What I See Is What You Get...

by the time i finished primary school, several things were apparent. one was that i had an aversion to writing on the line. despite having to stay after school to fill pages with handwriting that was supposed to be on the line, i couldn't see why it was so necessary to do so (except to have free afternoons.) it is not as though words are no longer words if they are not on lines. another was that at times of high excitement my brain would get way ahead of my hands and my writing would become illegible in attempt to catch up.

when i started high school, we had some compulsory classes - cookery, sewing and art. cookery produced some rather tasty butterfuly cupcakes. sewing class ended with a nightie that was designed before my mother was born and wasn't cool even then. art resulted in failure. abject. the final exam on which, apparently, the entire grade was based (because i cannot remember us doing anything the entire year) had us doing still life paintings. i swear this to you, the apple was yellow, or golden as in golden delicious, but the art teacher threw the painting back at me. "paint it green! it's an apple, apples are not yellow!"
"my apple is yellow, i can't paint it green if it doesn't look green to me!" she gave me the evil eye and i refused to back down. to pull out the green paint would be to compromise my principles and i only do that for chocolate or ice cream.

i came last and the comment was that i "failed to see an apple." it was the family joke for months and the art teacher made her point by failing me and putting me at the bottom of the class.

the following term i made a new friend. the girl who came second last in the class. it seems she had spent the previous term fascinated by me. apparently i would sit with the girls that produced the most amazing works of art and had the gall to produce my non-art without the slightest trace of shame. as though i had no idea that i sucked - and i have a sneaking suspicion that i was a tad clueless. her beating me in class at least assured her that she was not crazy and even though the art teacher said she drew a pretty flower - first of all she came second last and second and most important she drew a GRAPEFRUIT. she is so lucky that i liked her otherwise i would have demanded my rightful second last position because at least it was really an apple that i failed to see.

yet, through failure, i made a friend, a fellow november baby and someone to play madly with in art class while the art teacher ignored us. fun times. fun times. and so this weekend as part of my november celebration of a truly awesome month, i celebrate the old friend and a new friend. so i am off to have some ice cream and chocolate and i hope you do too, maine and prettylyf. and don't forget to boogie!