Thursday, September 20, 2012

Overwhelmed by Taco Bell

You've taken me higher, and shown me what love can do
Where would I go, or be, without you
- Tim McMorris, Overwhelmed

Today I was like really busy people. I mean I had actual meetings and shit. And I took a lunch break. So I didn't get to the gym until 6 after I took the boy to practice. I did the treadmill and was watching this special on this artist who did simple, folksy looking paintings of black people and I was thinking I did something like that in 5th grade. It was bicycle safety week and I was drawing a picture of this kid on a bike with big old wheels and we had this amazing technology whereby we could take these colorful drawings and put them onto SLIDES and actually do a slide presentation for the class. Probably the origination of PowerPoint presentations in that class right there in Pinetop, AZ. But suddenly I was called out of class because it turned out Mr. Church had died of a heart attack right there at his desk at lunch that day. And I guess people were worried about telling me because I had him twice as a teacher, in both 3rd and 4th grade. And I liked him a lot. He used to keep tootsie pops in his drawer and I remember I stole a red one one day when I was trusted in his room alone at lunch, probably recording grades or something. I felt awful about that sucker for years. But my point is, when I returned to art class the next day, someone had finished my drawing and colored the kid's skin brown. I was really pissed because that wasn't what the kid looked like in my head. She looked like me, of course. But looking back, it looked kinda cool and unique, like the paintings on the tv today, even though I was embarrassed when it was shown in front of the class. I bet it would be worth at least two dollars today. I guess sometimes it takes someone else to show you what the world can look like. And it's funny where your mind can travel while running, if you let it. Anyway, I did 3, last one with strength training. And then I went to Taco Bell and ate tacos while watching sweaty 13 year old boys run football plays.

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