4. Unemployment
When I was unemployed, I had all kinds of things to do to fill my time. I read an obscene amount, I wrote, I edited an online magazine, and I even drew. If I had been getting paid for all those things, I would’ve been living the dream. I’m very happy to be employed now. But I wish I had more time to read.
3. Making Friends (sort of)
Once, on the subway platform, two girls were talking about the tote bag of a girl who had just walked by. It had a quote on it, and they were wondering where it was from. I knew it was from “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville, which I had to read in an insufferable American Lit class. I didn’t say anything though.
2. Trivia Night
At a holiday-themed trivia night, a bonus question was a quote from O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” and I correctly identified it, thus winning my whole team shots. The shots weren’t that great — they kind of tasted like watered-down Hawaiian Fruit Punch— but it was another victory for the liberal arts.
1. Family Ties
My teenage brother had an assignment for his English class in which he had to write several poems on one theme. I chose the theme (“Home” — I know, quite derivative) and wrote five poems. I also made the book jacket, using a Japanese binding technique. He turned it in late and got a B.
