The story continues from last Wednesday, again we meet Susan from Unicorn Farm, but there's only hints of magic in this. Mark's words are not vehicles of magic for me.
I did not use all the words.
Nuclear
Rollover
Utilities
And/Or
Plastered
Identification
Wheeling
Fixated
Susan looked despondently at the papers on her tables. Even though they had been xeroxed, and thus were a huge improvement over the old hand cranked, smelly ones produced by the spirit duplicator, they could have been written in Chinese for all Susan understood of them. Statistics were her least favourite subject in school, closely followed by PE, where Miss Hansson were trying to teach them to Foxtrot. Susan read through the questions once more. "Identification of respondent groups." Their teacher in Social studies Mr. Smidt was fixated on grouping people according to income or salary or other to Susan equally useless variables. But this questionnaire, made by Susan and her class mates only contained information on whether the respondents had been to the cinema for the last two months. And if they had, had they seen the movies The Klan, or Freewheelin' Franklin, or Nuclear Apocalypse? And then a bevel of questions on candy. Not a word on income levels or social classes. But wait, only rich kids went to the movies, she could make three distinct groups, non- movie goers, one time movie goers, and repeating movie goers. And then correlate to their candy consumption. There might not be a correlation, or there might be, and Mr. Smidt would not be happy anyway. There actually was a not surprising positive correlation between movie going and candy consumption. Susan quickly wrote some paragraphs on this and packed the papers into her school satchel.
As she brushed her teeth rather quickly - mum and dad were still in the attic partying. Her eyes fell on a tube of zinc liniment for babies' bums. This reminded her of her experience with babysitting. She had plastered the smallest child's bum with lots of said liniment, to the great amusement of her bigger sister, who liked the white colour. Their mother had been less than amused as the liniment was everywhere on baby's clothes and on the carpet in the living room. When Susan had had the audacity to ask for her money she was only given half the amount, the rest was going to pay for the cleaning of the carpet. And that had been the end of Susan's baby-sitting days.
I really liked your use of Mark's challenging prompts.
SvarSletMy mother was a Statistician (a form of magic which escaped me). I remember babysitting days as well. Not one of my preferred jobs. A slightly older me took to cleaning houses for extra pocket money - a job I much preferred.
Thank you for joining us even when the prompts don't speak to you. I will be providing them next month and I hope they are less challenging (for you and for me).
Thanks for your kind words. Yes surely statistics is a branch of magic - have you ever read Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy?
SletI turned to berry and apple picking to earn some extra money. Working outdoors and independently was my thing, and I could sing and tell crazy tales without disturbing or being disturbed, and my clumsiness did not ruin anything but an occasional berry or apple - which could be eaten to hide the traces ;)
Of course I have read Hitchhikers - all four books in the trilogy. There was no nearby outdoor work like that for me. I suspect I would have loved it (and I too am clumsy. Very clumsy).
SletThen you migth agree that statistics = bistromatics ;)
SletStatistics defeated me in school, too. Now i understand a little more and know to look behind the numbers, it often gives a clearer picture.
SvarSletExcellent way to use the prompts!
Thank you. Yes looking behind numbers for patters and correlations often tells a lot more, but try and teach children this ;)
SletYou have done very well considering that the prompts did not speak to you. I especially thought your use of movie names was inspired. It can be hard to make the prompts sound like they belong together, and this is a good idea for doing that.
SvarSletNot paying a babysitter for trying her best at a job doesn't deserve loss of wages, it calls for guidance, doesn't it? I feel badly for Susan, especially as it seems her parents are the irresponsible kind who couldn't give her guidance on this or anything else :)
A wonderful vignette in the life of a struggling girl.
Thank you for understanding what I'm trying to tell.
SletActually Susan's parents were not a bad kind, they were more responsible than most, Susan and Linda - and who else came in their home, were beeded, fed, washed and loved. This kind of behaciour was just considered normal in Denmark in the 70es. Children were more responsible, more self-reliant, and in general everybody could be trusted. The people for whom Susan baby sat vere rather awful - and this scene is exaggerated - or rather distorted.
But yes, Susan struggled.
Ah, now I understand better. Thanks for adding that.
Slet