Last March, on a trip from New York to Japan, my ears suddenly started making clicking sounds when I swallowed. After several Japanese and American doctors and six months, we still don't know the actual cause of the sounds. The big theory is TMJ since I actively grind my teeth in my sleep. Then again, I've been grinding since I was 3 so I'm not sure why the injury would pop up after so many years. All I know is that it's painful and really, really annoying.

If you ever took the SATs and scored low you should read this week's Slate diary. Brendan Mernin, a tutor with the Princeton Review for the last 11 years, talks about his adventures in tutoring. The fact that the SATs don't really prove any level of intelligence is no revelation to anyone who has even glimpsed at an exam, but Brendan's tales are really neat to read. My favorite part is the very end and I quote:

"The story students tell more than any other is the one about the friend who scored a perfect 1600, even though he got drunk the night before. I'm sure you know him. So many people do. Who is he? (It's always a he.) He's a genius, they say. I haven't yet met him, but I can say this: Whoever he is, he's not necessarily who you want to be."