Run For Your Life

Donald: Oh, I didn't know you were trying out [for Team Illinois]. Well, it's good practice for you.
Colleen: Grrr....

Other than The Donald's comments and the interminable ride to Bloomington, the tryout wasn't so bad. I enjoyed seeing and chatting with some quiz bowl buddies, like Devin Patel and Alex Inman. I just refused to take myself (or anyone else) seriously, and laughed at everything (as when Donald got mad and threw his pencil across the room, and then was forced to go retrieve it under the withering stare of Mr. Riley). Tyler, naturally, made the team, as did Donald and Jordan Silver (of Lincolnshire Stevenson). If nothing else, I got a chance to face some of the people we'll (hopefully) be seeing at state. Fremd and Stevenson are in the same sectional, so that's a load off our minds. Those two have been our biggest competition since the start of the season--since the Ultima, really. I expect to see Decatur MacArthur at some point as well; I'm looking forward to that because of my friends (Jeff, Alexandra, and Jared), but now there's the hope of beating that greasy little captain of theirs. Nothing makes me play well like rivalry with the other team, and Donald's comment definitely got my ire up.

Today was the WYSE competition; it was a nice day off from school. I took English and biology tests, and ended up getting second place in our division for English. I was very pleased, but it would have been better if Kelly Rockwell had gotten first. She did not place, and then I felt kind of awkward. It had been kind of assumed that she would win; Mr. Holstein said something to that effect in class yesterday. But I did have fun hanging out with April, playing cards with Aashesh and Lindsay, talking to Brad Fischer (who tied with Patrick Shanley of Byron for both of his medals, which made me laugh; Brad hates Byron), and laughing at the amusing sentences on the English test ("I enjoyed watching Spiderman 2, but I hated choking on my popcorn" and "The well-known actress named her baby after a piece of fruit").

Today's Ash Wednesday, so I've been trying to think of something to give up for Lent. I think I'll give up "angry" music (like Green Day), and try to pray more and be generally nicer to people.