a-p-p-o-g-g-i-a-t-u-r-a

You know what you call a kid who can spell that word correctly? A L-O-S-E-R
The National Spelling Bee, or in NASCAR terms, The 78th Annual Scripps Spelling Bee was today and some kid from SoCal won by spelling that word. The kid's name? Anarug Kashyap. No kidding. Microsoft Word's spellcheck couldn't figure that one out. Three of the judges got eliminated when they couldn't pronounce his name. This kid was born to enter spelling bees.

I understand the importance of having a good vocabulary, but studying to win a spelling bee is a big waste of brain space. It's good to be able to correctly spell everyday words and phrases correctly, but who is ever going to need to spell words like appoggiatura, totidusa, grintortful, or moops? I made up some of those words, but if asked about it, I would just give a fake definition like 'totidusa, refering to the underside of a leaf from a South American tree.'

So what happens to all these kids who win the national spelling bee? Unless if there has been a repeat spelling champion, there are 78 of these nerds in history. (Imagine that, a repeat national spelling bee champion.) Is it something you brag about in high school or college, since we all know that chicks dig the long-word spelling ability? Do they move on to compete in national Boggle or Scrabble tournaments? Does Webster's offer them a contract?

Of course, while these kids may be dictionary-reading losers, I'm betting they will probably end up better off in the long run than those 6th grade kids who can't spell H-O-U-S-E.

In other news, someone paid $4,150,000 for a nickel. At least the 6th grader knows a nickel is worth only 5 cents.
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