Opposite Day

Chris: Hi, this is Chris. Welcome to Odyssey. We're just getting ready for a time of wonder, excitement, and discovery. So why don't you get the whole family together and join us for another exciting adventure in Odyssey.
Olivia: Careful now. Watch the step.
Priscilla: Ow! You really could guide me better.
Olivia: Sorry.
Wooton: Hi, Olivia.
Olivia: Hi, Wooton.
Wooton: Who's your hairy friend?
Priscilla: It's me, Priscilla. I'm walking backwards. See?
Wooton: Less hairy when you turn around.
Priscilla: It's opposite day at school. Part of school's spirit week.
Wooton: I get it. So that's why you have your clothes on inside out and you're walking backwards and you have toothpaste on your chin.
Priscilla: Yeah. Well, except the toothpaste, that's just because I have my back to the mirror when I was brushing my teeth.
Wooton: Wow, seriously opposite. So how come you're not being opposite, Olivia?
Olivia: I am, but opposite day is open to interpretation. People do different things with it. Some people talk backwards or wear their shoes on the wrong feet. My idea of opposite day is to do everything differently than I would normally.
Wooton: You know, postal workers should have spirit week. There are a lot of cranky mail carriers out there. That sleet and snow stuff brings out the worst in all of us.
Priscilla: Now, go left.
Olivia: Okay.
Olivia: Bye, Wooton.
Wooton: Bye. Hello. Get it? That's the opposite of goodbye.
Olivia: Hi, Olivia.
Priscilla: Hi, Priscilla. How'd you guys do on your tests?
Olivia: Terrible.
Priscilla: Really?
Olivia: No, I got a hundred. Don't you get it? My opposite reaction is right. I got a B+. How'd you do, Barrett?
Barrett: I got an A too. I can't wait to post it on Club Kidd Chat.
Priscilla: What's that?
Barrett: Haven't you heard of social networking? It's great. I can post my status so all my friends will know instantly what's going on in my life.
Olivia: Or you could just tell us right now.
Barrett: For your information, I have a lot of friends on Club Kidd Chat. I need to get to class. See you two later.
Priscilla: Bye!
Olivia: Oh, okay, we'll stay close to the locker so you don't get run over.
Priscilla: Thanks.
Olivia: Oh, check out the poster! Big baseball game this Saturday.
Priscilla: You hate baseball.
Olivia: Oh, never mind.
Priscilla: Don't you think you're taking this a little too far? What's next? Writing opposite answers on your math test?
Olivia: Of course not. Ow!
Priscilla: Oops. Sorry.
Olivia: You're not very good at helping me with this backwards thing.
Priscilla: Sorry to whoever I ran into.
Amber: I'm Amber, but it's my fault too.
Priscilla: Yeah, she's wearing her ponytail on the front of her head.
Amber: It's kind of blocking my view. Not to mention, I think I might have a hairball now.
Priscilla: Are you the same Amber from my history class?
Amber: Oh, yeah.
Priscilla: The one who always hangs out with Danielle?
Amber: Except Daniel moved to New Mexico last weekend.
Priscilla: Sorry, Amber. That's too bad.
Amber: Thanks.
Priscilla: Ooh, I love your backpack. Snide Comet is such a great band.
Olivia: Oh, brother.
Amber: Thanks. Danielle and I went to see them in concert six times. We especially like their ballads on computer science. It made us see algorithms in a whole new light.
Priscilla: Absolutely. You can't sing about algorithms enough.
Amber: If you're interested, we're discussing debugging strategies at our computer club during lunch. Have you ever been?
Priscilla: Debugged?
Olivia: Well, only when I had lice in the first grade.
Amber: You're hysterical.
Olivia: But it sounds like a fun meeting.
Amber: It is. We meet in the conference room at the library. It's a great group of kids. We all love computers.
Olivia: Sounds perfect for me.
Amber: Great. I'll see you then. Well, I'll kind of see you through this ponytail.
