Not looking forward to going home tonight

[Doyle]

My wife is going to be irate. Youngest of the Doylettes did not make Who's Who. A solid 3.8 GPA and lettered (starter) 4 years in softball and basketball. She can be a an obnoxious little bitch and that's what probably what cost her, but try telling that to my wife. At least another girl we know who has better grades and is a 4 year starter in her respective sports didn't make it either and she's a bigger bitch than my daughter.

[Khampelf]

Ooooh. Don't envy you there, Doyle. Stories like that make me glad to be mostly single.

[Jaglavak]

OK. Time for Emergency Plan Z. Eat lunch at that funky cut-rate Thai place up the road. When you get home, tell everyone you are deathly ill with food poisoning and immediately crawl off to bed. Sure you'll have to go to all the trouble of making yourself heave chow every hour or so, but that's a small price to pay to avoid the scourging you're looking at now.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Did all the older Doylettes make the cut? I don't understand why this is a thing, esp for a high school student.

I hope you get through it ok.

[Lungfish]

OK. I know that GPA means. So tell me, as a UK person, what Who's Who and lettered means in a US high school context?

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Lettered means she went to all the practices and did well in her sport; "starter" means she's one of the better players and the coach has her "start" every game instead of waiting on the bench for a better player to be injured.
Who's Who is a book of people (in this case probably 2016 graduates) who are expected to do well in life. Some professions publish "who's who" but you usually have to pay to be listed. I always think of them like Sir Walter Elliot's favorite book, _The Baronetcy_.

{edited to delete "The max GPA (grade point average) you can get is 4.0, so Youngest of the Doylettes is near the top of her class. "}

[maplekiwi]

To a non US person -sounds like a lot of pressure.

[SmartAleq]

To this US person it sounds like a bunch of silliness--I know my dad had copies of the Who's Who he appeared in (back then, it was primarily for adult professionals rather than high school students) and my goodness, what a scam. Pay a gazillion bucks for a leather bound phone book, because that's for all the world what it looked like. I don't get it.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

There's a crazy amount of pressure on high school students these days. The schools near me demand each student put in "community service work". I don't know how many hours are required, but it's not zero. All the things that "look good on a college application" seem to increase every year.

[JackieLikesVariety]

I have never heard of this stuff either

it sounds terrible for the kids!

[Lungfish]

So even though the youngest daughter did really well academically and rather good at two sports it wasn't good enough to merit an entry in fuckin' book? And because of that Mrs. Doyle is gonna be upset? Talk about First World Problems.

Kudos to your daughter BTW.

[Solfy]

I always figured it was a racket. Like the organization that published an ex's crappy poetry. "Buy the book with your poem in it for $80!"
I didn't buy the ones I was supposedly in.

[Rat Diva]

My mother bought the one I appeared in. We looked at it once to find my picture and then it sat in the bookcase for 20 years until I recycled it.

Anyway, congrats to the Youngest Doylette on her academic and athletic acheivements (if not her personality)

[fisheroo]

In five years the GPA and the sports aren't going to matter.

Being a raging bitch is a long term problem that will most negatively affect her, however. Not sure what to tell you if she's mimicking the wife.

And you so blithely referring to her as such is not a good sign, either.

[SmartAleq]

Being a stone whirling bitch is also known as "being a teenager." We know this to be true, right?

[Zeener Diode]

Sorry to hear about your problems, D. Tell you what: if you send the missus up here I will promise to take good care and watch over her, and when you've got this dust up with the Doylette settled, I'll send her back home. Sound good?

[hilarity n. suze]

Judging from who made it into the ultra prestigious Who's WHo in American High Schools in my day (including yours truly, who was a nobody), being an obnoxious little bitch obviously doesn't cost you. I think whoever didn't recommend her did her a favor, actually, unless it's some other Who's Who you're talking about or it suddenly is actually an honor.

Also: Your wife is going to be irate? And this is your fault how?

[Simple Dog]

Originally Posted by Solfy

I always figured it was a racket. Like the organization that published an ex's crappy poetry. "Buy the book with your poem in it for $80!"
I didn't buy the ones I was supposedly in.

Yeah, this was exactly my impression of it as well.

So not only can you be turned down, but the process is so invasive that they find out if you're an obnoxious little bitch?

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

Some professions publish "who's who" but you usually have to pay to be listed.

I remain highly skeptical that this is a good use of my scarce advertising dollars.

