LUCY BURDETTE: First of all, Judi is the winner of Sheila's new book, CRUEL WINTER! Judi, email Sheila sheila328 at aol dot com to make arrangements. Congratulations!
Second, welcome to silly topic Sunday! Two events last week got me thinking about the subject of interesting things our particular bodies can or cannot master. One, as I mentioned earlier this week, is our Spanish class. In this lovely language, there is a lot of rolling of R's. John rolls a lovely R, however, and can't understand why I don't try a little harder. Truth: I could not roll an R if there was a gun held to my head.
The second event came when I was leaving the farmers market last Thursday. Musicians were playing in the little gazebo in the center of Bayview Park, and I left with the song "Brown-Eyed Girl" in my head. A man leaving at the same time began to whistle that tune. Beautifully whistle. I cannot whistle at all—not a tune, not a call for a dog, nothing!
But what I can do – and don't try this at home – is spread my toes. Spread them so there's at least a half an inch of air between each. And if you ask me, I will show you how I can cross my legs and interlock those toes as if they were fingers.
How about you Reds? What special oddball talents do you have or are you missing?
HALLIE EPHRON: I cannot spread my toes. There. Does that make you feel better?
I can roll my R's Spanish style. And French style. I can play bridge. Oh would I love to whistle like loud and emphatic. Or whistle a tune. And I cannot ice skate. But I can body surf... or I used to be able to. My husband can play his head.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: No toes. And I'm trying not to picture that. I cannot carry a tune, at ALL, except in the shower when I am Linda Ronstadt and Patti LuPone put together. It's strange, because I can instantly tell if someone else is off tune. No whistling, unless I blow IN instead of out.. But I can roll my tongue in both directions. Bubbles, with gum? Sure. Surprise: I'm a good ice skater! AND I can sing songs using only the first letters of the words. OSCYSBTDEL. Is: oh say can you see. Try it!
RHYS BOWEN: Nope. Can't do anything spectacular with my toes. Not even good at rubbing my tummy and patting my head. But I can whistle, and hum and sing, much to John's despair. I walk around the house making some kind of noise all the time. I hum to myself in the car.
And I can roll my rs, having lived in both France and Germany.
But as for hidden talents.... I used to be quite a good tennis player and also I used to love boogie boarding. In fact I was at a beach in Southern California once and I saw two teenage boys standing with boards in the surf. I kept riding a wave past them, then walking back out. As I passed them for the fourth or fifth time one of them approached me and whispered, "Can you show us how to do that?" Score one for the old broad!
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, I am so handicapped. I can't whistle. I can't blow bubbles. I can't snap my fingers. I can't do anything weird with my eyes or my ears or my tongue. Or my toes. I grew up feeling so deficient, I can tell you. BUT, I can roll my Rs, have grown up with Spanish. (Can you say "ferrocarril? That's two sets of RRs to roll.) I can carry a tune, sort of, although my hub, who plays guitar by ear, might disagree. I have no athletic talent whatsoever. But I can make the Vulcan peace sign (Live long and prosper.) Does that count?
INGRID THOFT: Whistling? We had to go there? I can’t whistle, and my family loves to tease me about it. I can make one noise, which doesn’t even qualify as a note. I can roll my tongue up, but not down, and my attempts at the Vulcan hand peace sign look like I'm suffering from a hand cramp! I can’t wiggle my ears, either. I can carry a tune, and when I was younger, I was a good ice skater, which really comes in handy nowadays! Good thing I’m good at other things!
JENN MCKINLAY: Whistle? Check. Sing? Check. Like Rhys, I sing to myself all the time. Hub calls it my greatest tunes showcase. Roll R's? Check. Wiggle my ears? Nope. Ice Skate? Check. Vulcan greeting? Check. Snap my fingers? Only my right hand. I fake it with my left. Blow bubblegum bubbles? Check. I have gotten the gum stuck in my bangs on multiple occasions. Spread my toes? Nope. No can do. Very annoying in yoga. But how cool are you, Lucy to be able to lock them together like fingers? I can curl my tongue up like straw. I heard once you have to have a gene for that but I have no idea if it's true.
Red readers, what are your special oddball talents?
Oh, drat, I am quite untalented . . . I can’t whistle, carry a tune, wiggle my ears, do the toe thing, or roll my Rs. I have absolutely no athletic talent [but I can sew skating dresses].
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, I can snap my fingers and I can do the “Live long and prosper” Vulcan thing . . . .
You've got plenty of talents Joan, just not the silliest:). We will have to hear about the skating dresses...
DeleteI love whistling, and can do any kind of language sound from around the world - try me. I can carry a tune but don't ask me what key it's in (or should be in), and have always wished I had a lovely voice; lifelong question: are people born with that undulating vibrato or do they learn it?. I can't raise one eyebrow or wiggle my ears, never really mastered ice skating or throwing an object with any aim at all, but I can spread my toes (really, Lucy, you can clasp them? That's just wierd), snap my fingers, and I can even do the fast Brazilian finger slap/snap thing that's so important down there. Took me a while to learn it, though. Ooh, and I can crack my ankles and do it frequently. Fun topic!
