Dinner

Dinner time is family time. That is a simple rule in my house. Ever since my mother read a statistic that the average American family spends 4 minutes a day all together without phones, tv, or computers, she has been determined that we are above average. Everyone sits down, and eats while we recount our days or discuss anything that needs to be talked about. Phones go away and for just a short time we are only connected to the people around us in the room. I have been in very different experiences when having dinner with other families. I have sat down with a friend and his family and found that adults will talk while the teens and kids are allowed to do whatever they want and have no real expectations at the meal. My friend and I would pull out our phones and disconnect from the meal, or drive out before the bill has been paid as we are eager to get out. The family tolerates this, but I am sure I would experience much more resistance from my own parents. I feel a lot more comfortable at these informal dinners, like I do not have to be on as good behavior because I am not in a formal setting. My family dinners and meals with friends differentiate strongly.

Robert Lawton Leigh II

My name is not new. One of the very first things people notice about me when they see my name written out is the Roman numeral II behind it. The second is whether Robert Leigh is a tribute the civil war general and no it isn't if you haven't realized yet. That is an entirely different discussion for another day, but the point is my name has history, specifically in my family.The farthest back I know, the man I was named after was Robert Lawton Leigh I who was my great grandfather. He named his son, my grandpa, Robert Lawrence Leigh, and that Robert's grandson was me, Robert Lawton Leigh II. So it is safe to say Robert has been a popular name in my family. I don't know if it makes me sound illustrious, or fancy but I like the history I share with two other generations in my family. It always made me feel closer to those relatives even after they passed away, and they still live on in that family name even if they personally are gone.

A little of this, a little of that

Where am I from? Oh I don't really know. I have never really bothered to claim heritage in the past. I have always considered myself simply American or European like our founding fathers. My family is a bit of a mixing bowl of nationalities though. I have blood from all over Europe, mostly in the West. I am primarily German as one of my dad's great grandpa came over the Atlantic from there. However I am also a descendant from Sweden as well as England, Ireland, and other European countries. I know somewhat where I come from, but this does not impact my everyday life. I don't eat sauerkraut or wear lederhosen. And I know for a fact I don't live in the icy cold of Sweden. However, I did live in London for several years in my youth which did impact me. It still influences me today, and I look around my room to see my union jack rug and a ceramic copy of one of London's iconic double-decker bus. So that part of my culture did have an impact me as it was very cool to have lived there in the United Kingdom to be part of the same city some of my ancestors hailed to. It is pretty cool to know about my family's past and to be able to explore what their lives were like decades or even centuries ago. Even if I am a bit of a genetic mutt with heritage all over Europe, it is interesting to find a place to call my family's origin.

Why? No reason...

Life doesn't make sense. For the past few weeks our class has been reading Notes From the Underground, a book that addresses the ideas of rational vs. irrational thought and human actions. I take a pretty strong stance on the argument bewtween living one's life either of these ways. The world wasn't made perfectly. Every pebble, creek, tree, mountain or desert isn't on the planet for a reason.Nature itself does not always have to make sense by choosing the rational decision and neither do humans. Not making the logical choice every time is what living is, because if everyone made the logical choice every time, we would all have pretty similar, boring lives. Making one's own choice regardless of the rationalism behind it distinguishes oneself in their own independent journey. While it might not make sense to throw one's body out of an airplane cabin thousands of feet in the air, many people make the irrational choice to place their trust in a large cloth sheet in some rope and embrace the craziness of it all. This is how living is done. Making choices for no logical reason other than the reminder of being alive and part of this unpredictable, irrational world.

Too young to be certain

I'm an uncertain person. After all I'm only 16 and still young. I'm inexperienced and still learning with each step I take. Because of my uncertainty I often double back on my own words and my opinion is constantly changing. A lot of times my words will contradict my actions and they do not remain constant. I constantly contradict myself when I am talking to my parents. I promise them to walk the dog or finish walking the dishes before I go to bed. But next thing I know my mom is dragging me out of my bed to finish my chores at midnight. Another self contradiction I make is pretty common which is the morning struggle to get out of bed and the promise I make to myself that I will get up after 5 more minutes of sleep. A real contradiction in my life is my belief in that the social stereotypes construed about groups of people are generalizations. While I know in my mind I believe that these are not accurate descriptions of those groups, I often involuntarily think of an Asian guy as very smart and black guy as athletic which contradict what I know is true. I deal with all of this uncertainty in my life as I know that in my youth I am still growing and learning. I am not certain enough yet to not contradict myself .

Marriage Therapy...

Jeez that was one hell of a session! Sorry I just got done with a marriage counseling meeting with some of my my clients who have a lot of...spirit. I know being an official therapist I shouldn't disclose this kind of information about my customers online, but these two are really something. Now Petruchio and Katherine aren't your average couple. Most partners will quarrel, make up, and bury any negative feelings that come out in therapy. I usually have to go through two or three major problems in a marriage that the couple will talk out with my help. You would be surprised what I can uncover in an hour session. However, the couple I mentioned it very different. There are so many problems in their marriage it would take a full-time team of miracle workers weeks to uncover them begin to solve them all. The two of them don't bury their negative feelings either, they let one another have it fully disclosing whatever they have a problem with.I believe they have been coming to me once a month for the last two years or so. In that time I have had five potted plants broken, my stapler, pens, paperclips, thumbtacks, and letter openers used as weapons, replaced two of my 3 office windows, had two computer monitors broken over heads(I suffered a concussion on the second time), and had my office door broken down. So yeah they are a very spirited duo. Also I know all that violence coming out in a business place seems bad, but we've only ever had to call the cops once to break up the fighting.Besides the sessions usually end with them making up after getting the negative emotions out of them. I recently considered buying some kind of flak jacket to wear under my suit which might protect my torso from my gold clubs in the corner should they ever be used to strike someone rather than the ball. Today was more of the same. Petruchio had started calling Katherine by the nickname Kate and she wasn't going to have it. I also got sort through some jealousy from Katherine of her younger sister's husband and his rather cheery and kind attitude compared to Petruchio. The whole ordeal was wonderful as always for me but hey I'm not complaining! I'm making a fortune off of these two's regular sessions. They also give me a new appreciation for love because I know as whoever I marry in my life, I will have already learned how to deal with a much more challenging couple than we could ever be!

Whats a Name?

Its an age old tradition. Marriage. The joining of two individuals and two different families. Two people that were once separate that are now one. They are united under one last name and become family to one another. The question has been raised whether a woman taking her husband's last name in this ceremony is sexist or making the woman property of the man and unequal. I do not see this as the case at all. In marriage the couple adopting the same last name is a symbol of their bond and becoming unified within marriage. They both maintain their first names, representations of their individuality. The second, last name is a unification of two people and in my opinion there is no difference between a woman taking her husband's name or a man taking his wife's name on in marriage.