Olivia: You have to be kidding.
Amber: I am.
Olivia: Wait. If you're saying you're kidding, then that means you're not. I'm going to the meeting. That's what opposite Olivia would do.
Priscilla: But Amber really thinks you're interested.
Olivia: I am interested in being opposite. Oh, by the way, did I tell you how much I like your shoes?
Priscilla: Oh, thanks. They were on sale and I. Wait. Do you mean that? Or are you being opposite again?
Olivia: You'll never know.
Amber: The way I see it, as DSP tasks become increasingly complex, the ability to debug a DSP algorithm as a discrete transfer function is becoming more critical. What are your thoughts, Olivia?
Olivia: Um, I concur. Completely. Um, if you'll excuse me for just a minute, I need to take a lap around the computer lab.
Amber: No problem. All right, so let's figure out who's taking the program.
Priscilla: Whoa.
Barrett: Oh, yeah. Wait until they see this update.
Priscilla: Barrett! I am so glad to see you.
Barrett: Why?
Priscilla: You speak English.
Barrett: Woohoo, 500.
Olivia: Okay, no one is making sense to me.
Barrett: I just got my 500th Club Kidd Chat friend. See?
Priscilla: Yep.
Olivia: 500. But wait a minute, who's Desiree Greenwich?
Barrett: My dentist's daughter's neighbor's cousin.
Priscilla: Have you ever even met her?
Barrett: Not personally, but she likes granola bars, the color thulian pink, and often leaves updates about what kind of hair days she's having.
Priscilla: So you don't know her?
Barrett: No, I'm sure she's a wonderful person.
Priscilla: But how can you say she's a friend?
Barrett: Just because I haven't talked to her in person doesn't mean we can't be friends.
Priscilla: But do you know any of these people?
Barrett: Of course. I know them through Club Kidd Chat. Everyone wants to be my friend.
Amber: Olivia, are you okay?
Olivia: Oh, yeah.
Amber: You left in a hurry.
Olivia: Yeah. I have to be honest though, Amber, I'm not really that interested in computers.
Amber: Oh. Really? But I thought.
Olivia: It's because it's opposite day. So I'm doing what I wouldn't normally do. But the opposite of liking computers is not liking them. Well, that's me.
Amber: That's great. I mean that you're exposing yourself to different interests. Danielle was the same way when I first met her. And then, when she started coming to computer club with me, she really got into it.
Olivia: Yeah, I doubt that will happen for me.
Amber: Opposite day isn't over yet. Are you coming back in?
Olivia: Well, I don't really understand anything anyone is saying.
Amber: But I don't want you to miss out on the fun. We always conclude our meetings with a rousing game of Guess the Gigahertz. It's wild.
Olivia: What's a gigahertz?
Amber: That's the exact same thing Danielle said when I told her. Come on, you'll have fun.
Barrett: Woohoo! 501.
Amber: I never would have guessed that McAlister Park would have such a wide range of rocks. Look at this one. It almost resembles chemical sedimentary. See the crystals?
Priscilla: Yeah. Wow.
Olivia: And, check out the one I found. It looks like it's from a volcano.
Amber: That's asphalt broken off from the parking lot.
Olivia: Yeah. That was my other guess.
Amber: Isn't geology fascinating?
Priscilla: Yeah. It's amazing.
Olivia: I'll keep looking for that volcano rock.
Amber: Oh, okay. I'm going to look to see what kinder over by the playground. I'll meet you back here with what I find.
Olivia: Great. See ya.
Priscilla: Hi, Olivia.
Olivia: Oh, hi, Priscilla.
Priscilla: You're walking forwards again.
Olivia: Yeah. I figured since school's over, I can go back to normal.
Priscilla: So, what are you doing?
Olivia: Looking for rocks.
Priscilla: Are you still hanging out with Amber?
Olivia: Yeah, she's really into geology. Not typically my thing, of course, but.
Priscilla: I know, I know. You're being opposite, Olivia. Don't you think this opposite day thing has gone on long enough?
