Heinlein's Time Enough for Love:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
For this meme, mark in bold those things that you can do:
- Change a diaper (If practice makes perfect, I am a virtuoso.)
- Plan an invasion (Other than a midnight requisition of leftover chocolate cake from the kitchen, um, no.)
- Butcher a hog (My favorite meat is post-butchered hog, but have you ever smelled a pig sty?)
- Conn a ship (I'll get back to you after I learn what "conn" means.)
- Design a building (I couldn't even design a sugarcube igloo.)
- Write a sonnet (Probably, but it wouldn't be poetry.)
- Balance accounts (Debits toward the file cabinet, credits toward the window.)
- Build a wall (with prefab, interlocking bricks? Why, yes!)
- Set a bone (which would require looking at the broken bone, not to mention handling it? No, mom, there was never any chance that I would make it to med school.)
- Comfort the dying (The most important skill I would like to have.)
- Take orders (Yes, dutifully.)
- Give orders (Yes, reluctantly...but decisively.)
- Cooperate (Yes, reliably.)
- Act alone (Yes, happily.)
- Solve equations (HP 12C at the ready, in reverse Polish notation.)
- Analyze a new problem (My talents are few, but this is the one that puts bread on the table.)
- Pitch manure (and peat moss, and top soil)
- Program a computer (Sorry. I am only a geek poseur.)
- Cook a tasty meal (Although my kids would say here: "Your mileage may vary.")
- Fight efficiently (Somehow I suspect that hundreds of hours of watching Buffy don't quite qualify as "training" for this.)
- Die gallantly (A worthy ambition indeed.)
If you are so inclined, have at it!
"geek poseur"--I love it!
Posted by: Kathy | September 08, 2005 at 07:11 PM
I like! Thanks for playing along.
Posted by: JohnL | September 08, 2005 at 09:57 PM