Manifestations of a Tethered Soul: Pete and Repeat

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Pete and Repeat

You know the old joke. Pete and Repeat were sitting in a boat and Pete fell out. Who was left? It's been told in various variations (on a fence and Pete fell off, walking in the street and Pete got run over, on a wall and Pete jumped down). In each variation the correct answer is "Repeat" and you're off again retelling the joke until your unsuspecting listener gets the joke.

I have a teacher who has, in essence, been repeating a variation of that joke but it's not the joke and it isn't meant to be funny. Every day so far, in class and by email, he has made it clear that if we aren't rereading the books for this class three or four times, we don't "have a chance in passing the class."

"Student 1 and Repeat are attending my class and Student 1 doesn't do the rereading of his books. Who passes my class. Repeat. Student 1 and Repeat are attending this class and Student 1 doesn't do the rereading...."

So, filled with fear and anxiety, I sit down to read a book that I skimmed through last month and I discovered something that I never noticed before. It's missing 32 pages. 32! How did I miss that? Even more, in their place is a repeat of pages 97-128. I never caught it, never noticed it, and when I read it again last night, it made perfect sense to me. That's when you know you have been reading too long and too much.

Now, the real kicker is that it is specifically 20 some pages in those missing 32 that I need to do a paper for next week. One or two pages you can probably do with out and still do a paper, but not 20.

No spiritual insight do I have about this. No worldly wise observation. No words of encouragement. Just a simple "oh, well" because sometimes, that is all we are left with - "oh, well."

And a book missing 32 important pages.

Now, for you visual folk, here are some phone/camera pictures of Duke so you will know where I am hanging my hat for the month.

Duke Chapel