Wednesday, April 12, 2006

 

Walking to school. Sorta.

This morning on the ride in I read "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. I began it with trepidation - I knew that there was something about the story that unsettled me, but I could not remember what. A couple of pages in, I lit upon a quote that I love:

"He was not a practical joker nor was he a fool but he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure."

Don't we all?

(reading over, I'm now unsure of the statement. Maybe I just have that hubric (hubrisian?) thought about myself...)

Being a few pages longer than the ride, I finished it up at the first crosswalk. I always feel slightly pretentious and foolish reading while walking...it makes me feel as though I'm trying to look like one of those people who reads while walking, with all the baggage that comes with it. As if I'm trying to project an image of intelligence, depth, dorkiness, a certain je ne sais quoi, but really, I'm just trying to finish a story.

Because my bag was overflowing, per usual, I held the book in my hand, against the side of my leg. And it brought back memories of middle school. At my school, the boys carried their books like that, and the girls hugged the books to their chests. Or held them in front of them. Definitely not to the side. It was known that the boys held the books one way, and the girls the other. I suppose part of it was rooted in the fact that boys liked to - what was it called? - push books to the ground, and it was easier to do so when the books were to the side. Girls did not want that to happen, so they held their books in front of them. But girls did not hold books to the side, because that was boyish, and boys did not hold them to the front, because that was feminine. And at an age when all you want to do is be the perfect image of your gender, switching up the books was dangerous.

And then in high school, we all wore uniforms and fiercely claimed that we wanted to assert our individuality, show off our unique personalities. But everyone had a monogrammed L.L. Bean backpack. Really. Almost everyone. If you didn't have one, something was probably wrong with you.

So I guess we showed off our individuality by choosing one of the eight colors in the L.L. Bean backpack spectrum. Mine was khaki and said "Meg"...


(Bub, what is it called when someone makes someone drop his books?!)

Comments:
if I tried to read while walking, I'd slam into everyone and everything on the way... I'm definately not talented enough to do that.
on another note I went to NDA today and all the girls still have those LL Bean bags. and most of them were wearing sneakers, and on a liturgy day!! looks like babs is loosening up a bit?
and Mr Cronin's baby boy is SO CUTE! I held him!
 
I also read when I walk, except instead of making me feel smart I feel dumb because people point at me and laugh.
 
I could never read and walk. I am, however, a fan of uniforms. Or at least a dress code. A dress code would be a really good idea for colleges.
 
Curious...a deleted comment. Always peaks my curiosity!

tans: I'm coming home the last weekend in April! We must get together and do lunch, darling. For real.

mona: yeah...that too. I feel like a total nerd.

rem: I didn't really mind the uniform in high school, per se, it was pretty easy. Except when I put on a few pounds in between freshman and senior year. I really enjoyed wearing my own clothes in college - I feel as though I molded, refined and figured out "my style" during those four years.

bub: what's the use?! You and CM. Someone else must know out there...I feel like it's "crash their books" or "smash their bools" or....OH YES!!

it's called DUMPING SOMEONE'S BOOKS! As in "Oh, Jim got his books dumped." Or "Oh, Mark dumped that kid's books."

I can sleep easy now.

Oh, and can you all tell that I've learned how to do html for italics? yes, yes, I know, late on the boat.

Thank you for commenting. I love you all.
 
I'm going to be in San Francisco that weekend! :( are you coming home for easter at all or just going right to Florida? do you know when you're coming home next? GET YOUR COMPUTER FIXED AND GO ON AIM!!!!!
 
We never carried books anywhere in Irish; EVERYTHING went into our bags. All of which were amry/navy surplus store bags! And yeah, we waffled on about individuality too, but of course people who were truly individual were mercilessly picked on!
 
caaitttliin ahhhhhhhhh!!!! noooooooo!!! :-(

Well, have a good time! But I'll miss you!

I'm going straight to Florida on Easter morning, I'm not stopping in Boston at all. I don't know when I'll be home next after April 29-30. :-(

I might try to drag a monitor back after the last weekend in April. too poor/cheap to buy one.

oh, and we're moving to silver spring in May.

n: I've always wanted an army/navy bag. Sigh!
 
One of the things I noticed about Madison was the distinct lack of monogrammed L.L. Bean backpacks. When I would see one, I would think, "There's a New Englander."
 
a stylish yet practical New Englander at that! :-)
 
yeah, I figured, but I enjoy getting excited about it. It's the little things. :-)
 
I TOTALLY hear you on the LL Bean backpacks. I grew up in Maine, so it was required to have at least one (if not many) LL Bean items. I had one on in 6th grade until 10th, the purple one (the *real* purple) with green mono. CAK and then in 10th grade I got the bright ass yellow one with green CAK yet again.

In my HS yearbook, there is a picture of all the backpacks outside the band (?) room and it's cool 'cause the flash reflected off of all the reflectors. Def. a cool picture!

Gotta love LL Bean!

(BTW, just found you via I66)
 
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