The Partly Dave Show
Go Away I'm Reading
The Partly Dave Show
Context: This essay was written for, and performed in, the November 19, 2011 edition of The Paper Machete , a weekly showcase for Chicago journalists, comedians, and other writers, hosted by Christopher Piatt. I’m just getting around to posting it now because, well, my own universe is fairly chaotic and other deadlines prevailed. You are encouraged to mentally translate references to “this week” as “a week or so ago.”
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about a shiny hunk of metal in the shape of a cylinder. This particular cylinder is made of platinum and iridium, and it’s kept under three different bell jars, locked away in a vault outside of Paris. It requires three different officials with three different keys to access it. Human hands are not allowed to touch it, except under special circumstances, on rare occasions.
It’s even known by a special name: Le Grand K. Or Le Grand Kah , if you want to be very French about it, and since we’re all grown-ups here I suppose we can.
The Partly Dave Show
Go Away I'm Reading
The Partly Dave Show