I can't take credit for the title quote, they are my dad's wise words. But truly, situations lately have made me question the true motive behind men, young and old, doing what they do in the name of being gentlemen.

Exhibit A: I walk out of my school last week to see that my front tire is looking a bit low. I drive myself to the nearest gas station where there is free air, get out of my car with my tire pressure gauge and unscrew the cap. I'm coming from work so yes, I'm in a skirt, but I'm fairly certain I am in no way looking helpless. I check the air, see I could use a bit more, take the air hose, and suddenly a man carrying a suitcase appears out of nowhere and starts mocking me, asking when I became a mechanic and what I thought i was doing trying to fill my own tire with air. Okay, so maybe he's trying to be nice and just not succeeding, so i graciously step to the side as he lunges for my tire, all the while exclaiming how frightfully low it is and then questions me about the cap as if he was expecting me to have lost it. He runs his hand around the rim of the tire, uh-huhing to himself until i tell him to use the gauge and how much air it should have in it. He begins filling my tire, a process that should have taken, say, 20 seconds tops (it really wasn't that low) but he just keeps filling and filling and pumping that air in. I start to get a little skeptical that he knows anything about what he's doing and extremely nervous that we will be seeing an explosion of rubber any second. He starts walking around my car comparing the tires to each other and my anxiety grows. He checks the pressure with the gauge and as expected, it's completely overfilled. He tries it a couple times and again and again sees that it's extremely overfilled.
"Well, I think your gauge is broken, I don't know how that happened. But if you find that your tire is low again in the morning you're gonna need to seek some professional help. It's got a leak."
Thanks.
"I can't believe you were trying to do this out here in a skirt on your own!"
Sir, don't underestimate me. I may be a woman but i just might know a thing or two. (Try to be nice, Mikale.)
"I'm just glad I was here. But shoot, if a woman's gonna be president maybe i should just keep my mouth shut!"
I couldn't have said it any better. On so many levels.
So he waits for me to pull out of the station on a tire i am TERRIFIED to drive on because it could explode on me any minute. I nod politely, he grins that 'what would you ever do without me' smile and yells something at me about my car pulling to the left that i don't even pretend to acknowledge. I pull into the parking lot next door to the station and spend 5 minutes letting out most the air in my tire until it's drive able again.

Exhibit B:
I'm sitting in my office after school when one of my students comes up to the door and says,
"You know, Ms. Clark, you're a whole lot smarter than you look."
Wow, you sure know how to flatter a teacher.
"No, but really, some of my teachers just look smart, but you, you don't. You kind of sneak up on somebody and BAM, they realize that they've learned something that they didn't expect from you. It's really very palatable for you."
I have no idea what that means in that context. But i'd probably stop right there if it were you.
"It takes away the intimidation factor as well. People aren't very afraid of that blonde-type."
Enough said, kido. I have work to do.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that chivalry itself is stupid, I'm all for it in theory. What girl isn't lobbying for men to a be a bit more like what Leo was to Claire? Boy,Shakespeare sure got it right. I'm just saying the attempts at being chivalrous seem to have all failed miserably for those a few of those Y-chromosomed folks here in MD.

On a side note, many of you have been asking about my guitar skills lately, wondering if I really am able to keep up teaching my quick learning "Beginning Guitar I" class. Let me just say: Chivalry is certainly not a vocabulary term widely known in there and I have plenty of managing of a class to do that my up and coming guitar skills are sufficient for my and their needs. Really though, school's been amazing, I love my classes, I'm excited about the prospects of the future there, and the kids are hilarious. I'm glad to be where I am and yes, i can play almost any song you want me to on the guitar. Invite me to your bonfire and I'll give you a demo.
Except for chords. Which yes, you can argue is the premise of all guitar playing. Still working on those.