hermaphrodites is a good way to start

at left is a a picture of kids fighting. it's cute and kind of hilarious. it is nothing like how i fight.

and it's sad... really sad because so many people are SO AWESOME. seriously. so many folks i know are amazingly empathetic and honest and supportive and intelligent and witty and delightful and compassionate and *sigh.* and then there is this whole other group of people: people who remind me of how much i like my friends and how fantastic folks can be and why now, more than ever, darwin and his selective power needs to squeeze the shit out of some people's faces.

i have met the notorious "big red." it happened at lunch today.. and may i just say that i was lucky enough to have her sit down as my lunch partners and i were in mid-conversation on the sweeping hermaphrodite epidemic that my regular-year students think is sweeping the nation.
she proceeds to squeal out in the most nasally, freckley voice "um... in my multicultural studies class we learned that they don't like being called hermaphrodites." really? that's fascinating you're in a multicultural studies class because i'm offended by the fact that the word "multicultural" just came out of your mouth. i suspect your idea of multiculturalism is watching The Sopranos and going to Fogo de Chao.

THEN the amazing older gentleman M.D. neuroscience teacher says "i don't think they like hermaphrodites. i think they like being called its." oh jim... you are a delight. we all start laughing super hard and red rocket mutters "well that's just as offensive as what she said."

yep. it's on. you're an idiot.

and the amazing comments keep coming... she asks where i teach, i tell her the city, she tells me she teaches in the county (no shit you do) then asks what school i teach at, i tell her, and then she goes on to tell me how much she hates my school because they do so well at the Maryland science fair. then she says "so are you a part of the science fair?" me: "no." red rocket then snidely chips in: "oh... i would figure you being a DOCTOR and all you would be all into that."

official. enemies.

my retort was that i think the science at science fairs is really sad because the projects totally lack imagination and i feel bad for the kids. and then when neuroscience man leaves and i comment on how nice he is, she makes sure to let me know that she's known him for four years. and has been coming to nerdball camp for that long. that's great. really really great. because i'm pretty sure the ten minutes i have spent with you have stunted my intellectual and emotional growth by just about that much.....

and it's just day 2.