Elephant Ears

My new years resolutions:

Say "no" more: To things that make me feel guilty after doing them. Spending money, eating, wasting time.

Say "yes" more: To things that make me happy after I get over the initial hump of doing them: Exercising, going out and doing things, keeping in touch with people.

Other goals, in chronological order:

Become fluent in German. Graduate from Exeter. Get a summer job. Make some kind of Mathcamp reunion happen. Go to college.

It's going to be a good year.

( Reflections on 2008 )

Okay, so, on Wednesday I spent the night in a cabin on my grandparents property with my friend Rea, and it was a great time, but I wasn't at home so I didn't post. And then I got out of the habit. On Thursday I made Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Squares, and then after Rea went home I read the seventh Harry Potter book for a second time. I have to say it was pretty good the second time around, but needless to say I didn't do anything else all day. Friday was the Fourth, and it was probably the worst Fourth of July ever. I didn't even see a single firework, and I ended up crying myself to sleep for no reason, so not a great day:-P Yesterday was okay. We took a meal to our church in the evening for a homeless family who was supposed to being staying there, but they didn't show up, so we ate it ourselves and that was kinda weird. Then I watched Catch and Release, which I recommend as a cute, mostly brainless chick flick. Today was church and grocery shopping, and then I continued the massive clean-out of my room, so now my bedroom and bathroom are both a big mess. My mom was helping me, and she is a ruthless thrower-away-er, which I definitely am not, so I guess we make a good team.

In other news, Mathcamp started. I joined the "'Mathcamp started and I am not there' support group" on Facebook. It's kinda sad:-(

So the bird died:-( It kept jumping out of the nest (like it did originally, I guess) and apparently some animal got it. Very sad. But today was a good day. I caught up with some friends I hadn't seen in a long while, and made some exciting plans. Also, I forgot it was July 1st until just a few minutes ago, so Happy July! Kumcha emails to follow tomorrow.

Remember yesterday, when I said building a form for concrete was oddly satisfying? Well, today I helped mix the concrete to pour in the form, and I realized a bit why it is so satisfying. For one, there's something about the mindless, physical work of shoveling sand and cement that is relaxing, and getting dirty makes me feel like a little kid in a sand box. For another, the concrete that I mixed is going into a footer that will be there for a long time. Now, my usual household duties consist of cooking and baking, but the products there are extremely transient (especially in my house...) and there's just something about being a part of building something that lasts a bit longer. That footer is going to be there in the ground long after I'm gone, and that makes me happy.

In other news, I went golfing, and it was terrible. I double-bogeyed the first hole, which means shooting a five on a par three (and I took several tee shots), but hey, at least it has a name. But then it went downhill, and we only played three holes, because I was very frustrated. Golf is, in general, a frustrating game.

And then we had homemade pizza for dinner, which was absolutely delicious. But my dad is in the process of a BIG DECISION, which may or may not turn out in my favor, so that is kinda keeping me on edge. Tomorrow I get to go to Pueblo to visit some friends I haven't seen in awhile, and that is exciting, at least. Either way, I suppose life will be okay.

I saved a baby bird today. Okay, kind of. There was this bird that, according to my dad, fell out of the nest. He thought the bird had a broken leg, but it turned out that it was just a baby and it's legs were really too weak to stand on. So we picked it up, and but it in a basket, and tied the basket to a tree. And we saw the mother flying around, but I'm not sure if she ever came back and fed it or anything. According to the bird book, it was an Orchard Oriole. I guess tomorrow we'll see if it survived.

I also helped my dad build a form for concrete he is pouring in the back. Not very exciting, but rather satisfying.

Goals from yesterday:
0) Met.
1) Worked on, but not met.
2) Met.
3) Ha ha no. Dang.
4) Umm, I helped with lunch and dinner.
5) Met.

Goals for tomorrow: Pretty much the same. Also, go golfing maybe. What an exciting life:-P

So begins a-post-a-day. Okay, I'll do my best. We'll see how long I can go.

