Snow, slush, same difference.

You guys up north, stay warm. The snowfall here turned out to be a slushfall.

I'm handing out warm lap cats for those without power.

Any near an Occupy Wall Street group, don't forget to bring them warm, waterproof camping gear and blankets. And hope for an easy winter.

College essays: You know I'm tired when....

You know I'm tired when I glance over at the clock, thinking it's 2am...

... and it's 10 o'clock.

What a week.

The twelfth graders are at their wits' end. As am I. They didn't believe that writing a simple college application essay would take more than an evening.

They bring their college app essays in, and what they've written is either an informative essay (which is not a personal essay), or a creative writing project (which is not an essay and likely to annoy and confuse the busy admissions people), or a sloppy personal explainer on the level of a middle school "what did I do last summer" report (which is neither an essay nor an effective sales pitch), or else they've failed to address the prompt altogether.

Once they start aiming vaguely in the direction of a personal essay, we discover that introspection is not a habit they've developed.

Granted, I find writing a college application essay a struggle. And I'm an adult. After 43+ years I know my strengths and weaknesses, and in vague way know a bit about sales and how to package myself. I also am a good writer.

Teenagers, gosh, I should probably just be grateful for the ones who did start early and understood the point of the essay.

Final note: I hate it when my boss shrieks at me.