Newsletter – January 16, 2026
As the new year got started I was reflecting on what age I would be this year and realized it was an opportunity to make a joke about the whole 6-7 phenomenon. So I posted the message above.
I was surprised, then, to learn that my joke became something of a Rorschach Test giving me insight about the people who wrote responses.
Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach created an inkblot test to uncover the thoughts and emotions of patients by presenting them with ambiguous blotches, all open to interpretation.
Here’s a sample of them:
I look at these inkblots and see several characters ripe for stories featuring mythological antagonists or ancient warriors. Tells you something about my imagination, doesn’t it?
There’s an old joke about a psychologist showing inkblots to a patient. The dialogue goes something like this:
Psychologist: I’d like you to look at a few cards and tell me what you see.
Patient: Okay.
Psychologist: Here’s the first one. What do you see?
Patient: I see a man and a woman making love.
Psychologist: And here’s the second one. What do you see now?
Patient: I see a man and a woman making love.
Psychologist: Interesting, and the third one. What do you see now?
Patient: I see a man and a woman making love.
[This continues for two or three more inkblots before the psychologist puts down the cards.]
Psychologist: You seem to be preoccupied with the thought of lovemaking.
Patient: Me? You’re the one with the dirty pictures!
(That dialogue can be made more explicit, depending on your audience.)
When people responded to my social media post, it generated lots playful banter about the 6-7 craze, sober reflections on aging, heartfelt warm regards, and several birthday greetings, though my birthday is still many months away. One helpful person directed me—and others who weren’t in the know—to a short TikTok video explaining the origins of the 6-7 sensation.
I found it to be a fascinating study of people’s reactions to an ambiguous post, and appreciated getting a deeper look at my friends and their personalities.
TTFN
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Last week I recommended books about Paddington Bear and this week I happened to see a deal for the audiobook that begins the series, A Bear Called Paddington.
The company is called Chirp Books and they offer discounted audiobooks with no subscription. I’ve bought several from them and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Here’s a link to this book:
https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-bear-called-paddington-by-michael-bond?promotion_id=303194
(Just so you know, I don’t get any money by recommending this audiobook.)
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My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles
Eric Margerum 