Nothing Like Hitting the New Year Feeling Old

JRH sent me a link to one of USA Today's year end lists. I browsed through it for names I knew or thought I should know. I came across one that sounded familiar but she's an artist who draws comics and graduated from art school in Chicago and I couldn't find any reason I'd know her name. I decided that she must have boosted her public name from a fictional character and I set about looking for that character.

Lucy Knisley, Lucy Knisley, Lucy Knisley....

It just kept coming up with this artist chick, her success must have buried the character I remembered. Strangely I could hear myself saying the name over and over in my head. Why would I have done that? What reason would I have to repeat a name like that, especially one of a fictional character. I mean, even when I'm being naughty I don't repeat Pacey Witter, Pacey Witter, Pacey Witter, I use the boy's real name.

It hit me like a nerf arrow to the heart. (The real arrow went to the ego.)

"Lucy Knisley. Lucy, stop it. Lucy pay attention, please. Lucy tap, tap, tap tap tap. Come sit in the soup pot Lucy! Come see Lucy, Kizzy needs to show you something. Lucy Knisley!"

I taught Lucy Knisley. That's why the picture of herself as a kid (scroll down) that she posted on her web site looked so familiar. When she was that age I saw her and that beautiful goofy smile at least once a week.

Now she's old enough to be on a year end list and to have a best seller on Amazon.

I thought about e-mailing her to congratulate her but I don't know what I'd say. It's both cool and profoundly humbling all at once. I am both thrilled for her and overwhelmingly envious. It's nice to know that my memory still works, though, even if it's a little slow.