The Answer is P...

Today was our last day of Heath.

YES.

Come Monday, I will be taking Art with the band director.

Though, today was our final.

I failed it miserably.

Only ONE person passed with a perfect score.

It wasn't me!

Out of 49 questions, I had only gotten 15 correct...

Anyway, when he was passing out the answer sheet, I received it upside down.

I looked at it and looked up.

Then I looked at it again.

I turned to Juan and I said, "Since when do we have 'P' for an answer choice?"

I must have turned it over three times at LEAST until I figured out which side was up...

And I have the audacity to call myself an honor student...

Grammar and Football

Friday. This means football.

YES.

I had a blast tonight. I got an AMAZING two hours of sleep last night and I loaded up on caffeine, so I was bouncing off the walls... Though, now, I'm about to crash...

Apparently, our school has not been able to defeat Plainview since 1985. So, we were unbelievably pumped when we saw we were tied at half time.

Well, I'm not proud of my performance, but I'm confident about tomorrow.

After halftime, I pulled Jacob and Matt's hair up.

The saxophone section is now up to FIVE girls. Yes! Finally.

They were pretty... I wish I'd gotten a picture... I will tomorrow.

Whilst this was happening, we discussed commas.

We talked about how we would have to yell "LET'S GO COMMA PEE!"

Because, you see, if we were to yell "LET'S GO, PEE!" nobody would know if we were begging the director to go to the bathroom or cheering for the football player.

Because the comma is silent.

Like the "X" in my name.

ShelXly.

Another classic example is the "LET'S EAT, GRANDPA!" The comma is silent. SO, my conclusion is that commas should be expressed as an interjection.

Oh! Wow! COMMA!

It could work, though it would be weird to have an interjection in the middle of a sentence...

Anyway... When the game ended, we fled to Pizza Hut. There, we met a former SBM.

He was on the drum line and loved it. I thought he would know my English teacher considering she was in the band back in the day.

She's my favorite teacher.

We talked about how much the school had changed and all that.

I really need to start taking pictures...

CANANANADA!

I've been feeling rather... intelligent today. Seriously.

You know how you rub your hands together and it causes them to warm up? I'm talking about friction. Well, we know that particles and atoms are CONSTANTLY moving. Even in solid substances. But in a liquid, they have more flow to them.

SO. I started thinking.

There are many different kinds of particles in coffee. The sugar, creamer, ect. Well, if all those particles bounced off of each other FAST enough, don't you think friction would take it's course and cause the coffee to warm up?

I thought so...

So I grabbed what coffee I had left from this morning and I took it to lunch with me.

I shook it all the way down the hall.

Now, before you go off and start calling me crazy, I'm going to tell you a secret.

It worked.

I got to the lunch room and my coffee was warm-ish. Not hot like it is supposed to be, but it wasn't room temperature. It was WARM.

Amazing, right?

Well, somebody had the audacity to tell me that it was just because it was in a thermos.

I forgot about that part.

So I inspected my coffee...

It was cold....

I sat like an idiot shaking my coffee trying to make it warm up.

Didn't work...

BUT, in theory, it should. You just have to shake it fast enough, I suppose....



On another completely unrelated note... Did you know the lady that sings "My Heart Will Go On" is CANADIAN?

I didn't.... Somebody told me 3rd block... only his exact words were....

"Yea, she is from Canananana... Cananana... Canana..."

I looked at my friend and we busted laughing.

OK, now imagine a two-year-old... Do you know how they shake their head and wrinkle their nose when you try to give them vegetables?

Now... Do that whilst saying "Canananada!"

Great fun.

Our new "obsession" is...
"Squirrels have big fluffy tails that go WOOSH *insert funky hand gesture here* and they live in *shakes head like a two-year-old* CANANADA!"

STOP BREATHING! You're fogging my window...

Since I failed to grab my iPod this morning, I was forced to sit and think for about 30-45 minutes on the bus.

Normally, this would scare me. I tend to think of things that bring out the worst in me.

But today, I thought of a few interesting things.

1. Do you remember when having a backpack with your favorite cartoon character was the “bomb-shiz”? I do… Though, I never had a backpack with Zaboomafu on the back. I can recall two that I’ve had in the past.

The first one I remember was kind of a dark, war-ish, green. “FRANCES” was written on the back in orange marker with dots on every point or corner.

Like this…

Why this picture is sideways is beyond me. I tried to fix it, but I failed…

And yes. I do keep paper by me at all times while I’m on the computer. I like to take notes on ways to improve my blog or something… And I’m never together, psh!

Anyway. That was my first backpack. I still have it. It’s in my loft, probably under the bean bag.

The second backpack I remember was black. It was a one strap, over the shoulder bag. I liked it. Though, I never wore it right and it threw off my shoulder; which, with time, went back to normal. I also had a lot of key chains on this one.

I don’t remember what I did with this bag, nor do I care. My green one has more memories to be be cherished.

