perestroika
I have a recurring dream about returning to high school. I'm still 20 or 23 or whatever age I am when I'm having it, but NRHS has discovered I never fulfilled all my science requirements and they make me come back. And I sit there in 4th period English, trying to remember if I'm supposed to go to pre-calc or chorus after this, looking around at all the teenagers around me, with a funny feeling that there's a class I've completely forgotten to go to all semester. And then I start to think--wait--am I really supposed to be here? Didn't I finish this already--and go to college even--and then graduate from that? And then go out into the world? No matter how far I've gotten some part of my brain thinks I still owe something to the high school gods, that I didn't do everything I was supposed to there.
I got to find out what it would be like to go back. My cashier training started tonight, in a classroom with desk-arm chairs and flourescent lights and 15 high school students, all of whom knew they were supposed to wear their uniforms to training (I did not). The teacher, at the front of the room, asking me to tell everyone my name since I was the only one without a name tag, calling out questions while people raised their hands, grading our pop quiz with a red pen. It was so surreal, you guys. I spent a lot of time thinking about who I was in high school. I also hopefully learned how to scan grocery items.
I wish I could post this whole essay since it changed my life, when I first read it on a train when I was 19. New Jersey Transit, not, like, a romantic train. I read it again today and I'm just going to give you the last three sentences because if I read them on their own, I'd probably disagree and maybe even get mad--isn't that great?
"Marx was right: The smallest divisble human unit is two people, not one; one is fiction. From such nets of souls societies, the social world, human life springs. And also plays."
--Tony Kushner, November 15, 1993
I got to find out what it would be like to go back. My cashier training started tonight, in a classroom with desk-arm chairs and flourescent lights and 15 high school students, all of whom knew they were supposed to wear their uniforms to training (I did not). The teacher, at the front of the room, asking me to tell everyone my name since I was the only one without a name tag, calling out questions while people raised their hands, grading our pop quiz with a red pen. It was so surreal, you guys. I spent a lot of time thinking about who I was in high school. I also hopefully learned how to scan grocery items.
I wish I could post this whole essay since it changed my life, when I first read it on a train when I was 19. New Jersey Transit, not, like, a romantic train. I read it again today and I'm just going to give you the last three sentences because if I read them on their own, I'd probably disagree and maybe even get mad--isn't that great?
"Marx was right: The smallest divisble human unit is two people, not one; one is fiction. From such nets of souls societies, the social world, human life springs. And also plays."
--Tony Kushner, November 15, 1993
posted by Anna at 1:13 PM
4 Comments:
hey!
what are you doing next weekend, say, friday-night-ish? my belly dance teacher is performing in austin somewhere (i don't have the details yet) and i'm convincing m that we have to go.
Oh Liz we should definitely make this happen. Our own reunion, with belly-dancing performance. Hey do you remember the weekend at powell house where we all learned to bellydance and then...did we spend the rest of Saturday with our shirts off? Was it just for cabaret? I can't exactly remember but I know I still have pictures of a lot of girls in bras, looking very happy.
You should try to come up and bring Matt too, and if you want to stay over there is plenty of space here. There is a small, horrible chance that I might get scheduled to work on friday night...i think i should be able to find out for sure tomorrow. but even then you should still come so you can see your teacher and we can hang out as soon as central market sets me free
absolutely. Oh excellent. i don't know if we'll stay (probably not but probably we'll decide on friday nite when we're all sleepy if we should come back and take care of the dogs or stay and be sleepy) but .. excellent. Yay. :) i'll get details from the belly teacher on tuesday or so
***
so. the bellydance thing is apparently the 3rd anniversary of the Arabian Nights morrocan store and is at the Red Fez club, at the corner of 5th and Colorado (209B West 5th). starts at 6 but we can never get to Austin until at least 7 or 8 (work 'til 5, et c.). see also world-music-dance productions.com. only i'm a little confused because there are Two 3rd-anniversary parties and the other is in october and i want to make sure that my instructor is not confused and is dancing at the other one (b/c she said it was a CD release, too, which is the one in october). In which case we'll go and have a good time anyway. Or you could come here and we could go to Austin for the time-when-my-instructor-is-dancing. Either way. :)
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