why we love Mr. Wikipedia

The first week of school, while my friend Lorena and I were waiting for Mr. Wikipedia to show up to class (Spanish lit. since modernism), she asked me how he was as a professor. I mentioned the first few things that came to mind: (1) he loves Wikipedia, and has even invented the Spanish verb "wikipediar" to mention liberally in class, (2) he tests on random details, so write down everything he says, and (3) sometimes I think he makes it all up as he goes along.

Then I felt bad for exaggerating.

Felt bad, that is, for about five minutes, until Mr. Wikipedia came in.

Since then, each session of class is a new voyage of discovery for Lorena and of remembering for me. Today she said, "You know, I'm starting to think he makes it all up as he goes along."

What IS surprising is that I like Mr. Wikipedia better this time. I think it may have something to do with my eagerness to put a Mr. Wikipedia clone into my novel.

Every once in a while, he takes a small detour into a different topic or literary period to say something like this:

Tom Cruise is an excellent actor. It's just that he makes movies with bad plots.

Or this:

[In a discussion on neoclassical theater in Spain...]
"The best production I ever saw of La casa de Bernarda Alba was performed by an acting company composed totally of transvestite men. Really, it was by far the best ever. By far. And I've seen it many times. This was definitely, definitely the best. It's true."