yeehaw baby now i can write in black. i'm not sure why i switched the background color; i think i like it. if not i can always go back. nothing online is permanent.

i had my interview this evening. i sat very straight (remembering how strict they were with us) while simultaneously trying to relax (attempting to sound confident and self-assured, like the role model i'm applying to be). i summoned up awkward flashbacks to address how i'd deal with maladjusted kids. in every respect i tried to sound conservative. some campers are as young as 12 and the policies are geared towards them. when my interviewer asked what topics i would avoid bringing up i knew precisely what he wanted to hear. i guess i should have prepped more, practiced so that i'd say "um" less -- but he expected me to think about the questions before answering, didn't he? i've never had a phone interview before. i used lots of buzzwords: openness, tolerance, respect, community, safe space. i wish i could have snuck in "paradigm". on the other hand maybe that would have set off "crazy leftist" alarm bells.
i played it very safe and i think it went all right. impossible to tell really, as he'd just say "uh huh" and scribble me down. i hear in two weeks.

about to work with my crime group. we have to agree on alternative sanctions for criminals which we'll present tomorrow at our teacher's house. our reward is a free byob dinner with her, and she's one of the coolest adults i've ever met.
latest development on my own quest to be cool: helped mel make dinner for her host family last nite, as well as the long-awaited gingerbread scones (verdict: eh; better once mel lathered them with whipped cream [which i whipped]). and tonite i made a more successful stirfry. actually if i do say so myself it was damn good. pat pat, ester. pat pat.