I'm an idiot

meeting with fraser, originally uploaded by Mr. Wright.

So a few days ago when I went to the capitol I took this picture. It's a good picture. That's State Senator Troy Fraser talking about school reform to some folks from an educators association, of which there were 400 at the capitol that day. But I got distracted by other stuff and didn't think to submit it for either the Telegram or, I realize now, the AP wire.

Here's the only photo AP had from the event.



If anyone ran a photo about this rather minor story, I might've had a good chance of getting mine picked up. But it didn't even occur to me until 72 hours after the fact.

I'm doing a good job.*

* For those who don't know, the story behind this line is quite entertaining.

When I was 16 I worked as a basket-pusher at HEB — back in the days when men were men and basket-pushers were real basket-pushers, not these sissified basket-guiders using those robot-looking things. My HEB was also situated at the top of a hill, and there wasn't a tree within half a mile of its uphill parking lot.

So one typically blazing San Antonio Sunday afternoon, I had been pushing my wares for about an hour straight. I was hot. And thirsty. But I had one more stack of about 20 carts to spin around en masse, which was an effort in itself for all 110 pounds of me.

Finally, I get this massive load going slowly back toward the front door, and near the top of the hill I pass a lady on her way out. She looks at me and kind of stops. Then she changes her path slightly to come my way. Up she walks, gets about six feet from me, leans over, smiles and gives me a thumbs up as she says, "You're doing a good job!"

"Oh, thanks," I say — but as my mouth forms the words I feel my tongue recoil back inside my mouth. For, you see, I had been walking with my mouth hanging open and my tongue flopped out on my bottom lip like a sunning lizard.

And then it all adds up.

Because my HEB also employed as basket-pushers some kids with Down's Syndrome.

Thus was born the taunt, "You're doing a good job!" But don't forget the thumbs up.