Who Built the Pyramids? The Farting Hero.

Or any of that stuff? Easter Island? The Stonehenge ring?

There's this false assumption that some people make. The assumption is that ancient people were not as smart or imaginative as we are now. It could be that they were smarter and more imaginative. Also, more patient.

Did you know that the pyramid builders were paid primarily in beer? I'm serious.

In other news, god, these kids are driving me nuts. Three more school days. We have a blizzard warning, so who knows what will happen? Christmas break early? We're all hoping, of course. It says right there on the weather report, "Only travel in case of emergency." Does that mean I should call off work?

Today, I gave this fabulous lecture (if I do say so myself!) about Joseph Campbell's monomyth, The Hero's Journey. It culminated with something like, "You are all heroes on your own journeys. Your mission is to make the world a better place." Just before I got to that slide on the power point- or actually, right at that moment, right as I hit the button- someone farted. Loud and stinky. It took five minutes to get the class under control again.

Jerk.

My only consolation: When I collected their notes, 90% of the class had written down, "My mission is to make the world a better place." Including the farter- I think he farted intentionally right then. Some people have that talent, and most, if not all, of those people with that talent, make use of it in middle school lectures when their teachers are talking about the meaning of life!

Well, at least he's good at something. Perhaps the farter has found his bliss. But do you see how sometimes I believe ancient peoples were at least as smart as we are now? There aren't any cave paintings of people passing gas- or are there?