Summer has been pretty uneventful thus far, which is pleasant at times and extraordinarily boring at others. Okay, for about 9 days it was exciting, as my dad's cousins came from Germany and we went on a week-long tour of the Southwest, through the Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon. All very exciting, and I got to speak a lot of German. And then I stayed with Kristin in Albuquerque for three days, which was wonderful of course. And I took the train home, which was pretty beautiful. And trains are exciting. But now I've been home for not even two weeks, and it feels a lot longer. In that time, I have succeeded in watching the first two seasons of Ugly Betty in their entirety, which was pretty exciting, and I've cooked quite a bit, but not much else. Oh, and I got part of the way through cleaning out my bathroom/closet. I have this whole list of other things to do (math, German, scrapbook, college essays, etc, etc) but I have yet to make a start on them. Soon. (Like, tomorrow.) So now that I am all caught up on the past four weeks, here's what happened today.

0) I went shopping with my mom. I bought clothes for the bluegrass festival, which was exciting. And it was nice to just hang out with her for awhile.
1) My uncle unexpectedly showed up and played a round of golf with my dad and then ate dinner with us, which was fun.
2) My brother shot 39 on nine holes, his personal record by three strokes, and also three over par. (He took me golfing the other day. I am going to learn how to play legitimately. Also, it's a good way to get tan.)
3) I got a brochure/viewbook from Whitman in the mail, and decided to probably add it to my college list, which needs to be narrowed down, I think, or at least defined.

That's really all. Tomorrow, my goals are:

0) Get up before nine and go running.
1) Finish cleaning out my bathroom.
2) Set up a table in the foyer to be my work area.
3) Do at least three of the following: scrapbook, practice the piano, do math, study German, start on a college essay, begin a piece of art.
4) Cook at least two meals.
5) Call Breanna and Annie to arrange hanging out time.

And tomorrow we will see how many I actually do! :-)

To my credit, I think about writing in LJ a fair amount. Or perhaps that is not to my credit? I can always hope to write more often, but I won't promise anything. This weekend is HMMT. Next weekend is SAT's. And the weekend after that is state MathCounts... in Colorado! Hooray for Spring Break. It has been a bit of a rough term. I think some of the novelty wore off of being here. I went to Mystery Hunt in January, which was fun, of course, but left me feeling a bit let down afterwards. And I definitely have some kind of seasonal depression. I just am not as happy when it is cold and cloudy outside, or snowing, or raining. I have spent much time daydreaming about summer. My goals for this summer (perhaps a bit prematurely?) are to 1) Train for a 5K, 2) Get a job, 3) Teach myself multivariable calculus, and 4) Read a lot of interesting books. I had resigned myself to staying home all summer, and was, in fact, looking forward to it, but it turns out that we are going to the Grand Canyon with my dad's German cousin (Hooray for seeing America's national wonders while speaking German!), and I am supposed to go on college visits. And I still really hope to be at Mathcamp for puzzle hunt weekend. Plus I have been dying, for some reason, for a good, old-fashioned, roll-the-windows-down-turn-the-music-up-eat-in-diners-stay-in-crappy-hotels road trip, specifically with my dad. So hopefully I can combine at least two of those. A road trip/college visits trip down the West Coast sounds particularly delightful. So I will have to balance my stay-at-home goals with my traveling goals.

All that is pretty far in the future, though. But probably not as far in the future as it seems. My roommate turned 18 this month, and it made me feel so old. The school year schedule for next year just came out, and someone was like, "we won't be graduating until the fourth." And I was like, "Oh man. WE are GRADUATING." Where has my childhood gone? I was thinking about the presidential election, and I thought back to the two other ones I can remember clearly. In fourth grade, we took a vote in class, and I was the sole person to vote for Gore, including the teacher. In eighth grade, two other democrats had moved in, and we had a debate in social studies, the three of us for Kerry against the rest of the class. And now I am Exeter, and probably 90% of the school leans left. I am so close to being able to vote, and it makes me upset that I won't be able to. My brother and I are both going to vote for president for the first time in 2012:-P

It feels to good to just write down some of the things that I have been thinking about for awhile. Tomorrow we are starting our final project in History, a library project on the home front during World War II. I am really excited, because it is actually about culture, instead of politics and economics, and therefore it actually interests me. Ms. Casazza, the history major intern living in our dorm, insists that they are all related and you can't like one without the others, but I beg to differ. Props to Ms. Casazza, though, for giving her meditation today. A meditation is a half hour long speech about some aspect of life that all seniors have to write and that someone gives in the church once a week. Hers was the first one I went to, but I think I will go back. It was so interesting, and it made me want to write one, although I think it would be difficult. Also, props for her randomly taking the ESSO van yesterday with me to get pizza. I love spontaneous things like that.

