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.

that holiday with the fat guy

Well, it is the night before Christmas. The neighbors are being dicks playing loud music and yelling like idiots, the wind is howling, the air is cold and brisk, and I am preparing myself for another crappy Christmas.  Why is it going to be crappy? I’ll tell you.

Tomorrow my dad, brother, and myself will be staying home until 5pm while my mom is going to my friend’s house (which we are using since they are out of town and are letting us use it) with my grandmother to prepare dinner. Dinner will beat 6pm and then we will all be going back home by 10pm so my dad can work the next day. The only other person who will be there  my brother’s friend. To top it off I will only be getting my Christmas present from my grandmother as I got the laptop from my parents and my other family members have yet to send me anything. That’s why it is going to suck. I’ll probably just do a massive Mass Effect session before going over to pass time and then chat with Ashlee and Tammi on the laptop while suffering the holiday dread. Sounds like a plan.

Fuck holidays.

spray and pray

My weekend, so far, has consisted of homework, arguing with parents, Call of Duty 4 marathons, and talking with Ashlee. The last two are the better parts. As for tomorrow I will finish up what I have left or forgot to do while squeezing some Call of Duty 4 into the mix. Sounds like a plan.

the easy hump

Today was the easy day of finals. I woke up at the usual time but stayed in bed until about 9am or so. Then I messed around until it was time to head out. I was leaving early to be able to catch others who had the teacher appointment earlier than mine. I get to the parking lot of the main campus and get a call from Ashlee. We talk for a little bit as I walk over to the building where my teacher’s office was. After I get done talking to Ashlee I head in and see some of the others waiting outside her door. I make brief conversation and then see one of the people from the class walk out. The teacher sees me and remarks that I am early so she hands me a survey to do. She ends up deciding to see me earlier than my time because some people were late. I get in and see tells me that I passed the English exam (with the minimum score I might add) and the class with a solid B. She did note, however, that I am capable of an A if I put more work in. No shit? Anyway, she asks for some suggestions for next semesters class and I give her the idea of music as the topic. She told me that she had that as one of the original plans for out class but we never got around to it so she might try it next semester. I headed out of her office after the farewell and noticed “B” waiting outside the door. I leaned back on one of the walls looking over the sheets that the teacher gave me while “B” did the survey with another girl from the class. A few minutes later (and no comments whatsoever) the other girl spoke aloud one of the questions from the survey and then she was wondering what to write. I started to walk out the door when I said “Keep it simple.” She turns and asked if I passed the test and I acknowledged. She asked about the score and I said that it was an 8 (the lowest possible passing score). She said that it was good and I quickly said something about aiming for the minimum and hitting it. Oh my witty banter. It got a look from “B” as I walked out and away. Will I see her in the future? Maybe. I headed back to my car and headed home to wait for the other final of the day.

Between the time I got home and headed out again I dicked around online and attempted to play some Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. I was doing fine until it magically crashed on me, so I went back to my online crap.

At about 2:30pm I headed down again for the counsel final. I got there early and talked with others in the class. Once it was time the teacher gave us his farewell speech and handed out the final. All we had to do was write an essay reflecting on the past semester. Piece of cake. I finished it up within an hour and turned it in. He told me good luck in whatever I end up doing. Then it was back home.

I get home to a seemingly empty house, except for my brother. Again I do stuff online and then head downstairs for the Call of Duty 4 where I ran into some teamkillers and other assholes. I leveled up to 41 which was nice. Then I did some more online stuff until Ashlee called and we talked. During the call my brother comes to me and asks me if I would take him over to one of the local high schools (not the one he nor I went/go to). I ask him why and he said that his friend is watching some concert there. Then I ask if he talked to mom about it and he said no, so I told him to call her. He comes back a few minutes later and tells me she said it was okay. I get off the phone with Ashlee and take him over. When I get back I eat some chicken noodle soup for dinner and watch Gangland on the History Channel. Halfway through the show my mom gets home and I ask her about my brother and if she said it was okay. She told me that she never got a call from him so I told her that he lied to me. She said it was okay though because a few nights ago I lied to her (although this was part of that subplot previously mentioned). So she gets all grumpy with me even though mine was minor. Then I ask her if she knows how much money I am getting for Christmas and my birthday. She asks why and I tell her that she already knew. Then she remembers it (sort of) and starts going on a rant about how the trip (I have plans to head down to Bakersfield to visit Tammi, Ashlee, and Carter for New Year’s) is dangerous and that I have never met them in person. I respond by sayng that I’ve known them for a while now and that we talk every night and even on web cam. She gets grumpier and says “I’ll take to your father.” She’s complaining for stupid reasons. She told me that the trip is too expensive but I am paying for it with the money from Christmas and my birthday. Also, I am turning 19 in less than two weeks and they still act as if I am not an adult yet. It is bullshit. I am old enough to manage most of my life without having people watch over me. I’m hoping that I can go down there, but this is not helping the plans. Tammi and myself are figuring out how to convince my parents if it comes to that point.

This weekend I will be working on some economics crap including a lengthy assignment where I have to find certain parts of economics in news articles and then write about it. I also need to finish up the homework for the final on Monday. As for the math final, I feel fine about it. And I am glad that Monday is the last day for me. I need the good break to come.

powder keg mayhem

Today hopefully marked the end of that subplot I’ve hinted at a few times in the last few months. There was some heavy discussions to solve the problems and although some opinions may linger, most have been fixed. Both sides had their own support in terms of others to be by their side. Time will tell how well this situation defuses.

As for school Monday went by slowly at first but picked up when math came around. I mainly sent texts back and forth to Ashlee. Tuesday was the last long day of the semester. English wasn’t noteworthy at all, math was review crap, and career planning was talking. All the classes ended early so I had too much spare time during my breaks. Today was slow because of econ and the lingering situation. Math sped it up and ended early which was nice. Ashlee kept me company throughout the day. When I got home I prepared for the ultimatum talks to defuse the problem.

