Deriving Ominous Numbers

Yay. I got my algebra test back, and i got a 97. much better than my first test, which i forgot about, thus got a 68, and my second one, which i didn't finish studying for completely, thus a 79. I get to drop the 68 and add my last test (i'm presuming it will be above 68) and if it's a 94 or higher i get an a for the quarter. if i get a 64 or above and do a sufficient job on my homework, i'll get an a for the quarter. but if i get a 94 or higher i don't need the homework. not going to rely on that though, too much at stake (okay, so it's an A vs. B situation- for me thats huge). and it's really incredibly pathetic that i figure this out so meticulously and quickly, but i'm okay with that. (it's also incredibly pathetic that i like philosophy, but thats a different topic in more ways than one).

i'm trying to finetune an idea for a personal essay i'm writing for a scholarship. it's supposed to mimic the "My Turn" essay in newsweek. write something about something you've gone through that would apply or could be applied to the general public, or try to persuade the general public to agree with you about something. i was going to do the persuasive about upward bound or nclb or some environment thing, but when i looked at the winning essays, every single one was about a personal experience. and i agree, those are more fun to read and are more moving, and are easier and more fun to write, in a way. so anyway, this idea i had...something about silence- how most people see it and how it really is...how it can be there even when it's not quiet...how it can be overcome and how it just keeps hanging on...-something along those lines.

speaking of writing, i still haven't come up with a poem for that title- i wear a rubber band around my wrist to remind me of things that i mean to forget. it's amazing i haven't written on this yet- well, no, i can't say that, because thoughts of a cashier was about this- but i haven't written any poems on it. actually, i've been able to forget about it for the most part. its a relief because im no longer driving myself insane, but now there's no driving force behind any possible actions...then again, there never was, it was all in my head. so i'm just not driving myself insane anymore, which is a good thing (and now that i've said that it will come back. ah well. maybe something will happen outside my head this time around. i think i'd die of shock.)


Do not seek to reach the level of the wise men. Seek what they sought.

Muppets Rock!

Famous people continue to stream through Kroger- yesterday i got a person who sounded just like kermit the frog. if you don't know who kermit is...you have led a very deprived childhood. i grew up watching the muppet movie (i've always loved his song about rainbows, although lately i like gonzo's song as well), muppet christmas carol (i didn't realize there were other versions of the movie until middle school, and i still don't like the other ones), videos of the muppet show, and the cartoon with muppets as kids. kermit has always been my favorite, followed closely by gonzo and fozzie. i never liked miss piggy much.

what else was i going to say...oh, i have another poem up on deviantart, as well as several pics. ummmm...running out of time and topics, so short entry today.

Everyone says you are responsible for those you love. Others know you are responsible for those who love you.

Speech Class=Self Esteem

I'm going to be very sad in a month when i leave my speech class and algebra teacher. i've already talked about my algebra class, but i don't think i've ever mentioned my speech class. its at night, so i'm the only high school student in there. none of the other people in the class had ever heard of pseo, so they're all amazed that i'm taking college classes while still in hs (most of them are adults who are returning to college). i love that class, because every time i give a speech, everyone is like 'wow, i can't believe you're still in high school' 'i never would have been able to do that at sixteen- heck, i can't do it now' and so on and so forth. they act as though i'm god's gift to studenthood, but its fun. its also amazing because you see people like tom giving these awesome speeches, where you don't think they can be at all nervous and you'd think they were stand up comics for a living, but they think you did better than them, or so and so did better than them, and you see that you're just doing the same self criticism that they are, and you're not really as bad as you think. for example, i could feel my voice shaking when i gave my speech, but not one person noticed that other than me. its really neat.

I'm in my own world, but it's okay, they know me here.

You should visit me at Kroger, because famous celebrities shop here

Alternate titles:
~'Does that actually taste like orange juice?' 'It did until i refilled it with water.'
~Kids say the cutest things

Famous movie and television stars shop at my kroger. its true. yesterday, i had three celebrity look a likes come through my lane. First was Shooter from Secret Winder. Okay, his was more just a faint resemblance, but the hat made it perfect. Second was a guy i've had before, who i swear looks just like inspector gadget, before he had any gadgets. third was a guy who looked like house, from one of my favorite television shows, house. if you're looking for famous athletes, though, i've been informed the place to go is walmart- especially football stars. these even include the likes of...that one guy, who was a bengal then became a patriot...yah, him.

I also had a sweet kid come through my line near the end of my shift yesterday. She was about eight, i think, and by then most kids (at least the ones in my lines) have outgrown their cute inquisitiveness and pretty much ignore the cashier, preferring to give their whole attention to the candy. she was different. the very first thing she said to me was "you're purdy" just like that. then she noted my braces, and asked if i had to wear them forever. she asked a bunch of other questions, too, which from other kids might have been annoying, but with her was cute. then she told me i was pretty again, and i said she was pretty too. and she was, she had the long ringlets and a little cowgirl outfit going on. she said she wasn't, and i said 'yes you are', then she told me i was 'pretty the mostest'. she was so cute. she just made me smile. aaaaaaand......thats it.


Don't frown- you never know who's falling in love with your smile.

Smart Aleck Entry

I decided it was time for a smart aleck entry, just for fun. These are mostly about work. Okay, they're all about work.

Modern mushrooms. Why are they called Modern mushrooms? How are they different, as opposed to traditional mushrooms? I don't see any difference. Oh wait! I do believe they're smaller than the other mushrooms. And as we all know, modern boom boxes are smaller. modern computers are smaller. modern cell phones are smaller. i believe i see a trend here.

