quotation's blog

It’s testing time here in Japan, and that means we exchange students have absolutely nothing to do (most of us are at the approximate reading level of a Japanese third-grader). So we spend the entire day sitting in one room, doing nothing—except talking about whatever takes our fancy. There are five of us: two from Australia; one from Quebec; one from Germany; and me, the lone American.  Read More »

There's been legislation in the works for years about a rather inflammatory (pun intended) topic: flag-burning. It never gets passed, of course. But I believe the entire argument is a pointless whine-fest about one of my personal favorite subjects--semantics.  Read More »

Most people who have been through public school say that while high school was the best time of their lives, middle school was the worst. I agree. Completely.  Read More »

I remember quite clearly the day I discovered Harry Potter. I wasn't too sure about my alphabet and was looking for "Swallows and Amazons", by Arthur Ransome, at the wrong end of the "R" stack of books in the library. I picked out the glint of a newly-jacketed book (I judge books by their covers) and grabbed it. Intrigued by the title, I forgot all about Ransome and sat down with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I'd forgotten all about chorus rehearsal.  Read More »

I've been living in Japan for 4 days shy of a month now, and I've already noticed some extreme differences between Japanese and American culture. But in the past week, I've hit on one more--a really big one.  Read More »

I go to a school that is wracked with racial tension.

At least, that's what my town's media would have me believe. But it's not actually true.  Read More »

I can't wait for next year. That will be the first time I vote, and I definitely plan on it.

Last election, my classmates and I watched with fascination and disgust as George Bush won the U.S. Presidency by such a narrow margin it could have been rigged. Hate to say it like this, but:

I Called It.  Read More »