a year of suprises and failures with a touch of lessons learned

2007 was a crazy year. Many things have happened and each moment had some form of meaning. From the surprises to the failures, it has been one hell of a year. So many new things in what seemed as such little time. Transitioning from a high school student to an adult in college. With so many things it is hard to choose a single place to begin, so lets look back and remember the past year.

Note: It is not my intention to offend anyone. I am just giving the details of events from my point of view or from what I remember.

strange is the last thing to call it

This week has had its fair share of odd and interesting moments. From unexpected to just annoyingly ironic. Enough of the wordplay, lets dive in.

Monday was the dreaded economics test that I really didn’t study for (like I study anyway). I went in, hunched over, and got to work on it. About forty-five minutes later I was done bullshitting my way through it and turned the test in. Then I left for home. I watched the news to burn time until it was that time to head off to math. In math we learned another round of crap I’ll never use again. Square roots was the name of the game and I was out like a cold turkey. Woke up at the end of class to head out. Before I left I headed over to the cafeteria to grab a drink and noticed Kel and some others. I went over and talked to Kel. We talked about different stuff. Then I left and headed for home. When I got home I did the usual things: check e-mail, various websites, a little Call of Duty 4, and some random IMs. At 6:30pm I headed to the movie theater to go see No Country for Old Men with Kathy. I kept her sick and dying self company during the wild movie it was. Confusing at times but totally worth going to see. After the movie I went home and Skyped the night away.

Tuesday, the first dreaded long day of the week.  I headed down to the main campus for English and prepared to see the results of the cause/effect essay I wrote many moons ago. After getting myself settled she comes in and talks about the lab for too long of a time like every class day. Then she tells us that she graded our essays and hands them back. I didn’t get mine and wondered why. She went on to say that some of the essays were done poorly and other related things. I planned on waiting until the end of class to question her as to the whereabouts of my essay. She then talks to us about our next essay assignment, comparison/contrast. Since I play in the clutch I really didn’t bother of thinking of an idea to write about as we were to brainstorm for the rest of the class time. After noticing me essentially twiddling my thumbs she comes over and asks me what I am writing about. I tell her I have a few ideas (like always) and she tells me I have five minutes to choose one. Within those five minutes she starts to survey the class (not poll) to figure out what they are writing about. I was third to be chosen which happened to be under the five minute limit imposed. So I tell her I would compare my expectations of No Country for Old Men with how it really turned out. Now as for me actually doing that, maybe, if I run out of other wild and crazy bullshit ideas. So class winds up and I wait to talk to the teacher about my essay. The reason? She forgot to hand it back. Crazy woman, she had me worried. Math was (should it be any surprise?) boring. We took a quiz and then learned about another section.  After that I relaxed in the library with my laptop watching Battlestar Galactica: Razor for the third time. I need my fix until March (if that even happens, stupid strike). About fifteen minutes before my last class of the day I waited outside to get some air and check my phone’s messages. One of the people from my English class walk up and starts to chat with me. As we were chatting I noticed “B” walk up, headphones on, and heading in. While still chatting with the person I kept my eye on “B” as she turned the corner to the writing lab. I thought to myself “Why couldn’t I have been slow with the damn thing!?” I tell him that I needed to go ask my teacher about something and entered pursuit mode. I peek in and see her doing the paperwork so I wait outside for someone else from my counsel class to head in before me. About ten minutes later one does but we notice the staff was having a meeting in the room so we wait for the teacher to clear it up. As we waited I noticed “B” give a few glances. I had a mixed bag of reasons for it. Maybe surprise, bewilderment, or maybe, just maybe, a sign of something else. Who knows but it brought my day slightly higher. The teacher sees us waiting and notices the meeting so we wait. The meeting ends and the people leave the room. As we pack in the class I glance out the window which faces the writing lab. This periodic glancing between us (although not directly at the same time to avoid that strange moment) lasts throughout the class time. Unlucky for me the writing lab ends twenty minutes before my class ended so a possible one-on-one conversation wasn’t possible. After class I head home and drag my way through the night until my Tuesday shows consisting of NCIS and The Unit which next week will not have no episodes possibly due to the writer’s strike (damn them). Then I Skyped away.

Today I prepared myself for the possible results to my economics test. It ended up being a 64%. Not great but way better than expected. I just need to maintain a C in that class to get a passing mark. For the rest of the time we went over the questions and answers. Went home like usual and then off to math. More discussing new sections and crap. Even though it is supposed to be a long and boring process I rushed through it by guessing what “X” equals and what do you know, I was right for every single one. Go figure. After that I head over to a Chinese place to pick up chow mein for lunch. Once I got it I headed home sat down and ate it while watching Cops. Then it was random computer fun along with a little Call of Duty 4. At 6pm I watched Mythbusters, which was another pirate special. They shot fork out of a cannon. That was cool. Now I am Skyping and IMing again. I’m that cool.

down the stairs we go

Today has been like the experience of falling down a set of stairs. At first you feel as if you are on top of the world, but at the end you feel hurt and life kicks the shit out of you. Doesn’t that sound fun?