Price confusion. Whenever a customer says a price is different from what the computer says, this is the failproof solution: you should stare, slightly puzzled, at the object in question, glancing confusedly at the receipt a few times. As we all know, by staring at the object in question, it will reveal its true price to you, in such a way that even the customer shall not question it. This is why this is the automatic response of all cashiers to such a problem.

Pricing arguments. This is not to be confused with the previous entry. Here, we are referring to the produce section, and whether items should be priced by weight or quantity. As everyone should know, this is decided long before the customer reaches the checkout lane, by a person far removed from the cashier, who has no control over what this person instructed the computer to do (it is a common misconception that cashiers can control their cash registers. this is far from true- we have very unruly computers with very independent personalities). And since everyone knows this, no one would ever dream of arguing with the cashier about how because the heads of lettuce are different sizes (imagine that) they should be weighed instead of counted. this really puts both the cashier and the customer in a horrible position- the cashier is forced to admit she has no control over her computer and the customer holds up the line and is revealed to be rude and stubborn and impatient and- ultimately- wrong.


If sarcasm is a form of speech, it is an art. Therefore, I am an artiste.

I wear a rubber band around my wrist To remind me of things that I mean to forget

There's a poem in there somewhere.

I worked in floral yesterday, and developed a much greater appreciation for roses that are still perfect come valentines day, because most of ours are drooping. i saved some of the petals and leaves from the bad ones we threw away for a photo idea i had. the pics (i think it'll be a series) will be on my gallery as soon as i get the film developed. i need a digital camera, they're faster. I like working floral, especially when it's busy there, because i feel much more productive than when i'm running a register. also, even though i worked eight hours, it went by a lot faster in floral than it would on a register. plus, the floral department smells pretty and fresh. it's colorful too, with great big balloons. they've also got the softest (and most expensive) stuffed animals you'll ever see, which you can play with while you pretend to work under the pretense that you are fixing the display. Also decided that the people who believe valentines day is just a commercial holiday are right and in the extremely small majority.

I'm still crusading for upward bound. i emailed dan to make sure he thought petitions were a good idea. i need a better and shorter explanation of my petition though. suggestions and comments are welcome, as always.

you're just jealous because the Voices only talk to me.

karaoke and valentines

karaoke nite was great. near the end i started catching whispers that someone was being punished, but i ignored them, because i was having fun and didn't want to be depressed by something like that. i was very happy because rachel and corey were talking and laughing again, which i know made both of them happy. i started getting sad because phyl started to go off in one of his moods, but i don't think we lost him completely, we tried very hard to distract him, and i think it worked. and, of course, my wonderful revenge valentine to rachel went off beautifully, and i think we have a thing for publicly humiliating our friends in ways that no one else understands (rachel and heidi, me and rachel, etc.). i also figured out that i think i feed off of other people's emotions- i don't get frustrated usually, unless everyone else around me is frustrated. other people being depressed makes me depressed. other people being happy makes me happy. and i have to run off to work as soon as my dad gets home, so i'll stop now. its a shame i work 1:30-10 on such a nice day. ah well.


You are my sunshine, my only sunshine....

the meaning of TRIO day

Next saturday, February 26, 2005, is TRIO day. i've never paid much attention to TRIO day before, really. '03 was cool because we got that neat band to play, but '04 was quite honestly boring. I get the feeling that this year, it will be much more meaningful. Say, for example, that 9/11 had happened near the end of june instead of september- July 4 would have meant so much more to us, right? well its the same this year with trio day and this legislation, but let me back up a bit here.
i'll start by explaining what trio day is. actually, no, first i'll explain the trio programs. they include upward bound, ets, and i think three other programs that are all geared towards helping students succeed in college. ub and ets are geared towards high school kids, the others i think are towards college students and adults returning to college. trio day was first instated twenty years ago to commemorate the efforts of all the students, teachers, parents, directors, and volunteers who saved the trio programs from being cut from the budget, are at least from being substantially decreased.
now, for the legislation. president bush wants to ELIMINATE upward bound and ets from the budget. eliminate. completely. not just downsize. the reason he wants to do this is to make room for the High School Initiative, which, as far as i can tell from the us department of education website, is the high school section of the no child left behind act. the money saved will go towards holding high schools more accountable and intervening on the behalf of the students. when taken in context with the nclb act, i believe this can be taken to mean two things- more standardized testing and more school vouchers. even when i ignore the fact that i am very definitely opposed to stand. testing and vouchers, i must ask- What is the point of holding high schools accountable for and intervening on the behalf of students if those students are not being motivated to pursue higher education?
and i shall leave the discussion here for today, before i go off on a rant. however, if anyone would like to voice their opinion on this matter, Senator Mike DeWine is on the committee reviewing this legislation and Representative Portman is the voice in the US House for brown and clermont counties. also, i have petitions if you would like to sign your support or take one to get others to sign.

I Thought I Had a Topic

The other day i was thinking, and i thought to myself, i should post this on my blog. now i cannot remember what those thoughts were.......oh! when we were touring the islamic center with UB, one of our tour guides explained the head scarves to us, and her explanation was rather enlightening. I had always thought that the scarves were a symbol of male dominance, basically, that the women were submissive. it's really kind of the opposite of that. she said that by wearing the scarves and otherwise covering themselves up, they are being modest and forcing men to view them as intelligent, indepedent equals, rather than just sex objects. i thought, 'huh.' and the more i thought about it, the more it seemed like that made sense.
i think there was something else i was going to post, but i can't think of it now. hmm. i got into nhs...i'm still rank 2, because they haven't added pseo to the transcript (if they are not weighted, i will...ooooh, that guidance office is going to be...in trouble, thats all i'll say)....yah, can't think of anything.

Do great things in your life, but do small things as well.