“Just make up junk and turn it in”

Why is it that all of the best ideas come at the last minute? For example- the paper I have been working on every week since school started. I am writing a very extensive business plan to a point where basically anyone could pick it up and follow it out with any other thoughts or ideas of their own. All the financial statements should be exact. Everything you could possibly think of.

Most of it was written…until now. Unbelievable. Did it accidentally get swept up by the wind and carried off into the distance? Did it have a mishap with the paper shredder? Did my hard drive crash?

No, none of those. Instead, I had a better idea. When did this idea come to me? Exactly 36 hours before it was to be handed in,  naturally.  Unfortunately, I have no other option but to run with it.

(You may be thinking, “Why the heck are you writing a blog about it? Go write it!” Don’t worry, I will. This is just my form of stress management…ahem which is an amazing class by the way.)

Would somebody please explain to me why inspiration never comes at the most opportune moments? There is no way I can turn in a bunch of work that is nowhere near as good as what I know I can make it now. Lame.

 Lyrics from One Down by Ben Folds.

“These are the rules and ways of high school”

Briiiing..! (B flat) Ready! Set! Go!

Scramble to grab your belongings. Dash out the door. There’s no time for chit-chat. You’ve now got just under 5 minutes to get to your locker and then class. You know it won’t be easy because for starters you will go from upstairs in the old building to downstairs in the old building. From there dodge people while speed-walking through the one-way link to get to the new building and - your locker.

But where is your locker? With over 700 in the same hallway how the heck are you supposed to find yours? Not that row, no, nope, okay there it is. Two turns to the left (18), one to the right (20), back to the left (0). SLAM! You hand has a quick contact with the locker as you realize that was not the correct combination, but rather the one from last semester when you had a locker partner to do it for you whenever it would not open. 2 and a half minutes remain and now it’s going to be a power struggle between you and the clock…who will win? Right now the clock clearly has the upperhand.

New combination and quick! Tilt whatever books are on the top shelf slightly to the side to wriggle them out of the tiny and undecorated locker. Schools should probably look sterile like hospitals (because hospitals, while clean, really make people happy), so no creativity allowed! Time’s up…find the stairs. Gosh, every single door looks the same. What if you go to where the crowd of people is, thinking you are going to one of three maybe four new stairwells but end up in the bathrooms? Not a single sign directs you to your destination.

STAIRS! Woo! You’re in the home stretch! And you lucky thing, finding one that isn’t outrageously crowded in the newly built 4-foot wide stairways. Step, step, step, step! With one minute to spare, you carry four books as you sprint up the stairs in shoes that are too big, feeling the person behind you moving with just as much determination to make it to class on time.

BAM! Suddenly, you feel yourself smash your shins and knees in four different places and look down to realize there are four stairs left to the top. In pain, embarrassed, and still in a hurry, you look back to see who might have seen. Phew! Only about three people left. Oh NO! That meant maybe thirty seconds left. Get back on your feet and all but run to the end of the hall to the correct department. Which side? They all look the same! Guess correctly, what a relief.

Slide in the class just in time to find your seat mere seconds before the bell repeats it’s loud note. Sit down and let it all the sinking feelings set in- the lost sense that should only pertain to freshman during the first week of school and the aching realization that 4-5 bruises will develop on each leg within the next few days from falling. At least you’re here. You made it. It’s all okay.

The teacher starts talking and you space off, something inevitable in those early morning classes. You hear something about taking out your books in which to take notes. You look down to your desk. You look around, hoping no one else will notice.  

You grabbed the wrong books.

   
 Lyrics from High School by Superchick

“And I would have stayed up with you all night”

Recently, I have watched an abundance of the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, and by abundance I mean the entire 1st season and half of the second season within the last two weeks. I understand that this is slightly ridiculous, but once you start watching you have to watch the next one and before you know it, it’s four in the morning and you have to wake up in three hours!

Here is what I have learned from it that I didn’t know before:

1. The Chief’s beard comes and goes every other week in season one.

2. It is somehow possible to remove an active missile from inside someone, watch it blow up in front of you, and still be alive with maybe only one scratch…well, at least it’s possible if you are Meredith Grey.

3. There is an endless supply of closets in a hospital that you can always run and hide in or spend time in with members of the opposite sex.

4.  Surgeons can most definitely perform whatever surgery is necessary…everything from conjoined adult twins to swallowed keys stuck in the esophagus. Yep, all done by the same guy, too.

5. “[Dereck Sheppard] can be nice without being McDreamy”

6. You can definitely fail the boards and still do surgeries. No biggie.

7. Meredith always concludes the show with: “At the end of the day…”

8. Every doctor is good-looking, no matter how old they are. The nurses on the other hand…

9. When your dog gets sick, that helps pick up guys and only attractive ones.

10. When in doubt just say “Seriously”

Lyrics from How to Save a Life by The Fray, which is the new theme song for the show.

“Some things I’ll never know, and I had to let them go”

I am officially done with yearbook. I suppose in all technicality I was done December 20, when I was last in that class. But actually, no, I still received e-mails over break regarding yearbook. Now, I have sent off three very important e-mails finalizing my activity in that class. One to the teacher and to each of the two other editors.

What an interesting class it has been, too. Allow me to reminisce for a moment: The class was 4th hour in our 8 period day, and literally from 2nd hour until 7th yearbook was all that was on my mind. That was the first time I ever heard I “need to re-prioritize” when really I was putting the things that will matter in the long run ahead. It was the only class this year that I came to before school, stayed after school, and missed lunch for. That was also the only class in my entire high school career that I was failing for a while .  Also, my favorite and most memorable quote came from within this classroom- “I’ve heard so many people say that you would be such an asset to this class, but I just haven’t seen it.” Never has that been said to me before, and I dare say, I shall never forget it either.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for allowing me to serve as an editor of the nationally recognized yearbook thus far. I appreciated the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people in my two years in yearbook. Memories from year one will be cherished always such as my amazing pod with our various titles, the privilege of sitting next to “state champs x2″ the couch discussions, Abdul - our honorary staff member, and of course, Charlie coming in to take away my computer every other day.  

Farewell my yearbook friends. Enjoy the rest of the year.

I’m free.

Lyrics from Pressure by Paramore

“I took their plans & I let them in, with no regard to my own”

The results are in: After taking a recent quiz in a magazine (definitely a reliable source) I have discoved that I am a pushover and it wasn’t even close. Maybe you already knew this about me. It’s true, even though at times I try to hide it. There are some things that I cannot be persuaded about and never will that change, but in more cases than not I am indeed a pushover.

The description in the magazine reads as follows:
“You seem to be a very compassionate person, caring person. Unfortunately, your desire not to rock the boat sometimes keeps you from standing up for yourself or others. If you’re so concerned about hurting another person’s feelings that you never challenge their wrong behavior, you may actually be doing them- and others around them- a disservice. So hold on to your compassionate spirit, but be careful not to accept that behavior that’s unacceptable.”

Dead on. How annoying. Problems seem to seek me out and it gets to a point where everyone else’s worries and struggles deeply affect me. Why is it that I can’t say no? Somebody please teach me how to say no. Don’t get me wrong, I truly do want to help all of these situations. It just eventually all adds up and becomes overwhelming. There’s just no way I could ever say no to somebody or something though. There’s no one really to blame for this but myself. Sure, at times people are just being plain pushy but not always. I bring it on myself.

Every once in a while I stand up for myself or something and maybe you’ve seen that. Shortly after though, I go back to my easy going attitude. But that’s not all bad right?

Aw what the heck, I’m a doormat, so people- keep walking all over me.

Lyrics from A Whole New Me by Jonathan Clay