Boarding School Interview

Bright and early today, Emily had her temperment interview for the place where she'll be boarding while we're out of town. It was a simple thing: a few papers to fill out for me, and ten minutes of play in the "big dogs play area" so that the School Masters could tell whether she would play well with others. To no one's surprise (certainly not Emily's) she passed with flying colors.

The whole thing reminded me forcibly of taking the girls for interviews at preschools, many years ago. Fewer primary colored decorations, and no discussion of Parent Involvement; they do play classical music for the dogs at bedtime, though.

The Ad

I assume that by now everyone who's going to look at the infamous Hillary '1984' ad has done so. I find myself wondering what all the flap is about. The clips of Clinton inserted in the stead of the Mean Corporate Brother are fairly tame, the sort of feel-good crowd draw stuff that any candidate says at the beginning and end of any campaign speech. In fact, if I were coming to it all unwary, I'd take it more as an indictment of the voters (dull eyed automatons) than of Clinton herself. The comments I've seen that suggest that it's a vicious smear confuse me a little; this sure isn't on par with the '60s ad in which the cherubic child picking flowers is obliterated by a nuclear blast. (Ah, the good old days!)

I don't love Clinton. I don't know enough about Obama to know whether I love him or not. There may be other parties who surface over the next nine months whom I will like or detest. But this ad, whatever sort of shot over the bow it's meant to be, just doesn't dismay me as much as the press suggests it should.