Okay, so I'm evil. Maybe it's the teasings administered by my family in my shy youth. I distinctly remember Uncle Roland's voice booming out, "Karen, you're making too much noise back there," on our way to grandma's house from the airport, as I sat meekly in the back seat wondering why Jacksonville smelled so bad. Apparently that experience, and being raised in Belgium (I mean, Akron) made me evil.

Case In Point #1: My father-in-law is explaining to my husband that the minister about to perform the (re)marriage is very nice, but he drives a pick-up truck and went to the University of Florida, so he has two strikes against him. So I speak up, very seriously. "You know, I graduated from the University of Florida." Ah, the entertainment value watching the FIL backpedal was priceless. It almost makes up for the fact that he always seems surprised to learn that I have a college degree. (And, BTW, I think there's nothing wrong with pick-up trucks, as long as they are not of the monster variety.)

Case In Point #2: Husband's cousin is quizzing me about where I'm from. When I mention that I used to live in Jacksonville he remarked that no one likes that city. "Actually," I say, straight-faced,"my mother still lives there and I enjoy going to see her. And that's her home town, so she likes it quite a bit." I then extolled the virtues of the Bold New City of the South, including the fact that it doesn't smell near as bad as it used to. "Oh," he says, looking a little uncomfortable. "Well, the Riverwalk there is nice."

Friend Brian says I'm not evil, I'm naughty. I suppose I aspire to be evil, if that's the case. I know I shouldn't enjoy taking sly jabs at people when they leave themselves open. Hopefully this habit will not earn me too many negative karma points.