2. I’ve never been so ashamed of my general generation (K-12 today).

I’m referring more to the younger kids. It’s to be understandable that they don’t fully understand or have to fully respect everything like older, more mature people do.

But would it kill you to leave your shirt ON when you get off the bus? Please? Nobody wants to see you jiggle in the rain whilst twirling your shirt around your head like a poorly paid stripper.

COME ON! I was young once too, but NEVER did I even consider to stoop so low. It’s not funny. It’s stupid.

Also, don’t assume a “Auburn fan died and the lights are flashing on the ambulance and they are doing it for his memory”. Really?

Grow up.

I did some research because I was curious as to what it meant and if there had been, in fact, a death.

From the little I cared to read, I’ve come to the conclusion that it wasn’t critical, they forgot to turn them off, or they were trying to keep the passengers blood pressure from spiking.

On the bright side, I learned something new.

3. A saxophone would beat a drum if there were to be a battle of instruments.

Juan and I argued this for the past 24 hours. He claims his drums would melt my saxophone once the drum consumed the sax.

It goes on and on… I still think a saxophone would win…

More than color?

They say the eyes are the window into the soul.

Every countless time I've heard this, I always felt the need to look for a mirror to see what everybody sees through my eyes.

Normally, I can't see past the color...

Sometimes I think I see things when I look through other people's eyes. Maybe it's just a self conscious thing my mind does to put me down. Like I have no soul.

I've been thinking terribly deep for someone with such a dull personality.

What do you see when you look in my eyes? I'm curious to know...

Homecoming confession.

This week is Homecoming.

Just the thought makes my head scream in agony.

I've never liked this time of year...

Never.

Even as an innocent 8th grader, I never cared for it.

Now, I have my reasons.

I'm not saying I don't have school spirit; though, I'm seriously lacking it.

But is it really a crime just to say "No, I don't want anything to do with this."

I guess it's just the stress.

Being in band, I need to worry about memorizing music and another place on the field that I will never have to think about again.

That should give me comfort, but it doesn't.

What if I screw up that ONE thing I need to do?

Eh.

No big deal, right?

WRONG.

It would haunt me for the rest of the year. I still have awful visions of the last two years.

I failed both times to memorize my music and it was just for the simple miracle of follow the leader did I ever find my place on the field.

As if I don't have to put up with enough on a regular week.

Let's get this straight.

I don't like pep rallies.

I've come to realize I don't enjoy being in a hot gym surrounded by overjoyed, loud teenagers.

There is no possible way I can blame them for being pumped for a game, but I don't like unnecessary noise.

It aggravates me on a level I can not explain. It's just kind of part of who I am. The funny thing about is is that I love my music loud, but there's something about random yelling and whistles that just rubs me the wrong way.

It's like a little blue monster gnawing on my brain. It's uncomfortable.

I seriously am considering hiding in the bathroom this Friday.

Like anybody would notice.

Ha.

Secondly, I see no point in a 'Homecoming Court'.

What exactly do they do after? I've never heard anything about them beyond the night they get crowned and what not...

Personally, I think it's just a popularity contest.

Again, I choose to take no part in the voting or anything.

My ideal Homecoming would be of something a little different.

Change the themes. It's gotten old using the same ones every year. I am only a Sophomore, but c'mon. I'M bored of them.

Now, I'm a lazy bum. If I were to choose an IDEAL theme, it would be PJ week. I would participate EVERY day.

While I'm on the topic of themes, let me tell you WHY the ones they have chosen have gotten boring.

Monday was camo day. Original or not, you decide. But that's nothing extreme. There is no rule against not wearing camo to school. I've seen kids wear full out head to toe hunting camo gear crap and it's perfectly OK. There is nothing special about it.

Tuesday, or today, was 80's, mix and match, and crazy hair day. I went to school in just normal 'I-don't-really-give-a-crap' outfit... When I saw everybody in the hall, I felt I needed to take a trip to the ER for hallucinating. I saw somebody with a mullet and a LOT of colors. Just... odd. Now, it's WAY better than camo, but this theme has been used every year since I've been in 7th grade. Be a little more original.

Tomorrow is rock star day, but there are too many restrictions to really make it fun. Jesse and Aaron were planning on coming to school with their faces painted like Kiss, but NO. Somebody must have been listening to the conversations and just had to crush the dreams of young children. Also, why would you refuse to let the students to spike their hair? We were allowed to do it in the past and I don't remember it ever really being a problem. Besides, it's just ONE day.

Thursday is class shirt day. Boring. I think it's like setting the school into cliques. Like, I KNOW all the different colors won't merge. They will all float around the halls together like multiple rainbow-colored tumors. I try to associate myself with people at all different classes, but I'd be intimidated if I wasn't wearing the same color shirt. For a day I'll be part of the small tumor that kind of just floats around the veins of the school being my boring self.

