ASSumptions

When you're a young person living in A2, the assumption is you go to U of M. So if you meet someone at a bar or what-have-you, and he asks what you're studying and you say law, the assumption is UofM. Fact is, it's a bit embarrassing to explain, "oh, no, there's actually a nice little law school across the street from U of M- that's where I go. What's it called? Um, Ave Maria. . . Well, it was founded by the founder of Domino's. . . uh, yeah, he has a lot of money and he just wanted to found a law school I guess. . . " Things get weird fast b/c, as all U of M students are eager to tell you, they have never heard of Ave. It literally is not even on the map, although groceries stores and some gas stations literally are.

I went to the dentist a couple weeks ago & I was a tad late & the last appt of the day so I didn't want to take up their time. The dentist was an old man who I initially liked b/c he kept telling me that I have beautiful teeth. Later I didn't like him as much b/c he took advantage of my inability to speak while he was cleaning my teeth, telling me, a propos of nothing, that we shouldn't be in Iraq. But I digress.

As he prepared the instruments he asked me if I'm a student. Yes, I say. What's my field of study? I'm a first-year law student, I say nervously, b/c the follow-up to that is going to take a long time. But I didn't get the chance to give my lame explanation of where I go to school. He got all excited and started shouting how brilliant I must be to have gotten in to UofM law and how hard a school that is to get into and did I know that it's a top ten for law and wowee zowee I must be smart and hard-working and I'm going to go places in life now that I'm a law student at UofM. Now he's whistling and handing me a rinse cup and I sigh, considering whether it would even be worth it to correct his assumption. But instead I take the rinse cup and say "Thank you."