|
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 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 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 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 better 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 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 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 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 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. |
||
"it is (to describe it figuratively) as if an author were to make a slip of the pen, and as if this clerical error became conscious of being such. perhaps this was no error but in a far higher sense was an essential part of the whole exposition. it is, then, as if this clerical error were to revolt against the author, out of hatred for him, were to forbid him to correct it, and were to say, 'no, i will not be erased, i will stand as a witness against thee, that thou art a very poor writer'."
- søren kierkegaard
(passage gleaned from "seymour, an introduction" by j.d. salinger)
|
|
||
|
|
||