ReplyDeleteIMHO, people are born with the ability to do that vibrato thing with their voices. Boy I wish I'd been one of them! We could be on the road with Hank and Jenn right now...
DeleteI cannot whistle either and certainly can't spread my toes, although I used to be able to do other (slightly naughty) things with them. I also used to be able to stand on my hands, even take a step or to. Nowadays I find it is best to remain in an upright position.
ReplyDeleteI want to let everyone know how much I enjoy this blog and I am especially thrilled that I won Sheila's book!
handstand walking--that's very accomplished. Thanks for the kind words and hope you enjoy the book!
DeleteThose toes! Look at those toes! So funny!! I can't do that.
ReplyDeleteI can kinda sorta whistle.
I have been trying my entire life to snap my fingers and it frustrates me that I cannot do that. I mean, what's dancing and singing if you can't snap your fingers? And I love to dance and I love to sing (I'm often mistaken for Streisand. Hahahahahahahahahahahhaha. sure), so, like Jenn, I have to fake the finger snapping. Can't cross my eyes either. I am one very untalented hot mess!
I can roll my tongue and cross my eyes, snap my fingers, and skip, but if I try to do a handstand or a cartwheel I lose all understanding of where my body is in space and the situation deteriorates rapidly. Aunt Bobbie could whistle any tune, and that's another area where I wanted to be like her. Sadly, the best I have managed so far is to whistle for my dogs. It gets their attention, but my results vary wildly from one whistle to the next. I have border collies and, as a breed, they are famous for being able to respond to specific whistles over long distances. Theoretically I could have different whistles for each dog, and tell them to go left or right, lie down or move up, and all sorts of useful information. I sometimes wonder if mine are waiting for me to figure it out and tell them something they don't already know. But, alas, they'll have to keep waiting. My whistles only translate roughly to, "Hey, you!"
ReplyDeletethat's so cool about the different things whistles can mean. I bet they are waiting for you to catch up Gigi!
DeleteJenn, yes, it's true there's a gene for being able to roll your tongue (but not your R's ;-()--everyone has the gene--just depends on whether you have two recessive genes for the trait--if so, no can roll. I can roll my tongue, whistle--and both of my nephews who are so musically talented-can't-ha! and snap my fingers, make the Vulcan peace sign with my left hand but not my right.
ReplyDeleteI must have the 2 recessive genes then! I was going to ask Hank to send me a pic of her rolled tongue, but I was afraid she'd turn me down:)
DeleteWe call these stupid human tricks, a la David Letterman.
ReplyDeleteI can also roll my tongue both ways, and whistle, but not as well as my dad could. And, like my mother, I can palm the floor without bending my knees.
Both my thumbs are double jointed. The most interesting part of that is that all three of my daughters each have one double jointed thumb, all the same one.
I can't whistle, roll my tongue or clasp my toes like Lucy/Roberta. Nor do I have a prehensile tail. Or tale.
ReplyDeleteI can't sing but I have a fabulous ear, can tell when that person in the back row is off key. I don't care for vibrato, being a choral music fan, adore the pure treble voices. I can snap the fingers on both hands, and I can prepare a great meal with whatever falls out of the pantry, fridge, and freezer. My dogs and cat all speak English, so no need to whistle.
I can't do something that all the rest of you seemingly do with ease, write a book. Never mind all the genetic stuff or rolling Rs or crossed eyes. The Reds have the rarest talent of all, the unlimited ability to entertain. Thank you, merci beaucoup, gracias, grazie, danke schoen, asquali, arigatou, from Ann in Rochester
oh you're so sweet--we all appreciate that and appreciate your other talent--reading!
DeleteI have never, ever been able to whistle. When I was a child, a boy in my neighborhood was "shocked" that I was a girl who couldn't whistle! First girl he ever met who couldn't! I used to be able to snap my fingers but that ability apparently went away when the arthritis arrived. What I CAN do is roll my tongue both ways, and spread my toes. At the same time, even; I just tried:-)
ReplyDeleteDeb Romano
oh you're very talented Deb!!
DeleteNo no, you don't want to sing with me..you will laugh too hard. I am slo sometimes ambidextrous...I can play tennis with two forehands.
ReplyDeleteI can also blow up my tongue. WHEN (and why) do we realize we can or can't do this stuff?
what does that even mean??
DeleteMy thought exactly! What does that mean, Hank?!
DeleteNope, I cannot spread my toes or whistle properly but I am glad to see that I am not the only one!
ReplyDeleteHi, Grace! So glad I got to see you at the panel at Left Coast Crime today!!! I am being held hostage in my room by the book that is due tomorrow!!! Waaaahhhhh!
DeleteHi Jenn! I now understand why I was hard to find you at LCC...you were holed up in your hotel room with your deadline. So glad to see you Sunday morning, and I also got to eat breakfast with Rhys on Saturday, so I got the face-to-face Reds contact done in Hawaii!
DeleteGigi, at least you can whistle, "Hey, you!" which is better than I can do. I have to resort to clapping to get the dogs to come.
