As many of you have probably noticed, I'm mainly posting over on Twitter these days. I've also removed people from my Twitter list who don't post (on the assumption that they're not reading either). So if anyone on Twitter is not posting but still reads all the time, let me know.

As some of you know, I am singing in a choir called The Waltham Abbey Singers. We are singing Robert Parsons' First Service (think Anglican mass) on Sunday November 16 at 7:30 at St. Clement's Episcopal Church (901 Portland Ave. St. Paul).

It's free, and whatever you think of Anglicans, their music is beautiful. You should come.

Why do people assume that children only play with members of the same sex? I just ran into someone who was apologizing to a neighbor because "We only have girls," and they couldn't set up a playdate with a boy who was close in age. The kids are five years old!

Just posted something mentioning overthinking, and, well, it made me think.

I've never understood what "overthinking" is. I've been accused of doing it, though. "Just say what comes into your mind," people tell me. Or "Just do what you feel." Neither of these is very helpful to me. In Myers-Briggs terms, I'm a really strong thinker. Feelings often come only after I think about something and figure out how I feel about it. I know this can be hugely confusing to feelers who tend to have feelings first and then think about them. There isn't anything that "just comes into my mind." I don't feel like I'm a pot overflowing with stuff that I have dammed up all the time. It's not a matter of just removing the dam and letting things spill out. Things have to be picked up and looked at and analyzed before they come out in any way. There's not much to come out unless I think about it.

So back to overthinking. Does overthinking mean thinking instead of feeling? That doesn't seem right to me; thinking and feeling are both good and important, and I don't know why feeling would necessarily be better than thinking. Does overthinking mean analyzing things? I can't figure out what's wrong with analysis; I like it and it helps me understand myself and others and the world. Does overthinking mean obsessing about something to a degree that makes you unhappy with your life and unable to make decisions? I can see why that would be a bad thing. But why is that overthinking? Isn't that obsessing? Is there a difference?

I have the feeling that the people who accuse me of overthinking will look at this post and say, see, you're overthinking now! Because, after all, I'm trying to figure something out that seems obvious to a lot of people. But it's not obvious to me, and how else can I figure it out?

Edit: resolute tells me overthinking is a term used mainly by Myers Briggs feelers.

Underwater Adventures is a really cool aquarium. We love going through the huge clear tubes and watching the fish swim overhead.

But must they put "Pirates" and "Mermaids" on their bathrooms? The first time I saw this I stood for several minutes thinking "WHAT?" Then I realized pirates were supposed to be male and mermaids were supposed to be female. Then I started my internal rant about gender stereotypes. Why can't boys be mermaids (or mermen, I suppose)? Why can't girls be pirates?

If anyone is moved to join me in complaining about this, here's the place to do it: http://www.sharky.tv/inq/asksharky.htm

These days almost everyone knows someone who homeschools, and most people don't bat an eye when I mention that we're homeschooling. Not very long ago, though, many people felt compelled to give unsolicited advice when I mentioned homeschooling. And the most common piece of advice was "It's a bad idea; the children will not be socialized." I'm pretty sure that a lot of people still think this; they just don't say it out loud.

( My views on homeschooling and socialization )

from resolute ( meme )