True Confessions
Childhood
When I was a child of five or six years old I idolized Hop a
Long Cassidy. I had my horse, actually
my bike, and a white cowgirl hat. One
day, instead of watching Hop a Long, the family watched a show that might have
been Twilight Zone. All I remember is
the hero was blind and yet could “see” with his mind. He didn’t run into furniture or get hit by
cars.
This seemed an awesome talent to have. Could anyone have this talent? I ran a test on myself. I put on my white cowgirl hat and hopped on
my bike, closed my eyes and promptly ran into a clothesline pole and fell off
my bike. Theory tested and disproved!
Teen years
I tested another theory: since my mom can’t drive a car, she
can’t go looking for me. At thirteen years
old this was a wonderful revelation. Rode
my horse, ah bike, fifteen miles across Sunnyvale, CA to Stevens Creek Park,
and spent the day with friends there and rode home about seven hours later.
I didn’t quite make it home when there’s mom two footing it
around the corner, madder than Hades.
Theory tested and disproved, moms will search for you even if they don’t
have a car. And believe me, seven hours
with friends at a park, not worth the punishment meted out by mom!
Adult
I have no theories that I’ve tested as an adult. But I do have a true confession; I’ve
developed an addiction of sorts. I love
watching live courtroom drama. Not the
Judge Judy kind, but the murder trials.
I make sure I have lunch around twelve o’clock and turn on HLN and watch
the lawyers and the witnesses, etc. It’s
so interesting. Court t.v. is research,
isn’t it? For writing? That’s what I’m saying, and I’m sticking to
it.
Do you have any childhood theories you tested out? Do you enjoy live courtroom t.v.?
8 comments:
Hi Diana,
I don't remember testing out any theories although I certainly made decisions that were Risky...I was pretty realistic and thought about the consequences if I got caught and the odds of getting caught...sometimes high and sometimes not.
I was addicted to Perry Mason and have found my daytime television drastically changed when the station took him off at noon. Some of the episodes were so familiar I could recite the dialogue!
Sometimes (and I have to be in a particular state of mind) I enjoy watching Domminick Dunne's program on how criminal cases are solved but not so much live courtroom t.v.
What do you like about live courtroom t.v.?
I enjoy seeing how the lawyers question witnesses, how they phrase questions, how the puzzle evolves, seeing the reaction on the defendants face, and finding out who I believe is guilty or not. It's history being made. Thanks for commenting. I always enjoyed Perry Mason too.
I watched Perry Mason everyday when it was on. As for theories... Hogs will bite anything you toss in front of them. Practical jokes don't always work out as you had planned. And older brothers who were not morning people don't like you cranking your music up as high as it will go as you sing and dress in the morning. ;)
Fun blog post, Diana! :)
When I was a kid, I tried taping wings to the family car after seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the theater (Groman's Chinese Theater, to be exact). I was very disappointed when the car didn't fly as I'd expected it to.
As I teen I learned that just because you can lie about your age at the liquor store doesn't mean you should drink all that Boone's Farm and Annie Green Springs.
As an adult, I've suffered through numerous cooking theory failures. Like oil and shortening are not the same thing, and bananas do not make a good substitute for sugar.
Diana, what a fun post. And I love how your thought processed worked as a kid. Yep, nothing worse than a mom having to run around to find her youngin'. hahaha
I remember as a kid once getting mad at my parents, so I said, "Well I'm leaving!" Mouthed off, and started walked down the driveway. Well, let me tell you. My father caught me and tanned my fanny. And I never did that again. :)
Great post!
Marie
Loved your stories and being I know you, it sounds just like something you would do. And here I thought you would the perfect child - guess the answer to that is NO!!!
I am a constant tester, though my testing as an adult is much better rationalized and somewhat scientific. My highest testing period was from age 8-12. At age 8 I tested if I could outrun my mother who took a switch off the tree and was ready to paddle me. Result: Yes, I could outrun her. However, when I returned home the punishment was even worse--not the switch itself, but the guilt after my father talked to me for an hour about responsibility and caring and honor and...Ouch! Not worth it.
In 4th grade I tested how easy it is to write a note from my mother to take the bus with a friend to spend the afternoon at her house. Result: Easy to write note, hard to call Mom (at friend's mother's behest) to tell her I arrived safely at my destination. One month on restriction. Not worth it.
In 7th grade I tested if sneaking a peak at someone else's math test could work. Result: Yes it worked, teacher did not catch me. However, the problem I copied was wrong AND I had nightmares of being chased by numbers for weeks. Not worth it.
Although my young tests of responsibility and morality to get immediate satisfaction appeared to work each time, there was always a consequence that drove the point home. What I thought I wanted was in the long term not what I wanted at all.
I wish I could say I learned patience from all that. Not sure that I did. I still want immediate gratification. However, most of the time now I analyze the long term benefit before taking action.
What a fun post, Diana! I was too chicken, uh, WISE to test out theories as a kid. I pretty much took my mom's word as Gospel. Of course, now that I'm an adult, I find myself making up for it - LOL!
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