ForgottenMObject
(Post Laureate)
04/04/08 04:47 PM
Re: Funny Public Outreach Questions

Hmm... back when I started college, the freshmen engineers all had to take a term of English as part of some cross-vocational study or some such silliness. You haven't suffered until you've heard engineers attempt to write poetry or had a paper on the chemical composition of the universe and how it relates to stellar evolution graded by somebody who probably still thinks the sun goes around the Earth.

Anyway, the teacher for this class was a real prize: unable to tell time with a watch, etc. Well, we start talking about hobbies or something as part of some freshman "ice-breaking" session, and I mention astronomy.

Big mistake: she assumes I am interested in astrology. Nope, I explain to her the difference, and she STILL doesn't believe me?! It actually degenerated to the point that she wouldn't even believe the dictionary definitions of the two words. Her last words on the subject where basically that "she believes that they are the same thing, but maybe she's the only one who believes that." Ummm.. yep!

In the end, I got an A in that class either because she had no idea what I was talking about half the time or because she feared I'd somehow change her future with my vast understanding of astrology, mystical signs, etc. Hehehehe...



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