Tomorrow is the first day of finals, well the first of two. It will be the easiest of the two. English consists of just going down there at 11am tomorrow and talking with the teacher in her office for five to ten minutes. Yep, that’s it. Then I will be heading home as the counsel final is at 3:30pm where we have to write an essay. See, easy. Monday is the economics and math finals. I need to do as good as possible on the econ final and do the article assignments to pass the class with my current 72.5%. As for math, as long as I get a 50% on the final I will pass the class. I think I am in safe waters.

This morning between econ and math I signed up for next semester’s classes. 11 units total, 3.5 units under this semester, which is 1 unit below full-time. I’m hoping to have a job in the evening so I made sure every class was in the morning. Only one that isn’t is the next math class which ends at 2:45pm, but that is only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays only have the next English class, which ends at 11am. I am also taking Computer Science which is on the same days as math only before. Should be interesting.

Time to get back to my cool girl Ashlee. I expect a giggle.

the feeling of insanity

I have no clue where today went. Seriously. It just happened.

Last night was epic. Those certain moments left me speechless and I was happily surprised. But that’s not something I’m going to talk about. We’re talking about today, so here it is.

This morning my plan was to wake up and finish up the math homework. Didn’t go quite as planned as I stayed in bed until 8am. Then I got up and took a shower to get ready. Left the house at 8:55am and headed down to the campus. English was boring enough to send me to sleep within minutes of the teacher opening her mouth. Surprisingly I was only asked upon once to answer a question and when the class ended two of the other people in the class commented about me sleeping and were jealous of my evading the teacher’s wrath. I’m fucking cool like that. Since we were out early so the others could work on the lab I headed to grab my math crap. I finished it up in the lab and had forty-five minutes to spare so I called Ashlee and we talked until it was time to head to math. I took the test and finished in about thirty minutes. This left me with two hours and thirty minutes to burn until the career planning class. I headed to the library and dicked around on my laptop for about an hour or so. Then I walked around, got some food, and then tried to figure out stuff to do. I ended up standing outside the main building for a good forty or so texting the Bako crew and then I ripped open my Dr. Pepper. While tasting the delicious flavors unleashed inside my mouth I noticed “B” walking up to go to the writing lab, or so it appeared. She noticed me standing and said “hey.” I did the same and added a question about how she was doing on the writing lab. She said that she was on the last part and asked about if it would be hard. I assured her it wasn’t very difficult and that she could add her older paragraphs to it and such. She seemed relieved and then we exchanged “byes.” I watched her in a not so stalkering way walk down the hall and as she did I quietly said “I’m going insane.” It just came out. Then the thought of All Along the Watchtower came to mind. About five minutes later another friend comes up and we talk until my last class. I headed in to it and noticed the lack of “B” in the writing lab. No questions came to mind about it as I was feeling worn out already. In career planning we got in groups and discussed how to get fired, how not to get fired, and how to get hired. Slow day. After class I headed home on the very wet freeway. It was stop and go for most of the time.

When I got home my dad was watching football and I ended up crashing and took a nap. I woke up an hour or so later and then did some computer stuff. After the football game was over I watched last night’s Life and then played some Call of Duty 4 with some Shackers. Good times. Now I’m waiting for the Bako crew to get home so we can get some laughs in before I have to suffer through the English exam tomorrow. Here’s hoping I pass that fucker.

random is as random be

For getting little sleep this morning I feel pretty good, but that’s not where I’m going to start.

Yesterday felt like the average Thursday. Although I had a plan already prepared for the “B” situation, it didn’t go as planned. I ditched the first effort as it wasn’t going to flow with my wacky internal time. Instead I went in the class as normal and the teacher did her usual shit, as in attendance and discuss the lab, although this time she went around and talked to everyone about their hours. Since I am done I had nothing to fear. After that she handed us a practice CME (that fancy English exam) to prepare ourselves for next Friday. She made us answer questions and such about it. Then we grouped up and discussed (no “B” this time). After that I switched my books and hung out with a friend. He needed some stuff from the student store so we headed there. While looking around and talking we run into this guy. With him was “B.” Questions ran through my mind. “Coincidence?” “Her boyfriend?” “What the fuck?” Apparently my friend knew the guy and briefly chatted. I stood quietly in the background as did she. After the brief encounter we left and I just didn’t know what to make of it. By then it was time for math. Another quiz and another section. The average math day. For the long break I have I headed to the library and played Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword on my laptop. I was not doing so good, but I never have been anyway. After an hour of that it was internet time and then I headed over to my last class. I noticed “B” in the writing lab but after the store encounter I didn’t feel to great so I kept walking. The teacher was already in the class so we chatted. Then once class time started we went over resumes and such. Once class was over I headed home for what I thought would be an average night.

I get home and relax a bit. Then I get on Myspace and screw around. After an unknown period of time I noticed Ashlee online and being the chatty person I am we engage in conversation. Many hours later it is 3am and we are on Skype having sent messages back and forth along with a brief appearance by Tammi and Carter (a little too much Carter at one point). Since it was 3am and we needed to get up at some decent time in the morning we said goodnight and headed to bed (which was just turning off Skype and lying back).

At 9:30am I wake up and get on with the day. I watch Life with my mom and then she does her own thing while I watch the History Channel show Gangland which was about the Hell’s Angels. Once that was over I went on AIM and caught Ashlee before she went off to work. After hours of Call of Duty 4, texting, Stargate Atlantis, and some new show called Shockwave, I am relaxing the night and keeping the trio entertained while they are out (sans a slight typing mistake here and there). The rest of the night should be entertaining as well.

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.