Genius

Like papipeguy I went to Catholic schools too. And in 5th grade, I thought I was a genius. Unfortunately, Sister Katherine was of a differing opinion. She showed us a slide show before lunch about Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. She pointed out in one slide where he hung nets under himself in case he dropped a brush. After lunch, in science class, she told us about Isaac Newton, and how he "discovered" gravity. Aside from my basic skepticism which would not allow me to believe it took humanity until the 17th century to figure out that when things fall--they fall DOWN, there seemed to be evidence that Michelangelo understood this concept several centuries earlier, and maybe he should get the credit for "discovering" gravity. Of course, I raised my hand to point this out to Sister Katherine.

Now if you have never experienced the exquisite agony of one of those 3 foot wooden pointers with the little rubber tip coming down sharply against the back of your legs, I can assure you that it will knock the "genius" out one's system rather quickly. And then, the call to the parents that afternoon concerning their "smartass" son which invariably resulted in another "spanking...."

The moral of the story: Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between someone who is really smart, and someone who is simply a smartass. (Unless, of course, you are Sister Katherine).