Olivia: It's not so bad. I'm learning a lot.
Priscilla: About stuff you don't really care about.
Olivia: Well, I see it as method acting. I'm researching what it's like to become a different personality. You have to admit, I'm a pretty good actress.
Priscilla: Exactly. And doesn't that worry you a little bit? I mean, Amber thinks she found a new friend, when really, you're not like her at all. Don't you think it might hurt her?
Olivia: I've already explained to her I'm being opposite. And even though she has other friends, I think she really misses Danielle.
Priscilla: Yeah, it seemed like it.
Olivia: So, I get to practice acting. She gets to hang out with someone new for a day. It's a win-win.
Priscilla: It's a weird, weird.
Olivia: Well, someday when I'm playing a geographer on Broadway, you'll look back on this day and say, "Yes, I remember when she practiced this part years and years ago."
Priscilla: Geologist. It's called a geologist.
Olivia: Yes, it is.
Barrett: Hello?
Priscilla: Hi, Barrett. It's Priscilla. But listen, I was just wondering if you had done your math homework yet, because I was on number nine.
Barrett: Yes! I found the last penguin. I win!
Priscilla: Well, I'm guessing you're not doing your homework. By the way, Matthew and I waited at Whit's Inn for you. You usually come right after school. Where were you?
Barrett: I've been playing Iglu Rama on Club Kidd Chat with my new friend from Guam for the past four hours. Can you believe it? I have a friend in Guam. I'm up to 523 friends now, you know.
Priscilla: Are you still coming to help us paint the sets in the Little Theater tonight?
Barrett: Oh, I forgot about that. I probably won't have time.
Priscilla: I guess I'll just talk to you later.
Barrett: Beat you again, Filippo!
Olivia: I really like your bunny slippers, Priscilla.
Priscilla: It makes the outfit. Thanks. My favorite part about this day is that I can get out of bed, brush my teeth, and go to school. It's easy. I don't have to figure out what to wear or get changed.
Olivia: I change anyway. I sleep in my sleeping pajamas and I come to school in my cute pajamas. Plus, I had to work on my hair for an hour this morning to give it the right disheveled look.
Priscilla: It's good to have normal Olivia back.
Olivia: Thanks. Hey, look who's coming our way.
Amber: Hi, girls. Olivia, are you coming to computer club today? We're talking about symbolic programming.
Olivia: Uh, hi, Amber. But opposite day is over.
Amber: Oh, oh. Sure, opposite day. But we can still hang out, right? Even though you don't like computers?
Olivia: Sure.
Amber: Great. Then I'll meet you at the park after school and we can look for rocks again. I'll bring my geology book. Don't worry, I'll bring one for you too. See you then.
Priscilla: Now do you see what you've done? Guess I'm a better actor than I thought.
Olivia: Uh-huh.
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Wooton: Oh, hey, Barrett.
Barrett: Hey, Wooton.
Wooton: Whoa.
Barrett: Oh.
Wooton: You like my costume, huh?
Barrett: Are you a cloud?
Wooton: Nope. Try again.
Barrett: An inside-out sheep?
Wooton: Close. I'm mashed potatoes.
Barrett: I get it. But I don't get why.
Wooton: Well, it's Mailman Spirit Week. Today is dress like your favorite vegetable day. I really struggled between mashed potatoes and stuffed tomatoes, but surprisingly, a tomato is actually a fruit. Go figure. Wonder what it would be like in a pie.
Barrett: So, did all the mail carriers dress up?
Wooton: Yeah, there's not a lot of spirit down at the post office. So, how was school today, Barrett?
Barrett: It was okay, but I lost a friend.
Wooton: Did you check your locker?
Barrett: I lost a Club Kidd Chat friend. And I can't figure out who unfriended me.
Wooton: They didn't tell you?
Barrett: No, I logged in this morning, and instead of having 523 friends, I only had 522.
Wooton: Oh, that's too bad.
