A comic book written, pencilled, and inked by Ariel Schrag, published by Slave Labor Graphics. The plot is entirely autobiographical, and so intimate that it gives the impression that you're reading her diary. She doesn't seem to edit her content much, publishing intimate details about her friends, relationships, and sex life. The art is impressive and the story is told well.

Schrag was in high school when she wrote Potential.

She has two other publications out, one is a single issue comic called Awkward, and one is a collection called Definition. Both are worth reading.

The term potential describes what has not been fulfilled yet. To this effect, potential may even be viewed as negative. Conversely, potential can be positive in the sense that it provides some hope or promise of something good to come in the future.

I have to admit, though, that the first thoughts which come to mind are scientific: scalar potential, potential energy (mgh), electric potential (V), velocity potential (Φ), et cetera.

I guess that completed actions are all that we have in the end which are concrete. Potential, while being either optimistic or depressing means little until that characteristic it describes is satisfied.

Were you ever good at something as a kid? I mean really good, the best in your class, or even your whole school, something you excelled at. As you grew up did you spend less and less time doing what it was you were so good at, until you got to the point where you were absolutely crap at it. I did, and now I'm pissed!

I used to be the badminton King. I started playing with a group of old ladies (my mums friends) when I was about 11 up at the church hall, they weren't the hottest competition, but by the time I was about 14 there were whispers that I was County Standard i.e. I was pretty damn good. The old lady club eventually disbanded, and I joined another club. This club was further away and full of kids who enjoyed complaining to the coach that I hit the shuttlecock at their faces, I only did it a couple of times! Anyway, I didn't really fit in there, and stopped attending after a few weeks.

I once played badminton at Secondary School at about the age of 15, and still had my magical skills. I kicked the ass of everyone who challenged me in that one hour PE lesson. You have to understand I was crap at every other sport or activity I ever did, getting 2 for attainment and 3 for effort consistently on my PE reports, so beating the usual jocks was rather satisfying.

The last time I played badminton was on holiday at about the age of 18. I played doubles with my mum against another pair, and we were doing okay, up until the point I needed to serve for the match. For some reason my wrist action seized up on my underhand shots. I began to think about how I was hitting the shuttlecock, and the more I thought about it and tried to correct it the worse it got, and the match was lost. Since then, whenever I've played any racquet sport my wrist action just doesn't work, and I don't know why, it's just incredibly frustrating.

I know that if I had continued to play badminton week in week out I could be playing and winning national competitions by now. Why didn't my parents encourage me to keep playing, why didn't they spur me on, goddam them. I was crap at everything else at that point in my life, badminton was all I was good at.

Everybody wants to be good at something I think, however obscure it is. When I start something new I immediately want to be the best. I want to learn Kung Fu, and end up winning competitions at it, I want to start rock climbing and be the best goddam rock climber there is. Maybe so I can have a mental CV (Resume) in my head, so I can think to myself, right I'm good at that, and that and that, so I feel I have some self worth. Don't doctor’s say to depressed people, make a list of what you're good at? I don't know, maybe I just dreamed it.

Reminds me of that TV clip of Tiger Woods swinging a club at the age of 3 or something stupid, and look where he is now! It's not just a matter of natural talent, he started doing something as a kid, worked at it constantly and 'fulfilled his true potential'. When I have a kid I'm going to start them doing something at the age of 3, then rake it in when they end up making millions. I guess the moral of the node is, ermmm, keep doing what you're good at (in case you hadn't worked it out already). Goddamit! I could be holding an Olympic Gold medal by now!

Po*ten"tial (?), a. [Cf. F. potentiel. See Potency.]

1.

Being potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result; efficacious; influential.

[Obs.] "And hath in his effect a voice potential."

Shak.

2.

Existing in possibility, not in actuality.

"A potential hero."

Carlyle.

Potential existence means merely that the thing may be at ome time; actual existence, that it now is. Sir W. Hamilton.

Potential cautery. See under Cautery. -- Potential energy. Mech. See the Note under Energy. -- Potential mood, ∨ mode Gram., that form of the verb which is used to express possibility, liberty, power, will, obligation, or necessity, by the use of may, can, must, might, could, would, or should; as, I may go; he can write.

 

© Webster 1913.


Po*ten"tial, n.

1.

Anything that may be possible; a possibility; potentially.

Bacon.

2. Math.

In the theory of gravitation, or of other forces acting in space, a function of the rectangular coordinates which determine the position of a point, such that its differential coefficients with respect to the coordinates are equal to the components of the force at the point considered; -- also called potential function, or force function. It is called also Newtonian potential when the force is directed to a fixed center and is inversely as the square of the distance from the center.

3. Elec.

The energy of an electrical charge measured by its power to do work; hence, the degree of electrification as referred to some standard, as that of the earth; electro-motive force.

 

© Webster 1913.

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