[Mr. Plumbean]

The whole industry is a scam to get families to buy the books for bragging rights.

[Mr. Plumbean]

They must rely on recommendations from teachers and/or limit how many names can be put in from each school and that's why Doyle thinks the kid got shafted. But it's utter bullshit anyway. It's absolutely insane how much artificial competitiveness we put kids through. Like they don't do it to themselves anyway.

[kayaker]

When my daughter was in 5th grade she had a poem published in a book that I was given the opportunity to purchase for a horribly inflated price. Pure, unadulterated scam.

I bought the book. It was worth the tiny boost in self confidence it gave my daughter, and I used it as an excuse to get her reading "real" poetry. I introduced her to my favorite poets. Worth every penny.

[Doyle]

After 30+ years of marriage I guess I still haven't figured my wife out. She was perfectly OK with it.

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Glad to hear you had a peaceful evening.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by fisheroo

In five years the GPA and the sports aren't going to matter.

Being a raging bitch is a long term problem that will most negatively affect her, however. Not sure what to tell you if she's mimicking the wife.

And you so blithely referring to her as such is not a good sign, either.

In less than 5 years, the GPA and sports will be irrelevant--as soon as she's into the college of her choice, NONE of it matters, academically or professionally.

But I totally agree re the stone cold bitch/whatever was said bit, all of it. Underneath that perfectionist facade is a scared girl who wants love and support, but who thinks she has to be perfect to be loved. This does not change no matter the age of the female (or the male, come to that).

I've never heard of Who's Who for HS students. Ye gods: WHY?
Re the grades and the pressure... School is essentially every adolescent's "job" and I see nothing wrong with wanting or fostering high achievers. It's when it becomes the be all and end all that it gets nasty and warped.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by Doyle

After 30+ years of marriage I guess I still haven't figured my wife out. She was perfectly OK with it.

Dude, it's a ruse. Wait until next week, when for no apparent reason she loses her cool and rips you a new one. Save yourself from the stress before it happens and buy her that plane ticket to Chateau Diode.

[RealityChuck]

Don't be bothered. The Who's Who of American High School Students (or whatever) is only read by the families of people who are in it.

It's just a scam to get you to buy a copy with your kid's name in it. 99% of its market are parents of the "honorees." I think I saw a copy once, and it was basically a computer print out (it may even have been dot matrix, but that was years ago) with a very fancy binding. I'm in one somewhere, but I wasn't foolish enough to pay for a copy.

They will let you in without buying a copy, but you'll never see it unless you do.

[Mr. Plumbean]

Dear Mr. Doyle,

Congratulations! Your submission, "Not looking forward to going home tonight" is a semifinalist in the National American Library of Discussion Posts competition and is thus selected for inclusion in the National American Library of Discussion Posts anthology (Volume 213).

You may use the form below to order copies of the anthology for yourself, for friends and family, for colleagues, and to donate to your local libraries and civic organizations. For a limited time only you may order 10 volumes for a 10% author's discount. Please remit the form with check or money order in the enclosed envelopes, and congratulations again on being selected for this very competitive anthology.

Please send me ____ copies of the anthology featuring my work. x $69.99 = _____

Apply 10% discount (orders of 10 and more only) ......................... ____

Total............................................. .......................____

[Rat Diva]

Originally Posted by RealityChuck

I think I saw a copy once, and it was basically a computer print out (it may even have been dot matrix, but that was years ago) with a very fancy binding.

Can confirm. It wasn't dot matrix, but the print quality of the photos was horrible, the text was minute and nearly unreadable, and the paper was one step above bogus paper, all beautifully bound in brown (p)leather with gold embossing, for the low, low price of $80 in 1994.

[The Futility of Nihilism]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plumbean

Dear Mr. Doyle,

Congratulations! Your submission, "Not looking forward to going home tonight" is a semifinalist in the National American Library of Discussion Posts competition and is thus selected for inclusion in the National American Library of Discussion Posts anthology (Volume 213).

You may use the form below to order copies of the anthology for yourself, for friends and family, for colleagues, and to donate to your local libraries and civic organizations. For a limited time only you may order 10 volumes for a 10% author's discount. Please remit the form with check or money order in the enclosed envelopes, and congratulations again on being selected for this very competitive anthology.

Please send me ____ copies of the anthology featuring my work. x $69.99 = _____

Apply 10% discount (orders of 10 and more only) ......................... ____

Total............................................. .......................____

GENIUS!