Monday, January 28, 2008

This! Is! The painkiller!

You know you're in Germany when...it's easier to treat pain with vodka than aspirin. My wisdom teeth are growing in, and it hurts like hell, so I went to the store today to get some aspirin or something, and I discovered that it's both cheaper and easier to just buy alcohol. So, I'm self-medicating with about a shot every hour and a half (except schooltime). Effective without leaving me tipsy or drunk.

Anyway, at school today we did a lesson on the current primaries. It was basically a large practical joke for my own amusement. I explained the basic system, including the electoral college (holy heck, that was hard), then handed out cards instructing six people to be candidates (I picked Romney, Giuliani, McCain, Edwards, Clinton, and Obama). Everyone else was divided into Democrats and Republicans, and they had to choose a candidate to run in the "general election." I played the Third Party. "My role," I said, "is to stand in the corner and complain about the system."

It actually worked very nicely. They were fairly above-board, although there was a cowardly mudslinging attack on Edwards' hat. Can't trust a Southerner in a hat. The general election was great - it was Giuliani versus Obama. Giuliani won, due to her impassioned attack on illegal immigrants.