It started as an average school day (yeah, overused, fucking sue me). My phone and clock alarms woke me up at 6am. I turned on my monitor to brighten my day (literally) and started to do some homework. After finishing it up I played some Call of Duty 4 online with Team Hardcore. Two quick games and I managed to do decently well with my G3 and red dot attachment. After the two games I switched over to the news and ate breakfast. Then I went back to CoD4 and did a few levels of the arcade mode. Once that was all over I printed up the homework and got myself prepared for the last day of school for the week. Knowing I finished my lab yesterday, I felt invincible.

The drive to school was the same old routine I am use to. Parked in my usual row. Put up the window shades and placed the parking pass in front. Prepared the iPod for maximum listening potential. It was off to English. While walking to the Humanities building I felt a strange vibe as if something would happen today. I shrugged it off as nothing and continued on.

As I walked in the hallway to the building I noticed my teacher down the hall talking with another person and since I didn’t see the usual person I talk to before class, I headed in. One of the girls in the class was already seated. I headed to the back corner where my domain was. The roller chair was settled right near my desk like always. At the five minute mark until class started I wrapped up my headphones and prepared my iPod for pocket entry as the remaining students filed to their seats. The teacher walks in with her usual greeting and I break the routine slightly to give her the progress slip mentioning that I finished the writing lab. She tells me good job and the likes. I hear the others in the background chatter, some surprised. I head back to my seat. The teacher then starts to do the roll. Once she finishes she talks to the class about the writing lab and how everyone is progressing. No mention of my completion whatsoever. After the chat she gives us an assignment to do. A quiz to see how well we remember what we have learned in the class so far. I quickly go through it and sit back as if powerful. The teacher notices this gesture and walks down the isle to me. She asks if I am done and I tell her yes. She starts to look at my quiz and says that I was supposed to not only correct the sentences, but rewrite them as well. Slightly phased by this attack towards my superior might, I regain myself and work on fixing my mistake. Once everyone was done she told us that we were going to pair off into groups and make sure everyone is “on the same page.” I wondered to myself what soul would have the chance of being paired up with me. This is when the routine was thrown out the window and bliss went through my veins. It finally happened. I never though I would have this chance. Never expected it. I was paired up with “B” (withholding the name for various reasons, aka, to cover my ass). The teacher threw in that I would have to leave my “zone.” I grabbed my pencil and paper and headed over. “Don’t do anything stupid” went through my mind as I moved a seat closer to her’s. I took a seat in the desk and my voice was locked up. How do I start? I wasn’t prepared for this. She made the first move and asked about the first question on our quiz. My voice suddenly woke from its shock and answered. We made it through the quiz and during our wait for the others to finish I threw out the first move. I asked her how the lab was going for her. She said that she was on part two and then asked back about me finishing it. She seemed surprised but I told her that I went four days a week and she understood. She only goes twice a week due to her working. I told her about part three and then threw in a bonus for her. For part two, I told her, some of the answers for a few problems are already in the packet. So I told her to check for the one she was on when she goes back. She seemed happy about that. Then we talked about winding up in the class, one of the lower English courses. We both seem to be above the class’s level and I mentioned that all we need to do now is pass the CME (some fancy English exam name). She mentioned that someone told her it was easy. Before the teacher started going over the quiz I threw another stab at a conversation. I talked about the time I wrote an essay about bullshitting essays for my high school rhetoric class (yeah, that essay) and that I wrote it as a joke for the teacher. She thought it was “awesome.” I felt good. It was like I just scored some brownie points. The teacher than started the review and both of us ended up getting them all right (in our own ways). She then ended class early and “B” and I had to part ways. Still feeling the high of the moment I left the class in a good mood.

After getting out of English I headed for my car to swap books as the routine got back on course. I popped the trunk and threw my English binder in and grabbed my math gear. As I had about an hour before class I found one of my comrades and engaged in conversation about various subjects. Then it was on to math, like clockwork.

The math teacher prepared a quiz on the board for us covering the last few sections we have studied. It took me about ten minutes to finish and I turn it in as I wait for others to finish, just like always. After everyone is done he goes over it on the board. As usual I miss one point here and half a point there due to stupid mistakes that I always tell myself I will remember to fix. Next was a new section to learn. I dozed off a few minutes into the lesson and wake myself towards the end. Even though we only went over four problems the teacher decided to let us out twenty minutes early as a gift for Thanksgiving break. I gladly took advantage.

