Marks On Monday

In which I got the marks for the Ag presentation, and the Science comp (yes, I know I sort of got the results on Friday, I actually got the marks back today). Yes, there is a titling problem, though I am expecting it to improve soon. And if it doesn't, well, whatever. My blog. Anyway. To my day.

Period 1 was Ag, in which we got the marks back for our Ag presentation (I got 94%, topping the class. Sweet.). We also did some work on potatoes. Because in Ag, you do work on things that seem relatively mundane and in fact are. Like potatoes. Soon we'll be on to things with legs (dun dun dah!). Anyway. Period 2 was a computer lesson for Geography, in which we did a bit of an assignment due on Friday. Of bloody course. If it isn't one thing it's another. Anyway. I actually got a fair bit of work done, and I learnt a lot about the 1960s (their music was kick-ass). Recess was cards, mostly 31 and 13. We're starting to play a bit of both; add a new game to our repertoire.

Period 3 was Maths, in which we did something called the sine rule (Wikipedia can tell you what it is). We did the proof and all, and I tell you what: maths is awesome. I mean, you get all of these complicated diagrams, and you condense it down to something that works for all triangles and that you could teach a Year 7, and that they would get. The word I'm really getting to here is elegant. Science agrees: it is indeed an... Elegant Universe! (ultimate nerdy joke! Explanation for you un-physics nerds. For shame.) Period 4 was Science, in which we learnt of a new graph called a velocity graph. Which is exactly like the last graph, but it measures how fast something's going instead of where it is. It can also go into negatives (ooh! Negative!). Anyway. So for essentially the whole period, we did work on them. I also read a little of my book. Lunch was 13 and 31, as well as messing with Johnny's head by tapping him on the other shoulder (yeah, that worked. He was going nuts about it. Hilarious.).

Period 5 was Commerce, in which we got this sheet about unemployment, and talked about that. It was double-sided, and it was about one and a half pages in total. However, Kearney kept going off onto tangents about how this program is doing this and this program is doing that, and highlighting the relevant passages that we only got through just over a page. Period 6 was English. We had the most random period ever. We started off on a booklet about Odd Ones Out, and we started on transvestites (there were two pages in the booklet about this. Seriously.). Then we got on to transsexuals, via a mishearing by somebody. We heard one or two anecdotes, and there was, how shall we say, some talk on the anatomical changes that one might require when undertaking gender reassignment surgery, such as 'Is that possible?' and Lana's accidental classic: 'What do they do about the boobs?' She did it at the exact wrong time, when everybody was silent. Didn't even mean to say it. Anyway. I then got home, and blogged a bit, as well as practicing my back roll at home. I gotta get it right sometime. And at around 6:50, we left for hapkido.

Shay had homework and Shirisha wasn't there, but that's understandable. Before class, I did some more practice on my back roll. Grandmaster Geoff was back today, and we did a fair amount of work. I learnt a few things: namely, that I could be doing my kicks way better, and second, that I was doing my kiyaps wrong. Although Grandmaster showed me what exactly I was doing wrong, so I was doing it at least better by the end. And when I got home, I blogged, although not enough. So here I am.

This was my day. Expect a much better title tomorrow, or rather, what I think is a good title. Or at least a good reference. Anyway. Yes, it's a late post, expect one on time very soon. I'm not saying Tuesday, but soon. As you can guess, I'm a bit (read: a lot) of a procrastinator.

Goodbye winter,
AB

Nothin' At All

I hereby claim that the title was a reference to 'The Simpsons,' and specifically, I am quoting the episode 'Little Big Mom' where Flanders says "Feels like I'm wearing nothin' at all!" (Stupid sexy Flanders...). Wow, that was a long way to go for an explanation of a title. Anyway, what I mean is that I did barely anything today. Yeah. So, without further ado, to my day.

I woke up at 6:30 (I know, I know. Goddamn.), and got on my laptop, and put the TV on, of course. Everyone else got up at 8 (Lucky buggers. I hate getting up early on the weekends. 6:30 is ridiculous.), and so we had breakfast. By the time I'd finished chores, and that includes the procrastination that naturally goes with them on Sundays, it was something like 10, and I still had to get Saturday's post done. And the problem with posting on the weekends when there's nothing else on schedule (at least for me) is this: there are so many other websites to look and things to do and people to talk to on MSN that you sorta lose track of time, and you keep saying to yourself that it'll get done right after this bit. And then that bit. So that was what happened at 12; when I realised it was lunch time and I had barely gotten any done.

However, two things happened: the weekend procrastination set in, and the footy games for today started. So I started to watch the games, as well as blogging on and off. This continued until after dinner, when I realised how much time I had left, and I started to blog like crazy (yes, my day was pretty much like this. Quite frankly, I'm surprised I'm getting this much.), while watching the Dogs-Magpies game. I finished my post at around 7:30, which was coincidentally also about the time the game was finishing. The Western Bulldogs beat the Collingwood Magpies by 24 points, putting the Dogs into third by percentage, leapfrogging the Pies. And only by .31%. Gotta admit, that's very close. So when I finished my post, I did for about an hour what I wanted to do for most of the day: go on Battlefield Heroes. I'm gradually getting better, though I still need to work on my Rambo (as in, running in and shooting everything in sight. Gunners are awesome like that.). And for the rest of the night, I surfed the net, as well as doing some posting. But not a lot, so here I am.

Such was this Sunday, which was rather repetitive, in retrospect. Also, it's a very short post. That's because I did essentially nothing for the entire day. I sorta complained about this in the previous post's last paragraph. But, yeah. Short post for a not-so-eventful day. Ah well. Tomorrow's post should be longer.

I should probably stop complaining about the length of posts,
AB

Country Fair '09

Yes, today was the day marked months in advance in the Hurlstone calendar, possibly the main event of the Hurlstone year: the Country Fair. So, without further ado, let's see what happened, both while at the Country Fair and after it, when less happened. Yes, another late post, I really am starting not to care. I will get back permanently after I stop procrastinating. I don't know when that will be; maybe later.

I got up at around 8, and we quickly rushed around to get ready to go to the Country Fair. Nanny and Poppa arrived at around 9, as they were going this year, and we left shortly after. We got there at about 9:30, and we travelled around for a bit, having a look what was at the Country Fair this year before getting anything. We saw some vintage automobiles (which sounds so much better than old cars), and an antique pump that ran on petrol. I just watched it while it worked. It was really interesting. We then wandered around, looking at the stalls and, of course, we had to go and see the animals (it's less exciting if you see them every day). EJ also got what he wanted, his natural honey (he loves honey), and then pestered me about when John was coming (he's heard him on Skype and seen how good he is on Battlefield Heroes. So he kind of idolises him now.). Mum, EJ, Nanny and Poppa left at about 11, but I was allowed to stay for a while.

And who should I see just as they left but John himself. My brother was kicking himself when he found out. We talked for a while, and then I went to watch Cam perform. He did a few traditional songs, one of the ones we wrote ('Pixelated,' for the maybe 4 or 5 people who know what I'm talking about. And I know what it is, and it's my blog, so I'm writing it.), and he ended with a Coldplay song, Viva La Vida, I think. Naturally. Eric also played for the last 2 songs. After that, I stayed to watch the Concert Band, as John was a part of it. They did, among others, a composite of all the Star Wars music, such as the title sequence and the music that the alien band played on Tatooine in the bar where they met Han Solo. I then went around to the various stalls, going to the art stall to check out some of the works, and eating some stuff when I got hungry, such as a white chocolate Magnum (mmm, white Magnum...). I was picked up after a while talking to people and surfing various stalls, and got home at around 1.

Debbie and Charlotte (more friends from footy) stopped by at about 2:30, where they brought two rabbits that they had just gotten. They were as yet unnamed. One of them had half of its face black, and the other half white; it was almost exactly split down the middle. I campaigned to call it Harvey, after Harvey Dent, also known as Two-Face, the guy in 'The Dark Knight.' And if I just spoiled something, then, well, that's really your fault for having not seen the movie yet. It is a very good movie. Anyway. When they left, I went back on my computer, and I then spent essentially the rest of the night blogging, surfing the net, and playing a lot of Battlefield Heroes (I got to Level 12. Sweet.) But I didn't get to blog about today, so here I am.

And that was my day. Yes, it's a late post, and yes, it's a relatively short post. It's hard putting out upwards of, say, 600 words when there's been something like 4 hours doing basically the same thing. Ah well.

I reckon it'll be a really good Country Fair next year,
AB

A Totally Awesome Friday

Yes, I could spend 15 minutes on a title, trying to come up with some clever play on words and end up doing yet another alliterative title and complaining about it. Or, alternatively, I could just put it right out there and say exactly what I thought of today: totally awesome. That's not to say today was perfect, though: There was some bad things, which I will eventually get to. Anyway, let's get to my Friday.

Before school, I got into my mufti clothes (yeah, it's another mufti day), and set off. Period 1 was English, in which Hancock got back (though where he went is still a mystery), and we talked about the work from yesterday. He explained what the cartoons from yesterday meant (though the one nobody could figure out only sorta makes sense), and we also looked at other ones. Period 2 was Maths, which was yet more work on trigonometry, only this time applying it to circles instead of triangles. Apparently we are now supposed to completely disregard everything we know about trigonometry and triangles. Anyway. It was then Assembly, which was way, way too long. Although I did get a High Distinction award for the Science comp, so there's that. Recess was 31.

Period 3 was Drama. The room was full of stuff for the Country fair tomorrow, so we just went to the grassy bit outside the hall, near the basketball courts, and read from that book with Greek plays in it again. The play is actually starting to get more dramatic, although it's sort of let down as there is a preface to the play we're reading that gives away the whole plot. Oops. Period 4 was Commerce, in which we talked about unemployment and all the problems that can come with it, such as depression and loss of income (Captain Obvious to the rescue!). Some seniors also came in to show the girls ideas for new school dresses. We got out of work. Everybody wins. Lunch was 31.

