The Spot

I got a letter from the University of Ottawa yesterday. Now, I knew I'd only just applied, so the chances were extremely slim that they had decided whether to admit me or not. I was nervous anyway.
The envelope was thin, which is a very bad sign. So instead of reading the whole thing, I just flipped to the second page:
"to acess your e-mail account..." E-mail account? They gave me an e-mail account! My rushing elation was soon quashed: apparently everyone who applies gets an e-mail account. Who has that kind of server space, anyway?
Well, I might not have gotten in...but I wasn't out either. And that kinda got me feeling pretty good: maybe I'm gonna get in after all. I hate thinking about the future. I hate the uncertainty.
I know this is probably pretty offensive, but I'll let you in on why I'm stressed. In my family education = money. Money = happiness. Normally I'd reject this kind of logic outright, because it's so...undemocratic. The problem is, there's evidence to back it up. The couple who got married out of their BAs or BScs live in a smaller house. They lost their jobs. Their marriage was under a lot of stress because of all this lack of money.
The couple with a Nursing and Engineering degree live in a bigger house. They have more work than they need. They have more money than they need. They're happier [but their kids are more spoiled].
I believed for a split second that I was in law school...and my relief was beyond all measure. This is ridiculous: lots of people are perfectly happy without law degrees...why should I think one is necessary for my happiness?
The oddest thing is I don't apply this reasoning to anyone else. I have a couple of friends scattered around the country who have dropped out of school, or just didn't go back after the bachelors...and they seem perfectly happy.
Go figure. I wonder if I'm the only one who sees this connection: is it part of North American culture? Or is this a uniquely spottle phenomenon?
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