Giving it Up?

So, last week while I was toiling at Harvard University's Sever Hall Media and Technology Services, and one of my duties was to assist a professor with a DVD player for this class. While waiting for this professor to show up, I noticed all the students had Syd Fields' books on screenwriting. I saw this kind of beatnik-looking guy walk in (a little like Peter Tork of the Monkees actually, only scruffier) and figured he was the professor, so i approached him.

*** Note: Since so many adults take night classes at Harvard, it is often difficult to tell the instructors from the students. The fact that this guy was holding the DVD clued me in, but also my personal experiences with writers allowed me deduce that this beatnik-looking guy was in fact the professor.

*** Note #2: I use the blanket term "professor" to describe anyone who teaches a college course, but I realize there are professors and instructors and adjuncts or whatever. Faculty would be a more appropriate term, but who cares? The point is, while this guy does have an MFA, it seems odd to refer to someone like him as "professor."

So, I mentioned to this man (while helping him with his DVD player, I might add) that screenwriting was my field when I was an undergrad. His response?

"And you gave it up, huh?"

Que? Gave it up? Why? Just because I'm doing this monkey job? Fuck you, you lousy beatnik. You're not exactly lighting Hollywood on fire with your one credit on that crappy Luke Perry sitcom from last year (according to imdb.com, anyway). Besides, he doesn't even know me. How does he know that I'm not some really big indie writer? And where does he get off? He can't even shave.

I swore revenge on this man. I swore I would sabotage his DVD player next time, tear the thing out of the rack and scream, "Hah! Now you have to teach for an hour! How ya like them apples?" But actually, he turned out to be a nice guy, especially since I had a little problem making his Mac show up on the screen and had to get help. He was okay with it and actually thanked me for my effort. Ruined my whole perception of him. Still, he shouldn't have said that to me.

So, I went home and wrote a few scenes, instead.