if you're using firefox or safari, highlight the chunk of text below. pretty badass, right? it's generated by this, using this old entry. i got it from metafilter, of course.
when i was in seventh grade, on the first day of class, my u.s. history teacher gave us a blank map of the usa to fill o
ut. that was our first quiz. we had to fill in all the state names and their capitals, and if we didn't get them all rig
ht, she said we'd have to take the quiz again and again every week until we finally got them all right. the whole year p
assed; i NEVER got that quiz right. i took that quiz every single week, and every single week i got the thirteen colonie
s right (we'd driven through those on family trips), though never all the capitols, and sometimes california and texas.
once, i pointed out montana correctly on a fluke. at the end of the year, my teacher just gave up and i became convinced
that i was/am just a bad student. it took me a while to finally realize that i was particularly wretched with geography
(yes, i was also kinda' slow). i never really understood why; i always thought us foreign kids were supposed to be bett
er at it or something. fast forward to this afternoon: my mother comes home from walmart, beaming and proud of her new
purchases. we've been needing new plastic placemats for a while (we're a messy family), and she managed to procure some
of those kiddie ones with interesting facts on them. at first, i was obviously most pleased with the solar system placem
ats, with their cutesy planets and size/weight information. later at dinner, we discovered the u.s. presidents placemat,
and the u.s. map placemat. this was the source of much debate and amusement. upon an impromptu quizzing from my brother
, my mother revealed to us where she believed canada was. apparently, it's a small maryland-sized area off the east coas
t of massachusetts (i guess where boston harbor is?). my father pointed out mexico for us; it runs along the west coast
of california. oh, and guess what? there's a washington STATE, too. and it's all the way over there by california. what'
s up with that? (we have a cousin who lives in seattle, washington -- and we always wondered why it took him so long to
get to our parties) so, yah. at least now i know where i get it from.when i was in seventh grade, on the first day of c
lass, my u.s. history teacher gave us a blank map of the usa to fill out. that was our first quiz. we had to fill in all
the state names and their capitals, and if we didn't get them all right, she said we'd have to take the quiz again and
again every week until we finally got them all right. the whole year passed; i NEVER got that quiz right. i took that qu
iz every single week, and every single week i got the thirteen colonies right (we'd driven through those on family trips
), though never all the capitols, and sometimes california and texas. once, i pointed out montana correctly on a fluke.
at the end of the year, my teacher just gave up and i became convinced that i was/am just a bad student. it took me a wh
ile to finally realize that i was particularly wretched with geography (yes, i was also kinda' slow). i never really und
erstood why; i always thought us foreign kids were supposed to be better at it or something. fast forward to this after
noon: my mother comes home from walmart, beaming and proud of her new purchases. we've been needing new plastic placemat
s for a while (we're a messy family), and she managed to procure some of those kiddie ones with interesting facts on the
m. at first, i was obviously most pleased with the solar system placemats, with their cutesy planets and size/weight inf
ormation. later at dinner, we discovered the u.s. presidents placemat, and the u.s. map placemat. this was the source of
much debate and amusement. upon an impromptu quizzing from my brother, my mother revealed to us where she believed cana
da was. apparently, it's a small maryland-sized area off the east coast of massachusetts (i guess where boston harbor is
?). my father pointed out mexico for us; it runs along the west coast of california. oh, and guess what? there's a washi
ngton STATE, too. and it's all the way over there by california. what's up with that? (we have a cousin who lives in sea
ttle, washington -- and we always wondered why it took him so long to get to our parties) so, yah. at least now i know
where i get it from.when i was in seventh grade, on the first day of class, my u.s. history teacher gave us a blank map
of the usa to fill out. that was our first quiz. we had to fill in all the state names and their capitals, and if we did
n't get them all right, she said we'd have to take the quiz again and again every week until we finally got them all rig
ht. the whole year passed; i NEVER got that quiz right. i took that quiz every single week, and every single week i got
the thirteen colonies right (we'd driven through those on family trips), though never all the capitols, and sometimes ca
lifornia and texas. once, i pointed out montana correctly on a fluke. at the end of the year, my teacher just gave up an
d i became convinced that i was/am just a bad student. it took me a while to finally realize that i was particularly wre
tched with geography (yes, i was also kinda' slow). i never really understood why; i always thought us foreign kids were
supposed to be better at it or something. fast forward to this afternoon: my mother comes home from walmart, beaming a
nd proud of her new purchases. we've been needing new plastic placemats for a while (we're a messy family), and she mana
ged to procure some of those kiddie ones with interesting facts on them. at first, i was obviously most pleased with the
solar system placemats, with their cutesy planets and size/weight information. later at dinner, we discovered the u.s.
