Memoirs of a Multi-Tasker: March 2011

Some of you may know the title of this post as a drinking game, however, today I am using it as my platform for writing. The idea for this post was sparked by 3 random occurrences that happened this weekend. They were run-ins with people of the blind and deaf community, as well as watching a show that highlighted people with missing limbs.

This is the only occurrence I'll mention because it deserves the highlight. I was privileged to see Synetic Theater's most recent production King Lear. (If you have the chance and live in the D.C. area, I highly recommend this production. It was excellent.) This theater company is known for re-creating silent Shakespeare plays; meaning it is performed without words, and they tell a story through guesstures and movement--a pantomime if you will. I enjoyed this very much because as a dancer, I love anything that is artistic and movement based. Amongst the cast and audience there were members of the deaf community, which I find wonderful and intriguing, which brings me to the point...

Being a privileged individual that is not missing limbs, has 20/20 vision, and well-functioning hearing, I am certainly grateful for all that I have, and in no way do I wish any hardship upon anyone. But I suppose you can't help but wonder sometimes right?

Would you rather be deaf or blind?
I have put much thought to this question, and as it stands, I'd rather be deaf. First and foremost, I choose this because I would still be able to dance. I also think that sign language is beautiful, and am easily distracted by the fluidity of ASL interpreters at events. However, you have to take the good with the bad. A silent world could be a very lonely world, and for those that music is everything, never knowing sound would be hard to give up. Communication would also be very different when you're deaf, but at least no one could say, "Don't take that tone with me!"

Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
When I try to answer difficult questions like these I think about functionality in terms of being able to dance. However, this video makes it hard to choose between the two because of this pair, one is missing a leg and the other an arm, and they perform beautifully.

But I still have to pick, and so I have decided that I would rather be missing an arm. Mostly because hopping around sounds tiring to me, and underarms can get sore from using crutches. Missing an arm would present a problem when carrying alot of anything, and making 2nd and 3rd trips is [an unrealistic] pet peeve of mine, so that would definitely take an adjustment.

Would you rather lose your sense of touch or sense of taste?
I think both of these senses would be equally hard to lose because they are so linked to comfort. We eat comfort foods and buy comfortable beds and clothing. But, I love to eat, and would rather be able to taste the most delicious foods, than feel the softest skin or fabric. However, losing your sense of touch could be dangerous because you wouldn't know when something is burning hot or ice cold. You'd also never be able to say, "I know how you feel."

Would you rather be hot or cold?
This one I didn't have to think about. I hate with the fire of 1,000 suns (pardon the pun) being cold. I dislike it so much that I think I could live without air conditioning. When you're cold you have to wear tons of layers and invest in a Snuggie to remain warm and functionable. I always start my car 5 minutes before I leave so I can immediately get into a heated vehicle. I don't care if you can't strip down and out of your skin. I'd rather walk around naked than take 15 minutes to go to the bathroom because of all the layers I'm wearing.

Which of these would you rather and why?

Memoirs of a Multi-Tasker

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Would You Rather..

Monday, March 14, 2011

Pet-Peeve Poetry