Now, i have never been one to undergo dramatic change. I've lived in the same place in the same city my whole life and I still have friends from when I still was in diapers. But my education took a geographic detour for about four years when I started going to school the the valley. The valley is a very inclusive place; not many people in it go father than Laurel Canyon. However, from the 6th to the 9th grade, my mother drove me over that canyon every weekday morning, and even some weekends when my social schedule called for it. As a result, all of my friends were in the valley. I was happy at the middle school there, no doubt, even with its pecilular year-round schedule. But when it came to high school, there was not one more generic and back-washed than North Hollywood high school. I'm not going to say I hated it there; After all, I had some good friends and even some good times. But I was pretty damn unhappy. The teachers were nothing special and the classes were none too complicated (except for geometry, my achilles heel). About 80% of the kids I went to middle school with went to the main campus with me, and they weren't really the 80% I wanted to spend the next four years with. But I was stuck at NH for that little length of time because my dear old Humanities magnet had turned me down. So I was pretty unhappy. Serena was a big advocator of me joining the zoo magnet, an extremely small school on the LA Zoo grounds, but that was a no-go. It was Hami or bust. So how happy was I that I got into Humanities my 10th grade year? Utterly and extrememely pleased. Sure, I miss my old friends a lot and there are times when I feel a little lonely, but I prefer Hamilton over NH and I'd make the same choice again if I had to. I just had to get out. The Valley of the Dolls did not need another Barbie.
