The title is an Irish song! It's a very sad song, so don't freak out like I typed a foul word. For heaven's sake.
Howdy doo! I was in a semi-foul mood yesterday. When was the last time I updated? ...Well, to fill you in, the past couple of weeks have been boring.
Okay, so for French club I volunteered to be on the design committee for our French float for Homecoming. I suddenly feel like I'm less of a misanthrope, I actually feel like I have school spirit. I might even get to be on the float, which would be really neat, since I've never done that before. I don't think I'll have much of a chance to do it again, unless Columbia participates in Macy's Day or anything. So, even just to sit in the truck and watch it all go on would be better than anything I've done for school spirit as a whole, and would probably end up one of my most memorable experiences. But since this homecoming is a Broadway theme (it was calling to me-- Oooklahoma! Sorry, I do love the theatre), we decided to do Moulin Rouge. Well, a euphemised look at Moulin Rouge. We're going to definitely win best float this year, especially since only three or four of us are actually designing it. Isn't it great?
So, last night I went to a Columbia University meeting at a nearby college (since I live nowhere near New York). I got dressed up in my most artsy/professional (what a strange combination!) garb, keeping in mind Donald Trump's phrase, "Don't dress for the job you've got, dress for the job you want." Then I put on some minimal makeup (I think I look best without a lot of caked on junk), grabbed my purse and my government book (which I am soaking up right now, you've no idea), and hopped in the car with Mum. And we went to the College, and walked into the reception area with the big posters saying "COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK CITY" (white letters on sky blue, roar, lions, roar!), and the only kids that were there were wearing power suits, all looked like their great-grandfathers helped create the college. So I sat down (they were all guys, and all staring at me, so I don't know if I was pretty or strange, but whichever it was, it made me feel uncomfortable), and lo and behold, someone else from my school came! And it was surprising, because I always thought that he was snobbish and rude (he's a lot smarter than I am), but he just sat right down next to me and started jabbering away! I was finally able to introduce myself to the Virginia Admissions Counselour and Financial Aid head, and I thought that would be the proper thing to do, because my father told me that he had told her directly about me. So, of course, if he talked to her about me, it is only common courtesy to address her. Am I right? Well, she treated me rather coldly, wouldn't make eye-contact, wild hand-gestures (no, not the finger *rolls eyes*)... basically I felt like she automatically thought that I was a charity-case, and that I would never make it in on my own. Later on in the evening I found out that my dad never actually spoke with her, but her secretary, which could explain some of her reaction. But, I sat through the video, in awe of the beautiful campus (I mean, there's nothing on Earth like it), listened to the topics of core curriculum (at the Liberal Arts School, the one that I'm applying to, you read a lot of works concerning humanities, classic literature, and basically study the shaping of Western thought, which I'm sure will lead to the creation of our Democratic Republic), and financial aid. She asked each of us about what majors we wanted, and showed enthusiam about each one, but when I said "film", she basically reacted as thus: "Oh. Okay. Next?" Grrreat. Afterwards I was reintroduced to one of my only friends from the fifth grade, I didn't even recognise him! He was one of the ones who looked like everyone in his family were alumni to the college, but he remembered me! It took me a minute to register it... but, yep, I remembered. That's so strange how everything seems to work out when it comes to Columbia.
Though I know the admissions lady will make my life miserable if I make it in. She already made my week so. Well, I know I could make it on my own, but my dad just helps the fact. He holds a very important position in a very important office. It's one of the leading Earth Observatories in the world, and without my dad, it wouldn't run. And if I'm not accepted just because the office of Virginia Admissions doesn't want to support (non-existant) nepitism, then he'll quit. He's wanted to quit for years, because he isn't paid half of what he should be. He's still being paid a lot, but they take out payment for college tuition.
Anyway, that's why I was in a bad mood. I was really, really upset about it, because this is my chance. And I know I could do well at other schools, NYU or UVA especially, but Columbia seems a bit like fate to me. I know that I could be setting myself up for failure, but that's what hope and prayer is for. Because, I'll tell yah, UVA has a pretty campus, too. But, Cherry cheered me up, so I feel better now.
And so today I took a quiz in Government class about which political party I'd belong to. 23 out of 30 questions I answered as a Republican. Everyone else was Moderate (15 out of 15), but for the kid who sits directly next to me, who had 23 out of 30 as Democrat. Everyday we want to strangle each other, so it came as no surprise to me. I always knew I was rather one-sided, but I didn't know it was that great! I'm a right-winger! Woohoo! So that made me even happier. And so I'm rather loving the subject of politics. I think that as soon as I'm 18, I'm registering Republican. I think I may be the only one in New York, actually. Definetely the only one at Columbia. But, they do preach questioning the norm, so, if I'm surrounded by liberals, doesn't that make me radical and questioning, and them restrictive? Wouldn't that make me the Liberal and they become the Conservatives?
Well, it's a strange juxtaposition, but it makes sense to me. I understand that a lot of teens won't ever see it my way, but I will surely try my best to convert them. Mainly, that means you, Kelly! (Kelly's been in a bad mood lately, so I decided to poke some more fun at her.) Stop flip-flopping and agree with me! You know you want to! Come to the dark side! Or, the red-side.
Oh, and a comment on the last debates. George Bush won. Stop complaining about the fact that he connected anything economical to No Child Left Behind. Everything that's bad economically speaking will soon turn for the better due to increased education, I promise you. Consider this: (concerning the question about raising minumum wage) would you rather raise minumum wage and possibly lose jobs that way (a lot of people will be laid off), or would you rather get rid of the need for minumum wage with a better education to end up as higher pay later on in a person's life? Basically, to raise minumum wage sounds nice, but it's bad in the long run. Right now No Child Left Behind will increase the number of higher-paying jobs. Right now there won't be as much minumum wage in use. Right now we'll see an increase in the economy of the country. Later on we'll still be doing well, even better. And consider this fact: no matter how good a president is in office, the two years following his term actually reflect how he treated the economy. Clinton was a very good president, he really was, but the education of America deteriorated under him, and after his term, jobs dropped significantly. George Bush was blamed for this, but if you look at the job increase over the past two years of Bush's term, the jobs are on a considerable uprise. Thus, George Bush is a better economist than you tend to think. Just, most people are ignorant. But that's why I'm here!
And, again, the title is from an old Irish song!
SILENCE, TRAITOR! - 2006-05-10
Irish History - 2006-05-02
Goodbye Bio! - 2006-05-01
DANCE, WATER! DANCE! - 2006-04-26
Gaaaaaah. - 2006-04-24