In Which Our Hero Emerges Triumphant.

I quote my Core Humanities professor, in his evaluation of my midterm (all 4,000 words of it): "Great work, Fox. Thoughtful, thorough, and well-written. 100% A."

I worked my ass off on that paper. I put my heart and soul into it. I (to judge by the tone from about page nine onward) got a little sick of my own seriousness and decided that if the professor were as bored reading as I'd become writing, a laugh would be in order (making references in the fifth mini-essay to Ronseal Quick Drying Woodstain ads and the Dennis the Peasant scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail). To quote from a passage later in that essay (on absolute monarchy):

"Consider the issue of modern health care reform. In the United States, the Congress must deliberate the needs of the public, the insurance companies, doctors, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin's grandmother, left-wing alternative medicine practitioners, the cast of The Office, and every other brain-dead mook who has an opinion. In a monarchy? King Barack would need only say the word and for better or worse the health care industry would have to bow to his will...

"The Forrest Gump principle applies here: "Absolute monarchs are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Still, when you've got a Louis XIV-caliber guy in charge, your nation can run circles around the democracies."

It is very satisfying to put hours of effort into a piece and have it favorably judged. To get the best possible score? That is sweet.