Periods 5 and 6 were PE, and we were playing a class-wide game of Ultimate (the frisbee game. Or, rather, flying disc. Whatever.). And I was one of the most, let's say, avid players, but fairly uncoordinated. I mean, I couldn't get to the frisbee, and I was having major trouble catching and defending. This all came to a head (rather literally, in fact) when I went for the frisbee. I looked up, and saw where it would come down, so I put my head down and sprinted as fast as I could. I looked up at the exact wrong time. *thud!* I suddenly felt an inordinate amount of pain in my nose, where most of the impact went, and in my mouth, where my braces had been pushed against my lips and I had bitten my tongue. I had run into somebody's side at full pelt. That somebody was possibly the worst person I could have run into: none other than Ebony. She had to go off the field, whereas I staggered around the field in a partial daze. When I had recovered, I gingerly started getting back into play. And later, I went for it again. I ran into Jordan. Standing up, both of us, but my legs were spread and his weren't. I was rammed where no boy likes to be rammed. But it all paid off maybe 10 minutes later, as I was the first person to score, though I fell over while doing it. By the end of the period, I was tired as all hell.

But it really paid off later. We were up at the shops, and I came across an old friend of mine, Jessie. And we talked for a bit, but she had to be off at around 3:30. I was considering not putting this next bit in my blog, on account of it may be considered bragging or lame or whatever. But you know what? It's my blog, and I am putting this in here. She is apparently a very affectionate person, and it seems she likes to kiss people goodbye (on the cheek). She was saying goodbye to me. Don't take a genius to work out what happened. I did it as well. First time that's happened too. I am very pleased with myself. When I got home, I played Battlefield Heroes with John over Skype for many hours, and as such I didn't get to blog. So here I am.

To comments, now, 9 from I'm guessing one person. Feel free to correct me though.
*Shafi (x9): LOL. You clicked the link. That was epic. In answer to your other questions: The book is on hiatus, I think you were the Anonymous Aeroplane, I'm not going to do the talent quest, and long posts are not boring.

And that was my day. I know, I know, after finally getting back on schedule, I toss up a late post. So I wanted a day off. Ah well. My blog, my rules. And I get to break them. Anyway. Expect a fairly long post tomorrow: It's the HAHS Country Fair, so it will be a longer post than if I spent the day just doing nothing at home all day.

I kissed a girl, and I liked it,
AB

Post The Two Hundredth

It seems like only yesterday I was lighting myself on fire and thinking about blogging about it (no, really: that actually happened). That first post was only something like 300 words, and the average post has since ballooned into over 600 words. So, in accordance with this post's celebrations, I shall look back on the events that have happened since my blog began way, way back in early February. Ah, how times have changed.

Before school, I blogged, although not enough, quite evidently. Period 1 was Maths, in which we did some stuff on trigonometric ratios. It was just doing a bit of working out, and writing it down. Not too hard, but it was better than nothing, I suppose (well, nothing is boring!). Period 2 was Drama, in which we got a sheet on Greek Drama, which contained possibly the most pointless piece of work I have ever seen: It had a crossword on it, but (get this), the words had been given to you. It had the clue, and then the answer just sitting next to it. When I pointed this out (just to see what would happen), the class laughed, Kolodziej stuttered a bit, and then changed the subject. We also read from a book of plays from the time of the Ancient Greeks. I'm sure it's better in performance; just reading it was none too impressive. Recess was not actually 13, but rather handball, with John, Johnny (that's not a mistake), and someone else whose name I have forgotten.

Period 3 was Commerce, in which we studied for the Science skills comp, which was today (I forgot). So I went through the whole chapter of electricity and electromagnetic waves, then onto motion, then to genetics because I got bored, then back through the whole thing. We also talked about who was and who wasn't going to camp (I was one of the latter. I think I've already mentioned this.). Then, after the cramming, the Science skills comp came. We got into class late (but only by 2 minutes or so), and we got ready, getting out pens and what-not. And so we started. And I tell you what; it wasn't actually that hard. Some stuff you had to think about for a bit, I suppose, but when it comes to difficulty, it wasn't too hard. So I hope that, when I get my marks back, they'll be good. Lunch was a mixture of music and 31. We'll probably get back to 13 tomorrow.

Period 5 was English, in which we got two cartoons and were told to analyse them. One of them was fairly obvious, although you had to piece it all together to answer the half-page or so of questions. The other, however, made no sense whichever way you looked at it. And we had a sub, Contado, so she didn't know the answer either. I just got my book out when I was finished and read that. I love doing that. Period 6 was History, in which we did another pre-test, like yesterday's. This one was easier, and I finished in about 20 minutes (I improved on yesterday's result, too). Notable event: Johnson writing 'Fish' instead of 'Finish.' It said: "Fish: 2:50." I thought it was pretty funny. After school ended, while I was waiting at the station, I talked to Kale for a bit, on all manner of things from the upcoming Talent Quest to how I memorised the periodic table (if this is not a symbol of supreme nerdiness, I don't know what is).

When I got home, I blogged a bit, and around 4, Dad showed up, and offered to take me to cricket training to catch up with some of the guys who I won't get to see that often, now that hapkido has replaced cricket as my exercise of choice. So I trained with them for about 45 minutes, give or take. And I tell you, my fitness has definitely improved. It is coming along very well. So when I arrived back at home, I watched TV, the new Abridged episode (42 has finally come! Link!), and blogged. And here I am.

I will now go happily to the celebrations, where we shall see the many things that have happened since Day 1, featuring links to the respective posts that have documented them:
*Getting braces: Oh yeah. That's probably gotta be one of the biggest things that has occurred. A life-changing thing it is, braces, and I've learned to live with them. Though I will most likely be very happy once they are off.
*Hapkido begins: Another big one, that I almost forgot. I've given up my roots of cricket and AFL for hapkido, and I think it is a pretty good choice. I've never felt more fit, as I've said, and that's saying something.
*The concert: It's one of the bigger social events I've had so far, and it was so good, I'm going to another one: The Britney Spears one. I've liked her since I was 5, I think, and seeing her in Australia will be a big thing for me.
*The many other things I simply could not post all to, like trips to Canberra, half-yearlies, assignments, the beginning of 13... yeah. Heaps of stuff. And I'd like to say hey to everyone who was there, who are here, and who are reading.

And this was my day. Thanks again, everyone, for reading, and being a part of my blog. Now, let's see if I can get some people commenting. There haven't been many, lately, but I hope I'll get some for this post. Here's hoping, hey?

200 posts down, and many, many more to go,
AB

A Whole Heap of Work

And by work, I don't mean writing stuff in our book. I mean actually getting out there and doing work. I mean, we had stuff in Ag, then sport, hapkido... Well, let's just see how my day all came together, shall we?

Before school, I blogged a fair bit, though just not enough. First it was Role Call, in which I read 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' and got complimented on it by Johnson. I must say, it is a very good book; though if you don't particularly like to really get into books (or if you don't like reading, which is, rather sadly and to my great regret, increasingly becoming the case), don't read it. It is something along the lines of 1200 pages. Period 1 was History, in which we did a pre-test to the History comp which is coming up. And it was full of stuff we'd never been taught, showed, or ever really come across. The highest in the class was 40/50, which sounds good until you see it was 80% and by Lana. Yeah. Next was English, in which we read this short story, and answered questions. We had a sub, and I would write her name down if I knew it. Sorry, anonymous substitute teacher!

Recess was a lot of 13, as always. Towards the end, however, some strange stuff happened: we got kicked out of the Science block for some reason or another, and then when the bell went, nobody moved for about 5 minutes. My guess is that people were thinking 'Nobody else is moving, so why should I move?' You can see the fallacy behind that, as if everybody thinks that, nobody moves. But, people did start to move, and we went to Ag. We first went up to the sheds, to get some hoes (and, as you can guess, many, many jokes were made), and then to the farm, to dig some beds for the potatoes we soon shall plant. And it was very tiring. Get the hoe, smash into the ground, pull the dirt up, repeat. Goddamn. We only did 20 or so minutes of it, and towards the end I took out my iPod. Well, of course.

Lunch was some games of 13 with Andy, John, Ebony, Mango and me, as Kevin was in Sick Bay for the first part of lunch with an allergy, and Victor was with him. When he got back, we played some 31. I like 31, but not as much as 13. We also played 1, 2, 3, and many other strange variants of 13. It was then Sport, which had sunk to new depths as we gave up doing any sport at all at around quarter to 2. We played T-Ball for about 10 minutes, and then we did some other stuff. So we spent the remainder of the time doing things like playing cards, trying to get things hanging over the cross bar of the rugby, and talking about Microsoft voices, like Sam and Anna (yeah. A bit out there.). It was a pretty good Wednesday sport session. After sport, I read, and talked to Ebony. And when I got home, I blogged a bit, and we left for hapkido around 6:45.

Shay came today, but Grandmaster Geoff didn't. So we got taught by another black belt. Again, I'm not sure of his name. I really have to start remembering. Anyway. Before the class, I decided to get something with some of the money I got on the weekend: a hat. I like hats. The actual lesson was a pretty tough ones, with running and a lot of exercises that were killer on the abs (as well as ABs! *crickets chirping*). After the lesson, Shay stayed behind to get some signatures done, while I hung back and waited. And waited. I got home at something like 9:00 (45 minutes after class ended.). I started blogging at 9:30, and so did not finish in time. So here I am.

This was my Wednesday. Tomorrow's post is the big 200: Let's all gather round tomorrow, shall we? I will get it done in time: this I vow. Also, a better title awaits. Or, rather I hope. I really wish. Anyway. I'll just end now.

Work, work, it never ends,
AB

Rest and Randomness

Well, by rest I refer to not doing that much in class, not sleeping rest. And randomness, well, I believe this is self-explanatory. Also, yes, an alliterative title for the umpteenth time this month. They're annoying, they're frustrating, and I don't really care anymore. That much. Anyway. To my day, which was a bit of a mixed bag.

Period 1 was Geography, in which we attempted to complete the cutting and pasting for the 5 sheets from yesterday, as the majority of people (me included) didn't finish it. I got almost all of it done. It's not hard so much as tedious, and that is sometimes very annoying; and this period was no exception. Period 2 was Science, in which we did some revision work on motion, and most importantly, the whole chapter on electricity and the electromagnetic spectrum. Which is somewhat difficult, because I can barely remember that far back. Just means I'll have to do a fair bit of revision before the test, I suppose. But when I did finish it, I got my book out. Which is always good. Recess was 13.

