Hello, 2012

When mom is gone for the week, it is the perfect opportunity for pets
to develop their taste for eau de toilette.

To  quell any fears that I am fast becoming the crazy cat lady who posts pictures of her "children" on her blog, why don't we start this post with a little chat about the presidential election? I read somewhere that in the last three years, Obama has spent more money than all the previous presidents combined. I don't care whether you're a Democrat or Republican or independent or whatever, that kind of thing simply shouldn't go on. The most charitable explanation I can think of for this behavior is a nasty case of naivete. And when thinking of the type of person that ought to be ruling a country, "naive" is usually not an adjective that comes to mind. So who are our alternatives?

• Gingrich. 'nuff said.
• Santorum. Too big government.
• Paul. This kind of thing is responsible for making me lean libertarian, but I can't shake the feeling that he is a little too - there's that word again! - naive about Islam in the Middle East.
• Romney. Romneycare!

Notice the predicament. I'm that over-eager, first-time voter who is more than ready to take advantage of her constitutional right, but there is nobody I feel quite comfortable voting for. What am I to do? (queue violin music)

-----

Anyways, tomorrow it will be exactly three months until I am done with high school........forever. In honor of this, I would like to make a few remarks about seniors. This year, as I have been forced to get a life gotten a job, and in my own observations amongst my friends, I have come to the conclusion that we are unable to talk about anything but college. We compare ACT/SAT test scores, memorize the Best Colleges in America lists, weigh the pros and cons of different majors, become experts on the FAFSA, and relentlessly hit up everybody around us for letters of recommendation. I'm actually having a hard time remembering what I used to talk about with people. I've never come across a demographic that was so marvelously one-track-minded. It's like we all wander around in a trance chanting mantras like "Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell....." over and over and over again. But I'm not complaining; it's actually improved my social life - I'm naturally a rather reserved person, but now I have endless stores of things to talk about whenever I meet someone new. Fascinating stuff.

-----

This year, I've been in an AP Western Civilization class that meets in a homeschooling family's home around here. The teacher is awesome - after being there 10 minutes, you know that he is passionate about what he's teaching. I always make sure I have a notebook and pen with me, because without fail, he ends up saying something hilarious each class (the best part is that it's not always intentional).

Several weeks ago, we were on the French Revolution. In the middle of talking about the Tennis Court Oath, he exclaims, "It was like  Occupy the tennis court!"

BEST CLASS EVER.

-----

I have already mentioned my new-found love for P.G. Wodehouse here, but I'm afraid I will have to do so again. Anybody who can write a description like this will have my allegiance forever:

"How it happened, I couldn't tell you to this day, but I once got engaged to his daughter, Honoria, a ghastly dynamic exhibit who read Nietzsche and had a laugh like waves breaking on a stern and rock-bound coast. The fixture was scratched owing to events occuring which convinced the old boy that I was off my napper; and since then he has always had my name at the top of the list of 'Loonies I have Lunched With.'"

-----

Now, if you'll excuse me. Harvard, Princeton, Yale.......