I realized that I have never really been taught to think, and that I have a lot of trouble thinking. Most of the time I just feel like my brain doesn't work as well as other people. Like I'm sitting there, and I just can't get my brain to make the connections it should. Maybe everyone feels like that, but I get the impression sometimes, that I am sort of caught in the middle, like I have been a part of this world, of academia and smartness, but I really don't belong here, but I want to so badly. I used to feel like wanting it was enough, but I am beginning to think that I just don't have the tools. Then again, sometimes (though not very often), I feel smart enough.

We are reading Shakespeare in English. The Tempest. I have made it thus far in my life without ever reading Shakespeare, and I think I might do something I never do and go on Sparknotes. Just to get through the language. But I have five classes tomorrow, and I should get on that. Thank goodness for LiveJournal. May I now use it more often.

Yesterday Mitt Romney, Rublican candidate for president and recent governer of Massachusetts, came to our school. They planned it poorly and held it in the Agora, which was not big enough. He was there from about 3 to 4, and I showed up at 3:15 when history let out and left half an hour later when I had to go to math. I was stuck pretty far off on one side, but I could still see a little bit and hear fairly well. Interesting things he said (paraphrased because I can't remember the exact quotes):

"In 1994, you were for gay marriage. What is your stance on that now?" "I have never been for gay marriage. I am, however, against discrimination."

"What do you think America should do about global warming?" "Global warming is just that, global, and curbing emissions in American or in New England will not do anything, so why should we?"

Today's assembly was the African Children's Choir. They were phenomenal. They were so good, in fact, that I went to their concert tonight from seven to nine, as well. They sang beautifully, they danced amazingly, and they got three standing ovations. They sang in an African language mostly, but a little bit in English also. The songs told stories, a few of them sad, but mostly upbeat, and they acted out what they were singing. The African Children's Choir is run by a programs called Music for Life, and it is very inspiring.

In other, less global, news, I got a coat, a book, and a letter in the mail today. I love my family:-) I also felt like being in love with chemistry this morning, and I discussed women's rights with my teacher after history because I couldn't get an word in edgewise during class. I bought Milano cookies yesterday that are almost all gone now, I have had the hiccups three times today, my roommate is currently talking on the phone in French rather than the usual Chinese, and I only have one class tomorrow.

Today was Country fair day in D-Hall, so there was a guy playing country music, and they served chicken on a stick, potato skins, soft pretzels, fried dough, cookies on a stick, corn on the cob and corn dogs. Awful, yes, but delicious. Halloween is coming and I think I have a costume idea that shouldn't be too hard to put together. Also, there is a semi-formal dance next week. Should I go? And if so, should I buy a dress? I'm undecided.

I learned recently that club sports only go for two more weeks or less. This is not really good news for me, however, because I still need to go excercise or it will not be good, but I am going to have A-B sleep-in, and it is going to be sooo hard to get out of bed to work out if I don't have to be there for a class. Still, life is good.

Things that made me feel like crap:
-14/30 on a chemistry quiz
-Daddy being gone
-Other various lonely thoughts
Things that were less than stellar:
-Not getting to my problem in math
-Not saying anything in history
-An empty PO
-The chaos of D-hall at dinner
Things that made me happy:
-Two returned chem labs with "Good job, A" on them
-Sitting under my tree again
-Pwning my German test, albeit on a second try
-Heartbreakers
Things that were unexpected:
-A fire alarm in D-hall at lunch
-The Manhattan Brass Quintet playing at assembly
-Discovering that the head librarian isn't so scary
Things that are worrisome:
-Having a piano lesson tomorrow with zero practice
-An unstarted history paper being due on Thursday

*Or rather, yesterday, but I wrote it after the internet went off and just now got a chance to post.