Period 3 was Ag, in which the few groups still to do their presentations (two in all) showed the class. Before they set up, I tried to make a house of cards, but it kept collapsing. And when I finally was getting it working, it was time for the presentations. Ah well. Ebony and Corinne were first, and then the last group for the whole presenting was Rhys and Sophie's. We then did some work on potatoes, as if this whole thing never even happened. Of course. Next was PE, in which we watched a tape of 'What's Good For You,' which dealt with such things as waxing versus shaving, and whether microwaves are safe (they obviously are. And they proved it. So there.). Lunch was weird and more than a little bit random. John was doing stuff for IPT, and his space was free. So for some reason, Kevin, Andy and I sat in different places and pretended to be the people who usually sat there. It's hard to explain properly. And towards the end of Lunch, part of my bag broke. I'm still not entirely sure how, but it wasn't like last time; it's less serious. Still annoying though. Damn my bad luck.

Period 5 was Maths, in which we started a new topic (yes, we started a new topic yesterday as well. Yes, it's retarded. I know.). This one was on trigonometry, and it was a bit of a bludge. Telling us stuff we already know is not particularly fun, or hard work. Period 6 was Drama, in which we just watched the ad that Cam made, after spending a good 20 minutes trying to get it to play. It was really good, apart from one thing: it's 30 seconds too long. And with a 1 and a half minute video, that's a problem. But the ad itself, apart from that, was really funny. We're going to cut out some of the song in the beginning, and unnecessary bits in the middle. Ah well. We didn't do any work, so it was a bit of a bludge. When I got home, I blogged, and later I fixed up some of the album covers for my iPod. But I only got about halfway through this post, so here I am.

And that was my day. I think I'm catching up for my 200th post; I better be. I also hope I get comments for it, but if I don't, that's fine. I mean, I'd prefer them, but... anyway. Expect a post on time, if not for tomorrow, then for Thursday for sure.

Labelling was harder than usual for this post,
AB

No Writing Returns

I think this title is fairly straight-forward: it was yet another day where we did essentially no writing. I don't think I need to explain further. Except for the grammatical problems that plague my title... You know what, who cares. Let's just skip straight ahead to my day.

Period 1 was Science, in which we completed that work about graphing and did yet more work on constant motion, acceleration and staying still. You know what I think? I think this is extremely easy and it seems unnecessary. However, we have to do it for the exam. Ah well. I guess easy topics are good for exams. Period 2 was Geography, in which we got a grand total of 7 bloody sheets, with 2 of them being double-sided and giving us an assignment in the process. May I please say that that is ridiculous. We spent the majority of the period looking at the assignment and cutting and pasting stuff in our book from 5 of the sheets. Recess was the usual.

Period 3 was English, in which we had Arnault again. And you know what? Having had him for the first time since I started hapkido, I can say that he really reminds me of Grandmaster Geoff. I mean, he will talk to the class like a teacher, but not in a too uptight way, he'll give a lot of anecdotes, he's funny, and he's bald (well, they are, but that's not really why). We read this poem called 'The Jarvie Park Jiggers.' No, really. I was trying not to laugh when we were reading it. Period 4 was Maths, in which we did statistics. Again: I don't particularly enjoy statistics. Algebra and trigonometry I like; statistics seems somewhat needlessly complicated. But enough of my complaining about subjects; that's twice today. I will stop. Lunch was as Lunch is, that is, with cards. Cameron also tried to get into a debate about something or other (standard Cam stuff). I mention this only really because at one point Cam tried to advance on me for some reason, and I pushed him back (he blamed my 'karate.' He meant my hapkido.). So when he tried to do it again, he backed off after it clicked, and he said 'Oh, right.' Pretty funny.

Period 5 was Drama, in which we went to the computer rooms to get the various videos to do with the advertisement we have been filming these past few days from the cameras, and getting them onto USBs for editing. It quickly became clear that Ebony's USB is something like 128 megabytes, making her a somewhat technologically backward person (she doesn't have an iPod. I feel sorta sorry for her about that.). We managed to get it onto Shane's USB, because Ebony's was too small. Cam wanted to take it home to do the work, because "he has a Mac." Oy vey. Period 6 was Commerce, in which we marked work from something like 2 weeks ago. Yep, that's the way it goes. After school, I did some work, and around 6:55, we left for hapkido.

Both Shay and Shirisha were there today, which was pretty good. We talked about life in our respective schools, and Shirisha backed me up on a few things. I also tried to get some work on my back rolls done, but Grandmaster Geoff said to line up before I got a chance. Ah well. We also were doing some work with running and numbers (hard to explain properly), and the first number he called out was 42 (Douglas Adams). Another one was 314, which is less straight-forward and possibly more nerdy (it's the first 3 digits of pi: 3.14159...). I didn't get any signatures done, obviously, though I will work harder to get them done in the future. So when I got home, I blogged about Sunday, and did a bit for today. Although, not enough. So here I am.

And this is how my Monday went. Yes, this is a late post than usual, although it is less late than usual; and I think, early enough to get back on schedule for Thursday. Here's hoping I do.

Damn these late posts!,
AB

Shopping and Shay's

What? I haven't used this title? I have now! Anyway. I went shopping, and I went to Shay's. I also did other things. Titles aren't perfect, folks. Otherwise, there wouldn't be all that complaining recently. Ah well. To my day, as I'm rapidly running out of ideas for this opening paragraph, at least for today.

I was woken up at 8, and I was still half-asleep 45 minutes later. I just hadn't had enough sleep. But at 8:30, we left for McDonalds, where we saw a familiar face: none other than Shaylee. None of us had any idea that she was working there (I didn't, at least), but we said hello. Or, rather, I waved, and she tried to avoid anyone realising that we knew each other. Though that's probably the wisest thing: EJ was in his skeleton jacket, and he was getting stares. Shay herself was on the hash browns, and so we had some of them, as well as hotcakes and Maccas orange juice. We then went to our grandparents' place, as Dad had to fix Poppa's computer. I spent basically the entire time playing Scrabble, and reading my book. We were supposed to have left our grandparents' place, gone to the shops, then left the shops and be back at home by midday. We left at 12:15, thus utterly throwing us off schedule.

On the drive to Westfields, Dad told us a little surprise he had been saving: with the money our parents had got back from tax (eight thousand dollars, give or take. I think.), they would give EJ and I both $100 (I got an extra $30 for boundary running over the past few weeks), and said we could spend it on whatever we want. EJ found 3 games in JB Hi-Fi, and was already in debt 15 minutes in (he spent $103 on games). I myself travelled far and wide, from Dymocks to Angus & Robertson, but alas, there were no physics books in stock. Not even a really expensive one that I could now afford. There was one big mathematics book, but I opened it and I couldn't understand half of it. So I put it down. And I couldn't really find anything else, unfortunately so I left Westfields at around 3:15 with nothing but a heavier wallet. We got home at about 3:30, and we got a call from Michael that we were having a spontaneous barbecue (as in, 'You know what? Let's have a barbecue!') with them. So we left at 5, with my blogging sadly uncompleted. We did many things, including bouncing on the trampoline, watching the Bombers-Dockers game (yes, Essendon beat first one week, then lost to second-last the next), and talked about all manner of things. We got home at about 7:30, and I made a quick dash to blog about Saturday. It's been very rush-rush this weekend.

And as there are no comments, this shall be my last paragraph. I'd like to take some time here to apologise for the very late post; I am going to catch up for Thursday. I can't miss my 200th post because I've been caught up, dammit! So expect a post on time some time soon.

A long weekend gives way to school,
AB

Finals Footy Begins

Well, I suppose in the actual AFL, finals hasn't arrived yet (we're about halfway through Round 21, I think). But of all the footy I'm involved in or really care about, the finals start now. Specifically, my brother's finals have begun, and well, let's see what happened, shall we?

I got up around 8, and it was rush-rush to get to EJ's ground. But in the short amount of time I was at home, I found my blue pencilcase, idling away in an unopened drawer. Don't know why I put it in there, but there it was. Problem solved! Anyway. Back to footy. EJ's team, having won every single game this year, was first (well, I sure hope so), and so they got the benefit of being at home. So when we got there, the carpark was packed. Well, a lot of our teams made the finals (about time), and we have one of the best grounds in the comp (no exaggeration here; it's true), so a heap of people came. I brought my New Scientist and 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' but I didn't get to read them that much in the beginning, as I was talking to Ngaire (pronounced Nie-ree), a friend of mine who used to play in my team, but now umpires, and who is notable for having the worst string of luck when it comes to injuries out of everybody I know. She couldn't umpire today, as she was on crutches after she tore a ligament, I think. So I talked to her for a while, and I then went around helping out with odd jobs, like moving goalposts and selling raffle tickets (doing much better than last Saturday). I then went to watch EJ's game.

It was against second on the ladder, Campbelltown-Wollondilly (I'll just call them Campbelltown; it's much easier), and my brother's team was ready. The game started off with a Campbelltown point, and the ball then started going the Tigers' way. However, both backlines were fierce, and balls touched on the line were not just commonplace; they were the norm. By the end of the first quarter, it was 2.5, 17 to 0.1, 1. (And this is, I think, the actual scores. But don't quote me.) I was doing the scoreboard, as they had official umpires doing the boundary. And nobody else was doing it. The second quarter was an intense one, but incredibly inaccurate, with 2 behinds to 4 kicked. Half time gave us 2.7, 19 to 0.5, 5, and it looked like both teams would have to work to win it. And the third quarter payed off, for both sides. More goals were kicked in this quarter than the first half of the game, and both sides nearly doubled their scores. The teams went into the last break with the Tigers at 4.11, 35 and Campbelltown at 1.6, 12. The last quarter was more intense than the last, with a mighty battle raging. But the Tigers prevailed, with the final score reading 6.12, 42 to 2.11, 23. EJ's team will make their Grand Final, while Campbelltown will play for their spot next week.

So after the game, I went to read my book and listen to my iPod, which I promptly did until about 4 in the afternoon. Then, after a quick detour to the shops, we went home, where we watched the Blues-Demons game from a tape. And Carlton kicked ass, winning by 57 points, and with Fevola getting 7 goals, practically assuring him the Coleman Medal. We also watched a slight amount of the Tigers-Hawks game, before I went into my room to play Battlefield Heroes and go on Skype with John. And that is what I did, for a few hours.

