Nerd Up!
Yesterday, as I was walking across campus with my Gold Award advisor, I saw Mrs. Seigal. I waved to her, and said hello. She returned the greeting, and told me that the day prior, during a discussion over dinner, she and her family had voted me most uniquely me.
Coming from her, this meant quite a bit to me. It makes me happy when people recognize that I do not like hiding behind a behavioural mask. Of course, I live in rather a conservative area, and so people are used to a few ‘normal’ groups of people, and nothing else. There are the popular, athletic kids, the Hispanic kids, the “geeks,” and the dark punk/goth/emo kids.
I really do not fit into any of the categories. I am certainly not popular, though I am athletic. I am not Hispanic (yes, I know that this is a generalization and sounds racist, but in truth there is very little association between the Hispanics and the Caucasians/Asians). I am somewhat of a geek, but not visibly enough that I am often classified with them. I am not punk, emo, or Goth, either. People have labelled me as everything under the sun, it seems, but none of them fit me, because I just act like myself. Sure, I change my behaviour somewhat depending on whom I am with, but not significantly enough that I am not being myself. I simply display different aspects of myself, I suppose.
It just makes me happy that I am the one that her family thought of for that description. I’m not even around them much. I see Mrs. Siegal in passing around school (unfortunately I never got to have her as a teacher), and Darwin is in a few of my classes, but I do not think I have more than met her husband once or twice, and Noli I only see at my doppelganger’s house on occasions such as Aussie day and birthday parties.
Today, I was told something along that same vein, though by somebody I respect far less. While waiting for the bus this afternoon, I told Travis that I did not like his calling me Chinese girl. I do not recall how it came up in conversation (it’s not as if I were trying to strike up a conversation with him), but it did somehow. He did not even recall having done so, until I reminded him that each time I have worn my kimono to school, he persisted in calling my Chinese girl every time he saw me, and he specifically sought me out in order to bug me. I tried pointing out that kimonos are Japanese, not Chinese, but he insists that there is no difference, and wonders why on Earth he should care about someplace so far away. But back on topic again…. He told me that I was the only one who could get away with doing such a thing as wearing a kimono to school on a day with no special occasion such as All Hallow’s Eve. Nobody else but I is comfortable enough with who they are that they would do such a thing.
My haha said the same thing to me one of the days I wore it, I believe. Or she said that somebody said it to her of me; I forget which.
Moving past this…
Tuesday I started dance again. Miss Christine was still in Paris, so Miss Susan was our substitute. I had not danced in three weeks, so class was destined to be painful regardless. However, Miss Susan is into yoga (her brother is actually a yoga instructor), and she also loves me. So, before class we did a lot of yoga stretching, which felt great, but left my back sore. Then, during jambe sur la barre (leg on the barre stretches, after barre), she had us lift our legs off. Owing to which barre I was using, I was not watching her, and so I thought that she meant to lift with just the leg and stomach muscles. In truth, she meant to grab our feet with our hands and lift that way. I realized this after the first side, when my quadricep seized up in a very painful cramp. Miss Susan told me, “very good!” while everybody else stared at me aghast and told me I was insane. I noticed all their feet held up by their hands, and most of them were not even so high as my leg had been. Considering my leg was not much higher than my hip, this is not saying much for them. I guess my lack of doing anything physical for three weeks left me looser than I expected. Then, when we were doing the other side, I had to do the same so as to stay balanced. At least the second time I was prepared for the cramp in my leg.
Despite the soreness and the exhaustion, it is wonderful to be back at dance.
That night, though, I was so very tired that I could not focus well on my AP US reading (which was about 50 pages, and I actually took notes for once, seeing as it was a double sparkle). However, since I at least try to be a good student, I decided to finish it. So, after dinner and a bit of rest, I sat down at the computer and got working.
It took me all night, by the time I stopped being distracted and sleepy. I think I got all the questions right, however.
The combination of lack of sleep (and the night before I slept less than intended, as well, because I spent so much time trying to get Bluah to stop teasing me) and dance left me very much disoriented the next day.. After AP US, I managed to slip in Mullican's room, ending up quite painfully in the splits. I realized then I ought to have worn shoes that actually had some traction. It hurt, a lot, and Drew had to pull me to my feet because my legs were resisting changing the altitude of all my body mass. All the rest of the day I took miniscule steps so as to avoid the same thing happening, and after I got home I changed into my snow boots before I left again for Y&G.
