May 26, 2005
two random observations
so i went to home depot yesterday to get a couple of things, such as paint, stains and pads. when i got over to the paint dept and told the guy that i needed enough paint to cover 215 square feet, and asked for a base color with an eggwash sheen, but not satin, he looked at me quizzically (excellent word!) and then mixed the paint. when he put it in the shaker i started talking about stains, and told him we were going to be treating new wood and asked if we should be concerned with the stain differentially coloring the soft and hard wood. he told me that this was in fact a concern, that most people completely miss, and showed me some stuff to treat the wood with to avoid it. then he told me he'd carry the paint to the checkout for me since i didn't have a cart (we're talking 2 gallons here). whatever. as we walked we talked about the stain and the grain of the wood (yes, i *know*) and when we got over to the register the guys there had this odd little exchange of looks... and then they fell over themselves trying to get me all the stuff i needed to get my manufacturer's rebate on the paint and offered to help me carry stuff to the car. honestly. just because i happen to know a little about what i was talking about...
then, on the radio the hosts were discussion Stevie Nicks (sp?) and how she's celebrating her birthday with a "world wide tour" that would take her "all over the country". i was struck by the fact that these people seem to think that travelling all around the US constitutes a world-wide tour... and it reminded me how horrified i was to hear about what my friends at vassar had learned in their history classes: nothing. well, i mean, very little about anything not involving the US. this makes me very sad, because i see the effects of not knowing much about your fellow world-citizens everyday in displays of ignorance (and we're not just talking about people asking me if Norway is the capital of Sweden). on the other hand, i realize that the US is a large country and there's lots to learn about it. however, i do feel that finding a middle ground might not be a bad idea... a lot of people are really offended by Americans and their lack of knowledge. *sigh*
Posted by lara at May 26, 2005 05:35 PM
