I have been subconsciously engaged in a 'Scholastic King of the Hill' this whole time. You see, most people try desperately to get to the far right end of the bell curve. Generally, further to the right is always better. But maybe there's a flaw in the way the bell curve presents information. I was taught that you win by staying at the top of the hill, not by falling/being thrown down the other side. I realize the importance of conforming to their system, but somewhere, during a scout camp long ago, it was burned into my soul that only the crest of the hill matters. Or maybe it was ingrained in my heart long before that. Maybe Gaga's right and I was just born this way. I don't know. I remember that ultimate feeling of power though. Standing at the top, the desperation in the smaller kids' eyes and the dirt in their teeth. Being at the top made you the Alpha Male or Beach Master. You could call yourself whichever you preferred because you were king.
So, I probably fixated on that whole experience too much. It's unfortunate that when I finally started to win I became "too old" to play anymore. But I guess I found a new hill to fight on, the bell curve. Now, I don't mean to get all technical, but I should clarify that it is the mode that I always strive for, not the mean. The mode is the most common score and therefore the top most point on the hill. (I am surprised you didn't know that.) Being the mean, or average, just doesn't satisfy. The mode (or the way as it is known around my apartment) is completely different. The mode contains all the thrill and glory associated with being King of the hill.
One time, some jerk in the 98th percentile tried to explain to me that he was more intelligent than me, but I knew who was really on top. ...I then threw him down a real hill, to drive my point home. Who's laughing now?
