Alex, I'm going to send you to Des Moines.

Good grades are important to get into college.

Study hard, do your homework, don't get pregnant, don't do drugs, don't smoke, don't have any fun. Just go to school, come home, do homework, lather, rinse repeat.

Then when you get into college you can rebound like nearly everyone else who busted their asses without any balance and get hammered, fall into danger of flunking out, be worried about maybe being pregnant and living off Red Bull and coffee.

Not particularly. They're only important for certain colleges. And, with certain exceptions, a sense that those certain colleges are absolutely vital to life success are misplaced.

Ok. I like Iowa. It's the Spokane of east of the Mississippi.

Besides, I speak truth. Studies show that eventually 90% of math majors get laid. That's too strong a correlation to ignore.

From what I understand, Statisticians score remarkably well in that category as well as looks and general intelligence.

BTW... Happy Star Trek Day!

Advice for high school - participate! Have a great time and try out all sorts of activities. You are not too cool for them even if you think you are. Now is a great time to try out photography, ceramics, shop, cooking, auto, etc. You'll be suprised a the new things you'll learn that aren't as repetitive as some other classes seem to be.

Have fun and don't limit yourself.

Not so far (I am here for work). What do I need to make sure to not miss here?

Any tips for Minneapolis?

In Des Moines - go to Adventureland. You totally need to!

The wooden coaster is actually a lot of fun. :)