After the class I headed to his office door and check my grade. It had fallen 5% due to the last test. I told myself that I better do some improvement on the next test. Then I headed to the math lab where I endured an hour of boredom like all the other times I have gone there. Once an hour was up I headed out to my car again to swap books and binders. I grabbed my counsel binder and headed back. With an hour remaining I decided to relax and lay down on the grassy hill (also known as “Hill 1400”) under the trees. I closed my eyes and listened to my iPod until there were fifteen minutes remaining until my last class of the day would start. I got my ass up and headed over.

Since I didn’t see anyone waiting in the class, I decided to stand outside until someone took the lead for me. One of the former students from my high school approached and asked if I was waiting because of a possible meeting in our classroom (this happened to us last week). I told her no and we headed to the room. As I got in she asked if we had anything due and I told her it was just the cover letter rough draft. I pull it out and place it on his “mobile desk.” When then decide to chat as we waited for the teacher or others to arrive. We talked about the class and how it could be boring. Right before the teacher came in she asked if I actually interviewed people for our research paper. I quickly said no right as the teacher came in the door. It appeared he didn’t hear us which was a relief. He said hi and wondered if we were the only ones coming today (as a joke). The other poured in and the teacher joked to me about the people who usually sit near me being absent. I jokingly replied “it happens.” We got on with the people who were absent last week reading off their research papers. This happened until the end of the class time. The teacher told us to have a happy Thanksgiving and to be nice to people. I headed out.

As soon as I got out the class I looked for my friend (the one I talked to during the first break) as he needed a ride. We headed off and turned on to the freeway which was packed as usual. I made my way on and out of the lane I didn’t want to end up in. Driving normally through traffic I made my way a few miles from the school when a big rig swerved into my lane forcing me to swerve my car into the lane on my left. The truck’s back tires almost hit the passenger side as I avoided other cars on my side. After the truck sped up I quickly got back in the lane. My friend and I were shocked as fuck. Our hearts beating like mad. As we regained our calm we continued on. We noticed the truck continuing his rampage through the traffic and kept our distance. My friend pointed out that he looked high, which was probably the case. We got safely back to town and I dropped him off at his house. It was time for me to go home.

I get in and my dad is watching the news. I tell him about my day and he jokes like usual. In my room I unloaded everything off my person and went back down to watch the news. I was tired and felt crappy as I remembered that I forgot “B”‘s last name and wasn’t able to get some kind of contact information. An hour later and my parents and brother leave for their Scottish club meeting leaving me home alone. I watched Live Free or Die Hard unrated edition. It was nice to hear the swearing back in along with juicy blood. That made my day slightly better. Near the end I get a text from Andrew asking me if I would help him move tomorrow evening (that’s a whole other issue). I agreed and finished the movie. After the movie I went up to my room and did the usual internet things.

Now I’m typing this up and talking on AIM with a good friend (you know who you are) and suffering from a killer headache. I loaded up on Tylenol and can’t take anymore. Hopefully it goes away soon. My head really does feel like I fell down some stairs.

I’m hoping tomorrow is better.

i came. i wrote. i conquered.

THEY CAN’T HOLD ME!

what i left behind

Since I haven’t posted other than last night I will give a brief recap of the last few days.

I turned in my two interview reports for counsel 50 and read both to the class. Took a math test and did horrible. Finished and turned in an essay for English. Did part 2 in the writing lab and am working my way through part 3. Next week I only go for two days which is nice.

Other than that, Call of Duty 4 time.

war has taken me away

Call of Duty 4 is sucking the life out of me. That and school. I am also way ahead of anyone else in that writing lab. I hate it so much.

Now I need to shoot more people.

part 1 of hell complete, 2 to go

I finished up the first part of the writing lab today. A whole three or so days ahead of schedule. Now I am on part two which should take about a week and change. Hopefully it isn’t that tedious. As for the rest of my day, economics was boring, again, and math was word problems with fractions. On my way home I almost fell asleep on the freeway. That was fun.

