Did you at least get your coffee out of it?

Yep. But now I'm still tired. WOE!

Her friends (who are, in her words, "not people I would be friends with if we hadn't grown up together") are shunning her for daring to be smart and leave school early. I hates her friends, yes I do.

Eh. She'll make brand new friend who she'll get along with based on more than geography.

My mom used to say that every 5 years or so, I would outgrow my friends and be miserable. She is so right. I've had a core group of friends I've kept since we were freshmen or so, but about every 5 years it seems I have to look around and drop some of the new ones I've made.

Her friends (who are, in her words, "not people I would be friends with if we hadn't grown up together") are shunning her for daring to be smart and leave school early. I hates her friends, yes I do.

Well, it sounds like they're more acquaintances than friends anyway. Not everybody who's "nice" to you is actually a friend, you know?

(Often a painful lesson to learn, of course)

Not everybody who's "nice" to you is actually a friend, you know?

That is a rough one to learn.

Wee cousin is very stressed about finishing all of her requirements, so now they are thinking about having her graduate in December of next year and maybe starting college in the spring.

Not that you asked, but I would advise her to go ahead and wait until Fall if she isn't going to finish this year. I don't think that we're unique in the fact that we do not provide the structure and support for spring entrants that we do for fall. In addition, she will be new to college, not just the school. (our spring orientation is skewed toward transfers, not new entrants) Also, she may feel pressured to take on more in order to finish with her freshman classmates in 3.5 years. Clearly, she's capable, but it seems like unnecessary stress.

Yeah, unless she can finish over the summer somehow? I think a winter start in your freshman year would be incredibly difficult. It was tough for me when I transferred mid-year and I wasn't 17 and just out of high school then.

Her friends (who are, in her words, "not people I would be friends with if we hadn't grown up together") are shunning her for daring to be smart and leave school early. I hates her friends, yes I do.

Whichever way she decides to go, I'm glad she's got you for support. Every so often I remember an incident when I was 8 or 9 when one of my friends (very like your cousin's friends, we just happened to have grown up together) complained because I used too many "big words". My Aunt Marlene happened to be over and when I told her the story she told me to go ahead and keep using the big words, and if my friend didn't know the meaning, she could just ask me. I keep meaning to write her a Thank You card or something for that. I often think that I might not have been strong enough to Be Smart yet myself back then, but a little encouragement went a long way. I haven't seen that girl in decades, but me and my vocab are thisclose.

Christ on a crutch, Epic. Fingers crossed.

Change Thai to US and you get five times as many hits off that search.

This.

Now I bet they're not exploiting elephants over there either.

You know, I've tried to answer this politely for the past half hour, but I don't think I can. It's just going to be an argument.

Suffice it I respect the fact that you are electing to spend your money only in ways that you feel confident will not in any way support causes or behaviours of which you disapporove. Good for you. And I respect your right to disapprove of Thailand, or boycott it, or whatever.

Oh gosh, fay. I'm so sorry. My post about how I found it on the internet was supposed to be my way of saying I'm sorry I said that without actually doing the research myself. That I sometimes believe stuff because I read it on the internet only to be corrected later by more well informed people such as yourself. Since I was wrong about the extent to which the government condones child prostitution I assumed I was probably wrong about the elephant exploitation as well. I shall now attemp the difficult process of removing my foot from my mouth. I only hope I can keep it in my shoe where it belongs.

Generally, the best way to apologize (and have it be accepted as such) is to simply say you are sorry. And mean it.