Monday, January 10, 2011

Phone a Friend

My family, like most families I'm sure, has recognized every member of the family as the go-to question answerer for certain subjects, based on our areas of expertise. My sister the veterinarian probably gets the most phone calls from us seeking advice, because my brother and I both have animals (though in his case, that's a singular--one dog) and she's the animal lady. Probably sort of irritating for her occasionally, but she's a good sport about it. (A Good Sport in general, as I'm sure you recall.)

In the past, all questioning phone calls directed my way have had to do with either grammar or word definitions. Because in my former life, I was a copy editor. But a phone call from my brother on Saturday made me aware that I appear to be filling a new role in the family knowledge bank: chicken expert.

My brother was walking around with a friend of his (read: no Internet access to Google questions) who is thinking of getting chickens. They had a disagreement about the necessity of a rooster (not technically necessary for egg production, just so you know), and so my brother called me to settle the argument. Actually, my sister could also have answered this question, because she has, I'm sure, academic knowledge of chickens.

I may not have the academic credentials, but I have the chickens. And so I am now the person to call with all questions chicken. Yet another in a never-ending list of examples illustrating how my life has morphed into something I never would have imagined.

8 comments:

Phoo-D said...

From copy editor to chicken expert- you never know where life will take you! =) I would like to someday be a chicken expert...

Anonymous said...

So what was the question?

Anonymous said...

With Google out there, fewer folks are going to need actual book or experience knowledge to answer questions.
Keeps you in touch with family, too. It is nice to feel needed.
Beth

word verification- dowqdyn

dow q dyn - medicine vets use

Kristin @ Going Country said...

The question was do you need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs. The answer is no.

Anonymous said...

Academic knowledge is right. Meaning I would have made an educated guess then fact checked. Or told him something random then told our brother to call you to verify! Sorry, you win on this one, sis. - Moi

Alicia said...

Love it!

I became the go-to girl for technology, but since I married my rocket scientist, they've started to call him. I get calls for books, spelling, and general stuff like that.

FinnyKnits said...

Also you MUST be the go-to for all things Roadkill, yes?

Way more interesting than the Tech Help questions we get around here.

rls said...

My daughter texts me almost every day with a request for a definition of some word she's come across in a book. I totally love that she still asks me instead of just looking them up on Webster.com. And once she texted me a photo of a plant and asked, "Is this poison ivy?"