Larry is like someone with Tourette's syndrome. He simply has no filters, he's compulsively honest about the world as he sees it. And he just can't shut up. He's our unexpressed id, like Cartman. The laughter is that recognition.

Still, the stories this season have been meandering, even more pointless than usual. I'm still laughing, but it's uneasy now. And Larry without Cheryl? His wife humanized him. Her patience with him cued us to the idea there was something more to this guy - and naturally, this season is leading up to getting them back together.

I found him admirably restrained.

The one thing every home-schooling parent I've met has in common is their need for control. Now, if your options for your kids are genuinely hazardous or inadequate (I wish I, a single mother, could have afforded to pull my Aspergers kid out for a few years), I wouldn't say a damned thing.

But a more interesting question is, where does concern for your child stop and over-protection (and over-identification with the child) begin? It's pretty important for children's emotional development to learn to maneuver in their own world away from their parents: make their own decisions and mistakes, learn the horrors of peer groups, etc.

So where do home-schooled children learn that kind of thing - in the carefully-chosen extracurricular activities scheduled by their parents with a homogenous peer group?

And isn't it likely that at least some parents are home-schooling for their own emotional needs, and not that of their children?

The first home-schooled kids I ever knew did graduate college and did well academically - but never left home. (They're in their thirties.) I think that's kind of odd. I dunno, life isn't like a Jane Austen novel and the whole extended family thing can be overdone. We don't live in Edwardian England, we live in an American society that places quite a premium on independence.

Obama was an inexperienced first-term senator with few legislative achievements. His Illinois state-house mentor handed off a bunch of bills others had done the work on and let Obama carry them across the finish line.

Why? Because he had a story the powers that be could sell. That's how political operatives think. They don't really think too much about whether you can actually handle the job, they figure you always have them for that.

Obama's never really had to make a tough political decision. His career is one of "split the difference," "don't rock the boat," "let's all get along" attitude. Is anyone really surprised that he doesn't know how to lead?

Because that's the REAL problem. He's a fucking windsock.

And Obama started starving the liberal non-profits of funds by directing donors to contribute to him instead?

That didn't help, either.

Back in those days, it was very common that the oldest son in a Catholic family was sent into the priesthood, and the oldest daughter into the convent.

It doesn't require much imagination to think of the repressed fury some of them had for being forced into a life they didn't choose.

After all, she actually produced the videos. They were pretty good, and widely distributed on YouTube.

As one invisible middle-aged fat woman to another: There were, yes, years at a time I didn't touch a guitar but I always came back. My playing took a great leap forward when I joined a Sunday afternoon bluegrass circle. The members' abilities were all over the map, but I learned to strum in time, anticipate chord progressions and basically feel like a million bucks when I played.

Do whatever you have to do. It's not all or nothing, and your guitar will always be waiting for you. Remember that working out will actually make you a better player, because holding a guitar can strain a lot of muscles. It will improve your posture and you'll be able to play longer.

About burying the lede. The real story, I think, is in the DUI.

Honey (can I can call you honey? I have kids older than you), if you lost your license from a DUI, and you were a white college student, I have to ask the obvious question: Was this your first offense?

And if you lost your license, didn't they also order you to attend AA? I know DUI sentences vary from place to place, but this is how it usually goes.

If you're not in AA, maybe you should go. You don't think you need it? That's okay, it'll be useful to you as a writer. Go and listen to the stories about people struggling with their compulsions. Write about those compulsions, if only for yourself. (Observing the rule of confidentiality, of course.)

Stop using the word "journalism." You're an observer. There are still niches in the world for people who notice things others don't. In my career path, I spent 15 years as a full-time journalist but also apprenticed as a lay midwife, did sales and worked as a private eye - all of which required me to watch closely.

You don't have to decide anything this minute, except how to keep a roof over your head. Then worry later about the details - because frankly, if you're really meant to be a journalist, nothing will stop you.

It's okay if you change your mind; your life's path is never carved in stone. Lots of people decide they don't want to follow the path they thought they wanted and inadvertently stumble onto something else that makes them passionate.

Life is like that. Something will happen to clarify your mind, one way or another. Just breathe for a while.