Nothing
makes me feel smarter than a good old internet browsing session. There are a lot of people out there willing to
showcase their worst failures for all of us to see. I salute those people. Especially the ones who make it onto any Epic Fail video. Thanks, guys. Sorry about your broken… everything.
Then
I check my Facebook feed and people are talking about Harper Lee. Gee, what a cool name, I think. If I had a baby I would totally name him
Harper Lee. Where have I heard that name? Oh, right.
To Kill A Mockingbird. Gregory
Peck. Scout. Also a cool name. Okay, hmmm.
That’s right – Harper Lee is a woman.
And she’s coming out with a new book.
And everyone cares. I should also
care. You go, Harper Lee.
I
never even read To Kill a Mockingbird.
Never saw the movie, either. Ah,
well. At least I know Gregory Peck was
in it. It was also Black and White,
which means that it is an old movie.
Others
are talking about parenting trends, causes they support, their own and their children's education, new jobs, women’s issues, health news, race relations, something
something NPR. Oh, look! A trailer for the new Magic Mike movie.
I’ve
seen Magic Mike, but I’ve never watched The Daily Show. Is it still a thing? So many people love Jon Stewart. I saw him on Jimmy Fallon once. He seemed a little full of himself. Talking about him makes me think about Stephen Colbert. Is he still a thing? He’s pretty good-looking, but someone somewhere told me he was full of
himself, too. And that’s all I know. They talk about the news, right? Or is it just politics?
I
just got Netflix because that’s what all the smartest people are watching. So far I’ve watched Orange is the New Black
and that’s it. Between you and me I can’t
wait to be caught up with this show so I can stop watching it. It just makes me feel like I don’t ever want
to go to prison. Lady prison is no joke
if I can believe what I’m watching on Netflix.
My son has watched all of The Walking Dead and that makes me feel like a terrible parent.
I
like to read. Lots of people I know talk
about the books they’re reading. I
binge-purchase books at our local used bookstore and stack my pile on a desk in
our bedroom. I choose books that people
say are the best they’ve ever read, or books with gold seals on the cover that
proclaim “Man Booker Prize” or “National Book Award.” I choose classics that can be used as doorstops
or step-stools for small children. These
books take me a long time to read. Last
one like that I read was Les Misérables.
Longest six months of my life.
I
have a habit of thinking I’m smarter than I am with these big books that make
me miserable. I’m happier reading short romances and thin novels. I need to walk away from
the brainy table in the Goodreads cafeteria and find a different crowd.
My
son sits down next to me. “Mom, do you know what analog means?”
Um,
sure. I’ve heard of analog. Is it the opposite of digital? Like, we used to watch analog TV. Now we have digital TV. ::offers a watery
smile::
“No,
no. Analogue. A-N-A-L-O-G-U-E. Like two movies that are analogous to each
other. Similar in story. Like Star Wars and Star Trek.”
Shark
Tale and Finding Nemo. Surf’s Up and
Happy Feet. A Bug's Life and Antz!
For
a moment, I am smart. I can have a
conversation with another person that shows what I know.
Okay, I know cartoon movies from the early 2000s. But it’s still something.
*******
I was at a college thing with my daughter this weekend and met all of these people who were so young, yet so much smarter than me. Many of them were studying Actuary Science which is really about math, not science, and you don't want to know how many of them I had to meet before I figured that out.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are much smarter than me right now. Why do they keep asking me for help with school?
DeleteI don't know what analog means.
ReplyDeleteTHERE.
I really don't either. I was relieved that he gave me an example for the thing he asked about. I refer to Google for every other question my kids ask me,
DeleteThank you for being as dumb as I am. It's so nice when other people admit to not knowing anything about anything. But go get yourself a copy if To Kill a Mockingbird, stat.
ReplyDelete::whispers:: But it sounds like it would be so boring.
DeletePsssst . . . I Google everything before I answer people's questions, and I don't tell them I Googled it.
ReplyDeleteIt's our secret. :)
DeleteThe Googles are so smart. I means I don't have to be. I proudly tell people where I got the answer. Knowing where all the information is makes you truly smart. Ask a librarian!
ReplyDeleteI love this opinion and will adopt it as my own. Being resourceful is the new smart. :)
DeleteTo Kill A Mocking bird is SO not boring. I'm not just saying that as an adult person. It had me hooked right off the bat when I had to read it in jr high.
ReplyDeleteI read Atlas Shrugged from November 2007 - March 2008 (which is when the twins were born) and STILL didn't finish it. I think I had like 300 pages to go. Most books themselves are 300 pages. It was dreadfully boring, and I look back and think about all of the good stuff I could have read in that time.
Atlas Shrugged was a total buzzkill. An ex gave it to me as a gift when we were dating, and I read very little of it. All I remember about it was railroads, which is a terribly boring subject to me.
DeleteI'm still skeptical of TKAM although I hold your opinion in high regard. When I was a teen I loved Catcher in the Rye and read it at least ten times. Recently I read it again, and my reaction was that everyone in the book was either stupid or a complete a-hole. It did not grow with me.