Pass me the Ginko
While my memory has never been 'BearTrap-esque' (at least in personal matters, sadly, when dealing with childhood television shows or tv jingles, I'm like Jason Borne remembering the judo chops of yore)... today on the bus to Holiday Park Aquatic Center (trophy wife capital of the Western world), I realized just how crappy my recollection of the past year is. And sadly, it will only get worse....
In a sort of Flowers for Algernon moment, I could almost feel my memory being pulled from me.
Here's the setup: Eddy, the resident genius on all things literary, SciFi and geeky, was talking of his past trip to Japan (keep in mind, he's going into 5th grade), when he started rattling off the pricing differences between Japan, the US and India
(HAHA- Isn't it crazy, Mr. Kevin? How our money is worth 100 Zen in Japan? You can buy a Wii for 10 dollars in India?! Sweet, huh?)
To which I stumbled through "Yeah... and in like, Budapest or like the Czech Republic, the Dollar is worth ummmm something like 20 Czech things..... And in the UK, Mt Dew costs 8 dollars a can... not to mention, Root Beer is nonexistent!
Them- Really?
Me- (and here it is) Uh. I think?
It is at this point that I launch into a lengthy diatribe as to what could or could not be found (think glorification of globalization) in the UK vs. the US. Nick wanted to know if Sprite was found in England. Hell if I could remember. Candy was another hot topic that, for whatever reason, I completely crapped out on.
I could not, for the life of me, remember what hot ticket items could be found in Anna's carepackages that seemed to make us go crazy, or what midwesterny treats could not be found on the Island. Oreos maybe, but even then, we found a whole shitton of them in a Lincolnshire petrol station, so they can't be that unique. Fruit Smiles from WalMart? Girl Scout Cookies? My memories are fading, fading fast.
Strange fascinations with the limits of Globalization's icy grasp aside, it was a chilling moment. I could blame my bad memory, the hypnotic quality of Iowa sunsets in summer, even the concussion I got in 5th grade when Brian landed on my head with the sled in the backyard. (lesson to all- railroad ties and tiered landscaping is a recipe for sledding disaster).
The final straw occurred last night, while eating FULL Priced appetizers at Applebees with Dan, John, Frenchie, and Tom, when I made reference to "Remember last year....." followed by a statement regarding my sophomore campaign at Luther. As if Nottingham had never happened? Christ, what's become of me...
I need to immerse myself back into the Nottedness of it all. Give me Mark and Carol, give me digestive biscuits, give me Coke Light. Give me Yorkshire Golden Tea or give me death.
posted by Kevin @ 2:20 AM
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