Comments await my replies no longer, with just the 1 today (what? I'm trying to get some variety here!):
*Ebony: It did indeed feel like the end of term; I loved it. And you did not kick my ass, it was a one point difference. 6/6 to 5/6 is not a slaughter, it is a close match.

And that was my day. My titling, I think, has improved with the realisation that it really doesn't matter that much. I will also catch up on this late post streak for my 200th post: won't do to do it late.

Expect AFL to be featured heavily in the upcoming weeks,
AB

Thank God It's A Closed Weekend

And it is! There hasn't been one for a while. And it was a pretty good day, apart from a loss of a few things (loss can be taken numerous ways, try and spot them all!). All this to be explained, right now. Oh, and by the way, prepare soon for the 200th post celebrations, which, assuming a post a day (which is pretty much assured), should be on Thursday, the 27th of August. Expect celebrations.

Before school, I went to pack my bag; and noticed something missing. I have two pencilcases, OK: my black one that has stuff like my calculator and ruler in it, and my small blue one with pens, pencils, rubbers, sharpeners... You get the picture. And I went to pack my bag and noticed the blue pencilcase missing. A quick dismantling of my bag quickly showed that it wasn't in there, and another check showed it wasn't under my bed, behind it, or indeed anywhere I looked. I simply could not find my blue pencilcase. So I got to school with my only writing implement being a blue pen I found. Period 1 was Ag, in which we combined with Ian and Shafi's class because there was enough in both classes for one class, and there was only one teacher for the two classes. We watched this video which was filmed in Wales, and was seemingly not translated out of Welsh. Or at least, none of us could understand what they were saying. So I played cards with Ebony for a while. Period 2 was Geography, in which we watched a video on migration.

Recess was 13, with my new cards, although my old deck remains in my bag as a tribute. And my new cards have a problem: there is no personality in them. You can't differentiate any of the 3s from any other cards, and all the cards have their corners. You can't get annoyed because Victor got the 3 of spades, or Andy got the 2 of hearts. It takes a bit of the fun out of it. Period 3 was Maths, in which we talked about tables for the formal. We had a sub. Period 4 was Science, in which we had a competition. We (Hewie, Alan, Tan and I) got a golf ball, a wooden ramp, and a metre ruler (perpendicular to the table edge), and the challenge was to make it so that Robson could place the coin at any point on the ruler between 10 cm and 70 cm from the table, and we could hit it. We spent most of the period setting it up and testing out variables. In the end, we got 5 hits out of 6 goes, and we thought we had it won. But, of course, Ebony's group had to go and get it spot on, with 6 out of 6. Naturally.

Lunch was more 13. Period 5 was Commerce, in which we finished watching that thing on advertising from yesterday. I also tried to build a house of cards, for no real reason other than that I was bored. It didn't work. Period 6 was English, in which we had Faulds as a sub. He had work to do, so he let us do pretty much anything, as long as we didn't scream. So Barahona, Tan, Alan, Hewie and I played 13 for the whole period. It was fun. I was then picked up by Dad, and then we went to go pick up EJ. So for the rest of the night, I watched the footy (the Dogs beat the Cats, making it almost impossible for Carlton to make the four), and played some Battlefield Heroes. I also blogged in time; but for Thursday. Ah well.

Let the comment replies begin, with a single one:
*Ebony: Yes, you are appreciated, for your card-bringing abilities. And I think leaving Shane and Oscar in the bushes with a video camera was, if not harmless... Mostly Harmless (Cue the sound of every single Douglas Adams fan reading this laughing at my nerdy pun.).

And that was my day. Expect a possibly longer post tomorrow (well, longer than usual for a Saturday), and I would like to repeat about those 200th post celebrations coming up on Thursday. Don't miss it!

Better title, I suppose,
AB

Another Day, Another Bludge

Yeah, I know. My titling is severely going downhill. Or at least it is for this post. Anyway. Titles don't particularly matter, I suppose, although I still prefer them to be good. So, as my title says, today was pretty much just a big bludge. Barely any work at all was done. Now, without further ado, to my day.

Period 1 was English, in which we mainly talked about famous people who are or were considered to be Odd Ones Out or Rebels. And when you have a group of people including Mahatma Gandhi, Pauline Hanson, Osama Bin Laden and Charles Darwin, it makes for a very interesting range of opinions, to say the least. We also got onto George W. Bush and what he accomplished (I use the term loosely) as President (Hancock said he was the only President to have caused 16 years worth of damages in 8 years. Which was pretty funny.). Though it's not the most off-topic class I've ever been in (last year in Ag, we got from how much chemicals are, to the defensive capabilities of Switzerland). Period 2 was Maths, in which we did some revision work on quadratic equations. We also messed around on my new calculator, and found some of the new features of it, and discovered some old ones. It's pretty good.

Recess was 13, or at least it was for some of it. Ahem. At around 10:15 am, on the 20th of August, 2009, a treasured member of our group was lost. A passing student spilled drink while dealing, and the cards became sticky, and considered unusable. So we say goodbye to these cards; we bid them farewell. Period 3 was Drama, in which we went back to the farm to do the last part of our advertisement. We didn't really do much, though it was funny to see Oscar attempt to do a side roll and somewhat failing; and Shane filming Oscar's muscles, and his 'pocket' and 'belt area.' I'm sure it was, but it sure didn't look like it. Period 4 was Commerce, in which we went to the annex to watch this video about advertising to children in America and a lot of related stuff, like consumerism in kids. Some of it was pretty eye-opening, and a bit of it was creepy as well.

Lunch was 13, but with Ebony's cards. At this point, I'd like to thank Ebony for helping us out of that little jam; I don't know what we'd do without her (probably not play cards. But, that's not really an option.). Periods 5 and 6 were PE, in which we played a game called Ultimate Frisbee. Although, apparently, it's technically just 'Ultimate' (allow Wikipedia to explain) because frisbee is trademarked; we're supposed to call them flying discs. But we just called them Frisbees. It's easier. We practiced throwing them for a while, and then we played something called Frisbee Golf. Which essentially involved throwing a frisbee towards a flag, getting it near the flag, walking back to the middle, and repeating. Sorta boring, really. When I got home, I did some work, and then I played Battlefield Heroes for a while. Although I couldn't find any decent servers. So I just mucked around on a pre-game one for a while. Ah well. I later blogged, but not enough. So here I am.

To comments now, just one single one.
*Karen: Yes, I am definitely going to the formal. Did Mango really miss me on the list? Put me up then; thanks for adding me.

And that was my day. Friday's post may or may not be shorter, though it will most likely be late. That's what you get with my blog lately; I'll catch up soon. With any luck. Maybe.

My titling is getting worse, and I'm waiting for it to improve,
AB

Yet More Maths

Let's think: On Thursday, there was the 4 hour one; the day after I did the topic test; and today I did the ICAS Maths comp. Hopefully that's it for a while. But, yeah. A lot of maths, or at least it feels like it. I'm also not sure how good the title is. Anyway. My day, apart from Period 1 was mostly a bludge. Well, let's see my Wednesday, shall we?

Before school, I blogged about Tuesday. But not enough. Instead of catching the train to school, however I was driven to school by Jo, for the first time in quite a while. It was actually pretty spot-on timing, because I got to the station stairs at exactly the same time Ebony did. It was sort of freaky. Role Call was getting a note for camp, and then going to the music room for the Maths comp. It went for about an hour (I'm not sure exactly how long it was), and I got all but one question done, but that's because I got caught up doing the last question. I ended up working it out, though it took a long while. Period 2 was English, in which Hancock showed his awesomeness by letting us unwind after the long competition. He showed us a lot of funny stuff from his laptop, including some of Rowan Atkinson Live, and specifically, Fatal Beatings (Youtube link!). Recess was the usual.

Period 3 was Science, in which we graphed the results from yesterday's experiment. Rhys's motion was approximately linear, and Corinne's was a curve (technically it was parabolic. But, yeah. Curvy.), which means she sped up and therefore accelerated. That was seemingly the whole point of the lesson. It seemed slightly pointless, although I did read ahead, and that lesson was in the book. Probably that. Lunch was 13. And then, it was Sport, and like last Wednesday, it was T-ball, as the guy didn't show up for a second time, not that I'm complaining. I did more sport than last time, and I actually did really well with the bat, smashing the ball a bit (though the less said about my pitching, the better). I also caught a ball off Bryan, although he claimed that it was a foul ball (I was directly in front of him.). However, things predictably started to slow down, and the school day ended with me playing variants of 13 with Kevin (4, 5, 6, and so on). When I got home, I finished Tuesday's post, and after that, then it was time for hapkido.

Shay still had assignments, but Shirisha came. So that was good. We were doing pretty heavy work in the beginning (it is not easy holding the weight of a full-grown man, you know!), and I hadn't had enough to drink beforehand, so by the middle, I was utterly stuffed. I also tried doing some right back rolls, and stuffing them up basically every single time. So I stayed behind for around 10 minutes with a black belt, so that he could point out what I was doing wrong. And I think I got it; now it's just a matter of putting into practice. Here's hoping. When I got home, too, I blogged. But not enough.

To comments, two from two people.
*Mango: OK, OK, you got 100%, happy? And I am not an addict; I don't game all the time. I do do other things. And don't remind me about assignments.
*Ebony: I said that most of our group was at IPT. You are part of the 'most of our group.' Therefore, I mentioned you, though not personally.

And that was my day. Sorry about the such late post, blame hapkido. And society. Yeah, society'll do. Blame them. Thursday's post will hopefully not be late, although no promises, of course. I can't promise what I may not deliver.

Enough comps already!,
AB

Bludges and Braces

My titling remains on its plateau of uncreativity. Well, I suppose it's not the title, but rather the post. Still, annoyance. I'll work on improving them. But, yeah, there was bludging today, and I went to the orthodontist for my braces. So, to my day.

