Eight Days a Week

All year I've been complacent in my belief that the "myth" of the horrible junior year is blown a bit out of proportion. True, I don't have physics or gov/econ this year, but I do have AP world history, which I'd say is a pretty hard class, and the year hasn't been that bad.

Then this month hit. We came back from spring break and got gobsmacked (to borrow a phrase from Sha'Donna) with work...a map activity, textbook notes, and a take-home test in history, sentence patterns and a practice PSAE in English, a bunch of worksheets in biology, and all this on top of the word paper, a huge bio project, and fast-approaching AP tests. The seniors in history are pretty philosophical about all this; apparently, this is how the month before AP tests usually goes, but for us juniors it's rather staggering. At least I made it through this week, and my ACT test this morning; now I'm just focusing on the third week of May. AP, SAT, PSAE (what an alphabet soup) will be over, as will the word paper my mom will have graduated, I'll be seventeen (not that that has anything to do with schoolwork, but it's a nice thought)...

I shouldn't complain so much, though, and make it seem like my life has been one torture after another. I got to see a couple of friends on Jeopardy this week (watching Jeopardy and eating Pop-Tarts after school has been a nice respite): Paul Gutowski, an Auburn graduate who's been practicing with the QB team, and Michael Braun, a horribly cocky but quirkily endearing kid from a couple of years ago at quiz bowl camp. Paul won; Michael didn't, but both were close games.

I also watched Garden State, which is my new favorite movie, with my new favorite soundtrack. In fact, I think I'm going to ask for it for my birthday. Simon and Garfunkel and The Shins? It's quite nice.