overeducated (m)

My father used to have an expression:  the more educated you are, the dumber you get. 

On Friday, I went to an all-day meeting at my college to discuss the upcoming interviewing season for alumni interviewers and prospective students.

There was a Nor'Easter blowing through.  Heavy rain and winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.  I arrive 30 minutes before the meeting.  There is a continental breakfast.  Coffee, bagels, pastries.  No fruit.  I would have thought that the menu would have been healthier.  I had stopped at Starbucks and gotten an oatmeal beforehand so I wasn't hungry (well, I could always eat) but, still, when was the last time you saw pastries for breakfast?

I took a seat in the second row.  A very pleasant, very attractive Asian woman sits next to me and peeks at my nametag which says which geographic area I represent.  "Oh.  I used to live in that area."  We started talking and I learned that her kids went to the same elementary school as mine.  They were 7 years apart so I didn't know her.  She said they left because they had to move to Nevada to find a school challenging enough for her "gifted" son.  As I turned to look at her, I notice her two front teeth were smeared with red lipstick as if she had directly applied it to her teeth instead of her lips.  She looked hideous as she prattled on about his genius IQ.   She implied he gets his high intelligence from her.   Seriously, who cares if you score well on achievement tests if you can't even apply lipstick correctly without covering your teeth?

Lunch was on our own.  They sent us into the storm to forage for lunch.  Wouldn't you have gone to Plan B and asked people if they wanted to order in?  My umbrella broke from the wind.  I ended up at a market and got a salad which I had to carry back to the meeting.

For the afternoon break, they had plates of brownies and cookies.  Again, no fruit, no healthy bars.

By 5 p.m., we were done.  A woman I hadn't seen in a year (and who is in my group) sat next to me and never said a word about my weight loss.  I really don't think she noticed it.

I got home at 6 p.m.   T got Chinese food for dinner. I had brown rice and hot and sour soup.

I have 20 people coming to my house for a reception on Thursday evening.  I think I'll plan a more enlightened menu.