Before school, I listened to Hamish & Andy on my iPod, as I haven't done that for a while. They are pretty funny. Period 1 was Science, in which we did an experiment on velocity. What we did is that we went to the main quad, and I measured out 50 m using the trundle wheel (I love using that thing, and I'm not entirely sure why.). We then got Rhys to walk the course, with people recording times every 10 metres, so we can get a rough estimate of how fast he was walking. Then, the same with Corinne, except she ran it. Next period we'll take the times and graph them. Period 2 was Computer Maths, in which we got theorems for circle geometry from Years 11 and 12, and then we were supposed to try to prove them on Geometer's Sketchpad. We also got the results of the Maths test that I did on Friday back. I got 37/40. I made some silly mistakes, but I'm happy with my mark. Recess was 13. I was very annoyed, with me getting a triple two and losing. Goddamn.

Periods 3 and 4 were Ag, and for most of the first period, we went back down to the farm to finish up preparing the soil for our potatoes. However, only a few of us were needed to do it, so I spent the time playing Solitaire and listening to music from my iPod. It's always fun. When we got back to the class, we did a few presentations, with Courtney and Andrew giving the class some goat cheese (it tasted just like regular cheese, except it had a slight tang about it. Slightly salty and sour. And I could swear I smelt goat, but nobody else could.), and Allie's was a video instead of a Powerpoint. On the goats that were back at her farm. And hers was good. I mean, really good. Lunch was talking and cards.

Period 5 was English, in which we talked about the new topic that we started, which is 'Odd One Out,' and how we have areas of study in Years 11 and 12. I got a little too enthusiastic, though, when Hancock asked if anyone had seen 'Life of Brian,' and I, very loudly, called out 'Yes!' I didn't mean too, of course, but it happened. He was mentioning the scene where Brian calls out 'You're all individuals!' And it was hilarious, of course. Just watch it: it's one of the funniest movies of all time, in my opinion. Maybe even the funniest. We also got our speech marks back. I got 19/20, which is more than I expected. How fickle English marks are. Period 6 was History, in which we got an assignment. That's two in two days; and just when I thought I was getting over them. Bugger. Luckily, it doesn't seem that hard. And when I got home, we got something to eat, and then we went straight back out again, as I had to go the orthodontist. They were installing the metal part (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's the metal thing that goes right on your tooth, not the wire.) on a tooth that was still coming through, as well as the general tune-up. When I got home, I listened to music and played some BFH. Only a bit though. And then I blogged, though evidently not enough. So here I am.

To comments now, just the one.
*Ebony: Huh? Wah? Oh. Right. Yes, I did miss comments, and so I missed your comments too. And yes, first, though I see that you didn't mention your status as an aeroplane. Ah well.

And that was my day. Yes, it was a late post, I completely misjudged how much time I had on Tuesday night, and so posted late. That happens, though. Wednesday's post will hopefully not be late, though I'm not promising anything.

The relentless cycle of assignments continues; ah well,
AB

A Surprisingly Marvelous Monday

Sure, it was a Monday. But, despite that obvious downside, it was a pretty good day. I'll get into how when I get to that part. Which is right after this sentence (also, titles. Annoying ones. Good ones elude me. ...You get the picture.).

Before school, I listened to the two new songs on my iPod, with one being 'Rasputin' by Boney M. and the other being 'Heal the World' by Michael Jackson. Two very different but still good songs. I also played 20 minutes of Battlefield Heroes, as I was bored. Well, why not? Period 1 was Geography, in which we did more work from the textbook. The work is even conceded by Johnson to be boring, and when the teacher says their own subject is boring, then you know it is. Next was Science. In that, we did work on speed and velocity, which is physics, yeah, but not the physics that I really enjoy. Astronomy, quantum physics, particle physics are just 3 awesome topics. But they won't teach us that in school, or at least not in Year 10. And for good reason, but still. Anyway. Recess was 13, but as there was an IPT exam, there weren't many people in our group there for it. Kevin and I also messed with Andy's mind by both of us pretending that we'd never played, 1984 style. It really trips people up, as they have no idea how to respond. It does get kind of boring, though.

Period 3 was Ag, and in that we did presentations. I was second or third, and it started off well after the first slide completely stuffed. The rest of it went through pretty smoothly, and I even got a few laughs. Not gigantic laughs, of course (it's potatoes), but still some. And towards the end of the class, Schippers said that my assignment was the best in the class so far. I felt pretty happy about that, as you'd expect, though I put it down to the 8 or so hours I spent on the presentation, as well as a few tricks that I've picked up messing around on Powerpoint. Period 4 was PE, with us getting an assignment not even an hour after I was done with the last one. Of course. I mean, it's not a really hard assignment. It's just keeping a scrapbook on road safety for a term or so, which means I'll have to keep a look out. In the actual period, we looked at advertising, and how it can be misleading. Example: 94% purer skin. Two things about that: how would you even calculate that; and more importantly, how do you purify skin? Skin is skin! Lunch was 13 with John and Eric, who'd come back from IPT, and Kevin and Andy, who never left.

Period 5 was Maths, in which we started a new topic on indices. Probably. We did work on it, regardless. Or, rather, some of us did the work. Mango was supposed to bring the textbook, but he didn't. So I spent some time looking at Year 11 work after Rawson showed us their textbook. And for the last 15 minutes or so, I looked at Pascal's triangle (Wikipedia shows us the way), and it has this property of the powers of 11. It's hard to fully explain. Anyway. I got bored, and showed that it worked in different bases (In base 9, the triangle shows the powers of 10. In base 2, it shows the powers of 3. It's always one base higher.). Just your standard A1 work. Period 6 was Drama, in which we went out to the farm to get the rest of the footage for our advertisement. I also got a new part: random politician who shoots Oscar then runs away. It makes much more sense in context. When the bell went, I went home (Captain Obvious to the rescue!), and went on my computer. Then, around 6:50, we left for hapkido.

Shay didn't come today, as she was snowed under by assignments. Like me last Wednesday. I got there early; to see Nick in an orange belt. Which means that there isn't many white belts left, although there are a few just starting (Shirisha being an example). The lesson itself was pretty good, although that was primarily because I got my 23rd signature: front roll. And it was the best front roll I have ever done. From a standing start, I went smoothly over, with my head not knocking against the ground, and getting up right away. I did it twice more (once on my right, which was OK but nothing to write home about), and I got it signed off. Which leaves one last signature to be gotten: back roll. Yeah. I'm sort of confident, but not fully. A bit more work, though, and I'll have it. I got home around 8:30, but I didn't get to blog completely. So here I am.

And that was my day. Sorry about the late post and everything, hapkido got in the way. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I just get a bit annoyed when it happens. Although late posts really pale into comparison when it comes to hapkido. What I'm saying here, is that late posts may be frustrating, I wouldn't bloody quit hapkido just to get 800 words on my blog on time. Anyway. Tuesday's post will probably be shorter than this one, though mainly because this one is longer than I expected.

The week has started off well,
AB

On the Battlefield

The title originates from a mishearing of that Jordin Sparks song, 'Battlefield,' which sadly has nothing I could quote for a title, although there is a lot of stuff that could really relate to Battlefield Heroes (examples: 'raise that flag,' an obvious one; and 'I'm not here without a shield,' which is the Gunner's Code.). Because that's what today was for me. A whole heap of going out and shooting up the place. I'll also do a list, for the first time in almost a month.

I woke up at 9 (I know. I don't usually do that.), and I took a while really waking up, as I do. I finally got to do stuff at about 10 (hey, the weekend ain't for rushing. Well, if you've got an assignment, that's different. But I didn't have one, so I didn't rush.), which ended up being blogging about Saturday while watching EJ play PS3. I ended up finishing the post at around 1, which is early for a weekend, but later than usual. If that makes sense. Meanwhile, my brother was continuously pestering me to play Battlefield Heroes, who is a sort of backseat driver for the game. He can't get an account to play, because he's too young, so he tries to get me to play. So I ended up playing for around 4 or 5 hours, improving my k/d ratio and getting myself to Level 11. Sweet. It is really fun being a Gunner, and I'm getting better on a whole heap of things.

I was also periodically checking up the footy scores (I had to do a new paragraph because this one goes on for a bit), and guess what? Apart from the fact that the Demons demolished the Dockers (try saying that five times fast), something more important happened: Carlton beat Port Adelaide. Never mind the fact that it was at AAMI, or that Fevola is now the top goalkicker, or that they won by 9 goals, and so on; it also means that the Blues are a certainty to make the finals. They will play in the finals for the first time since 2001, since I can remember. Call me crazy, but I think they're in with a chance. They won't win the premiership, of course, I know that, but I mean to go further than you might think; they've beaten or at least come close to almost every team in the eight, barring themselves (I think. Could be wrong.). You just watch, too. And over the coming years, they will be kicking ass and taking names. That's what I think, anyway. So after that, I had dinner, and I then went to watch some 'Seinfeld.' I also went in to watch the end if the Saints-Bombers game, and the Bombers won. How the mighty have fallen, with Essendom proving that the undefeatable Saints are not so undefeatable after all. I'm not sure if it's a good result for the Blues or not, but it certainly makes for a very interesting season end. And after the game, I stayed in to watch some of the replay of the Blues game, and then I went to blog. And here I am.

To the list now, with this one being the top 5 most played songs on my iPod, from 5 to 1, and exactly why I like them.
*5: 'End of the World' by Great Big Sea: This is a really good song, of course, because the lyrics are so fast, and the song is so catchy. I love it, and I want to learn all the words so that I can sing along. I can't yet, though.
*4: 'Any Means Necessary' by Hammerfall: With thanks to Victor for introducing me to this song. I mean, it is just so bloody hardcore. I love songs with a good beat, and this one is the epitome of that. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it makes it to number 4.
*3: 'The Final Countdown' by Europe: The guitar in this song is just epic. I'm not even sure if it is the guitar (I'm pretty sure it is), but whatever instrument is playing at the start of this song, it is awesome.
*2: 'Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)' by The Offspring: OK, this one is sort of weird, because I used to sing this all the time as a kid. I mean, a really young kid. And it's on my iPod, and it is so much fun. It reminds me of me, sort of. It's a great song, but it's just edged out by Number 1.
*1: 'The Elements' by Tom Lehrer: Ah, what else? The nerdiest of all songs, the greatest of all Tom Lehrer songs, and the brilliant science song. I can sing along to this whole song, and it truly earns its place as Number 1. I simply love it.

