It's always fun to go back to school. I've been going back to school for so many years that I forget how fun it is. When I filled in my job application yesterday it asked "How many years of college and grad school?" and I put in 11. And counting.
Seated behind me in Special Ed was a lovely Nigerian who went to school in London and speaks with an English accent. She's quite talkative and within minutes knew that I was a Taurus and that I was precisely 3 days short of being ten years her senior. She asked my wife's birthdate and said "Capricorn and Taurus are a perfect match!" She asked if she could put her feet up on the side of my chair, and though I said I didn't mind I must admit they were quite distracting. She's perpetually grabbing and touching the rings and clothes and arms of those around her. She loves to exclaim.
To my right sits a Texan embarrassed to admit she's from there. "What my poor state has inflicted on the world," she said, head lowered. She's teaching music in the inner city, and I pointed out that Texas is doing alright if she came from there. And Molly Ivins, and Jim Hightower. "Yes," the Texan said. "But our progressive idealism is dead as Ann Richards. At least until they lock Delay away."
The classroom is dingy and the instructor is well-intentioned, has loads of experience, but is an absolute bore. And there are crucifixes on every wall, and an occasional visit from the Dean, Sister Ima Tough Cookie, to remind us we are at Notre Dame.
The GEI program has its perks. I went to buy text books and all I had to do was show my City schools ID and the books were handed to me with no charge.
2 comments:
Geoff, i've been reading about your progress with your school and the job you're going to, and wanted to say i'm proud you made that choice. you're going to do well and even better, i strongly feel that you are going to go good. it's always fun to read about your adventures.
i understand her because I feel much the same way, but remind the Texan of Lyle Lovett and James McMurtry. Also, we can claim Debbie Reynolds and Tina Turner who were born there. and Babe Didrikson. And always, there's the Rio Grande, flowing through the land ignoring silly human events, carving the stones, and washing away some of the dumb things we do.
Good old Notre Dame! The nuns used to intimidate me to no end. I just knew that they suspected that I was a protestant hiding in the class. I did get wonderful advice in my statistics class from the nun teaching us. She advised having wine before the tests to calm my nerves. It was great at 8:00 in the morning.
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