I’ve been here for a month now and two days now. If this were Mathcamp, it would be week five. If I did have to leave in a few days, would I be sad? Yes, yes I would. I am finally in a place where I feel involved, challenged, and, for the most part, accepted. In that sense, it is much like Mathcamp here. But unlike MC, it isn’t transient, at least for the next two years. Certainly, it doesn’t have Mathcamp’s magic, but neither is it so ephemeral. Bottom line? I am happy. And I don’t have to leave. So while I miss many people, it is so worth it. And the people I miss, after all, live all over the country and the world, so I would have to miss at least some of them wherever I was. Because Mathcamp can’t last, Exeter is as near as I am going to get to perfection in a learning environment, and I feel ever so blessed to be here.

Things got busy quickly. Oops. An update:

( Ramblings Again )

Due to the popularity of my last post (yeah, I know most of you only commented on it because of the math problem, but thank you for your help! I figured it out), I have decided to continue this. Mostly, my parents want to read about what goes on, and this is an easy way to do it. I think I know how to link to the rest of the post (thank you for that also!), so feel free to skip it.

( Ramblings )

If you want to help me with a math problem, skip to the last paragraph. If you want to help with a LJ problem, skip to the end of the next paragraph. If you want to hear about the first day of classes at Exeter, read all the way through! :-D

So I have this book cover that I made in fourth grade and have been using on my math book every year since then. I brought it with me to Exeter, only to discover that I don't have a math book. This makes me very sad. In other news, I am going to try doing this thing my ninth grade English teacher taught us called Take 5's, which involves just sitting and writing about something, anything, every day for at least five minutes. Here goes. (This is the part where I would put in a link, so you didn't have to see all this, but I can't quite remember how to do that, so if you can tell me, that would be great!)

Exeter! Today we had a tour of the library building at eight... OMG, that place is huge. Nine stories, for pete's sake, and the largest collection of any secondary school in the world. I happed upon Jeeves and Wooster videos by accident, it looks like they have the whole collection. Craziness. Maybe I'll consider introducing my house to them at some point. Night before last we started watching Pride and Predjudice, the old, six hour one. I love it, possibly because of Colin Firth... :-) No idea when we're going to end, though, there are study hours tonight. Maybe tomorrow. I love the girls in my dorm. This just got interrupted because Talia, one of the girls in the room next door came in to ask how my classes were and ended up looking at my music library and started making a CD for herself. Talia is super outgoing and nice and keep conversation going, plus she's good at math, and took multivariable last year, which means I am no longer the math genius in residence, thank goodness! Hey, that's why I came to Exeter:-D

So but we started classes today, or rather had opening assembly and then up to four classes. Opening assembly was, for the most part, rather boring. It was a long introduction of all new faculty and then all the emeriti that were there. And then the principal gave a speech about previous winners of the Phillips award, or something like that, for service to humanity, or something like that. But it was kinda hot in the room, and it wasn't super interesting. Although it kinda made me want to serve humanity. Seriously, though, I almost cried a couple times just looking around at all the people in the room and thinking about how amazingly lucky I am to be in a place like this. We sang this hymn, something about creation that was about learning etc, and it was kinda amazing. Oh man, and Rev. Thompson started the whole thing with a prayer, and he was super amazing. Mummy was right. I really liked his prayer, but it was kinda religious for a place that isn't supposed to have a religious affiliation.

So then we went to lunch, in the other dining hall, which I kinda liked better, but Elm Street is so much closer. Wetherall is definitely close to classes, though, so I might go there for lunch? Except I have the block right after lunch off, so it doesn't make a difference. Ooh, but when I was at the library they mentioned getting a job there, so I talked to the librarian lady and she gave me some paper work and told me to go the human resources department in the administration building, and I did later in the day and got work papers, so when I get them all filled out I might get a job in the library, so that could be exciting.

So far today (and yes, the last three paragraphs have started with so) I have been to Caculus and German. We didn't really do anything, just introduced ourselves, and both teachers only kept us for about twenty minutes. Mr. Chen, my math teacher was really nice and funny, although just a little bit hard to understand. Most of the students are returning, but he asked us new ones what math we had taken and when I told him I had taken AB calc and had gotten an 5 on the AP test he said maybe I should be taking 441 instead of 431. I took tons of placement tests, though, so this will probably be fine. I'm okay with reviewing a bit at first, I'm sure this math will be completely differently formatted. We got 7problems for HW, apparently that is the norm. I glanced at them, and I am going to have to remember a bit to do them. But you are just expected to figure them out, I guess? And then we go over them afterwards? Hmm. Oh, there is another new upper, from Columbia, who apparently went to the IMO this summer. And after him it was my turn to introduce myself, and Mr. Chen was like "And did you go to the IMO this year?" Me: "Noo." Mr. Chen: "What olympiad did you go to?" Me: "Umm, none..." Mr Chen: "It's okay, I was just kidding." It was sad but kinda funny because his accent is so cute. But then he asked me what math I had taken and I said AP Calc AB, and he asked my if I took the AP test and I said yes, and then he said "You can tell me what score you got after class. Unless it was a five." So I got to be like "I got a five." And apparently the rest of them are supposed to be ready to take the test at the end of this term. So I guess that made up for it? But I think this is going to be plenty challenging.

