Can You Use it in a Sentence?

It's National Spelling Bee time again. Was it last year that the kid passed out during the competition? Yup, here's the video. A Lafayette kid made it to the second round this year. His older sister has been in the National competition 4 times. Damn...I guess they don't need spell-check in that house...just a lot of, "Can you use it in a sentence?"

My spelling bee success was hardly national. It wasn't even school-wide. I think it was in first grade my class had a little spelling bee. It got down to 3 of us left and I wanted desperately to win. Allan missed his next word and I got it right...BOOYAH! Now, it was just Sarah and me. Her turn...her word is 'twenty'. No problem, right? Piece of cake, right? Nope...unfortunately for Sarah, our teacher was an Indiana native and doesn't enunciate that word very well. Sarah gives it her all: "Twenny...T-W-E-N-N-Y...Twenny". Sorry, thanks for playing...we have some lovely parting gifts for you as you exit...LOSER!I don't know what the prize was, if anything...but I carried that win as a badge of honor for the rest of the day. Who am I kidding...all year.

Four years later our school was trying to get someone into the state Geography Bee. It's hardly as prestigious as the spelling bee...but I tried, anyway. I rocked the house with my geographical knowledge...people were in awe. I even beat Tiffany, and I have never let her forget it. It came time for the school-wide competition and we were herded into the 'big gym'. I was there dressed for success...new black jeans (they may have been tight-rolled...this was 1990, you know) and my lucky red sweater. I was ready to rule the school. I think my mom even showed up. Tiffany was there, although I don't think she was cheering me on...she was still bitter about her loss. Everything went perfectly. I knew everything that people were asked in front of me. It's almost my turn. Step into the spotlight. (There was no spotlight...it was in the gym.) Here comes my question: Which state is larger, Maine or Massachusetts? Well, I was ready for this. No one I knew was from Maine. I had family that lived in Massachusetts...and I had gotten the spelling of it down, finally. I answered confidently, "Massachusetts is larger than Maine."

*ring* (that's the bell they sound when you are wrong)

WHAT!?!?!? How could this be? I slunk back to me seat...hot now in my sweater...stupid sweater. It was the middle of spring, damn lucky sweater. STUPID SWEATER. It was obviously the sweater's fault. I hung my head in shame. I was ready to accept my deserved ridicule...but it never came. No one cared, lol. It was fantastic. I think Tiffany ribbed me about it for a while...but that's because she is a bitch and we are like that. At least I know, now, that Maine is about 3.9 times larger than Massachusetts.

So, those are my Bee stories...I am allergic to bees.