Friday, October 16, 2009

The cold sting of resentment; or, I have a pencil that’s no good to me

Today, I went to the insurance place for work; and on my way out, they gave me a free pencil. I like a free pencil. With a nice, new, sharpened pencil there are several things I can do that I like to do:

a. Part my hair
b. Color in the sections of the cross-stitch pattern that I’ve already finished stitching
c. Write down appointments in my appointment book that I intend to cancel later
d. Jab holes in the covers of paperback books – oh, wait, I’m not Anna at nine.

Unfortunately I can’t do any of these things because MY FAMILY BROKE MY PENCIL SHARPENER.

Yes, I said my pencil sharpener. That really excellent electronic pencil sharpener that we had in the kitchen for years and years, next to the basket with the Q-tips, that pencil sharpener that eventually broke because too many people were using it? That was mine. I got it for Christmas one year and I loved it.

When the pencil sharpener broke, everyone was like, Oh no! Now the family doesn’t have a pencil sharpener! This is terrible! and I tried to explain that this was a personal tragedy for me because it was my personal pencil sharpener, and nobody listened to me. Everyone just kept saying how sad it was that the family pencil sharpener was broken. Which was really mine all along. Just like that stapler of Robyn’s that she finally reclaimed (I think she did anyway) after over a decade of everyone pretending it was a family stapler.

My family is a stealer. And a murderer. I bet that pencil sharpener would still be alive and kicking today if I had not out of the GOODNESS AND GENEROSITY OF MY HEART consented to allow the family to use it, rather than keeping it all to myself.

P.S. This week my mom got me a flu shot and gave me cookies as a prize for allowing her to buy me a flu shot. So I guess, on balance, I am not still mad about my pencil sharpener. It’s just, I could really use it right now. Am I supposed to part my hair with a comb?

5 comments:

anna said...

well, it's really fun to sharpen pencils with X-Acto knives.

anna said...

Oh yeah, also, two corrections: 1. I was 11-13, not nine. 2. Pencils were crap for that, they'd break and not leave satisfying holes that would then be fun when I peeled the pages apart. My paperback stabbing was almost exclusively done by pen

Jenny said...

There is no chance at all of me sharpening my pencil with an X-Acto knife. AT ALL. I would definitely cut up my fingers if I tried that.

Nancy said...

Jenny: *teeny-tiny violin plays*

Anna: Just cataloged one of your pockmarked books. Ah, memories.

Laura said...

Give me your pencil and I will sharpen it at a school. I have a very nice industrial one that my mom bought for me =)