And finally, Friday is red and white day. This kind of has the same tiredness as camo day. We can wear red and white any day. Just because we will look like red and white blood cells (I really need to stop listening to Mrs. Johnson...) doesn't mean a thing. At least not to me. Supposedly, red is the color of a killer. That may be why the school chose it, but I was reading a book and the students were restricted from wearing red because the staff was afraid that they were part of a gang or something that would attempt to kill them all... Dumb, yes. But some kid was killed because of a red ribbon she wore.

Completely off topic.

I just wish it could be mixed up a little more.

(COUGH COUGH PJ'S COUGH COUGH)

Or what about Hawaiian day? Nothing says "partay" like a large, sweaty guy in a hula skirt...

Maybe a ninja day? That would be fun to dress in black sweats and run around the school hallway like nobody can see you while randomly stabbing somebody with your pencil... Just a thought.

Or a stereotype change. The band dresses like their idea of football players, the cheerleaders can dress in their idea of a the band, the football players can dress like nerds, the average students dress as who they please. You know, just kind of a world gone upside down. It would give students a chance to laugh at themselves.

I would have a blast if there were a game day... Like we can dress as our favorite video game character. I would be Pac Man. Just saying....

I know these ideas are rather... sad, but they were just something I came up with on the spot.

Another thing I would do to make Homecoming a little more pleasant would be if we were given more time to prepare.

This is the band side of me talking. I don't have the time to sit down and memorize music. It's a hassle for me to bring my horn home. It's anything but convenient to throw a sheet of music at me 3 days before I need to know it. I'm at the band room from 3-5 after school on Tuesday and Thursday and I try to take Wednesday as a unwind/catch up on homework kind of day. It's part of what keeps me partially sane.

Right now, I stand somewhere between I don't want to quit band, but I don't want to participate when I need to. I'd rather be sleeping with my fluffy pillow and fuzzy comfort blanket than standing outside in the heat trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. It's just frustrating. It has gotten better, though.

Anyway, I just wish I could request the weekend before the Monday of Homecoming to memorize the music. I could do it on my own time and I would still have my time of solitude.

Now, like I said, I'm only a Sophomore. I don't know what Homecoming means to the Seniors. Maybe it means the world to them or maybe they could care less. Maybe you should let them be more involved in what gets to be done. After all, it is their last year. Why not give them the opportunity to express what they want to do? I would take advantage of that two years from now.

Yes, I'm referring to the PJ's.

As for the Spirit Olympics, (A 'sporting' event where all the classes compete against each other in some... weird competitions) I feel obligated to say that I think it the ones in the past have been poorly planed. That's all I can say on the subject.

Another band thing- the parade Thursday. I don't mind this one as much as the crowning thing Friday. There are way worse things than marching around the school for about 20-ish minutes. I just think too much while it goes on. I wonder if those watching notice when I mess up and what not. Just something I over think, I suppose.

The floats just kind of... irk me. Every class does it's own float. I've never participated on any of the ones in the past. If I do ever work on one, It'll be the class of 2013's senior float. Even then, I wouldn't want to take a big part. It would just be a guilt thing that I'd be afraid would haunt me if I didn't take part in it at all.

ANYWAY.

Homecoming isn't a pleasant time for me.

Like Dusty said, there's more to it than just the football players, but I think it goes deeper than that. The themes, the small things people do to make it the best it can be that many people take for granted, and the noticeably poor work of others who play a large part.

It's like a conflict, almost, if you think about it.

We're fighting each other without even knowing it.

That's how I see it, anyway.

Think what you wish.

Teachers...

Teachers fill so many young minds with the things they need to help become what they want to be in the future.

They supply help and support.

There are always some giggles or great moments that will always be remembered in a class room.

Except one.

Every time I walk into this room, I feel as if my soul is drained of all energy and joy.

It's a trap this teacher sets every day. She takes joy out of our pain, I'm sure.

She laughs behind those creepily glazed, beady eyes.

We cower in fear when she slaps her hands like a retarded seal...

But laugh when she turns around.

Because it's really is quite funny.

Anyway....

I have yet to learn a thing in her class.

Not only that, I feel I'm failing it for the very fact she isn't teaching it.

It's like she's leaving it a mystery to be figured out on our free time.

I don't have any of that.

(As if I'm not wasting it typing this post...)

Everyday, after we endure an hour and a half rant, I run out to the hall.

Usually rolling my eyes and restraining myself from bashing my head to a bloody pulp against the nearest wall.

I see the same vision every day...

I see myself dropping out of high school.

Because of her.

I see myself working at McDonald's.

Because of her.

I see myself having no life.

Because of her.

I see myself pondering what went wrong in my sad little mobile home.

Because of her.

I'm put on medication.

Because of her.

I die alone.

Because of her.

Dear Teacher,

Congratulations. You have killed my mental image for the future.

Because you can't teach.

You should have stayed away from those drugs.

You're messed up.

You're murdering my brain.

Stop it.

Retire.

Die.

I don't care.

I have hope of a life before me.

Leave before you kill whatever little chance it has left.

...

Please?