“Crosby, you were telling me about your girlfriend, ‘Floof’. Well, I have a girlfriend too! I saw her in the newspaper and on TV, and she’s got red hair just like me!”

“Wow, Buddy – that’s great! But you’re pretty young to have a girlfriend… how about if we call her ‘a friend that’s a girl’.”

“OK, Crosby – you know about this stuff more than me. I’ve tried sending her pictures and asking her for some, but she never responds. I did find some pictures on Mom’s computer though – on something called the Inner-net.”

“What’s her name, Buddy? Let me see those pictures.”

“Well, Crosby, some people call her ‘Peppermint Patty’, and others call her ‘Jen Sockee’ – like ‘sock-it-to-me’. She’s really smart and I think she’s famous too! She works in a white house somewhere in DC, wherever that is. Can we go visit so I can meet her? Here’s her pictures – she’s real cute!”

“Wow, Buddy, she’s very cute…and famous! Her name is spelled J-e-n P-s-a-k-i, but the ‘P’ is silent. Otherwise it would sound like ‘Pisockee’. She’s very famous – she works for the President of the United States and is the White House Press Secretary.”

“That’s what I said, Crosby – that she works in a white house! Is it a silent ‘P’ like in the word ‘Psycho’? Otherwise it would be pasyko! (heehee)”

“Yes, Buddy. The white house where Jen works is also called “THE WHITE HOUSE” and it’s the official home of the President of the United States and also where he works. Every president since the 1800’s has lived there.”

“Is it as big as our house, Crosby?”

“It’s a lot bigger – it has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 3 elevators and 8 staircases!”

“WOW – Does Jen Sockee have to wash all those windows, Crosby? I know our mom hates washing windows but still has to do it! And I hope she doesn’t have to clean all those bathrooms – ICK!”

“No, Buddy – she’s got a lot more important things to do than wash windows and clean bathrooms at The White House. Jen is the spokesperson for the President and the people that work with him to run the country. She collects lots of information about everything going on around the world that the USA is involved in. Then she shares all this with the press every day, and then they tell all of us what she said through TV, newspapers, and the internet. I know it’s a lot to understand, but that’s why Mom and Dad watch the news so much – to hear what Jen has to say about things like war, high gas & food prices, and everything else going on in the world.”

“I really like her, Crosby. Do you think you can ask her to send me a picture, like Floof did?”

“I wish I could, Buddy. But she’s too busy working and I don’t know how to get in touch with her. But just keep watching her on TV and in the newspapers and say hi to her that way…and when she smiles at the TV, you will know she’s looking right at you and saying “HI, BUDDY!”