• Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    What I’m really thinking: the mother of a redhead via @TheGuardian

    I bet my mom could have related to this article. She got comments about me like this ALL the time. Her hair was auburn; my dad’s hair was fiery red when he was younger. I had no choice in the matter. Cereal is still the best meal of the day. We are not supposed to be offended. Yet if you replace ginger with any other unusual body part, it suddenly seems less acceptable Link: What I’m really thinking: the mother of a redhead | Life and style | The Guardian

  • All Things Interesting - Notty Problems: Even Leaving Doesn't Solve Them - Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Welcome To Invisibility, Formerly Young and Pretty Women. We Unconventional Women Hope You Enjoy Your Stay

    This morning, I had a crazy "back in high school" dream no doubt triggered by pondering my rather disappointing, invizibul life. In it, a guy that I didn't know well, but had been friendly with argued with me about being invisible or unattractive. In fact, this dream-guy told me that I was admirable for having "an awesome and world-changing command of goof." Yes, my subconscious reminded me that my greatest attribute as a woman is my awesome and world-changing command of goof. It's not my appearance, but my cock-eyed outlook that makes me stand out. I have to agree with…

  • Childfreedom - Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Redheads Not Going ExtInct, I’m Guiltfree About Being #Childfree

    My dad was redheaded, so was his brother and (I think) his father. His mom had dark hair but there was some redheadedness on her side. My mom had auburn hair and heard a few family jokes about being the red-headed stepchild (the trait was lurking on both sides). My redheadedness genes die with me as I never felt the least stirrings of parenthood, but now I feel less genetic guilt about not passing along my recessive genes. Yay! As a redheaded science journalist, I hear this “fact” a lot. Reality is, though, we arent going anywhere. Yes, as Cara…

  • Mini-Posts - Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Trials of a Homely Girl

    Some things never change: from the NYT Archives of Sunday, March 1, 1903. Trials of a Homely Girl – Article Preview – The New York Times THINK how quick-witted you are and how much you can do,” said the comfortable woman to the girl who was complaining bitterly because she had no claims to good looks.

  • Notty Problems: Even Leaving Doesn't Solve Them - Only in Utah... - Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Of Course I Had To Comment

    I had to comment on the Salt Lake Trib’s forums on the following column: Guy: Overcoming the bigotry inside myself Two teenagers, a 16-year-old female and an 18-year-old male, vandalized a local church, causing $1 million in damage. They broke in and ran amok, destroying things with a baseball bat, spray-painting epithets and sacrilegious symbols on the walls, and, finally, lighting the building on fire. The members of this church, which has seen more than its share of persecution, were shaken and heartbroken. For 16 months the congregation relied on the hospitality of another church that rearranged its schedule to…

  • Home Improvement - The Life of Riley - Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Clematic Event

    It’s been a long, exhausting day – I worked in the yard from about 10 am on until 730pm, with breaks for when I got too warm and wobbly, or to run errands. But I’m pleased with the results – almost all the mulching is now done, several new plants are in the vegetable garden, which for the first time ever will possibly have vegetables in a month or two, and the “kitty garden” has been dug out and replanted. I say “dug out,” because the lawn care guys so helpully cut back everything in there to the ground and…

  • Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Conversations I Have With Complete Strangers All The Time

    When you have hair like this, as I do, you get into weird conversations with complete strangers. Why? I have no idea, but people seem to think that a comment is required sometimes. Here’s a fairly typical example of a conversation that I’m forced to have now and then. It happened earlier this week while I was heading down to the ground floor to run an errand: Random middle-aged man in elevator: “That’s some red hair you got there.”Me: “Yes, well, thanks to my parents.”RMAMIE: “Wow, both of them?”Me: “Yep, they both had it. It’s a recessive gene, so they…

  • Tribe: Phaeomelanii

    Forget About Blondes, What About Us Redheads???

    Seen at ***DDtB: BBC NEWS | Health | Blondes ‘to die out in 200 years’ Do I believe it? No. As a natural-born redhead myself, I’d be more interested in knowing if the gene responsible for redheadedness is “dying out.” The funny thing about recessive genes is that they lurk, and then spring out unexpectedly, pouncing on their helpless prey and making them the butt of jokes. So even though for centuries, non-redheads tried to kill us off or burn us as witches, we keep coming back. Like a bright, shiny copper penny. Not bad at all. 😉 So no,…