Then I had German with Herr Schieber. When I stuck my head in the door some people were like "You're Erika! This is your class." And I was like "Aaah, how do they know who I am?" Apparently I am "The new kid" in that class because they were all together all last year. And apparently like nine of them are day students? That was kinda weird. I was afraid it was going to be too hard, but they seem kinda layed back, which is cool, I guess. I actually was amazingly reminded of Frau C's class, the sort of banter between the students and the teacher and among the students, but hopefully it will be more serious than that! We got something to do, but I'm not quite sure what it is, I have to check the syllabus that Herr Schieber send us. I just had a nice discussion with Ms. Simmons, she walked by my room and then came in and chatted, and now I have to go to hstory, so I will hopefully report on that later and then post.

Oh man, so history was pretty intimidating. It was the only class that we actually did something in, and I think I might be the only new upper in there (it's all uppers). Dang. We had a discussion about this quote, and after two people had spoken, the only things I had to say had already been said, and I was kinda too nervous to say anything. But then the conversation evolved and I spoke once toward the end of class. We got a bunch of things to read. History is definitely going to be the Harkness table at its best, and it is here that I wish everyone else was new too so we could sort of all learn how it works together instead of just being thrown in head first. Although it seems pretty straightforward. I just have to be courageous. I'm sure it will get easier once I get to know people, but until then it might be rough. We are going to have a quiz on names:-P

Tomorrow I don't have to do anything until 10:40, and the only commitment I have is two classes. And then the weekend! Pretty exciting. Life has definitely been good so far, but classes have the potential to get pretty intense pretty quickly. Oh, and I saw David Rush! For the third time, actually (and now it has been four) but I actually talked to him (super briefly). Passing remarks, but it made me happy. I mean, seriously, a Mathcamper less than four weeks after camp ended? Yay! Last year I had to wait until January, five months!!! But it was Mystery Hunt. And worth it.

Right now I am doing math problems. I've kinda forgotten how to do math over the past three weeks, uh oh. Or rather, I guess, forgotten how to do calculus over the past three months. I am too tempted to ask Talia for help; I already have once, but I don't want to do that all the time. I don't have a problem when people ask me for math help, but she might? I haven't really ever been in this position before:-P We'll see. I definitely need to figure things out for myself, especially things I have learned and just forgotten. But are we just expected to work on problems we have never seen anything like before? This confuses me. This problem is one I have definitely never learned.

Calculus problem: Justify the equation D(e^(it))=ie^(it). Then explain why this implies that D(sin(t))=cos(t) and D(cos(t))=-sin(t). Recall that e^(it) is the calculus name for cos(t)+isin(t). Help is appreciated. Particularly, what does the notation D(blahblahblah) mean?

So guess what, friends and neighbors? I did go to Mathcamp. I went and lived the dream and came home. Most, if not all, of you know this, but I can't believe how long it's been since I updated LJ. I'm doing okay so far, the Mathcampsickness has not yet overwhelmed me. I think it's usually worse at night, but I am saving Harry Potter as an escape; whenever I get too sad, I'll read it. I feel pretty clever about this, actually. This year is different, though, because I'm leaving for school and another adventure in three weeks, as opposed to simply starting another year at South. It's terrifying, but that would be unbearable, I'm pretty sure. There's just something about going to the same school as another Mathcamper, even if it is David Rush, lol, and being in close proximity with all the Boston folk. Even thinking, just now, about how I won't be going back to MC, doesn't make me feel hopeless. Most of what makes Mathcamp Mathcamp is the people, and I feel now like I have access to people like that, much moreso than being stuck here in Colorado. After Exeter comes college, and as long as I pick a reasonable place to live after that, I won't have to do without Mathcamp-esque people ever again. And I just bought a computer! So, overall, life is as good as can be expected post-MC. Thank goodness.