Barrett: I wonder what I did to upset them. Did I hurt someone's feelings? Was I annoying them? Maybe I should review all my old posts.
Mr. Whittaker: Sounds like having all those friends takes up a lot of energy.
Barrett: I guess.
Wooton: How's Matthew doing these days anyway? I haven't seen you two hang out lately.
Barrett: Yeah, I've been busy. I just thought of a great update.
Wooton: What is it?
Barrett: I went for a walk today with some mashed potatoes. Who else can say that?
Wooton: Yeah, I guess you got a point there. Okay.
Barrett: Gotta go.
Wooton: Bye, Barrett.
Priscilla: Olivia.
Olivia: Hey!
Priscilla: Meet Loaf for lunch today. I saved you a seat. Just to let you know, Amber's looking for you. She wants to invite you on a trip to the Bug Museum.
Olivia: And after I spent all yesterday afternoon looking at rocks.
Priscilla: You have to talk to her. Tell her that you're not interested in these things.
Olivia: I've tried, trust me. But every time I tell her, she seems to think it's just because I don't know enough about it.
Priscilla: Can't you just say, "No, I don't want to go"?
Olivia: I don't want to hurt her feelings. She really enjoys spending time with me.
Priscilla: No, she enjoys spending time with opposite Olivia, not you.
Amber: Olivia, there you are.
Olivia: Hi, Amber. Did you need something?
Amber: Oh, um. Do you want to go to the Arachnid Exhibition at the Insectarium this Saturday? A whole swarm of us are going. Get it? Swarm?
Olivia: Yeah. But, I'm not really into bugs.
Amber: It's only because you've never seen them like this. Once you watch the way a dung beetle burrows, you'll never be the same.
Olivia: Right. Mhm.
Amber: Danielle and I used to go every Saturday, and I haven't been in almost three weeks. I'd be so disappointed if you didn't go.
Olivia: Look, I really like you, Amber, but I don't like bugs, computer science, or rocks at all. Not even a little.
Amber: Oh. Okay. I get it. We'll do something else. What do you want to do?
Olivia: Me?
Amber: The same thing happened with Danielle. She likes Macs. I'm a PC kind of girl. But we just chose to be friends anyway. And using each other's computers actually strengthened our friendship. So, what do you like to do?
Olivia: Shop. Listen to music, drama club. Lots of things. But I'm pretty sure I won't enjoy a bug museum.
Amber: But it's life-changing.
Olivia: Are there bugs there?
Amber: Of course.
Olivia: Then no.
Amber: But no.
Guest (Female): So our first Drama Club exercise today will be to partner up to create a scene to share with the rest of the class. You have five minutes.
Olivia: Okay, ready for this, Amber?
Amber: Yeah.
Olivia: Okay, we have to hurry. How about this? I'll be the beautiful, arrogant woman who's allergic to walnuts, and you're the housekeeper who's trying to poison me.
Amber: Uh, no. I was thinking more along the lines of reenacting how Newton came up with the law of gravity.
Olivia: But didn't that really happen?
Amber: Of course. That's the point.
Olivia: But that's not making anything up. Besides, it's boring.
Amber: Gravity is boring? That's like saying oxygen is a luxury item.
Olivia: The point is to be creative.
Amber: Newton was a genius.
Olivia: Okay, how about we act out a scene where Newton's wife gets jealous because he won the Nobel Prize, and so she hides it in the laundry.
Amber: But that didn't really happen.
Olivia: How do you know? Did you do their laundry?
Amber: This is ridiculous. When Danielle and I had to act out a scene for literature class, we knew right away that we'd do something from the Civil War period.
Olivia: Maybe Drama Club wasn't a good idea. We could. Oh. Never mind. You don't like rocks, even though you never gave it a chance.
Amber: I gave it a chance. I looked for rocks and pieces of pavement. I was bored.
Olivia: It's a lot more interesting than pretending to look through someone's laundry.