And that was my day. Sorry about the whole thing where I just went on about AFL, but... why am I apologising? My blog. Eh, just skip over it if you don't like it; I, at least, wanted to say it. Also, listen to every song in my list; they're all worth it.

5 brilliant songs await your listening,
AB

Gone Clubbing

Because I went to EJ's footy club for his game and I went to a club for my great-grandmother's ninetieth. Ta-da! Titling is not that easy, OK? Although this one is one of the better ones of late. Anyway. Also a late post, but not as late as it could have been. But, yeah, still late. It is the weekend, after all.

I got up at around 8:30, and we had to rush around to get ready for footy. We got to the ground at about 9:30, and I read my New Scientist magazine for a bit. I also ended up going around selling Tigers newsletters for 50c each. Shaylee talked me into it, somehow. I sold 3 copies, and got a dollar donation. $2.50 for about 20 minutes work. $2 if you factor in how I got a lollipop for doing it. Yeah. Then, Nanny, Poppa and Aunty Fay came over, and I talked to them for a bit. EJ's game started at around 11 (I think). It was a pretty intense game, and I had to run like there was no tomorrow. At one point, courtesy of Billy, I had to run from one end of the ground to the other. Which was extremely tiring. EJ's team ended up winning by 30 or 40 points, and on his 151st game. That means he broke the club record. The only thing I have in footy now that he doesn't is a Best & Fairest (I got one when I was comparatively good. EJ keeps getting seconds and thirds. I only got anything on that year.). After the game, we (Nanny, Mum, Aunty Fay and I) rushed back home to get ready to go to a birthday.

It was my great-grandmother's, or Big Nan's, nineteth birthday, and we went up to Canley Heights Club (please note: I could be entirely wrong. I forget the actual name of the club.) for the celebration. We met up with Dad and EJ there, who had come directly from footy. I, fortunately, had brought my iPod and book, as it was mostly adults and kids under 12 there. So for most of the day, I read, and when I finished it, I took out my iPod. I also ate a lot, as I would. The whole thing went for about 2 and half hours. On the car ride back, Dad, EJ and I sang alogn to 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,' as we attached my iPod to the speakers. And so for the rest of the night, I played Battlefield Heroes, as well as trying to get MSN to work, as it was, and is, stuffing up on me. Ah well. That happens. I just wish it didn't.

And that was my day. Sorry about the shorter post, but there wasn't much to blog about. And there's no comments. But hey, that happens. I might also do a list for Sunday's post, if I'm not playing Battlefield Heroes, that is! Ah, it's a fun game. Not for everyone of course, but a lot of people might like it. Anyway.

My titles will hopefully improve,
AB

Tests and Tennis

Because my day involved a test, and a game of tennis. Titling problems, naturally. Anyway. It was a pretty good today, as it involved no real work at all. Barring the aforementioned test, of course, but that wasn't too hard. Anyway. To my day.

Period 1 was Science, in which we talked about cloning, and all about the pros and cons of it. I personally (and I'm not afraid to say what I think here) believe whole-heartedly in therapeutic cloning, also known as stem cell research, although I'm a little iffy on cloning for actual reproduction. I'm sort of like that with science versus religious ethics, what with my atheism. There are many examples, but I won't name them all here. Anyway. Period 2 was Geography, in which we were just doing work from the textbook. There was no Assembly today, as it was apparently "postponed" (read: until next Friday). So we just played 13. Like you'd expect we would.

Period 3 was English. In that we finished off the speeches that had yet to be done in our class: all three of them. After that, we just talked about the book we were given for our new topic; which, thank god, was not 'Displaced Person.' I don't remember the title of the book, but it looked pretty good. Period 4 was Maths, in which I did a test, along with Mango and Lana, and everyone who was at AIMO. Also Tri, who was evidently away. We weren't allowed to do the test in the class, for obvious reasons. So we went outside, and did the test there. I borrowed Ebony's calculator, as it seems mine isn't coming back any time soon. We were out in the sun, so I used my method which always gets strange stares: use an umbrella to keep the sun off. The majority of people think it's stupid; I say it works well. And it does. Lunch was 13, as well as 5 card draw poker for no particular reason.

Period 5 was Drama, in which we went down to the farm to do the filming for our advertisement, which is, actually, worth something. My bad there. We filmed such riveting things as a tractor and Shane and Ebony skipping up and down on logs. One of my favourites: 'Who will save us? That random nerd?' Yes, that meant me. When we got back, we were talking about it, and how Oscar had done a front roll. So I said to Cam, half to myself: 'I reckon I could do that.' He made me do it. My hapkido finally counted for something as I did, from a standing start, a forward roll. But then Shane made me do it again, as he glanced in that direction. And then more people saw me. So I kept doing them. I did about 5 in total, and people were very impressed. I mean, you wouldn't expect me to do those. Anyway. Period 6 was Commerce, which was just stock-standard textbook work.

After school, Dad surprised us (or rather me) with a game of tennis, with an incentive: we win, and he does the folding. We lose, and we do it. He lost. I could go on about how we won, but I won't. Let's just say that he was mistaken when he thought he would beat us (me and EJ) in a one on two game. When I got home, I promptly went onto Battlefield Heroes, where I promptly whiled away the time shooting, and doing surprisingly well. I mean, I got to Level 10, and completed a whole heap of missions. I wasn't incredible of course, but I'm improving. I also blogged, but about Thursday. So here I am.

And that was my Friday. The late post you see is a result of weekend post procrastination, and can be blamed on society. Can be, and should. I'll still say sorry anyway. Sorry. Also, no comments, as it seems people have stopped. Easy come, easy go, I suppose.

No assignments for the weekend, thank god,
AB

Mind-Numbing Mathematics

For you see, readers, I did a 4 hour Maths exam. With all of 10 questions. I know I've said this already, but I want to really emphasise this. 4 hours. 10 questions. Therefore, holy crap, those are incredibly difficult questions involving long, drawn-out proofs. So it may or may not be a shorter post, due to the fact that 4 hours was spent in the Hall. It's a late post, I know. There is a reasonable explanation.

Before school, I packed for school, getting everything I needed for the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (I think that's its name. I'll just call it AIMO, because I'm positive that that is what it actually is called.). Period 1 was Agriculture, in which we watched some presentations. It also transpired that I didn't have to bloody do mine until Monday. Which is annoying. Not just annoying, very annoying. Extremely annoying. Incredibly annoying. ...And so on and so forth. Point is, I didn't do it. Which is sort of for the best, because I forgot my speech cards. Of course. Period 2 was Geography, in which we just did some work. Your general textbook, standard drill, copy from the textbook work. Recess was 13. And then I went down to the hall.

We got in at around 11, and we quickly unpacked. It was time to start that most nerdy of competitions, the 4 hour AIMO one. I could bore you all with the details of how I did some of the questions, or how I ate lunch in the hall, not even stopping to think, and so on and so forth. In the end, I got 5 and a half questions done: 5 of the 8 'just one number' questions, and one half of the 'long drawn-out, show-your-working' questions. I got out at 3, to the delight of my brain. By that point, I had a raging headache.

When I got home, I got essentially straight onto Battlefield Heroes, where I shot up the place for about an hour. After that, though, we had to go to Holsworthy High School, as EJ is in the choir and he had a song there. I brought my book and my iPod, as I really would. The whole thing went for about an hour, though counting waiting around and travel, it was really more like two. Some of the performances were really good and some were OK. I would recap all of them, but I don't remember all of them, and quite frankly, it doesn't really matter. Though at the end, everyone did this rendition of Michael Jacksons's 'Heal the World.' It's a really great song; too bad Jacko went, to say the least, weird in the end. Ah well. Life happens. And when I got home, i blogged. And that is why this post is so late.

And as there are no comments, I'll wrap up this post now. I apologise for the rather late post; I will soon get back into the swing of things. But not right now. I could have late posts for a while now; ah well. That happens. It's annoying, but, yeah. Just blame society already.

My brain hurts from the Maths thing,
AB

Done and Dusted

After several exhausting, exasperating hours, my Ag assignment is, like the title says, done. Is finished. All gone assignment, kaput! (OK, I really couldn't resist that Fawlty Towers quote. Manuel is awesome). So sorry about the late post, I was working on my assignment. Hell, I didn't even go to hapkido.

I woke up early to do as much of my assignment as I could, and with my usual wake-up time being 6, that's pretty early. I got an hour's work in before it was time to go to school. Period 1 was English, in which we were supposed to do speeches. Hancock, however, so we had the permanent substitute (or as Kolodziej would say, temporary), Contado, who showed us this god-awful book called 'Displaced Person.' A quick Google search tells me to go to Wikipedia and look up all about refugees (official titling problems). The second link invites me to look at a bad book review, which is basically just the blurb; but electronically. America marketed it as 'Misplaced Person,' which I think is unintentionally hilarious ("I lost my keys... and Jimmy!")We read through the book as a class, and it was horrible. I recommend avoiding it like the plague. Period 2 was Maths, in which we just did more revision work. It's getting rather annoying. Ah well. Recess was the usual.

Period 3 was Drama, in which we went to the computer labs to look up stuff from Ancient Greece. But, as usual, my computer didn't work, so I just partnered with Cam. And the sites Kolodziej gave us didn't work, so we used Google. And it worked. Lunch was 13. Sport was going down to the oval, and we were supposed to be doing baseball. But the guy who was supposed to teach us (idea: stop spending money on coaches for people who don't care about the sport and start fixing the computers) didn't show up. So some of us played T-Ball (Tee Ball? Tee-Ball?), which quickly devolved into sitting around. Ebony sat with Victor, and John, Kevin and I took turns to try to destroy a plastic water bottle (we got very bored). It quickly turned out, however, that the bottle was indestructible. We tried throwing the bottle up and hitting it with the bat, we tried playing baseball with the bottle, we even tried smashing it against the fence. Nothing worked. In the end, I just put the bottle on the ground and started attacking it like an lumberjack taking an axe to a log (I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!). Which also failed. In the end, we just gave up.

