Tuesday, October 23, 2007


My teacher pulled me aside. She wore a knit dress--pink, orange, yellow, and brown. Her hair was piled blond on her head with a giant gold pair of tweezers sticking out of it. She leaned down near my face, near my eyelashes, and said (smell of coffee), "Sean, what is the one invention . . . what one thing that we can't even dream of today on this red and golden afternoon of 1972 will people be most happy about having on some damp night in October of your 43rd year? Will we have purple hover cars? Will we be able to feed the world? Will women rule? Will the war be over?"

I blinked my eyes. I thought to myself.

"Well," I said, "everyone will be most happy about being able to have their phones with them at all times. Yes, they will all carry their phones with them at all times."

"Oh."

"Yep."