Current mood:	bored
Current music:	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

November!
Not that the month is over, but this post basically covers everything from the election to now, so it's a month update, essentially.

Competition - actual events, and the phenomenon in general:

First quiz bowl comp: Went 11 for 11 gamewise, so we won (it's the first time we've ever won this particular competition in recent memory). I also came in first place individually by an unholy number of points... that's what happens when your competition graduates, I guess.

Seton Hall Math: Didn't break top five, despite being defending champ... it was a hard test, and the scores were painfully low. Z came in first, which was awesome! Our team (Z, me, and Ingrid) came in first too. Happy day, despite the scary hard test. Seriously, who asks for a four-variable system to be done without calculators?? That's just mean. And there were decimals!! Lots and lots of decimals! In a four-var system!! WTF!?

The phenomenon of competition in general: Was reading the Lance, in particular the article on college stress. What a flaming pile of bullsh*t it was. Not to insult the author of the article - it's no fault of one person, and the article was certainly earnest in its attempt to show both sides. HOWEVER! There is one tiny eensy weensy problem!! Actually a few HUGE problems, but let's say there's only one small one for now - WE STILL HAVE RANK! Do I have to spell it out for ya? We have rank! How do you think they get those teasing little brackets, huh? By throwing our transcripts at dartboards?? They rank! They rank! They rank! They don't tell us, or schools that don't require it, but we still have a rank. It exists. They just want to coddle us by trying to soften the blow of those harsh, crushing numbers. But you know what? Colleges have their own weighting system. They'll discover if you're the type of student they want, whatever we do to aid or hinder that process. Another problem: the fact that LHS is "competitive" helps everyone in the school. It puts the name of a good high school on your transcript. If the entire top half of our grade dropped dead and the number one person in the bottom half became valedictorian, guess what? Still not getting into Harvard unless the last name is "Bush", ok? Competition isn't what's keeping these people out of college - it's what's keeping them from thinking they're the rulers of their own little worlds. Stay in reality! If you want Harvard/Yale/Pton/Whatever, then know what your goals are. Know who the people there will be. Know if that's the way you want to spend four years of your life! And if the answer's no, that's fine. Just stop whining, please, and get your head in the game - whatever game you want to play. It doesn't have to be the big Ivy game.

Sorry about that. Didn't realize I'd go so nuts - please forgive me for not editing it to a more level-headed tone, I feel like I have to get that off my chest.

Anyway.

The rumors about the musical intrigue me, but I shall not speak to the issue until they are resolved.

This weekend:

Sondheim weekend! Picked up A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music. All fun, but a little hard to listen to whilst doing homework. Yes. Quite difficult. Sweeney Todd is creepy, just noticed that. Very very creepy. A Little Night Music is a tad light of plot from what I could tell... but whatevs. Sondheim knows his shit.

Also picked up Jeff Shaara's new book The Rising Tide. It's about WWII, so it should be interesting. How he does his books is that he flips between POVs of the main players of both sides. So he'll actually have to do chapters that essentially focus on Hitler. And he does tend to humanize the people involved.... so it should get very very interesting, is all I'm saying. I also almost bought this other book when at Borders.... but I didn't. But the fact that I almost did shows how nerdy I am: It was called Fatal Purity, and it was a book about Maximilien Robespierre. How sick is that?

Having family over, blahblahblah. Always interesting.

~M. :-)