Ink Blots

Looking out of my window and up at the sky has really become part of my daily routine. This week I noticed something quite odd. My seven year old nephew, Alex, joined me on one of my observation nights. At 7:05 pm we were debating on the shape of a certain cloud. Alex said that the cloud was in the shape of a duck while I said it looked like a rabbit and because he is a stubborn child he brought his younger brother Aiden, who is four, and his mom, Jeannette, who is twenty seven. Aiden just said the cloud looked like a circle and Jeannette said it looked like a sideways bird. After this conversation I realized how similar this situation was to a psychological test. I know that sounds really weird but in the Rorschach test, recognizing shapes in an ink blot is a way to evaluate your psychological health.

"Seeing radically different things than the typical responses or claiming to see nothing at all will definitely be held against you in terms of Rorschach scoring, and may result in a finding of "retardation" or a possible mental disorder. Seeing lots of different things in the card may also be taken as a sign of cognitive problems or even schizophrenia."

This test is used in the context of a custody case or evaluation. Although, some people part of the American Psychological Association do not agree with this method because of its unproven validity. Basically, there is no evidence of this test being effective or not. 
This test could be (or already is) unreliable if the real inkblot images were given to the public. Therefore, the ink blots in online tests or games are not the real thing. If you do know about the test (well you kind of do now because you're reading this) and you are going to be tested, it's recommended to tell the procter because your knowledge can affect your results. Below is an example of an Ink Blot.

"This is a card with black and red ink, often described as people dancing or touching hands with each other."

I wonder if the shapes we see in the clouds are similar to this test. I promise to research this another time. Could age just complicate the way we see things? Aiden is only four and could only attach his concept of the cloud to his small set of shapes he has seen. His cognitive thinking hasn't fully developed yet while Alex has a larger set of shapes and so his image was a bit more complicated even though he is still really young. Jeannette and I had even crazier ideas but the age gap between all of us are ranged and could prove this theory true. The Rorschach test is just a complex way of learning about someone. If you'd like to take a test yourself there are some links here and here.  Remember that this is not the real thing even if some of the pictures can be really similar. You do not have to believe any results you may have gotten. None of these tests are diagnosing you. If you really do believe you have a problem please contact a professional. Do not self-diagnose. 

(Edit: I just checked the tests and they were really inappropriate so I took them down. I'd rather not let students take really weird online tests that just insults you the entire time (they're probably trolls that changed the sites answers and choices). If you get curious and take one online please read the above statement again.)

Ballerinas

Have you ever seen colors dance? If you haven't, I suggest you look at a painting or the sky itself.

Multi-colored ballerinas all twirl together to merge upon the sky to perform a show. The sun controls the lights, eyes are the cameras, and the wind controls the action. Tickets are free and seats are optional.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/43839796345950378/

Recently, I've been holed up in my room for the Fall break and all I did was look out my window and listen to the sounds echoing from my empty house. Outside, I saw grey skies similar to melting wax and bruised eyelids. I also listed down the sounds I heard from outside. The loudest were from airplanes and helicopters and of a fountain across the street. I don't know how I heard the water. They were like drops of rain; murmuring secrets frantically into my ear before ending their short life, only to emerge again.

It reminded me of the cycle of life. To live and to die. So, would the sky be considered immortal? A non-stop cycle that changes appearance each day. The sky is like a dance with unpredictable rhythms. Ballerinas as clouds; so graceful and smooth. Morphing into many shapes and colors to create a mural for our cameras.

This is the show of a lifetime.

Hide and Seek

The moon is a player. It likes to play hide and seek with me. (Although it might be flirting with the Sun and Earth) I can always find it though because they have a specific tactic. They always hide their round shape behind the wispy clouds. How ruthless. The dulled out blue color seems to glint off the moon and gives away to its hiding place. I wonder if the sky is getting back at the moon for invading its space.

www.shutterstock.com

Today, I looked at the moon out of a hospital window. Even though the position is different it is the same no matter where I am. This goes to say that wherever you are there's always going to be something familiar. If you've ever seen La Misma Luna  or Under the Same Moon then you'd get the idea. If not, then I recommend watching it.

Poisoned

Large amounts of black inky smoke collides with our fresh air. That sucks. You may be wondering why there's even smoke in the first place. Let me start off with the recent fire that choked my lungs and squeezed my head like a tiny grape. The King fire started during the middle of September in El Dorado County. When I first noticed the smoke it was because of the smell. It somehow seeped through the walls of my home and invaded my personal bubble. I didn't really like that. Every morning or night I look out my window because of the nice little sky spot I have. It's directly in between the two houses in front of my house. The spot also lets me see the house lights from the lower streets and the sky above it just looks like a canvas painted with watercolor. Darker in some spots and transparent in others. That may be from the clouds and the whole sky-reflects-the-color-blue-because-of-the-ocean-thing. I was curious about that theory and searched it up. Turns out that the theory was not true.  Anyway, when I looked out my window on September 15 at 6:02 am I was surprised at the sight. Darkness. Nothing but darkness. It was like looking at someones insides after they've been poisoned and you can just see the healthy red and pink colors become tainted by the virus of the unknown. That evil smoke (Ref: pg. 1 in my Field Notes) has contaminated my sky spot and I don't know if it's just me or if the sky looked damn angry. Don't mess with nature.