July 21. Much excitement. However, smack in the middle of Mathcamp:-( So I guess I will just wait until after to read it? Which means that I must not save all my summer reading until after MC like last year. Bad Erika.

If people die, which they will, I will be very sad. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny must not die. I am rather attached to everyone, actually. I don't think I handle death well.

One advantage to waiting to read it: The past two books I have read the day after they came out, and no one else was finished that soon to discuss them with me. Reading new Harry Potter without discussion is unfulfilling.

And then it will be over. I expect quite a bit of letdown, no matter how good the ending is. But I take heart that I can always read them again and again. And that there are hundreds of other good books in the world.

Yes, it will all be okay.

So, I have just made a goal to update my journal more often. We'll see how it goes. Because nothing especially interesting has happened, here are some things I did today.

0) Played the piano at church for the first time. Not very successfully.
1) Discovered how to use both tabs and the find command on Safari. Supercool.
2) Discovered that I am rather bad at Slitherlink. Also decided this is a good thing because the last thing I need is something more to waste my time with on the computer.
3) Came across tons of cool quotes about math and writing in an effort to compare the two in an essay I am writing. Will post a few.
4) Not yet finished said essay.
5) IMed, emailed, and facebook-commented some people. Surprise, surprise: P

And now, for quotes:

"Mathematics is as much an aspect of culture as it is a collection of algorithms."
~Carl Boyer (Although I don't think math is a collection of algorithms at all, this reminds me of MC:-D)

"In adolescence, I hated life and was continually on the verge of suicide, from which, however, I was restrained by the desire to know more mathematics."
~Bertrand Russell

"Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." ~Mark Twain

Great fun: )

I am going! I just bought a ticket to Boston! It is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a long time. I am hoping to see lots of Mathcampers, and have lost of fun, and not think about all the school I am missing at all!! It is going to be great:-D How many of you are going?

I am trying to make up excuses to not work on my Semester Project. I am also trying hard not to miss various people, but it isn't working. I am having a wave of Mathcamp nostalgia. I have been wearing my mobius strip for about 34 hours straight. Last night I cried myself to sleep, but for a very stupid reason, not to do with Mathcamp. It was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back. And it was probably also because of lack of sleep, but that was at 7:00, and then I slept for 13 hours. It has been snowing all day here. My head hurts slightly, but not nearly as much as it has earlier this week. I got a C on a physics test yesterday, and the place for my mood is not long enough. This entry should be written in Moody Loquatious, but I do not know it. So that is life.

Noun
1) Short for Semester Project
2) The bane in the life of an Honors English 10 student
3) Characterized by 600 Ransome-pages of research, two 25 minute interviews, a product, a 25 minute speech, and an expert evaluation
4) Something I have barely started and will spend my entire Thanksgiving break working on
5) A cause for numerous jokes about suicide, that are more serious than one would like to admit
6) Hopefully one of those things that will end up as "well, that was a good experience, and i learned a lot" not "i almost killed myself and everyone around me, and i did a crummy job, and i failed the class."
7) Sigh...

Yeah, I now officially have the insane number of five different blogish things online, and I have had to severely reprimand myself for wasting time on the computer and restrict my usage. So sorry: (

Today I found out I did not fail (although I wouldn't use the word pass) the last English test of the quarter!! We read Light in August by Falkner, which I really didn't like and didn't feel like I read very well, but I scored 70 on the test, which is a D-- and by far my best grade. Exciting.

I have been super happy the past three days for a reason that I think I know but won't share. It's cool though. I decided to keep a positive mental attitude, and it has been working well for me. Except I cried last night in front of some people for a reason that I don't really know but that is also related to the thing that I am happy about, and also because this girl I hardly know was chiding me about this thing that I am infuriating you all with by not specifying, when I don't see how it's her business at all. But all around quite a good week, at least the second part, and now I get a four day weekend!!

As an aside, It makes me very sad that the latest issue of Time Magazine has a picture of an elephant behind on it and is about the Mark Foley scandal. Why oh why do the poor elephants have to be symbols of the Republicans?