So, I got an iPod for my birthday this year.

At first I was ecstatic. I brought my tiny, blueish gizmo to school nearly every day so that I could jam to my tunes during PE and free period. It was awesome.

So I've been struggling epically with my college essays.

I thought that I had one, maybe two, all wrapped up and perfected. But then I let my parents read them, and they trashed them. Shortly after, I acquired a book of really good college essays written by students in the past.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain met tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., in the second presidential debate of the 2008 campaign. Several OG staffers blogged their responses to the debate. Here is sophomore Will Fernandez's reaction to the showdown.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain met tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., in the second presidential debate of the 2008 campaign. Several OG staffers blogged their responses to the debate. Here is senior Lizzy Warner's reaction to the showdown.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain met tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., in the second presidential debate of the 2008 campaign. Several OG staffers blogged their responses to the debate. Here is senior Joy Shapley's reaction to the showdown.

8:09 p.m.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain met tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., in the second presidential debate of the 2008 campaign. Several OG staffers blogged their responses to the debate. Here is sophomore Katy Metcalf's reaction to the showdown.

8 p.m.

“Math is boring.”

I always wondered why I’ve never had a very strong interest in math. After all, my dad is a mathematician, and I’ve heard that chess players are supposed to have “good math minds.” In addition, I wanted to try and enjoy math more during my junior year when I took calculus, but it didn’t help.

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. I definitely enjoy chick flicks, chocolate, and lip gloss. High heels are good too, and dresses > suits any day of the week.

For the first decade and a half or so of my life, I didn’t care much for politics at all. To a kid, what was the appeal in a bunch of white-haired old guys sitting 700 miles away, signing ambiguous papers that had no visible effect on my life? I could not have cared less about tax cuts and budget reforms, considering my mind wasn’t equipped to deal with anything more worrisome than whether or not I’d get a double recess.

Now, my stance on politics has changed, much more than Barack Obama or John McCain can change their stance during their campaigns without losing votes.

So I'm going to be honest: I wasn't too excited about the Cultural Fair. My entire lunch period would be taken away from me for long lectures and food that I may or may not like. I even decided that I would bring some leftovers from home in case I was starving.

Athletics are a huge part of American culture, especially at the professional level, where top performers earn millions of dollars every year. But even at the high school level, athletic competitions draw a large amount of attention.