“Tiny hammers could help me sleep…” sung to the tune of “Tiny Bubbles” I think. I am a notorious lyric messer upper or rather a creative genius depending on your angle. For years I thought the line in the Brady Bunch went, “They were formed there living all together…But they were all alone.” It made sense, sort of elegiac – the loss of the mom bonded them all but it was so lonely. Whereas “four men” um hello, they were a bunch of boys and a dad. Who would think of that? OK obviously the songwriter and apparently, most of the listening audience.
Did all of you hear “four men”? I am willing to consider it is me. I really am but what about Alice? Was she just a piece of bologna? In my version she is part of the “formed there” cuz she bonded with them too. Think about it.
May I just say something here? Isn’t it cool the way the brain works, the way it fills in the blanks in so many places? I was composing the sentence above and the word “elegiac” came to mind. That is one that I don’t really use but is up there from reading. I looked it up to make sure I am using it properly and read, “Of or pertaining to an elegy or elegies. 2. Expressing sorrow; mournful” Excellent. Then I read elegy, “A mournful poem, especially one that laments the dead.” Bingo.
If you had put a gun to my head and told me to define elegiac I probably would have first soiled myself and then mumbled or shrieked, “HUH?…Um sad, UH (Oh bother I can’t think of the other word. This is the real me not the figurative gun held to my head me) Come on…SYMBOLIC!
“Sad and symbolic” which really isn’t far off though it was back in the files and I have never looked it up.
While looking up elegiac I came across the Periodic Table of Elements. I have been wanting to blog this.
True story:
Junior or Senior year of high school I took Chemistry. (Help me out Scott) Although I was no mathmetician, it was formulas that kept me in science. I was all about “Give me the formula and I will solve the problem.” I wasn’t terribly interested in learning nor in uncovering the mysteries of the chemical universe; I wanted an “A”. Formulas got me one. If I just looked for the numbers to stick in the formulas and brushed everything else aside I was fine. I knew I didn’t really understand chemistry but that wasn’t why I was there. Bottom line me, Baby. A huge chart of the Periodic Table of the Elements covered the north wall. I was required to memorize the various symbols ( now all forgotten) but I didn’t understand the placement. Being a bit of a twitcher it bothered me. If I had arranged it I would have pulled Hydrogen, Helium and all of the second row down and shoved them in that space between Magnesium and Aluminum. Then I would have pushed Francium, Radium Actinides to a nice neat center on the bottom. That would have looked nice and symmetrical. (Remind me to blog about Estelle who loves symmetry.) Anyway, it was all just so many boxes. Again the funny workings of the brain. Apparently in my reading or in the lectures my brain was working away at everything I so carelessly discarded.
Cut to the final exam. I am sitting in the front row, (yes, I am pushing up my imaginary glasses although it was a really small class and pretty much all of us were in the first two rows.) Scott, I see myself on the end, Dan next to me and you next to him. We are all busily scribbling away. I am busy figuring out what numbers go where when I pause to look up to think or exhale and my eye rested on the Periodic Table of the Elements on my right. The heavens probably didn’t actually open as a ray of sun shone on the Table but it felt like it. Suddenly it made sense. I understood why everything was where it was. It was as if everything had been moving and then it all settled into place and I could finally read it clearly. I wanted to shout. After months of slogging through with a dim understanding and a passle of “A’s” I finally got it. I wish I could convey what an amazing experience it was…until I looked down at my exam and could no longer fill in the formulas.
!!!
I had a split second choice. On one hand I had the possibility of a real education, learning and understanding, on the other I had the proof of it, if not the fact. In a panic I chose the proof and shut my eyes and imagined myself shoving the epiphany right out of my brain. When I opened them the formulas made sense again and the Table has been a mystery since.
I got an A.
How is that a picture of my life? I’ll tell you later.
………………………………….
Well kids, I am off the blog for a couple of days as I am going to a friend’s for a ladies weekend. There will only be three of us. I am going to suck the marrow of this pretty little time. I love love love my hostess and we are on the same page “Be quiet, relax, take long walks, cook together, eat healthy food (with the exception of Dots candy in popcorn, her request and guacamole, mine.) I tried to come on Tuesday, but she was firm, “The weekend starts on Friday, Alison” Picky. Picky.
Are you wondering how the place is going to be quiet if I am there? We are planning to read. Ha!
Have a great weekend.
Hava a wonderfully relaxing ladies weekend. LOVE your chemistry story (though being science challenged – none of it makes any sense to me!) And I think I will have to adopt your new saying “being a bit of a twitcher…” Something like that will come in handy loads of places. A perfect defining explanation. 🙂
I loved this post. You are very funny and clever at 4:30 in the morning. I had a similar experience in chemsitry (no understanding, just get the grade), but without the epiphany at the end. Just muddled through miserably. One of my favorite high school stories is from that class, though. I should share it one of these days.
I did get the four men thing. Sorry.
Have a wonderful weekend. I’m a tad jealous. First Sheila, now you. I used to do things like this occasionally, back when I lived near friends I’d known for more than just a few months. Feeling a little lonely now that the excitement and busyness of summer has ended.
Enjoy that guac.
My memory says chemistry was our junior year, with advanced biology and physics in year 12. But I could be wrong. A’s were always more important than understanding – I mean, it’s nice having both, but if you’ve gotta choose, you’ve gotta choose.
I have discovered over the years that I have no auditory memory. I am an auditory moron. My wife knows the lyrics to every song in the 80s and I know the lyrics to “Jesus Loves Me” and “Twinkle Little Star” – and I’m sure I saw those in print at some time.