Guess what glorious week it is, that happens only twice out of the year for a high-schooler? In answer to, what I picture to be, your eager and curious faces…it’s exam week (blah)! I don’t have much to complain about, after all my exam load is a lot lighter than it would be at a public high school, so this post will not be one long, never ending rant. However, a funny thing did happen while I was studiously reviewing with the help of my faithful and patient tutor, my dad.
While sitting awake, bleary eyed, over my school work (note that now, even though it’s the same night, since I’m not studying I am wide awake) my dad valiantly tried to explain the concept of tapered train wheels (physics) to me. I don’t have a great love for science, especially math filled science, and so, trying to explain why one end of an object spins faster than the other, because it is wider, does not come easily. While in the midst of this explanation, my dad remembered a Calvin and Hobbes comic by Watterson (who must truly understand what it means to study physics) about this very concept.
Calvin’s Dad (to Calvin): “Playing a record? I’ll show you something interesting.”
Calvin’s Dad: “Compare a point on the label with a point on the record’s outer edge. They both make a complete circle in the same amount of time, right?”
Calvin: “Yeah…”
Calvin’s Dad: “But the point on the record’s edge has to make a bigger circle in the same time, so it goes faster. See, two points on one disk move at two speeds, even though they both make the same revolutions per minute!”
Flash forward to later that night when Calvin lays on his bed, clutching his pillow with his eyes wide open. I can imagine him thinking, “How is that possible?!?” It’s as though his very understanding of life is shaken by this unexplainable revelation.
Anyway, I thought that made for a good laugh, especially on exam night.
So, tomorrow the student population gets to venture out on half-empty stomachs, shaking like they’ve had one too many cups of highly caffeinated coffee, and attempt to pass several page long exams. By the end of the morning, we’ll be like the waking dead, more fit to be extras in a zombie flick than to be the hope of our generation. But hey, apparently, this is what learning is! (Heavy on the sarcasm.)
Before ending this post I want to highly recommend Calvin and Hobbes by Watterson, it’s hilarious and completely appropriate. Watterson manages to catch the elusive child in all of us that, as the years go by, seems to be more and more nonexistent. (Now, on to sleep, so that in the morning I can join my fellow comrades on their way to zombie-land!)
Good luck Rachel, we know you will do well. lovegrandma&grandpar
Thanks! Happily, my exams are done with and I never have to think of tapered train wheels again, unless I choose to!
Tapered train wheels, does that have anything to do with time travel? lol
a very entertaining read.. I would love to subcribe to your blog niece
or is that automatic now that I have commented?
Are you reading Cul-De-Sac by Richard Thompson? The strip is running now (two collections in stores) and it comes with the Bill Watterson seal of approval (he wrote the intro to the first book).
Aunt Shelley: Thanks! I’m actually not sure how you can subscribe, I’m pretty new to the whole blog thing. I did ask Brian though so once he tells me I’ll let you know.
Mom: Pretty sure that doesn’t include time travel, though depending on what grade I get on my physics test, I may not be the best source to ask.
Gus: No, I haven’t read it but I’ll have to look into it! I haven’t run through all the Calvin and Hobbes comics but my dad has and he might appreciate a new series. Do you like Cul-De-Sac?
I don’t miss exams, that’s for sure! You can subscribe by clicking on the rss logo. Not sure how it works for you Windows users, but for me, I just click on that and it takes me to the rss feed, which I save as a bookmark. It then notifies me when something new is posted.
Hi Shortbus! Miss ya!
The rss feed works the same on windows as it does on mac. So, you can just click it and it takes you to a page to book mark. That page will notify you when a new post is made.
haha I love you Rachie and our wonderful tutor!