freedom or “the joy of quitting”
Sometimes out of the loop is the best place to be.
The top mommy nag my mom sent me off to college with was this: “Don’t join anything before October 15.” Why? Because in high school, I was kind of… well, a joiner is probably a kind way to put it. (Think “Tracey 
Flick” as played by Reese Witherspoon in “Election”)
Because join I did! I was secretary of honor society, Spanish class, sophomore class, junior class, Student Senate, Student Council (Yes, they were two different things – how very bicameral of us), editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper (and sole staff member most of its history).
(Sidebar: Who can’t wait for MTV’s “The Paper?” tomorrow night. Me! and all the other Tracy Flicks out there! Anywho…) I tried to take mom’s words to heart – after all working on that student paper (on my Apple IIC and using, yes, stencils, and literal cutting and pasting, with scissors till 3 and 4 a.m.) was a wee bit tiring.
