homecoming is coming up. i'm going to go with my best friend. i do have my eye on someone, but i'll not delve into that. i am also going to rant an=bout how uncultured and ignorant American youth are. in Europe, people my age can speak 2 languages, know of politics, can name more than five composers, and understand the basics of medieval illuminations. Americans can't. if i want to discuss, say, Iranian immigration to Scandinavia, i am out of luck. sometimes, i feel so burdened to be well educated (wow, that came out pretentious). sometimes, a discussion of the opera, or Vivaldi, or Manet, or the genocide in sudan feels good. i don't want to hear i don't like obama because he's black anymore!