Practically an Ode to Michio Kaku
This isn’t an angry vent– it’s mostly just something I need to say.
Okay, so there’s this kid at my school who is very probably a genius. I mean, I hardly know him and only occasionally get to speak to him, but I’m 100% sure he’s an absolute genius. I’m 60% sure he doesn’t read this site, and I need to say this somehow, so here goes.
I have a crapload of classes with him, though I don’t usually talk to him unless one of my friends does, because I’m utterly awful at starting conversation. And because of my conviction that he is a genius, I’m worried of sounding stupid. Inevitably, I do anyway.
Also, I have to admit that the majority of the people I’m in those classes with have little taste for intelligent conversation. They have no idea who Richard III is and don’t care that I once obsessed over his supposed murder of the two little princes. They don’t give a fiddler’s fart where I learned the phrase “fiddler’s fart” and why the memoir I read it in had such an impact on me. They think I talk weirdly and use strange phrases and sometimesIstutterormumble. Aaaaand since I can’t do much to steer my friends away from such topics as “WOMAN GET IN THE FUCKING SANDWICH AND MAKE ME A FUCKING KITCHEN” or how much they hate something or other, and since I can’t stop them from singing Rebecca Black’s Friday for just a second to say something intelligent– he probably thinks I’m a moron without a mind of my own.
Actually, I’m starting to think that myself.
What I really need to say is that this kid is a total enigma to me. I’m a lesbian, but the reason I’m only a 5 on the Kinsey Scale instead of a complete 6 is because of my weakness for geniuses regardless of gender. And this kid incites that weakness. I think I’ve been curious about him since… either 7th or 8th grade, when I saw him with a copy of The Alchemist (the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel). At the time, I had recently read the book myself, loved it, and thus marked him down as an official off-the-charts badass. So began his voyage down the Trail of Badassery.
Recently I got into time travel. That is a humongous understatement, but will suffice. So of course I know who Michio Kaku is, and of course he is MY PHYSICIST IDOL. I mean, HE MADE A FREAKING ATOM SMASHER IN HIS GARAGE AT AGE 16. Of course, I could tell you what color jackets and caps malign faeries wear as opposed to benign faeries (and several stories on such topics) more quickly than I could explain “Invisibility Via the Fourth Dimension,” but I am still learning to compute physics as well as I do the aforementioned Irish folklore. It’s fascinating and I want to understand it.
I say this because recently I noticed him in possession of an interesting book. A book by Michio Kaku. Physics of the Impossible. For a while I wondered if this kid could somehow read minds (the probability of doing so is detailed in Part I: Class I Impossibilities: Chapter 5 of that book). I wish he were more loquacious! I asked him about the book and he simply shrugged. I happened to stumble upon it later at Borders and O JOY OF JOYS THIS BOOK IS DELIGHTFUL. Why didn’t I know about it sooner?
Now, if only he were a girl. My Kinsey status isn’t quite that flexible. WELL, actually, it doesn’t need to be. The matter of his gender is just an “if-only” because I would probably be less awkward around him if he were female. Of course, there is still the matter of him probably considering me a total imbecile, but I like to pretend that he brushes me off as a harmless idiot and thinks little of it. I know for a fact that he would have been a gorgeous girl. As well as one of the intellectually elite. Either way, I have to forget the possibility of friendship altogether, don’t I?
Now I must sit and hope nobody I know reads this. I mean, half of the stuff within this vent is probably really weird and anyone reading it probably feels REALLY unspeakably awkward…. That’s… probably not good.
loading...
Random Posts
Ah, how well written this was, I must say I enjoyed reading it, even if that wasn’t your intent when posting it. Your brilliants astounds me. It is a rare jem that a child of this modern era considers intelligence an attractive quality. But enough with praise. I don’t know if I can give advice to this, or even if I should, but I was drawn to your posting for a reason, and I can’t keep my opinions to myself. It may be hard to do, but talk to the boy. Just say, “I like your choice of literature,” And leave it at that. Who knows, this boy just may need a friend. I’m not saying fall in love with him, but sometimes its good to reach out to others.
loading...
A friendship, regardless of where you sit on the Kinsey scale, is not out of the realm of possibility! Because you have intellectual interests in common, once you’ve broken the ‘loquacity barrier’ you’ll likely be able to learn a lot from each other.
Another thing—as a lesbian, maintaining friendships with males can be even more important than for non-lesbians. There are important perspectives that can be shared, over time. Even if this particular fellow only becomes your alchemist pal, bear that in mind in the future.
And another thing, that you might not have been asking for advice on—if your friends aren’t fantastically interesting to you, don’t feel bad about reading a book you _are_ fantastically interested in over lunch. Make friends with folk who inspire new ideas.
loading...
^
i think you mean *gem
loading...