Stop bothering other people and don’t rant!

And.
Shut up.

Lose myself. Lose my desires for attention.

Geez.

And just shut the f*ck up.

1) Keep my feelings to myself more, stop bothering ppl when I feel emo-ish.

2) Write a list down of things to bring before a performance, so I CAN NEVER FORGET BLACK SHOES AND SOCKS AGAIN. OR MY DRESS SHIRT. And CHECK/DOUBLE CHECK before running to school each time. For future reference:
-White inside dress shirt
-Bowtie
-Pants
-Belt
-The thing that covers up belt/belly
-Outside suit
-Black dress shoes
-Black dress socks
-Bag that covers everything
-The hanger
-Underwear (No, I did NOT forget this before)

3) Whenever I epically fail, write it down in this blog so I can never fail in the same way again.

Enjoy.

But a miracle because I had not taken my camera out in months. Because the ability to take shots was hampered by that fence, a steep drop on my right, and a muddied trail. Because in the midst of numb hands and tenuous waits, the sun stepped behind the clouds.

If I brought my telephoto, I would have something else. Instead my wide-angle shot was probably the best:

Due to poor positioning and the lack of the ultra zoom in telephoto lens, others did not turn out so well. These two were among the better ones.

Most other photos had the fence curse.

Time to dust off my photography skills and go out once more. This area is dangerous, but I have no other choice now that my old spot is completely fenced off.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th.

Saturday is Singles Awareness Day, otherwise known as Guys Give Stuff to Appease Significant Other Day.

What an amazing three days.

And… he added ornamentation on the ends.

The fact that people even go to the place speaks volumes about the shape of contemporary society (quite literally). [The fact that the old reporter is willing to eat that 8,000-calorie piece of junk is another story.]

Yes, it makes me bang my head. So while you’re at it, don’t click this link:

http://home.comcast.net/~wolfand/

Chem and Physics introduced me to new fields; APEH introduced me to new world visions; Orchestra and Bio introduced me to new friends. But APEL introduced me to all of the above, and more. It kept me from the bane of idleness during summer, catalyzing the movement that cycled daily physical activity and memorizing 40 words/day for the SAT. It forced me to think anew, stir up my brain, and analyze even before the first hour of class. The most annoying and agonizing summer assignment it stacked on us, the analyses and reading those few months were yet more the fun and insightful.

And of course Jon, you had to be in my class. Oh boy, our audible “secret” convos about Sarah, our randomness with Evan, if the essays weren’t exciting, those had to be. Jeana, Karl, and Danny – thanks for tolerating us. We appreciate it a lot. Hmm, I have to wonder how much Jennings hated or loved us, considering my scribbles on his desks and my egregious laughter.

But most profoundly, I learned to write. Articulation of ideas in proper diction, wrapped in immaculate syntax, is no easy task. But in APEL I read those articles that accomplished that task – On Being a Cripple; A Faceless Man’s Plea; Shooting an Elephant; A View From the Bridge; A Modest Proposal. There were more yet, but I could not name them all without sifting through the feet high mountain of APEL papers. Reading is but only the first step, however. Writing would be next. And lots of it.

Papers weekly, on-demands daily; this was the pain of the class. I experienced the struggles and the tribulations of Word at 2 AM, and sometimes my on-demand writing was just so crappy. Jon joked that I always claimed (yes, that word reminds me of the class too) I failed when in fact I didn’t, but the fact is I was never satisfied with 90% of my essays, despite Mr. Jennings’ belief of the opposite. Nevertheless, whether in the cause and effect, compare/contrast, abstract/concrete, argument boot camp, satire, argumentation, or description unit, APEL provided new tools to experience superior writing, and new opportunities to perfect my own. When my brain was set on the concrete, rational science, APEL handed me a taste of the abstract art of English. It assisted me in handling the reins of rhetoric. It pushed me to write my first and crappiest college application essay, and its skills would be critical in those two weeks of death preceding liberation. Maybe I didn’t use the anaphora as I did here, or the enumeratio, or even a rhetorical question, but surely one doesn’t have to use every rhetorical device for profoundness? My writing of 10+ college application essays during winter break may have solidified my skills, but APEL planted its seeds.

This new year I have implemented new reforms that are a direct byproduct of this class. 1) Read more, and 2) write more. Just as a force effects an acceleration, so the legacy of this class will always be the installation of original, nuanced thought within me. What I failed in Humanities and Honors American Lit has been improved upon. And even further, I can proudly boast that English no longer scares the heck outta me. (There’s jargon woo.) Instilled with greater confidence now, I see it as an arena eligible for exploration. If there is change I can believe in, it is here, and here is now embedded in the song and dance of what you just read. Thanks, APEL.

Folks, homework is not an end. It is a means to an end. This is really what I dislike about our education system. We value the product. From elementary school, homework is checked for completion, but not for understanding. I’m not against the former – homework is very important to do and it is important to instill good work habits in young children – but homework’s purpose is not to finish it so one can watch TV, or get every problem right the first try. I feel that the struggle to complete homework disguises its true purpose – solidifying/supplanting classtime instruction.

So here I am, helping students at APES or on AIM, and I witness this again and again. Some genuinely do homework to understand. But many others race through the homework to get it done. I ask all who read this, what is the purpose of homework then? I admit, I am guilty of this tendency as well. But this is a disconcerting trend, because homework completed is time wasted for nothing, which ultimately snowballs into less sleep, more hatred for the subject (if you can’t find interest in the subject, you won’t find motivation for success in it), and a sense of failure. I suspect this may be the reason for the horror stories I’ve heard this year. Well, not listening to the teacher may also have played a factor. But I’m talking about the homework aspect here.

So in summary: to those out there, be wary of why you do homework!