presidents placemat, and the u.s. map placemat. this was the source of much debate and amusement. upon an impromptu quiz
zing from my brother, my mother revealed to us where she believed canada was. apparently, it's a small maryland-sized ar
ea off the east coast of massachusetts (i guess where boston harbor is?). my father pointed out mexico for us; it runs a
long the west coast of california. oh, and guess what? there's a washington STATE, too. and it's all the way over there
by california. what's up with that? (we have a cousin who lives in seattle, washington -- and we always wondered why it
took him so long to get to our parties) so, yah. at least now i know where i get it from.when i was in seventh grade, o
n the first day of class, my u.s. history teacher gave us a blank map of the usa to fill out. that was our first quiz. w
e had to fill in all the state names and their capitals, and if we didn't get them all right, she said we'd have to take
the quiz again and again every week until we finally got them all right. the whole year passed; i NEVER got that quiz r
ight. i took that quiz every single week, and every single week i got the thirteen colonies right (we'd driven through t
hose on family trips), though never all the capitols, and sometimes california and texas. once, i pointed out montana co
rrectly on a fluke. at the end of the year, my teacher just gave up and i became convinced that i was/am just a bad stud
ent. it took me a while to finally realize that i was particularly wretched with geography (yes, i was also kinda' slow)
. i never really understood why; i always thought us foreign kids were supposed to be better at it or something. fast f
orward to this afternoon: my mother comes home from walmart, beaming and proud of her new purchases. we've been needing
new plastic placemats for a while (we're a messy family), and she managed to procure some of those kiddie ones with inte
resting facts on them. at first, i was obviously most pleased with the solar system placemats, with their cutesy planets
and size/weight information. later at dinner, we discovered the u.s. presidents placemat, and the u.s. map placemat. th
is was the source of much debate and amusement. upon an impromptu quizzing from my brother, my mother revealed to us whe
re she believed canada was. apparently, it's a small maryland-sized area off the east coast of massachusetts (i guess wh
ere boston harbor is?). my father pointed out mexico for us; it runs along the west coast of california. oh, and guess w
hat? there's a washington STATE, too. and it's all the way over there by california. what's up with that? (we have a cou
sin who lives in seattle, washington -- and we always wondered why it took him so long to get to our parties) so, yah.
at least now i know where i get it from.when i was in seventh grade, on the first day of class, my u.s. history teacher
gave us a blank map of the usa to fill out. that was our first quiz. we had to fill in all the state names and their cap
itals, and if we didn't get them all right, she said we'd have to take the quiz again and again every week until we fina
lly got them all right. the whole year passed; i NEVER got that quiz right. i took that quiz every single week, and ever
y single week i got the thirteen colonies right (we'd driven through those on family trips), though never all the capito
ls, and sometimes california and texas. once, i pointed out montana correctly on a fluke. at the end of the year, my tea
cher just gave up and i became convinced that i was/am just a bad student. it took me a while to finally realize that i
was particularly wretched with geography (yes, i was also kinda' slow). i never really understood why; i always thought
us foreign kids were supposed to be better at it or something. fast forward to this afternoon: my mother comes home fro
m walmart, beaming and proud of her new purchases. we've been needing new plastic placemats for a while (we're a messy f
