The Smell of Mimeograph In the A.M.

I went to the book store today and came across an old textbook which has recently been revised.

First, I felt all superior, because I have the old school version.

Then, I opened the book and got all giddy at the sight of clean white pages--so minty fresh!

But a few seconds later, I felt all superior again, because my pages were all smudgy and penciled, and therefore more authentic.

Somewhere there is a really geeky person who can appreciate this post.

And that same person would also remember liking the smell of freshly minted mimeographed exams, and the deep satisfaction of getting graded exams and papers back from the teacher.

And doing that thing that annoyed all the normal, school-hating children of the world who are now making a lot more money than I am, probably, which is freaking out after exams and rushing back to the textbook and consulting notes and saying shrillly, "What did you get for number seven? I wasn't sure if I read too much into question 29... did you both "both a AND b" for question 11, or just "a"?"