Couple of updates:

MICAH will be going into the 9th grade, not the 8th. I was kind of overruled by several people who thought he was ready for 9th. I have mixed feelings. I don't want him bored in the 8th but since 9th is so important, if he goes into 9th, he has to be very mature. I feel the immaturity is still an issue.

This was a recommendation by the counselors. Final decision was up to us, I guess, but we are deferring to them. At this point it would take extra effort to keep him in 8th. I guess they looked at test scores and those proficiency tests and said well, since he knew his stuff it might not be good to repeat. And that being around high schoolers in a serious school would help him mature. My thing is that when I see him with his peers, he is pretty goofy and immature. When he is around younger kids (Kross, for example) he's a totally different person. He acts like a leader and is very responsible.

It was just one of those "blink" feelings of mine. I can't explain it. It just seemed right. I know it but I don't know why I know it.

(Here's a digression- feel free to skip my diatribe if you're bored by my observations, etc.)

If you have never read Blink, read it. It tells you why you should trust your guts on some things even if you don't know why, and when not to. For example, if you're prejudiced and don't want to be, it will show you exercises on how to train your brain not to prejudge.

It's pretty cool and since there is some sort of unwarranted prejudice anywhere you should at least be aware of how this happens and how to overcome it. It is nothing if not profitable because prejudice in business is a huge money loser.

In our culture, for example, US Caucasians and Blacks should both read it. There is an ingrown prejudice each has toward that other that has really caused the sufferer OF the prejudice more harm than the person being prejudiced against.

Most Caucasians have had a prejudice, and most wish they did NOT. They cannot verbalize it, but were it verbalized, it would go like this: Black people are dangerous and want to steal from or harm me.

Similarly, African Americans have an equally harmful prejudice, and most wish they did not. They cannot verbalize it, but were it verbalized, it would go like this: White people do not want me to succeed and think of ways to keep me down.

These prejudices over the years are responsible for riots, attacks, murders, and crimes against both those one's same group and the other. More often they are responsible for extreme FEAR, intimidation, avoidance, shame of having but not being able to get rid of this thought, and overall general rudeness. In business it costs millions of dollars. Savvy businesspeople have learned to overcome these prejudices. In terms of friendship and openness, the cost is priceless.

You CAN fix this. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is ONE resource one can use. Another exercise I've known people use for a long time is this: If you see people of the group you are not in, and you are feeling fear or intimidation, think: "Would I be afraid of these people if they were in my own ethnic group?" I have seriously seen people afraid of groups of children or teenaged boys riding bikes. Since I live around many Blacks and many Whites, I have seen this on both sides.

If you are Black, you are thinking, "Why would ANYONE think this about me? I am not dangerous. I'm not out trying to hurt anyone." If you're White, you are thinking, "I have no intention of keeping anyone down. Maybe I even try to help people succeed." Believe me, prejudice has no grounds in reality but is a very prevalent thought that is infused from moment one, very subtly, through messages around you. If you are in some other country, you can find two groups who have similar prejudices. How much does this cost everyone!

Use this exercise if you are a policeman, teacher, or just a neighbor. It eliminates the crime of Driving While Black, for example. Or like this: When I was in Oxford I worked for a few weeks at Odd Lots. They buy overstock and sell it at way discount prices. One day a Black lady came in and was looking for a doll. All of the overstock of this particular doll was the white version, and I tried but could not find the black one. "That just figures", she said, disgruntled and almost hurt. "I see how it is" and stormed off in a huff. Now it is just overstock but somehow to her the great white Powers that Be had conspired to keep little girls from having the dolls they wanted which matched their skin.

If you know this, you can recognize and reject those messages when you see them and go on about your business much more enlightened.

END OF DIGRESSION

Nathanael's roommates are Jay and Jeremy. Jay is from New Delhi and is going to play for the Grinnell soccer team. We have still not heard from Jeremy. But as far as Nathanael is going, he is still going from an east midwest mid-sized city to a central midwest tiny town. Jay is coming from half a day ahead, from a burgeoning Indian metropolis to a central midwest tiny town. OK, Nathanael says New Delhi isn't burgeoning - it's already burgeoned. Hm. I don't know about that.