4

Day 4 ~ A habit you wish you didn't have.

I should be more ashamed to admit to this, but I can be really judgmental of people who don't know things I think they should know.

I know it's wrong, I know I shouldn't do it, I know it's not very Christlike or positive or good-karma-inducing or whatever . . . but in my defense I also know that I'm right. Generally speaking, people should know these things.

For example - remember Miss South Carolina? Yes, let us all take a moment to revel in her pitiable nervous ineptness. But what kind of gets to me is that because of her answer, the question has gotten lost - 1/5 of Americans can't locate the US on a map. ONE-FIFTH. TWENTY PERCENT!! That's insane!!

I'm sure a lot of people will chalk this up to failing schools and crappy teachers and all the same complaints that I first heard from my parents' lips (not to me of course, but they had quite the tendency to talk as if we were deaf when we were kids) clear back when I was a kid. And while heaven knows the public education system has its issues, I'm am not laying this one on the schools. You can't find Uzbekistan on a map? That's okay, I can't either - and I'll bet most people can't . . . unless they live in Uzbekistan. You can't find Greece on a map? Okay, that might be to do sub-par geography education. You, an America, cannot find the United States of America on a map? I'm sorry, either you are legitimately mentally handicapped . . . or you are a freaking moron.

Another example - I get really judgmental when it comes to Mormons not knowing things they should. Case in point: at this point I'm beginning to believe that my family are the only ones who know the Kirtland, Ohio, is pronounced KirTland, not KirKland.

Absolutely. Drives. Me. Nuts.

I have a cousin in the MTC right now, her mission includes Kirtland and her farewell was two weeks ago tomorrow. There was some extra time at the end of the meeting and some stake dude or other got up to fill it. And talked about the time he and his wife had spent in Kirtland years. Only it was Kirkland this and Kirkland that, and I swear if he had said the name of that town one more time I would have jumped up, right there in the chapel, and screamed "IT'S PRONOUNCED KIRTLAND, YOU MORON!!!!!!!!!!"

Okay. I probably wouldn't have done that. But - eyes closed, fists clenched, teeth grinding. I seriously did want to scream. I mean, in what world - in what language?!?! - is the letter T pronounced like a K? What the crap is up with that?!?!?! Why, why, why is it so ridiculously prevalent?!!?!?!?!! Why are so many Mormons generally intelligent but somehow incapable of pronouncing this one word correctly? (and I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or not . . . but this is not a Utah phenomenon. I've run into it everywhere. grrrrr.) I'd bet you anything that if you show ANYONE else the name written down that they would have no problem saying it.

There is seriously nothing that can make me lose pretty much any and all respect for a person faster than hearing someone utter the word Kirkland.

I really shouldn't do that though. Not a very good thing, you know? But I think it's hereditary . . . on the drive back home from Twin Falls, mom was the one who brought it up for us all to rant about. And we all felt the same way. Bad hereditary habit! Bad!

Also: yes, I did pick this habit just to rant about the Kirkland guy. It's been bugging me for the last two weeks.

Alternate: I still bite my nails sometimes.


P. ost S. cript
Counterbalancing the horrible person that I am with probably the best mother cat ever. Holy breaking-glass-adorable!