When I got home, I had afternoon tea, and then I got stuck into my assignment. I worked and I worked, from 4 until around 9. And by the end, I was getting bloody sick of potatoes. Google Images was bugging me. And I had had enough of not going on Battlefield Heroes, and not going on MSN, and basically not having any free time at all. At 9, I promptly collapsed in a chair. I then got up, to send it to the school's computer. When that didn't work, I just put it on my USB and called it a night. The assignment was finished.

Comments now, just the 1.
*Karen: Yeah, I have a feeling I'll do that too. I mean, if I do it, it will be due Monday, if I don't, it'll be tomorrow. Murphy's Law in action (if it can go wrong, it will.). Ah well. That joke was pretty good; but I don't have the topic test. I have a 4 hour Maths competition. And no. I'm not kidding.

And that was my day. Sorry about the late post; I think I had a very good excuse (and if you think that's not good enough, well, it's my blog. Or, blame society. Actually, yeah. Blame society.). Tomorrow's post should also be correspondingly late. I also have a valid excuse. You'll see there.

Ag is done: Huzzah!,
AB

Plays and Presentations

Yeah, it's a title with alliteration. I really, really can't be bothered to think at this point. I've been working practically non-stop (not counting dinner) for 3 or 4 hours now, on my Ag potato presentation. Thing is, I barely did any work at school. It's just a lot of work at home. Not hard, but bloody repetitive. Find pictures, put them on the presentation, make it look good, so on so forth. And yes, it's a late post, blame the Ag assignment and society.

Period 1 was Maths, which was doing yet more revision work. Which somehow turned into Faulds talking to me about iPhone apps after I showed him this thing I'd worked out that I had lying around in my bag (because that's what I do when I get bored in A1. I mess around with algebra and geometry and whatever really catches my interest. Nerd!). Period 2 was Drama, in which we went to a different room to watch this video on Greek dramas, which is our new topic. But we're still doing advertisements. But only for the assignment, which I don't think counts towards anything. Yeah. The video itself (not a DVD) was OK, although they could have picked something newer. Say, not 15 years old. Anyway. The whole class was a bludge, really. Recess was 13.

Period 3 was Commerce, in which we went to the computer rooms to do a sample tax return. There were 8 computers that got the internet. Out of about 30. That seems to keep happening. Some computers couldn't be turned on, some could be turned on but couldn't be accessed. I was one of the lucky ones who got the net, and I spent most of the period messing around on the tax return sheet. That is one complicated procedure; I hope it gets simpler when you start to work and understand some of the terms. But I doubt it. Period 4 was Science, which was a room change for a third time, again to the computer labs, to do work on biotechnology and stem cell research. It looks pretty promising, apart from the religious objections. Which I sort of understand, but don't agree with.

Lunch was the usual. Periods 5 and 6 were this play about Macbeth that we paid for a few months back. What happened was that the actors from Bell Shakespeare who went around schools and showed people plays showed us this version of Macbeth. What they did differently is that they only acted the biggest scenes in the play, and then showed us what could be done different, and all the educational value, with a lot of humour thrown in (unintentionally too: They called the character Macbeth 'Macca.' So we naturally took the piss put of Kevin.). It was great, except the actors seemed more like characters. A play within a play sort of. Anyway. That only went up until 2:15 though, and as the teachers had nothing planned, they put us in the main quad and told us to just do something. So Kevin, John, Eric and I just played cards for 45 minutes or so. When I got home, I had afternoon tea, and then went in to do my assignment. I put in a good solid 3 hours work, 5 hours on and off (dinner got in the way). I didn't get it done, but I did get an awful lot done. But not enough at all, so here I am, 24 hours late blogging. I'll catch up soon, I swear.

Comments await my responses, 3 from 3 people.
*AC: AC is back? Returned? No, apparently. I'm sort of confused now. Why do you want to conceal your identity? This just raises more questions than answers. Anyway, before I get crushed by my own ponderings. Thanks for commenting, and it's nice to have a reader.
*Karen: Lol, XX and XY. I love science jokes. And I know we're 13 obsessed, we just love to play. And what's wrong with Commerce? (I don't envy your Japanese minor.). IPT does seem boring, doesn't it? Hmm.
*Ebony: I know I sucked as timekeeper, you don't have to state the obvious. Good luck on your speech; It's best to get it out of the way. That History thing was a bit weird, but she's probably just got a headache or something. Teachers have bad days too. Especially Kolodziej. And speaking of aeroplanes... Where is the anonymous aeroplane?

And that was my day. I'm really sorry for the late post, but I've done about 8 hours of work on my Ag assignment in two days, and that's mostly my free time taken up. Won't I be glad when I have more free time. Oh, how I look forward to that.

Bloody potatoes,
AB

Monday Misfortune

I guess that could be taken as saying that Monday is misfortune (side note: is misfortunate a word? Sure it makes sense, but it doesn't really sound right. Or is the adjective unfortunate, since there is no noun for unfortunate. Anyway.). But I also had some bad luck. And I know it's an alliterative title, I do have an excuse for that. Something that goes "X and Y" is a bad title. "X Y" is better. Anyway. I'm getting off track a lot here. To my day, before I continue ranting in the opening paragraph.

Before school, I talked to John, Andy, Eric and Kevin about Battlefield Heroes in the weekend, and mostly how this guy called Pist0lbash (link) that we found in the servers (he was the guy getting 19 kills no deaths from yesterday) kept owning everybody. Period 1 was Science, in which we did some more recapping, as well as some work on mutations. Pretty standard stuff, no bludging or anything. Period 2 was Computer Maths. Or, rather, Maths in the computer labs. We were doing revision work, and I had the misfortune (dun dun dah!) to lose my calculator (I know; it's shameful. I've had that calculator for years. I think I can even remember getting it. Though that could be something else entirely.), and break both of my mechanical pencils, all in the space of 10 minutes. One was visibly stuffed, with the pencil lead visibly infiltrating the mechanics of the pencil and rendering it useless, and the other I have no idea why it doesn't work. It just does. So for most of the period, I borrowed Mango's pencil and calculator, and did some of the work.

Recess was the usual. Periods 3 and 4 were double Ag, and thanks to Schippers's wondrous announcement on Friday, none of us had to do our presentation. Instead, we just went up to the farm, like last double Ag. Unlike the last double Ag periods, however, Ebony went to talk to her group, so I went and listened to my iPod. It was mostly Monty Python and solitaire (a very good combination), but towards the end, it was some Abridged. Ebony then came to talk, which was awkward as I had to explain what Abridged was. Which is very hard. It's very hard to explain (and if you haven't seen it, see it. Now.). We then asked each other questions, as we do when we get bored. Lunch was 13.

Period 5 was English, in which the class started the in-class speeches. I did mine, of course, so I got the job of the timekeeper. Which involved clicking the stopwatch and dinging a bell. You would think this would be easy. But, no. There was an argument at the start about whether I should ding at 3 minutes or 3 minutes and 30 seconds. We settled at 3 minutes. More problems ensued when I went to ding the bell; and there was just a tap. Dinging a bell is not supposed to be a difficult task. But I seemed to make it hard to do. I got it in the end. Period 6 was History, which was just doing some work from the textbook. We're really starting to rush, and I'm not entirely sure why. Ah well. After I got home, I did a bit of work, and then it was time for hapkido.

Shay didn't come tonight, because there was problems with her diabetes (yeah, she has diabetes. I don't think I've mentioned that. Real-life spoilers!). Shirisha did come, however. The class itself was good, except for this: My rolls are awful. Well, that's not entirely true: Both of my front rolls are fine, or at least OK, and my left back roll is coming along well. But I try my right back roll, and I start thinking way too much, and my body doesn't sync up. Practice make perfect, I suppose. So when I got home, I blogged, but not enough. So here I am.

To comments now, 1 from 1 person:
*Karen: I'm not actually in IPT, I do Commerce. I was thinking of doing IPT, but I saw the try-out sheet, and I just put it down again. Glad I did, actually, after hearing my group's experiences in it. My days are actually really early; it sort of pans out that way in our family. The 'Hitchhiker's' movie isn't too bad, but it doesn't compare to the books. At all.

And that was my Monday. Sorry about the late post, hapkido and assignments got in the way. Ah well. That happens. Late posts might abound lately, with the Ag presentation. We'll just have to see.

This Ag thing is getting to me,
AB

Let There Be Less

I was having title problems, and I still am. However, this one isn't so bad. When I mean less, I refer to the Ag assignment, and through it, the late posting that is plaguing me. And I was doing so well, with the posting that was at least partially on time and the script of the potato presentation being almost done. I mean, looking back on it, it was both a good and a bad day. Anyway. Late post, as I have mentioned. Society. Blame them. Standard procedure.

I got up at about 8:30, and after chores and so on, I went inside to do some of my assignment. I wanted to get as much of the Ag assignment done as I could, so I'm not rushing at the last minute. So when everyone else went to a footy meeting, I was able to stay home, and to work on my presentation. I managed to finish the script, which ended up going for almost a page and a half. So then I started to work on the actual presentation itself. Which sounds easy to do, because you know exactly what you want to do. However, because it's Powerpoint, and the computer doesn't know what you want it to do, it is very hard. Well, maybe not hard so much as it's a lot of work. Around 3, I left for Shay's, to watch the Swans-Tigers game.

When I got there, I had already done a fair bit of work, so I decided to kick back and play some Battlefield Heroes. And I ended up on a server with Kevin and Andy (good so far), but with bad Nationals and epic Royals. One Royal got something like 19 kills and 0 deaths. Repeatedly. Which, suffice to say, was bad for us. I seemed to keep getting scores like 1500 but 2 kills and 7 deaths. Which is strange. But, I don't play for kill-death ratios. I play because I like playing (which is probably why I didn't like sniping that much. It's just sitting up somewhere and shooting.). I ended up completing some missions, and I'm about halfway to Level 10. When Shay got back from work, we talked. I got home at about 6, and I spent the rest of my night eating dinner, and blogging frantically. Hence the title. But, as always, I didn't get to finish. And that is why this post is late.

To comments now, 1 from 1 person. Thanks again, Karen!
*Karen: I am not obsessed with AFL; I just like it (I would respond to that Kolodziej thing, but I have no idea how to. So I skipped it.). I do get very passionate, however, about Carlton. It's a family thing (it all stems from my Dad.). And right now I'm reading the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' series, which I recommend to everyone who enjoys laughing, and who likes things that are out there. Trust me, you'll like it.

