Have to share . . .

Next summer, we're going to release a book called Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss. It's fun stuff, naturally (says the former band nerd), but I'm reading a draft right now, and something she wrote strikes me as an excellent specimen of its type (a type I've seen a lot lately): the parental college meltdown. In this useful YA set piece, a character shows something that might be mistaken for indifference or even just lack of enthusiasm toward the prospect of college. At this point, even ordinarily rational parents lose their minds and visions of Helen Hunt jumping out of a window in "Angel Dusted" flash through their heads*. Josie captures it very nicely.

I sullenly looked up at them. “I said, who cares. You guys have made college such a big deal. And I’m sick of talking about it.”

“Ellie, what’s gotten into you?” Mom asked. “You’ve been talking about college practically since you started high school.”

“We thought you were excited about it,” continued Dad. “Is something wrong?”

“Are you depressed?” asked Mom, fearfully.

“Are you doing okay in your classes?” Dad asked.

"Oh, God, you aren’t addicted to crystal meth, are you?” Mom practically shrieked. "Did you know they make that with poison?”

Ah yes, zero to crystal meth in four seconds flat. Nice.

*Unfortunately, I couldn't find a YouTube of Helen Hunt in "Angel Dusted"--you'll have to ask Hank Green--but I did find her smoking weed on "The Facts of Life."