Monday, May 12, 2008

The Eternal Learning Curve

Indulge me for a moment while I bitch about something trivial. I've been here since October, and I had never learned how to use the can openers that Israeli's use regularly. I know what your all thinking now. "It's a can opener, what could there be to figure out?" Allow me to show you.


No crank, no wheel, no nothing. The thing was baffling to me. I bought a junk can opener from Supersal just because it looked like one from home. Suffice it to say, it didn't work as well as one from home. It still gave me a sense of comfort. Then the unthinkable happened: I went to open a can of tuna last night, and discovered that my shitty can opener was broken. No longer would it open anything. I was left with but one choice. I could force myself to work the survival can opener, or I could stop eating anything that comes in a can. Being the hardheaded person that I am, there was but one choice. I grabbed the survival can opener, and I began to struggle. And how I struggled. I was sweating, my arm was aching, and I was making no progress. Then, suddenly, I braced the opener against the under lip of the can, and made a small bit of progress! Emboldened, I tried to replicate my technique. It was no picnic, but I eventually got into a rhythm, and by the time my pasta was done cooking, I had opened the can! (Don't ask about what I was making - I'm still a student.) I know this is all pretty nerdy, but it's very exciting for me.

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