Second Bit

So, last night I determined the two topics I would choose from. MySpace rant, or my transition from freshman to sophomore.

Coin flip...tails again? There is a 12.5% chance of flipping 'tails' three times in a row. However, that didn't mean I had a 12.5% chance of flipping 'tails' this specific time. Still 50-50.

My freshman year really started at the beginning of August 1998. Those of us who were going to be in band had to meet a little early for freshman orientation. That was code for 'summer band practice.' We had to get fitted for uniforms, check out an instrument, and get ready for what the season would bring. We didn't spend the first day outside, because it would have been the perfect situation for kids to faint. So we learned how to march in the gym.

Here's my attempt at listing my freshman classes:

AP Biology
Band
Computer Applications
English I
AP Geometry
AP World Geography
???

Now that I'm trying to remember, I can't. Maybe I have band and biology switched. Was band in the afternoon? I know for sure 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th period are all right. Biology was in the morning for sure. Didn't we have to take health and psychology? That was probably 7th period.

Either way, I can only remember what I was like. I had my two good friends, and I didn't talk to many other people. Well, there was a group of people I knew from middle school, so I talked to them also. Of course, I'm talking about the 'smart kids.' I had 3 friggin' AP classes, so it only makes sense.

I was a little more extrovert during health, only because there were a few cute chics in there. One in particular started talking to me, and she was probably the best chic in that class. After roll was taken, she would come sit next to me. If they ever showed a video, we usually just ignored it.

I wasn't nearly that talkative during band. But I got to know the people in my section, and they were all female. In fact, I was the only guy playing french horn that entire year. It was a little weird, but they made sure I was comfortable and having fun.

Once the first year was under my belt, I no longer felt nervous or anxious about school. I felt like I had established my reputation and who I was. The only things that needed to change were my hair style, my clothes, and my lack of communication. So, in the 2 months between the end of the year and the beginning of the next band camp, I fixed it all. My hair was parted on the left before, and I changed it to the middle. I wore very interesting colors before, but then I started wearing carpenter pants more often. I also learned how to start conversations and get people to be interested in me.

So when I came back the next year, people looked at me different. The big glasses and goofy hair were gone. I went up to people and got to know them. Sure, some of them weren't really good influences. But more people knew who I was.

In fact, my sophomore year is when I started to rebel in certain classes. Well, kind of. I didn't like my chemistry teacher. She always had a witty response for any student. When she had her back turned, I would raise my arm and flip her off. No one ever told on me, so it was a weekly thing. Also, I would have a smart-ass comment for her if she ever said something snide to me. I was sent out into the hallway a few times for that.

(Just a brief note about Chemistry. There was a girl in that class that was quite possibly the most beautiful in the school. She wasn't a girl. She was a woman. Now, when I rate a chic on the 10-point scale, I get criticized for being too harsh. That year, during that class, she was a 10.)

AP World History was greatness. Yes, it was the smart class, but I was part of a group of students that gave the teacher a difficult time. We frequently ignored her, talked louder than a whisper, and made a mockery out of assignments. The most notorious one was when we were assigned to construct a time-line. We randomly drew a line, and randomly pinpointed years on the line. For some reason, this set her off, so we had to meet with her after class for a 15 minute lecture. After a year of this, she gave up teaching AP World History. The group celebrated that as a win.

Don't even get me started on Spanish I. Nothing was accomplished in that class, but it started my writing 'career.' My first project was a script for a porn movie featuring my friends. No, I didn't go into detail for the sex scenes. It was more about making fun of people and such.

By the end of that year, I had made plenty of female friends. I talked a bit more. And I had started drinking. That really paved the way for the next two years.

Sophomore classes:
Band
Art
AP Algebra II
Chemistry
English II
AP World History
Spanish I

So, tomorrow is either the MySpace rant, or the following summer and my junior year.