About This

About this.

There is something about the word about.  It always gives me away.  It bothered me and I started to wonder why.  So here’s what happens.  In the course of a conversation, if I say about, no matter where I have lived, I get asked the question, “Are you from Canada?” This question always bothers me.  No, I am not from Canada.  I am from Upper Michigan. The usual reply is where is that?  With this. I will take my two hands, palms faced inward and demonstrate the state of Michigan.  I’m proud of this.  How many other states in the country can you take two hands and replicate a pretty darn good image of the state?  The answer is none.  If you say Florida or North and South Dakota, I’m not buying it.  I proudly point to the knuckle of my index finger and say, “I grew up in Marquette.”  I also point to mid left thumb and say I got my electrical engineering degree from Michigan Tech.

Two hands can be placed together iwith palms up to form the land masses of the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan.

I have thoughts about the accent.  There is a mentality that goes with it, and it is almost negative.  Think about the Minnesota accent, you betcha, for cryin’ in the mud.  Or the Wisconsin accent – hey der Bob, where’s the bubbler?  Michigan, put eh at the end of every sentence.  My dad did this.  My dad had several master’s degrees, math, physics, chemistry. My mom had a master’s in English literature.  Her constant emphasis on grammar and speaking was sometimes annoying.  What does this have to do with the word about? Someone said to me, “It makes you sound like a hick and stupid.”  (And yes, we had indoor plumbing.)  So, I guess Canada is full of hicks?  What does a Southern drawl make you sound like?  Calm, laid back?  I love the Vermont accent.  It’s not VermonT, it’s Vermon with a soft t.  Mirror is mirra.  Drawing is draWing. And my favorite Vermont phrase, “Nope, you can’t get there from here.” About this.  I was raised by two extremely educated parents.  They surrounded me with art, music, science, math and chaos.  Does every vacation have to be educational?  My mom helped bring art to Marquette.  My dad taught numerous students and inspired a love for the sciences.  One of my favorite memories of my father is when he would demonstrate the electron shells – he would go from the floor, to his chair, to his desk, to the lab table to demonstrate the different shells. How about that! This word about.  I’ve tried to fix it.  Apparently, it sounds like aboot.  And then I stopped trying to fix it.  These are my roots.  No, I’m not from Canada.  I grew up in Upper Michigan.  I fished in Lake Superior with my dad.  I walked around the island with my mom.  Picked blueberries.  Watched the Northern lights. The question doesn’t bother me anymore.  I’ll sit down with a patient and say, “We need to talk about this.”  Response: “Are you from Canada?” About this.  Great conversation starter.  I think it makes me real and a true blue Yooper!

by Dawn Adamson

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