There are two type of people in this world. People who are excited about American Idol tonight and people who are excited about Lost. You can be excited for both, but more likely you are really excited for one and slightly excited for the other. In college I took a course "Forecasting" we learned about regression analysis and how to use it when dealing with financial markets. The class was borderline impossible. The teacher had the charisma of a white piece of paper placed on a field of snow in Alaska as viewed by some who is blind, has no sense of smell, and cannot touch. The course did have two things. My study partner was a girl who the first time I went over to her dorm room it smelled so shockingly feminine (in a the best way imaginable) I almost collapsed and she was wearing only a sports bra and shorts even though it was already November. The second thing is that from an intellectual perspective the material was such that just when you thought you couldn't grasp it any more and were ready to throw in the towel and become a lowly marketing major, you would get it. You would get it with such insight that everything you struggled with before was suddenly easy. The final of that class was comprehensive everything you learned, and having had those insights along the way it was long and it was a lot of work, but it was never hard. Forecasting to me is like Lost. Every time I struggle and think about giving in I make a breakthrough that I realize why I have stuck with it.

American Idol reminds me of my freshman writing class, but that song and dance is for another time...