Amber: But that's me. I like Drama Club. And painting my nails and shopping and hanging out at Whit's Inn.
Olivia: But I don't like any of those things. Danielle and I.
Amber: Danielle, Danielle, Danielle! I am not Danielle! I'll never be Danielle! I don't want to be Danielle! But, but. I need to go.
Guest (Female): Well done, Olivia. Next time, however, please wait until you're called upon to begin your scene.
Olivia: Oh, no.
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Olivia: And I feel bad that I hurt her feelings, but, to be honest.
Guest (Male): Huh?
Olivia: I'm also kind of relieved. She was pretty difficult to be friends with. And I was getting worried I'd spend the rest of my life studying spiders and playing Guess the Gigahertz.
Guest (Male): But apart from a few differences in your interest, do you enjoy being with Amber? Do you consider her your friend?
Olivia: Um, yeah. I think. I mean, up until now, I haven't really thought about what a friend is. My friends sort of became my friends because we were, um, friendly.
Guest (Male): Hmm, okay. So, let's try to figure it out. Why are you good friends with Priscilla?
Olivia: I don't know. We hung out together for years. She lives right down the street for me. And when we were little, we really liked playing Molly Muffets together. And now we both like to shop and go to church and stuff like that.
Guest (Male): So, you have things in common and you live close to each other and you have a history together. Oh, see, those are all things that help make a friendship. Do you agree on everything?
Olivia: No. But a lot of the time we think alike, and we enjoy doing the same things.
Wooton: Oh, hi, Olivia.
Olivia: Hey, Whit.
Wooton: Do you think you might have anything in the Little Theater that would help me look like a toaster?
Mr. Whittaker: Well, I believe we still have your blender costume from the talent show. Maybe you could make some modifications to that.
Wooton: Brilliant. Is this for the postal worker Spirit Week? Oh, no, that ended yesterday. Thanks a lot, Whit.
Olivia: Mr. Whittaker?
Mr. Whittaker: Hm?
Olivia: Would you say that Wooton is a good friend of yours?
Mr. Whittaker: Sure.
Olivia: But why? You're not alike at all.
Mr. Whittaker: Oh, I wouldn't say that. Wooton and I have a lot of similarities.
Olivia: Like what?
Mr. Whittaker: We both enjoy talking about our faith, encouraging others, working with kids, and I think he's very interesting as a person, pretty entertaining too.
Olivia: Do you hang out at his house?
Mr. Whittaker: Not very often. It's a little chaotic for me.
Olivia: Do you like comic books as much as he does?
Mr. Whittaker: I'm interested, but not like he is. I see what you're getting at though. Wooton and I are friends, but we don't have to be exactly alike. We can also respect and appreciate each other's differences.
Olivia: Huh. But that's the thing. I don't think my differences with Amber are the problem. I think maybe she wants me to be someone else.
Mr. Whittaker: Pretending or acting like someone you're not isn't a good basis for friendship. Friends are friends because they accept each other for who they are.
Olivia: So I did the right thing?
Mr. Whittaker: Maybe you could have gone about it a little differently, but she needed to understand how you felt. She shouldn't expect you to act like someone else in order to be your friend.
Barrett: I figured it out. Finally.
Mr. Whittaker: Well, hello, Barrett.
Olivia: What are you so excited about?
Barrett: I figured out which one of my Club Kidd Chat friends unfriended me. My dentist's daughter's neighbor's cousin.
Guest (Male): Oh.
Olivia: Shocking.
Barrett: So I sent her a message and asked her why she didn't want to be my friend.
Mr. Whittaker: Did she respond?
Barrett: Yeah, she said she thought I was her dog walker. His name is Barrett too. But she didn't want to be Kidd Chat friends with someone she didn't even know. So she took me off her list.
Mr. Whittaker: Well, that's understandable.
Barrett: Yeah, I guess. But I liked having 523 friends, even if they're people I don't know in real life. I like that so many people read my updates and care about what happens in my day.
