You have been confronted by it<br >at least twenty-five times， beginning in at least 1978， but you have not man-<br >aged to retain the definition (something about building blocks)， and the reso-<br >nances (something about threesomes， something about birdshit) are even<br >more of a problem. You re feeling stymied. You worry that you may not use<br >spare time to maximum advantage， that the world is passing you by， that<br >maybe it wouM make sense to subscribe to a third newsweekly. Your coffee s<br >getting cold. The phone rings. You can t bring yourself to answer it.<br > Or it s like this: You do know what a quark is. You can answer the phone. It<br >is an attractive person you have recently met. How are you? How are you?<br >The person is calling to wonder if you feel like seeing a movie both of you<br >missed the first time around. It s The Year of Living Dangerously， with Mel<br >Gibson and that very tall actress. Also， that very short actress. "Plus，， the<br >person says， "it s set in Indonesia， which， next to India， is probably the most<br >fascinating of all Third World nations. It s like the political scientists say，<br > The labyrinth that is India， the mosaic that is Indonesia. Right?" Silence at<br >your end of the phone. Clearly this person is into overkill， but that doesn t<br >mean you don t have to say something back. India you could field. But<br >Indonesia? Fortunately， you have cable--and a Stouffer s lasagna in the<br >freezer.<br > Or it s like this: You know what a quark is. Also something about Indonesia.<br >The two of you enjoy the movie. The new person agrees to go with you to a<br > dinner party one of your best friends is giving at her country place. You arrive，<br > pulling into a driveway full of BMWs. You go inside. Introductions ~re made.<br > Along about the second margarita， the talk turns to World War II. Sp~fically，<br > the causes of World War II. More specifically， Hitler. Already this i~la~t easy.<br ><br >