The Race to Nowhere/Whitman College

So I've heard of this movie called "The Race to Nowhere," and I think people at Harker should watch it. It's what I always talk about with the whole "only an A-" mentality.

Click here to watch the trailer.

Then today I had my meeting with the dude from Whitman College up in Walla Walla, Washington (as Olivia pointed out, 4 Ws in a row--talk about alliteration), and I was the only one there. Mike Tsai was signed up, too, but he didn't show. It was kind of like an interview/informational thing. I don't know; some parts he talked about didn't really appeal to me--it's one of the only schools in the nation that gives "senior exams," and he said it like it was an attractive factor. Hmm.

I understood his point about "being in the world," but I'm not sure I'd like to have the school force something like that upon me. It looks beautiful, and I love the Northwest, but I'm not sure it's exactly what I'm looking for. His name was PJ, and he had a New York accent. Quite friendly. He referred to everything (an interview, a job opportunity, etc) as a "gig."

Anyway, I'll probably post more later about how callbacks go. I'm kinda nervous. Plus last night I sent Ms. Smith* an email asking for last-minute tips, and she never replied, which is awkward. I don't like when you have to go see someone when you're both conscious of the fact that the other didn't reply. Whatever; maybe she'll give me tips as soon as I get there. Sometimes she likes to reply in person.

Also, the lyrics of this song are nostalgic/poignant:
Dancing in the backyard
Kool-aid moustache and butterfly wings
Hearing Andrea McArdle sing
From the hi-fi in the den
I've been waiting my whole life
To find a way back to then

I aimed for the sky
A nine-year-old can see so far
I'll conquer the world and be a star
I'll do it all by the time I'm ten
I would know that confidence
If I knew a way back to then

So I bailed on my hometown
And became a college theatre dork
I was eastbound and down
Moving to New York
So I crammed my life in a U-Haul
To find my part of it all

But the mundane sets in
We play by the rules
And plough through the days
The years take us miles away
From the time we wondered when
We'd find a way back to then

And when you least expect
Opportunity walks through the door
You suddenly connect
With the thing that you forgot
That you were looking for

And there you are
Right in the middle of what you love
With the craziest of company
You're having a kick-ass time
And being who you wanted to be in this world

You're that little girl
With her wings unfurled
Flying again
Back in your backyard dancing
I found a way back to then.