IKOAFS Book Post #2: Pgs. 94- 275

Summary:
In the beginning of this chunk of reading/text, Craig is talking about his new high school, and how the work is overwhelming him. He is beginning to think that even though he got the highest possible score on the test (800, which apparently, everyone else got on the test), he is starting to think that he isn't exactly 'smart', and that all of the other students are better than him. This gets him depressed. Well, actually, he starts of with stress-vomiting. All of the work he is behind on made him stressed out, until he actually thought about killing himself, jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. LUCKILY enough, Craig took the right steps, called the Suicide Hotline (coincidentially, 1-800-SUICIDE), and checked himself into Argenon Hospital, Adult Phsychiatric (since, there was not enough space for any more teens, the hospital was undergoing renovations). Here, Craig becomes accustomed to living in the hospital with the other mentally ill patients, and gets a routine lifestyle. He's even makin new friends here! The patients are odd, but friendly. Craig is now diagnosed (is that the right term? :P) with Clinical Depression. So far, Craig has been in the hospital for about 2 days, and he has to finish a required 5 days in the hospital to get a pass to leave, and finish another pile of unfinished schoolwork. Now, he is going to his first daily activity, Arts and Crafts.

Quote:
Nurse Monica leans back with her moon face.
"As you know, we have certain activities on the floor."
"Right."
"On your first day you are excused from activities, but after that you are expected to attend on a daily basis."
"Okay."
"That means you start today. This is an opportunity for you to expplore your interests. So I ask you: what are your hobbies?"
Bad question, Monica.
"I don't have any."
"Aha. None at all?"
"No."
I work, Monica, and I think about work, and I freak out about work, and I think about how much I think about work, and I freak out about how much I think about how much I think about work, and I think about how freaked out I get about how much I think about how much I think about work. Does that count as a hobby?
"I see." She takes some notes. "So we can put you in any activity group."
"I guess." (Vizzini 273-274).

Response:
I love Craig's logic (though he's depressed). He keeps all of his thoughts to himself, and expresses them differently. He even does this when he is asked if he smoked/smokes. He DOES/DID smoke pot, but he doesn't mention this to anyone, since he doesn't want to end up on the 'most wanted list for pot-smokers'. Craig is supposed to be relaxing while hes in the hospital, yet, he's STILL acting up over school work hes missing. He physically feels better (he can eat without throwing it back up), but hes still too worried about high school. And he's sarcastic about it! :D At least he jokes about his condition. A smile a day keeps the doctor away, or not. Anyways, even though he seems ordinary, hes, as his friend Humble (real name: Humboldt Koper) says it, "He's crafty." (Vizzini 252).