Friday, May 30, 2008

Like Mother Like Daughter

My friend Susan who NEVER EVER EVER reads blogs (whats up with that?) checked mine yesterday. She called me laughing hysterically to inform me that I am "a walking dichotomy." She continued, "who else cares enough to spend 18 months researching mascara like it is the secret to world peace, yet still does calculus in her sleep and likes to discuss the ways our country teaches math all wrong to our children?" (yeah, don't get me started on the kindergarten teacher who told the kids that a square has 4 angles, a triangle has 3, and a circle has none!-AAARGGHHHH!)

This is only interesting because I have had had a post languishing in my drafts folder titled, "A Walking Dichotomy." It was about my mother. My mom is also a chemist. However, unlike me, she actually DOES SOMETHING, for monetary gain, involving the chemistry. She flies all over the freaking planet putting her mad chemistry skills to use working on military aircraft and whatnot. In the past few years she has actually flown out to aircraft carriers while they were at sea. I think she has more tailhook catches than my husband. HOWEVER, WHAT WAS SHE DOING in the back of the C-2 on the way to the carrier????? Smocking baby dresses! And, knowing her, she probably baked the pilot some brownies that she made from scratch after she milked a cow and made her own butter to make said brownies.

So, genetics or coincidence? In all seriousness, I guess I have to answer that it is nurture not nature. I give huge props to my parents who never believed in putting people in a "box." You can be girly and feminine while still being wicked smart in "a man's field." You can be a straight, male hairdresser. You could be a really short basketball player. Stereotypes weren't recognized in our house. I hope this is one thing that I am able to successfully convey to another generation.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those dresses are gorgeous!! Your mom sounds like an amazing lady!

SLynnRo said...

Um, I'm confused about the angles thing. I'm a lawyer. Math and geometry? Not my area of expertise.

MaryB said...

Circles have an infinite number of angles - kind of the opposite of having none! Not that I don't get what she was teaching them...it just annoyed me. I can be easily annoyed -- you might have noticed.

Annie, The Evil Queen said...

You mean not every lady can bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan? Your ability to do all of these things at once is why we are friends. You mean not everyone spent their twenties painting their nails while helping their husband memorize his NATOPS? Really?

Erin said...

Wow, that is a great story. I love the notion of a walking dichotomy. And your mothers is truly a remarkable one.

MaryB said...

Annie - I liked it much better when YOU painted my nails - they looked much better those times!

Also, funny you mention the NATOPS..."turn, climb, clean, check, determine, deliver, reduce!" is still my smart ass retort for many things around here. Sad that the new young brides probably will never know that one since the new T-6s have ejection seats! Shit! We're old!

Katie said...

Circles have an infinte amount of angles? I never knew that...and I managed to get through college calculus....Maybe you should start a daily math fact on here to counteract the bad teaching going on in the world!!

Your mom sounds awesome!

MaryB said...

Katie - Im not nearly smart enough to come up with a daily fact! I WISH I was! Mostly, that circle thing was a funny, haha kind of conversation a friend and i had when I was complaining about the middle school math. I do have some opinions about how and when we teach some comcepts, but Im really not as bitchy as I sound! promise! well, not usually anyway :)

Tracy said...

I love when wives help their husbands through training, and still have a life. We all know they need it. And the military wife of today, is DEFINITELY NOT the wife of yesterday. I would much rather be old and one of those wives than some of the new generation of wives I have met.

Also, my neice is in 3rd grade and some of the ways they teach math is crazy. IT is way more confusing than it has to be.