LETS MAKE ALL THE WORDS MEAN THE SAME THING ALL THE TIME

Blog number 167                                               May 12, 2008

When I was in the fourth grade I wanted to be a "red belt."  A red belt wore a crossing guard belt except that it was red and the job attached was to stop kids from doing forbidden things on the playground - like fighting, playing rough on the teeter totter and so forth.  We never really stopped the miscreants, we would just tell them that if they didn't stop, we would tell a teacher.

I wanted to be a red belt real bad.

I wanted to be a red belt badly.

Pick one.

I went to the teacher who was in charge of the red belts and she told me to be in her room a quarter after eight on Monday.  Goody!  So a few days later it was Monday and I arrived twenty-five minutes after eight.  She told me I was too late.  She said to come back next Monday a quarter after eight.

Next Monday, same thing.  I arrived twenty-five minutes after eight.  This happened three times in a row.

I wish I remembered how I finally learned that a quarter, in time language, was fifteen - not twenty-five.  I think the teacher figured out what was going on and enlightened me, but I'm not sure.  I might be thinking that because it is logical.

Every time that happened to me - that I was late, I was just SO puzzled.  And frustrated.  I was there on time, yet I was late???