Mentioning eclipses and blood types in the same breath: Is Lyra the next Smeyers?

[oloriel]

There's a partial solar eclipse going on just now. Figures that the sky is completely cloud-covered... We already missed the lunar eclipse a few weeks ago because it a) took place at about the same time in the morning and b) was cloudy. Now the timing is good and I'm awake, too - but nothing to be seen. Bah.

Correction: The sun has just appeared. This is the moment where I remember that I don't know where my eclipse glasses are... *rolls eyes*





- - -
Today I learned that I did not lie to the Japanese.

I did not know my blood type when I went to Japan, a grave mistake as the Japanese do blood type horoscopes like other people do zodiac horoscopes and "So... what's your blood type?"* is a perfectly normal question once the first staple topics have been exhausted. As I did not want to explain (in Japanese!) why this vital information was not available to me, I just kidnapped my mother's blood type. As I didn't have biology classes in grade 11-13, my knowledge of genetics is fuzzy at best; I am aware, however, that both in Germany and internationally, my mother's blood type is one of the less frequent ones. So statistically it was likely that I was wrong, but I didn't care much because the horoscope was sufficiently suitable (as these things go) and besides, in Japan and Korea it's apparently fairly frequent, so nobody found it odd. At least it was within the realm of the genetically possible. And nobody was shocked by my lack of knowledge.

Anyway, now I finally know my real blood type... and it's just what I told them.

I never felt guilty for bullshitting, but somehow I'm nonetheless pleased that I actually told the truth.

Incidentally, this also means that Jörg and I have the same blood type constellation as my parents. Whatever that may mean. I should probably ask the Japanese... ^^

- - -

Offspring was being uncooperative today. Ultrasound showed it bouncing and waving its extremities enthusiastically, but it insisted on remaining half-turned away from "us" so that neither front nor neck could be properly seen. Stubbornness: clearly hereditary. Gyn eventually gave up and declared that the neural tube appeared in order and the embryo clearly has two arms (and hands) and two legs (and feet). That is... good to know, I suppose, but not all that surprising. At any rate, from what could be seen, development is so far completely normal, so all's well. Next check-up in four weeks.

- - -
*This is one of the topics they never prepared us for in all our conversation classes, and it really occured often. The first time it came up I was all "blood....... train? huh, whuzzat?!" and only got what they were talking about when they started going "A? B? Zero?"...

Comments

[jokergirl.livejournal.com]

I didn't get to see this eclipse. First it was cloudy, then I was at work where I can't see the sun from. Meh.

Mirar got some pictures though.

[satismagic.livejournal.com]

So, are the news regarding your blood type good news in terms of wee!wiggly thing?

[gaharr.livejournal.com]

Hm, nobody ever asked me what my blood-type was if I remember correctly. And I was even prepared. I think Watabe-sensei talked to us about it, or maybe Miss B.

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

No eclipse to see here, sadly. Too cloudy.

How bizarre, horoscopes linked to blood types?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Well, perhaps you didn't have random informal coffee/food meet-ups with free range Japanese often enough. ;)

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

I saw it out of the office window. The clouds actually helped in my case because they were thin enough to see through and obscured the sunlight so I didn't go blind.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

The actual blood type is completely irrelevant, actually - the potentially important issue in this case is the Rh factor. However, as my Rh factor is positive (also just like my mom's, which is one of the reasons why my blood type wasn't tested "back then already" ^^), there's no particular danger of hemolytic problems no matter what. Still, with today's medical standard, the news is not so much "good" (because any other outcome wouldn't have been "bad") but just "can be ignored". :)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Yup. Pretty vague, of course (they disregard Rh factors, so there are basically just four types of people), but many people believe (or pretend to believe) that your blood type determines your character. People of my blood type are supposed to be social but suspicious, creative and chaotic, for example. And because different days (or months, or activities) are good (or bad) for different people, you can find blood type horoscopes in newspapers going "AB people should not start any new projects today" just like here you might find "Pisces: Avoid public places. Good chances for love" or somesuch. It's actually no more bizarre than the zodiac horoscopes you get here, once you've wrapped your mind around the concept ;).

And of course to be fully "reliable" it has to be properly combined with the Chinese zodiac, which runs year- and cycle-wise, so in the end you actually get a fairly complex mix of relevant factors. *g*

[gaharr.livejournal.com]

Possible, tended to avoid those.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

We only got fully clouded (=nothing to see) and hole-in-the-cloud (=too bright to see). *mopes* Same as in 1999, really, except that at least then I knew where my glasses were...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

See? So nobody had a chance to ask you. *g*

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

I've never read a horoscope in my life. Correction. I have, but I've never paid any attention to what it said. For a while I wasn't even sure what zodiac sign I was!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

*laughs* That's easier to find out (assuming that you know your birthday ;)) than your blood type, though.
There are probably (percentually) as many Westerners who believe in zodiac as there are Japanese who believe in blood types... plus those who don't believe in it, but use it as a conversational staple nonetheless. ^^

[al-pha.livejournal.com]

I would also be kind of relieved to find out that I was not lying. And for the blood type: I started to donate blood and knowing my blood type was also a big part of my motivation - not that I need it for a horoscope or so, but I always wanted to know.

Good that your little one is developing normally. A friend of mine could not know that sex of her baby until a final exam before the birth. That baby was also very uncooperative, but always kind of waving friendly on the sonograms.

[rahja.livejournal.com]

schön, dass es dem goldbärchen gut geht :) Zu genial zu sehen, wie es jetzt schon strampelt, oder?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Total! Am Anfang war es allerdings etwas gruselig, weil das kleine Biest die Beine so komisch angewinkelt hatte, dass es so aussah, als wären gar keine da. Und ich hab zuerst den Hinterkopf nach Gesichtszügen abgesucht (da, wo der Kiefer an den restlichen Schädel anschließt und da, wo der Kopf auf dem Hals sitzt, waren so dunkle Schatten zu sehen) und es sah eher nach Mandibeln aus.. da wurde mir schon etwas anders - bis mir dann klar wurde, dass ich dem armen Wesen hinten auf den Schädel starre.

Und ich war doch erstaunt, wie viel der Winzling strampelt. Noch spüre ich ja nichts und irgendwie war mir nicht klar, dass da schon so viel Action ist ^^

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, somehow it's just nicer to know it!

Heh, rahja's baby also refused to show its front bits for a long time. I guess it isn't very nice to pry... *g*

[vout.livejournal.com]

"the embryo clearly has two arms (and hands) and two legs (and feet). That is... good to know, I suppose, but not all that surprising."

Hm... I'm pondering the possibility of you giving birth to the next Cthullhu... Could be kinda cute... I'm thinking MIB sqid...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Um Gottes Willen, DAS wär ein Stress, wenn es dann greifen und laufen lernt... O.ó

[vout.livejournal.com]

Würde es dann nicht eher schwimmen?
Und stell dir das mal vor, es kann 8 Rasseln gleichzeitig bedienen!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

*sing* Keine ruhige Minute...

Nicht zu vergessen: Es kann Fußballergebnisse vorhersagen :p

LooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooL

[vout.livejournal.com]

Ihr werdet reich! Dann könnt ihr euch gleich ein Zweites leisten!

Oder jede Menge Ohrstöpsel.