And that was my Sunday. Monday's post may or may not be late, depending on how everything turns out. Sorry that this one was late and a bit on the short side; these things happen. Win some, lose some, I suppose.

This week coming will be a lot of work, but it will be worth it,
AB

Shooting, Sport and Superheroes

This is the third time in a week I've used alliteration with 'S' for titles. And I was going so well too. These goddamn titles. Ah well. Shooting refers to Battlefield Heroes (this should be obvious; I used this on Monday), sport refers to AFL (also obvious; I use this all the friggin time) and superheroes refers to the movie our family watched today, Watchmen (not obvious at all). Anyway. To my day.

I woke up at around 7:30, and we left for the footy around 9. I read and talked for a bit, and I then went to boundary umpire EJ's game. I was at the far end, and the wind was blowing in my direction. However, for some reason, the ball almost never went out. So I was stuck jogging backwards and forwards on the boundary, just waiting. In the actual game itself, Southwest, or EJ's team, (first) played Campbelltown (second). They essentially won the game in the first quarter, kicking 4 goals to none. They won by about 30 in the end, but their inaccuracy cost them. Well, maybe it wasn't inaccuracy so much as unluckiness. One score in particular springs to mine, after the ball touched the post while over the line, and was called a point. In brighter news, Mitchell, kicked 2 goals with his non-preferred foot, and Ben (Lachy's cousin) marked a long ball from a kick-out from the goalsquare after a point, and promptly sent the ball straight back where it came, only this time getting a goal. It was pretty spectacular for his age bracket.

After the game, we went home, and I went straight to blogging and doing my assignment. My Ag thing is coming along nicely, and hopefully I'll get it done soon. At around about 4, Dad and I sat down in the lounge-room to watch the Saints-Hawks game, which promised to be a close game, with 7 of the Saints players out. St Kilda, however, won every quarter convincingly, ending up winning by 25 points. I would have preferred to watch the Dogs-Eagles game, with the benefit of hindsight, but ah well. While watching the actual game, I decided to play some Battlefield Heroes, as I, well, wanted to. My laptop. I'm getting better with my gunner, with my average score improving. My kill-death ratio sucks (I'm at about 1:2 for my gunner. And he's the best one.), but still. I play because it's fun. After the game, I went to blog, and after dinner and such, we all had a family movie night (that's what they're called. Not too creative, but who cares. The movie was 'Watchmen,' and I'm not exaggerating by saying it was bloody awesome. I do not recommend it to anybody who has weak stomachs. Or has an objection to sex scenes. It's MA15+. Graphic violence and nudity ensues. Also epic detective who kills everything while his mask changes for some reason and blue, glowing Jesus (there may be some exaggeration here. But not much.). So after the movie, I surfed the net, and looked up the movie.

To comments now, because I actually have them. This is cause for celebration, people: My first comment in something like a week.
*Karen: I entirely agree; my periodic table shirt is to be loved. I have no idea how people couldn't like it. It's brilliant! Also, yes, Kolodziej was being an ass and a half. He just went haywire. It was strange. He doesn't often explode put of nowhere. Usually you see it coming.

And that was my day. Sorry about the late post extraordinaire, many things happened, such as the movie, and well, you'll see next post. Thank you, Karen, for the comment, thank you parents for the movie rental, and so long, and thanks for all the fish.

I hate posts when they get this late,
AB

A Glorious Friday

And I'm not just saying that because it was Friday (although that is a large contributor). I'm saying that because it was just a great day. No ifs, ands or buts about it. There was mufti, no assembly, an utter bludge in Period 4... well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the top, shall we?

It was Jeans for Genes today at our school, and I leapt at the opportunity to wear that great shirt: The Periodic Table shirt. Sure, it's short sleeve, but I wore a jacket. Being cold shall not get in the way of science! Period 1 was Geography, in which we did some work from the textbook, and paid for the mufti day. I swear, mufti days have got to be one of the easiest ways for schools to raise money: they're not selling anything, but they're still making money. Period 2 was Science, in which I showed Robson my shirt, and the reaction is about what you'd expect (he actually clapped). What we did for actual work was summing up what we'd done over the past few weeks.

There was no assembly for some reason today, but I'm not complaining. I ended up playing 13 for 45 minutes, and paying for the walkathon I did a while back. Period 3 was Ag, in which I caught up on work I missed from the Chemistry comp. Although it turns out that people didn't do much work at all when I was gone, so I didn't miss much. I also got told fantastic news: The Ag assignment has been postponed to Thursday. This is great, as it means that I don't have to be so rush-rush on the weekends. I'll still try to get it done by Monday, of course, if only so I can get it done with. But still. It's very good. Period 4 was PE, or at least it would have been if Wilson had ever shown up. But he didn't, so all I really did was read and listen to my iPod. An absolute bludge, really.

Lunch was more 13, although the first half was spent traipsing around the school, looking for my cards. I found them in my bag. Yeah. Period 5 was Maths, in which we did some more revision. I also got an invitation to the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad, which is a 4 hour test with 10 questions. A four-hour test. With 10 questions. Yes, they are mindbogglingly difficult. I spent about half the period just working on one of them. I eventually figured it out, but it involved a lot of dead ends. Period 6 was Drama, in which we did some work on advertising. Usually, a period like that would be forgettable, but not this one. At one point, the class was talking, and Kolodziej cracked it at Jayson, Shane and Kale. I don't think he exploded at them for any reason in particular, he just did. He told them to split up, and Shane ended up sitting with Cameron and me, and Jayson by himself. But that wasn't. Jayson, being incredibly determined, started arguing with Kolodziej, and, to top it off, dared Kolodziej to send him out of the class. Kolodziej called his bluff, and so Jayson walked out. Just left. He came back with 10 minutes left, after he allegedly tried to get a head teacher (I don't know who), who ended up not being there.

After school, we did some chores, and we also went out to Club Italia with Shay and her family for dinner. I think it was my first actual formal dinner, and it was hard. Mainly because the menu was in Italian. I ordered the risotto, though after I tasted the gnocchi in cheese sauce, I probably should have had that. It was delicious. Incredibly so. There were many Scenes from an Italian Restaurant today (you see, that was a joke. Laugh.), and we got home around 7:45. I was watching the Blues-Cats game and playing Battlefield Heroes by 8. Both things turned out very well: Carlton took Geelong down by 35 points, and I ended up making it to Level 8, almost Level 9. Soon my Gunner (SuicideBait) will overtake my Commando (RigelK), and I will enjoy that very much. I didn't get to blog, though, so here I am.

And that was my day, my very very good day. And if you disagree that it was not, in fact, a good day, I suggest you a) look back on all that I've said; and b) stop telling me how to live my life and how I feel about it. Curse you, hypothetical situation guy! Anyway. Sorry about the later post. At least it isn't rushed.

Today was t3h awesome,
AB

Left Speechless

No, not literally, I mean my speech is finished! I am left with no speech to complete for it has been completed. And so on and so forth. In short, this is a play on words and can either be considered very bad or very good. It really depends on your point of view. Anyway. I did my speech today, and now it is over and done with. It is done. I am also back to good titles, thank god. Let's hope it lasts.

Before school, I made my speech cards, and actually put some effort into them (yesterday I just used paper, today I put them on cardboard). Period 1 was Science, in which we did some work on amino acids and codons (it sounds a lot less interesting than it was). I could go in depth, but I won't. Let's just say that it was very interesting, as all science should be and generally is. Period 2 was History, even though it was supposed to be Geography. I'm not entirely sure why Johnson changed it, but she did. So instead of doing the questions or summarising (I couldn't, I brought the wrong book), I read the chapter. Twice. Which helps a lot. We also got told our marks from the Geo comp. And I don't mind telling you that mine were bloody great, with 46/50 (that may seem like bragging. But there is a line between being proud and being cocky, and I think that comes under proud.).

Recess was the usual. Period 3 was English, and it was time for speeches: the last period before we go back to classes for them. John was in the class Kevin and I were in, so that made things all the better. All of us did our speeches, but I went first. I volunteered, as I wanted to get it over and done with and get the butterflies out of my stomach (to use a tired phrase which I don't especially like but which is necessary to convey my point of view). My whole speech ran for 3 minutes and 55 seconds, which is pretty good. It's 13 seconds less than I timed it, but still. I also tripped over the word 'hypocrisy', but then I always do (unfortunately. That mispronunciation probably cost me a mark or two.). Next was Maths, which was doing some revision work. We were in another room, so I wasn't next to Mango, so Jenny (I think that's her name) and I shared the teacher's textbook.

Lunch was 13, as usual. Period 5 was Drama, in which we went to the computer rooms to look at the Advertising Standards Bureau. But, like yesterday, the internet didn't work, so I spent the period messing around on Geometer's Sketchpad and talking to Cam while trying to work out what the hell was wrong with the internet (answer: it can only go to .edu.au sites. Why is a very good question.). I couldn't really do much else. Last was Commerce, in which we filled out a mock tax return. Hey, guess what? Those sheets are hard! I was looking at one side, and I thought 'Well, this doesn't look so bad,' and then I found it was double-sided. Then I got to the second sheet (also double-sided), and it was talking about how there are yet more sheets. Let's just say it's no wonder people hire people to do their taxes for them; I'm in Hurlstone and I had trouble understanding them. When I got home, I decided to relax, after blogging. And one of the best ways to relax in my book (besides books, of course) is to get on Battlefield Heroes and go shoot up Royals. I renewed my rocket launcher (as it had run out of time), and then got a second machine-gun, as I never use my shotgun. It was mid-range, and it works really well. Though maybe only because I can just keep shooting with both machine-guns and so never run out of ammo. But I didn't get to blog all the way, so here I am.

And that was my Thursday. Friday might be a longer post, and probably late. It was a pretty good Friday, because... well, I'll get to that when I get to the post. Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Something else I also have to mention: this post's title. It's finally a good one (I may have already mentioned this. Meh.). I wonder if this streak will continue (yes, I referred to one thing as a streak). Here's hoping.

One assignment down,
AB