Plan Number Six

( The only way I know how to write in French is crazily. )

In an attempt to distract myself from my French paper, I have been exploring the joys of voice commands on my iMac. It's been very amusing, I assure you. I've called my computer about eighteen different names since I started all this, trying to find one it recognizes easily. "Computer," which is what Apple suggests, was too long. "Hey you!" seemed to annoy the thing, as it rarely responded. "Vicki," Apple's name for the computerized voice that responds to the speaker, ended up being too complicated for it to understand more than 50% of the time. After a few more tries, I finally came up with "Sam," the shortest, simplest name I could think of, and it appears to be working out fairly well.

Now that I've got it working, I keep hiding and switching between applications solely to amuse myself. It really doesn't help that Sam has a knack for knock-knock jokes and misunderstands coughs as "back" and laughter as "page up." It's a riot.

You know, I never did find out the answer to my question about Ivan. Sam eventually gave up trying to understand and told me to go back to work. What a pal.

I hate my new schedule.

So not really. First period english is actually okay, and second period art is fine (I just wish Jen was in it). That's where it goes wrong.

Third period: french. Which I love. But I will hate that class for the next six weeks. There is no chance of redemption for Mr S, our student teacher. He made a new seating chart which lets the stupid kids be the only ones who benefit. If I am surrounded by people who do not understand anything and I have to keep teaching them things, how am I going to benefit? If I understand, I don't need to teach it just so I can understand better. I already understand, you ignoramus! It's not like they care about French.

Our group was together before because we were the more advanced kids in the class. We were together because we were at each other's levels--none of us brought the others down. We pushed each other up higher, much higher than the rest of the class. And excuse me if I would rather better myself than waste my efforts on the rest of the class, who doesn't like the language anyway.

SO third period is going to suck. Lunch should be fine. Biology should actually be pretty cool; we got to pick our seats, so Sam, Steph, Lexi and I are all right next to each other, and Dylan and Brendan are behind us, both of whom are hilarious.

Then it gets terrible again. Math is going to suck. I am surrounded by popular people who I have known most of my life and disliked most of my life, and who either dislike me back or at least ignore me. I only know and like two people in the entire class enough to actually ask them questions about math, which I need to do, but one of them sits on the opposite side of the room and the other doesn't like talking about math.

I'm going to fail math this semester.

I hate school.

Even history isn't going to be as fun. I thought that having Vaness in there would make it even better, but it's not. She didn't really even pay attention today, and that's half the fun of the class--laughing with each other about the little jokes he mixes into all of his lectures. There's also a completely different group of people--many of them are people I don't particularly care for. I miss my old class. I miss Unhappy Kevin, who I used to see five out of six periods of my day and now I only see twice. I miss Jen, who I never see anymore, and Sean. I miss Mrs L, who won't be joking around with us during art because she'll be teaching french and who won't be teaching french to my class.

I hate my life.

This Christmas has been more about family and Lord of the Rings than anything else, really. With around four presents each (Me: scarf, chocolates, hair straightener; Juli: hat box, watercolors & brushes, 90's Trivial Pursuit, satin lips MK stuff; David: Lord of the Rings Return of the King Extended Edition, chocolates, the Onion's Our Dumb Century, hoodie; Mom: fixed ring, foot massager, earpiece for phone, stuff for a craft project, chocolates; Dad: briefcase, chocolate covered cherries, USB drive, chocolates) it couldn't really be about gifts even if we wanted it to be. With the extended family get-together last night and a Lord of the Rings marathon starting two days ago and climaxing today as soon as we finished with presents, they've definitely been the center of everything.

Besides french Christmas carols, of course. But it's more my focus than anyone else's, so it doesn't really count.

Il est né, le divin Enfant
Jouez, hautbois, réssonez, musettes;
Il est né, le divin Enfant,
Chantons tous son avènment! . . .

Merry Christmas, or Heureuses Fêtes!