Why CephaloPodium? — Laurel Hendrix

I love octopuses. They are fascinating creatures. Extremely intelligent invertebrates shouldn't really be a thing, but they are. Octopuses are great problem solvers. They have personalities. Some even seem to have a sense of humor. They can change shape, color and the texture of their skin to blend in and disappear in seconds. I've even watched video where they seem to materialize out of nowhere. Octopuses are cephalopods - creatures with a head attached to their tentacles. I like to think of them as having brains to figure things out and feet to take them where they want to go. Seems like a complete package to me.

I have been a teacher for over two decades. I am now at a point in my career where I would like to branch out and try new things, writing for one. I find that changing my form at the age of 53 is not as easy for me as it is for an octopus. Each day brings new challenges, new decisions to make, new priorities. I hope that I have the brains to figure things out and feet to take me where I want to go. So, CephaloPodium is my way of journaling some of that adventure. A place to stand on my feet and speak from my head. Let's hope I have something worth saying.

A few random things I find interesting:

"Octopuses" is correct when referring to several individuals of different species. "Octopus" is both singular and plural if referring to multiple individuals of the same species. "Octopus" is derived from Greek. When people incorrectly pluralize octopus to octopi they are using a Latin ending on a Greek word.
Octopuses have 9 brains. They are also famous for being able to squeeze their bodies through very small openings - an advantage to having no bones. How could they be so intelligent, I wondered. How could you squish a brain through a tiny crevice without doing it serious damage? Well, it turns out they have a walnut-sized central brain and other brains in each tentacle. It's kind of like an internet. If only we all had brains in our feet. We would probably spend a lot less time feeling lost.