I also wasted a whole lot of envelopes trying to do something for my counsel class. I hope I did it correctly and never have to do it again.

crowded and clouded

It has been an interesting two days to say the least. I dreaded Monday as I knew a big test in economics was before me. As usual I didn’t study or pay too much attention in class (it is not the most entertaining subject in the world). I’m not going to lie to myself, I probably bombed it which means to I need to improve on the last two tests and do well on the article assignments which I should also probably start working on since we are getting closer and closer to the end. After my usual stop at home for a few hours I headed down to the main campus for math. I learned more crap that I possibly won’t use ever again. Oh, and I had a quiz which wasn’t fun, at all. Once math was over it was to the writing lab for my first day in that supposed “Hell Hole.” I sign in just like the math lab and go over to wait. Another person from my English class came in shortly after. We both waited and one of the teachers who manages the lab called over the new people. She told us what we had to do and how to do it. The first part of the assignment was discovering the positive and negative aspects of violence. We started off by making two lists, one for positive and one for negative, with five bullets for each to cover what could come off either in the form of violence (yeah I know that doesn’t sound right, but you try wording it). Anyway, I quickly finished the list and then wait for someone to call me over and check it. That’s right. We have to get everything checked to go on. If I didn’t have to wait I surely would finish this damn lab quicker, but no. So I finally get called over and they check it off. Now I have to start a rough brainstorm for an essay paragraph about the negative aspects of violence. Easy. I fill out the form and wait another fifteen or so minutes to get it checked. The one male teacher seemed pretty cool about how I write so that made my life pretty easy. He told me what to do and took me through the next few steps. Soon I was up to the final draft section after staying in there for about two and a half hours. It was time to head home.

When I got home I check my e-mail and the sorts. I also did some homework before my Monday night TV line-up started. Chuck was good as usual and Heroes was twisting and turning as usual with a pretty major ending. Next week will fill in the gap between season one and season two. During Heroes I got a picture message from an unknown number (I found out it is from San Fransisco though) that contained a picture of a rose and the filename was “Thinking of you.jpg.” I replied with “Really?” I still haven’t gotten a reply. After that I stayed up a little bit and talked online and messed around on Myspace.

This morning I printed up the homework from last night. It took a few tries as I was attempting to figure out how to get an envelope format in OpenOffice. It was annoying to say the least. Then it was off to school.

English was first up on the schedule of doom and gloom. Today’s class would end up being the odd duckling of the day. It started with a brief discussion about starting the writing lab and she answered questions. Then it was an exercise to change incorrect thesis statements into correct ones. I breeze through the damn thing as always. A few people were asking about one in particular. The sentence was talking about the metric system of measurement. The group wanted to know if they could turn it in to a comparison with the other system of measurement, but the thing is, no one knew what the hell it was called. The teacher asked the class if anyone knew. I spoke up saying that it was the Imperial system. The teacher looked at me (I really do think she doesn’t like me) and asked if I was a math major. I told her “no” and that I hate math. A few laughs were audible. After a few moments she wasn’t sure if my answer was correct so she halts the exercise and goes online to see if I was remotely correct. Once on the internet she finds out I was indeed correct and I got a few odd looks. Oh, I am so sorry for being educated and knowing the system of measurement that the English Units are based off of. Fucking forgive me for watching the Discovery, History, Science, and Military Channel. I’ll just turn into the dumb turd that resembles so many mindless dumb fucks in this country. Anyway, as dumbfounded as I was towards this awkward shit I continued on and when the class was over I headed down to my car and picked up my math books. My first break consisted of me staying and working in the math lab for an hour burning up time and doing some work before the test comes around. Then as it got closer to noon I headed to math. I dozed off a few times as I attempted to make myself feel as if the class was going by faster. No luck. Once it was over I headed back to my car and switched out my binders as I headed back to the writing lab for day two. Today’s lab experience sucked as I waited, got my rough draft checked, had it denied, went back to fix it, waited to get checked, got checked, denied by another person, and had time run out on me. Nothing got signed today and I was pissed. The guy from the yesterday wasn’t there, but I am hoping he is there tomorrow to make my life easier and so I can move on. My counsel class was just going over some work on reference papers and envelopes as we learn the steps to get the interview when we decided to apply at a business. Some of the moments were funny but it was mostly serious. Finally my school day ended and I headed home.

I got home a little after five and found that my brother had his girlfriend over and my mom was watching the TV. The first thing I did was go to my room and do the usual things. After a half an hour or so I went downstairs and watched TV as the others left. I ended up watching three episodes of Family Guy before switching over to my Tuesday night line-up of NCIS and The Unit. NCIS was pretty interesting, but The Unit takes the cake for tonight. The previews said that one of the five would not last the episode, but who I expected to not survive was wrong. The end totally caught me off guard and next week’s episode looks to be explosive. I can’t wait.

Now with Wednesday looming over I’m hoping it will be smooth. It is looking like I will have to bullshit a pretty major paper this weekend. Hopefully I can pull it off without a problem. Also, before next Thursday comes around, I’m going to have to pull an essay for English out of my ass. Can’t be that hard. These last few weeks of school are shaping up to be hectic. I’m not aiming high, but at least forward. Let’s hope for the best.