every color can be found

[Penny, currently seventeen and rocking a pixie cut, digging frantically through a pile of papers (just off screen, but the odd piece of wrinkled notebook paper goes flying by). Judging from the background, she's sitting in the hall at Westerberg High.

And talking to herself.]

You know when people tell you to prioritize the stuff you should get done? I think I did it wrong, so I'm basically doomed for finals.

[Or maybe she's talking to the network. She shuffles papers for a few more moments before giving up, putting the papers down in favor of the network device.]

But you know what's worse? I'm too busy freaking out about finals to freak out about anything else like the twenty-four people who starve to death every minute or the seven trees an average American goes through each year or anything relevant. [pause] No, I guess I'm still worried about the usual stuff. But seriously, finals on top of that? I'm never going to need to know this stuff in real life.

[She pauses again, rethinking this.]

Unless, you know... you're a teacher and you're listening to this. Teachers, you're an invaluable part of the American workforce and it's completely not your fault that the high school students in Finland test way better than students in the United States. [If Penny didn't sound so sincere, that might have come off as sarcasm. It's not.] That'd be my fault. Not by myself, I mean--not even I can blame me for that--but students like me who could do better and never get around to it. Motivation issues.

[A sigh.]

Okay. I'm calm now. Ranting's good for the soul.

[And with that nugget of wisdom, she ends the feed.]



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