ReplyDeleteBut I can make the Vulcan peace sign with EITHER hand!!!
I, too, and ambidextrous with the Vulcan peach sign. I credit finger isolation exercises, back when I still played the clarinet. As for whistling, the hard part is to actually get the dogs to listen when you do it.
DeleteYou two are very talented! When I try to do the Vulcan peace sign, it looks as if I'm having some sort of spasm.
DeleteI can snap and whistle, although with less oomph than in my younger days. Thanks to Debs, I just discovered that I can do the ambidextrous Vulcan sign: like tongue rolling, I had never thought to try it. (Can't tongue roll.) Singing and dancing are best done in private, much to my sorrow, and I'm too self conscious speaking foreign languages.
ReplyDeleteBut I can curl my eyelashes and apply all eye makeup sans mirror without lookwing like Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Ta da!
that's a good one Wendy LOL
DeleteHysterical! I'm ambidextrous. Spread toes - nope, just tried, bad cramps. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Can whistle but only to call a cat or dog, can't whistle a tune (or sing, according to others, I think I can sing just fine - given the howls of pain from most folks, other's are probably correct in this). I can roll my tongue up, and snap my fingers. Can't blow bubbles, but I never learned to chew gum. What's to learn? Well, let's just say, I'm not biting my cheeks or tongue again in the attempt. Rolling rs are fine too. Alas, nothing really exotic that I know of, yet.
ReplyDeleteKeep us posted, and sorry about the toe cramps!
DeleteI am a chronic hummer or singer around the house and elsewhere. I sometimes catch myself humming a little louder than I should when out in public and wonder if anyone really heard me or pays attention to that. My family is well aware of my singing, and I often make up little songs about whatever activity I'm doing, quite silly but a part of my natural rhythm.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little uncertain about rolling the Rs. I can do it a bit, but not well. Now, trilling the Rs is a different matter. My seven-year-old granddaughter can do a trill that is magnificent. I have no talent doing that, even though she keeps encouraging me and trying to model it for me to capture. I'm not sure that it can be learned.
I can roll my tongue out like a straw, and it is genetic. You can either do it or you can't. It's something that everyone in the family revisits to show whether we can or not. Hey, I'll take what I can get.
Lucy, I am in awe of your toe talent. I can't imagine being able to do that.
Can anyone bend your thumb down to your arm. I can't, but I've seen people who can, and it's another one of those weird talents. Oh, and I'm not a good whistler and have always wanted to be. I can whistle, just not the super strong whistling.
I make up ditties too, Kathy, using involving the pets. I believe this will come in handy with my granddaughter! cannot bend my thumb though...
DeleteLucy ~~ a tip to teach your tongue to roll the "r". Hum the opening to the Theme from the Lone Ranger, da da dump da da dump da da dump dump DUMP. Stick with the 'da da; that us where the tongue should be for the rolled r. spend up the da da . in time you will be sorta rolling the r. Other option. use the argentine rolled r.. sounds different.
ReplyDeleteCoralee's silly body stuff = raised Spock eyebrow, finger snaps both hands, when younger could touch nose with tongue, can do tongue clicks and glottal stops, can make music using hand claps and open mouth ~~now only done privately. Can spread toes, but a childhood friend could play "Mary had a little lamb" on the piano with her toes. always someone more talented, ain't life grand?
Oh! I can do tongue clucks (clicks?) too!
Deleteoh you have such an array of talents! it never occurred to me to try playing toe piano...
DeleteAlas. No rolling of r's (ferrocarril be damned!), no whistling, no bubble gum bubbles. Hmmm. All oral. I wonder what that means. I can't sing but I do. I haven't tried spreading my toes. But I can pinch the hell out of anyone with them. My husband has never forgotten nor forgiven me for plucking the hair off his leg in bed one night. I was asleep having some weird dream. I can snap my fingers just fine. Both of them. I can cross my eyes but I can't wiggle my ears. I have been known to make up ditties, spur of the moment, but haven't done that lately.
ReplyDeletenow that is a funny story! I bet he sleeps a little further away from you now...
DeleteHe does flinch if I move a bare foot his direction.
DeleteI'm double-jointed, so I can do lots of contortionist things with my fingers and toes. Can definitely spread toes like Roberta and also put my big toe down with the rest of the toes up and my big toe up with the rest of the toes down. Can cross my toes as well. I can whistle, but not the loud whistles that bring our dogs running. I sing off key unless the person next to me is singing on key. I wish I could do the growl that Roy Orbison does in the song Pretty Woman, but I can roll my "r's" when speaking Italian. Can click/cluck my tongue. Can pronounce the letter "e" the proper way in french by pursing your lips as if you are going to whistle and then saying the hard "u" sound...
ReplyDeletewe're all going to have cramps in our feet and our tongues after this blog...
DeleteIf we lived near each other, maybe we could get a group rate from the doctor tomorrow:-)
DeleteDeb Romano
Oh jealous. I wish I could do that growl too. Bob Hope used to do it in some of his movies. I also admire eyebrow wigglers like Groucho.
Delete