A Family 10,000 Strong

Just to dash everyone's hopes right away, I won't be writing about anything grandiose or majestic about the end of high school and our futures.  Not because I'm not feeling those things, but because if you want to read that stuff you can look at almost any one of the other forty-odd blogs.  Instead, I'd like to talk about why I like high school, specifically our high school.  Today was really a microcosm of why I love Chagrin.  Take my interaction with Ms. Serensky (can I call her Bobi Jo now, or does that have to wait until after graduation?) at lunch today.  First of all, she sat down at our table.  There was a long silence as we waited for some update on our blogging assignment, but she ACTUALLY JUST TALKED TO US!!!! Teachers really seem to care about the students, even outside of school.  She asked about getting a copy of our Springfest video just to use to annoy Mr. Maas.  This is what really makes Chagrin high school feel like a community - the teachers and students all interact with each other, they intermingle like one big family.  That's something that will be hard to find at college, that sort of intimate atmosphere, so I'm glad I enjoyed it while I could.

DJ Osama Spin Laden (feat. DJ Quiet)

I thought the idea of writing a rap for my farewell post was going to be original and creative, but clearly Chris stole my idea.  Darn you High Stile.  Well I have my own name: it's DJ Osama Spin Laden (well, I'm between that, DJ Scratch 'n Sniff, and DJ Scratchatory Rape to be honest), and my rap will obviously be featuring a beat made by our very own DJ Quiet (Mr. Maas).  So when you imagine this being rapped, try not to imagine it being played too loud:

Started off with a blog and a dream,
Made it the greatest and the latest
Now I'll step off the scene.
I was typin' all day til my hands would hurt,
Professor always appreciate it, lovin' my work.
Forgot to blog, tough prompt, strenuous, grinding,
Better late than never I'm calling it perfect timing.
But we all had a little bit of fun,
cause when it's all done,
you throw your shoes down and call it a good run.
I admit that I had feared that all these blogs would just burn me,
I don't know where I'm headed but I know it's a journey,
And my bags are packed, so can you hand me my itinerary,
I'm off to Duke, where the basketball's just ancillary.
This is what we gotta notice today,
We all blogged to make sure they never throw us away.

Top Ten Reasons to Take AP English

10.  If you want homework, this is the class for you.  You'll get plenty of it.

9.   One time a kid asked me for my autograph.  He heard about my 9-.  That could be you.

8.  Multiple choice games.  I wait nine weeks for these bad boys, and it's usually worth the wait.

7.  Trying to live up to the legacy of the Dream Team.

6.  Annotating books - realizing that you basically rewrote the book in the margins is a real self-confidence booster.

5.  That Harry Potter poster in Ms. Serensky's room that reminds me what a true Gryffindor is.

4.  Those few days of discussion that get really intense and people start yelling.

3.  Moushumi's mustache.

2.  I guess you kind of learn how to write.

1.  You'll learn new spellings of the traditional names Bobby and Joe.  Bobbie and Jo.  Separate, they may be boys's names, but apparently when you combine them it's a girl's name.

The Exam

(Algernon, McMurphy, and Clive crowd around me to watch me take my A.P. test and want to talk to me, but clearly I am busy)
Clive: "'Look, can [we] come back in half an hour?'" (McEwan 156)
McMurphy: "'do I look like a sane man?'" (Kesey 47)
Clive: "'is [he] hanging together well? Structurally, I mean'" (McEwan 175)
Algernon: "[he is] the visible personification of absolute perfection" (Wilde 31)
Clive: "'I recently saw [his] name on a list of some very distinguished people'" (McEwan 179)
McMurphy: "'is that real serious?'" (Kesey 47)
Algernon: "I think [he] has been a great success" (Wilde 30)
McMurphy: "'is this the way these leetle meetings usually go?'" (Kesey 57)
Algernon: "there is no use speculating on that subject... [[Clive] puts out his hand to take a sandwich, Algernon at once interferes] Please don't touch the cucumber sandwiches.  They are ordered specially for [Alex]" (Wilde 3)
Clive: "'I'm terribly sorry'" (McEwan 180)
Algernon: "My dear fellow, it isn't easy to [do] anything now-a-days.  There's such a lot of beastly competition about" (Wilde 7)
McMurphy: "'let's get out of here... I ain't scared of their little [test]'" (Kesey 290)