Well, it's finally happening. Today I'm sending off the housing acceptance, accepting my place in the Malebolge. I've decided that the building I live in can be called the Malebolge, and the dorm room itself House of Fire and Motions to Dismiss (or HFMD) as per Eric's suggestion. This whole "I'm going to become a lawyer" thing is now very real to me. When my stomach stops doing acrobatics, I'm sure things will start getting done.

In other news, I've applied for another credit card, and it looks like they'll give it to me. I don't really need another credit card, but this one has a good balance transfer rate. I'm considering it an important experiment:

a) Will a credit card company actually give a substantial line of credit to someone who has admitted that for three years their annual income is zero? and;

b) Will attempting to purchase an item from the Columbia bookstore (or indeed, my tuition) using a credit card branded with National Review provide the kind of ideological antimatter necessary to annihilate several blocks of Manhattan, or will the card just spontaneously combust upon first use?

I love the American attitude towards consumer credit. I'm sure that in theory the real reason for credit cards is to either borrow money or conveniently purchase items, but I've become convinced that with all the silly pictures and cobranding, the free insurance policies, and the temptations to game the system with their ludicrous special offers, they're actually a part of the entertainment industry.