Olivia: But do they really care?
Barrett: Sure. I think so. That reminds me, I need to go update my status and read everyone else's.
Olivia: You're doing a lot of that lately.
Barrett: Hey, it takes a lot of time when you have 523, I mean, 522 friends. See you.
Olivia: Bye. Hmm. So, are those 522 people real friends?
Mr. Whittaker: They sound more like acquaintances to me. I mean, how can you be a real friend to that many people? It scares me to think of kids investing so much time with people they don't have much of a connection with. While ignoring the friends they have right around them.
Olivia: Yeah. That's what somebody ought to tell. Oh, you're talking to me, aren't you?
Mr. Whittaker: I might be.
Olivia: Amber.
Amber: Hey, Olivia.
Olivia: I thought I'd find you here.
Amber: Yep. Looking for rocks again. But I know you're not interested in that.
Olivia: I'm really sorry that I hurt your feelings in Drama Club. I shouldn't have said what I did.
Amber: No, you were right. I'm the one who's sorry. I was missing Danielle so much, I had it stuck in my mind you could be a replacement, but that's not you.
Olivia: Yeah, you and I are pretty different.
Amber: I know we'll never be best friends, but I'm glad I got to know you better.
Olivia: Same here.
Wooton: Oh, hi, Barrett. Your backpack.
Barrett: What's wrong with it?
Wooton: Nothing. It's blue. Today is find all things blue for Mail Carrier Spirit Week. Miss Finnegan's gutters. Are you doing better today?
Barrett: Just thinking about things. About true friendships.
Wooton: Wow, those are good thoughts. Poodle sweater. Are you still doing Club Kidd Chat?
Barrett: Yeah. I posted an update this morning saying that I felt kind of down.
Wooton: Wow. Any responses yet? Moldy piece of bread.
Barrett: Four. One suggesting a self-help book, one asking who I was, one telling me to meditate more, and one saying that I could earn $80,000 a year working from home.
Wooton: So, not so helpful.
Barrett: Not in the least. The thing is, once I got to school, Amanda told me how much she liked my shirt, and Matthew asked if I wanted to come over for dinner tonight.
Wooton: Wow, you have some good friends. Dog dish.
Barrett: I do. I got caught up in having a lot of so-called friends on Club Kidd Chat. People who hardly even knew me. But it made me feel popular.
Wooton: Yeah. I mean, I know it can be fun to have Club Kidd Chat friends. I have some too. But you know, they can really take up a lot of time.
Barrett: Yeah, I'm thinking I'm going to start spending more time with my actual friends.
Wooton: Yeah. That sounds like a good idea to me.
Barrett: So, I'm taking a break from Club Kidd Chat.
Wooton: Well, you have some extra time, you want to do my route with me?
Barrett: Sure.
Wooton: Mr. Tincom's flowers. That's a good one.
Barrett: So, did anyone get mad about having gravy on their packages the other day?
Wooton: The sky. Oh, no. Mini bat, but I did have a whole bunch of dogs follow me around, I mean even more than the usual dogs that follow me around. Maybe it was the sauce.
Focus on the Family: You know, changing who we are to fit in with other people, even lots of people, might make us popular, but it won't bring lasting true friendships. A true friend likes you for who you are as a person, not for who they want you to be. As Barrett learned, a few true friends are worth much more than any number of fake friends. Adventures in Odyssey is a presentation of Focus on the Family. You can find more about today's adventure, Opposite Day, and the other adventures included in Album 52, Cause and Effect, on our website at Whit's End.org. So what do you think of today's show? Why don't you write and tell me at Adventures in Odyssey, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80995. In Canada, you can write to Adventures in Odyssey, Box 9800, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4G3. Our cast included Hope Levy, Gatlin Green, Corey Shenkego, and Andy Pessoa. Opposite Day was written by Kathy Buchanan, with sound designed by Jonathan Crow. And I'm Chris, hoping you'll join us again next time for more Adventures in Odyssey.