57 - are you sure cornell is really an ivy?

for some strange reason, i have an uncanny ability to remember most full and complete conversations i have. i can remember the first conversation i ever had with aj-dub back at schedule pick-up in 6th grade like it happened yesterday. i can remember the first voicemail cb ever left on my cell phone, and i know exactly where i was that day and the reason why i couldn't answer the phone. i can remember verbatim the entire conversation i had at a bar (while extremely intoxicated at a bachelorette party) the night i met RT - that one is a real gem. your argument could be that these were significant events regarding people who are still important in my life, but the fact is, it's just a weird talent i have. my friends and many of my co-workers can attest that when i tell a story, it's never complete without me quoting a conversation at some point. i think it makes the stories more entertaining, but in reality it probably only makes them longer...sorry!

a few weeks ago, i had the following conversation with a friend who shall remain nameless...because i'm pretty sure i made him look silly (at least in my mind). i'll refer to him as Random Friend (RF) in this reenactment. for some reason, this conversation came back to me this morning as i walked into work and it made me smile to myself (no small task during this hellacious week!), so i thought i'd share.

me: i think i want a long-sleeved t-shirt from an ivy league school.
RF: why do you want that?
me: to make me look smart, obviously.
RF: (looks at me like, "seriously?")
me: plus, i collect college t-shirts, and it would be nice to add an ivy to my collection.
RF: ooookay. which school do you want?
me: first of all, i do not appreciate your skepticism. second, i want a cornell shirt.
RF: cornell?! out of all the ivy league schools, you pick cornell?
me: yes!
RF: i mean, why not just go with one of the standards - like harvard or yale?
me: oh, please. i see people wearing harvard shirts and think, "yeah, right. i BET you really went to harvard."
RF: but you didn't go there either!!
me: yes, i see your point. but at least cornell is more believable and less predictable than stupid harvard and yale.
RF: but if your point is to get a shirt from an ivy league school to add it to your collection and make yourself appear smart to the general public...shouldn't you get one from a school that everyone knows is an ivy?
me: again, i get where you're coming from. however, everyone knows that cornell is an ivy. it's just like the underdog ivy - kind of like northwestern in the big 10.
RF: are you sure cornell is really an ivy? i think you're confusing it with penn.
me: cornell is an ivy league school located in new york. i am not confusing it with penn!
RF: i don't think it's really an ivy league school.
me: then let me rephrase - SMART PEOPLE KNOW THAT CORNELL IS AN IVY...which is why i want a cornell long-sleeved t-shirt...for my birthday, please.

and again, my cell phone aided me in winning yet another argument, as my dear random friend had to acquiesce that i was right after wikipedia told us so. i win!