Y&G passed in rather a blur. I just remember Ian telling me that he had sent me an email on SWG (which I have not played in probably 3 months…), that I got the role I wanted (w00t! State Board of Education!!), and that they are still using the wrong name for me in the official forms and such. They are supposed to use my real name, not my nickname! If my nickname had anything to do with my real name (i.e. Kathi is short for Katherine), it would not be so bad, but my name and my nickname are completely different!!!! They seemed to think it was fine, though, and I did not have the energy to argue. I guess I just shall have to hope that nothing happens.
Bob II is next weekend!!!!! I can’t wait to see ISHD again! It’s going to rock! Heh Jessy said she was going to do my hair in lets of little braids for it. I wonder if she actually will or not. It takes a long time to do, at least on myself. I will have to help her a lot, I think. Fun fun. At least it’s something to do during lunch.
Today, I saw Ivegotanaxe again! She gave me an awesome Christmas gift, and then minutes later another gift because we were in a thrift shop and found a shiny purple vest for $2.16. It doesn’t fit especially well, as I have definitely never been petite, but it is wearable, and it’s quite a lovely shade of murasaki. The first gift was a Nerd Up! T-shirt. My haha thinks we are both mad and does not find it funny. Alex just shrugged it off. Dante says he gets it but does not understand it, meaning that he has no clue whatsoever. I love it and I’m going to wear it all the time.
Now if only I had a gift for her in return…*thinks* Perhaps…I think I have an idea. Squee! Now I must acquire stuffs to work with.
And now I’m off to do more AP US reading, only not nearly so much and without notes, as we’re forbidden the use of them from now on. Our class is babied by all the AP teachers, I swear. US and Euro we’ve had fewer flashcards than the class above us, and the other ones were extra credit, we’ve gotten notes almost the entire first semester for US when we were only supposed to first quarter, Language & Composition we’ve got fewer poems to know for the semester final, and Bio is a joke. Nobody in the class who takes the exam is going to do well unless they are great at teaching themselves and have the Princeton review or something. Mr. Putman could teach much more well than Mr. Gunning can. Colouring worksheets are suitable occasionally in elementary school. They are not for an advanced placement class, especially when nobody reads the side with words on it or pays attention to anything.
Zyane!
Coming from her, this meant quite a bit to me. It makes me happy when people recognize that I do not like hiding behind a behavioural mask. Of course, I live in rather a conservative area, and so people are used to a few ‘normal’ groups of people, and nothing else. There are the popular, athletic kids, the Hispanic kids, the “geeks,” and the dark punk/goth/emo kids.
I really do not fit into any of the categories. I am certainly not popular, though I am athletic. I am not Hispanic (yes, I know that this is a generalization and sounds racist, but in truth there is very little association between the Hispanics and the Caucasians/Asians). I am somewhat of a geek, but not visibly enough that I am often classified with them. I am not punk, emo, or Goth, either. People have labelled me as everything under the sun, it seems, but none of them fit me, because I just act like myself. Sure, I change my behaviour somewhat depending on whom I am with, but not significantly enough that I am not being myself. I simply display different aspects of myself, I suppose.
It just makes me happy that I am the one that her family thought of for that description. I’m not even around them much. I see Mrs. Siegal in passing around school (unfortunately I never got to have her as a teacher), and Darwin is in a few of my classes, but I do not think I have more than met her husband once or twice, and Noli I only see at my doppelganger’s house on occasions such as Aussie day and birthday parties.
Today, I was told something along that same vein, though by somebody I respect far less. While waiting for the bus this afternoon, I told Travis that I did not like his calling me Chinese girl. I do not recall how it came up in conversation (it’s not as if I were trying to strike up a conversation with him), but it did somehow. He did not even recall having done so, until I reminded him that each time I have worn my kimono to school, he persisted in calling my Chinese girl every time he saw me, and he specifically sought me out in order to bug me. I tried pointing out that kimonos are Japanese, not Chinese, but he insists that there is no difference, and wonders why on Earth he should care about someplace so far away. But back on topic again…. He told me that I was the only one who could get away with doing such a thing as wearing a kimono to school on a day with no special occasion such as All Hallow’s Eve. Nobody else but I is comfortable enough with who they are that they would do such a thing.
My haha said the same thing to me one of the days I wore it, I believe. Or she said that somebody said it to her of me; I forget which.
Moving past this…
Tuesday I started dance again. Miss Christine was still in Paris, so Miss Susan was our substitute. I had not danced in three weeks, so class was destined to be painful regardless. However, Miss Susan is into yoga (her brother is actually a yoga instructor), and she also loves me. So, before class we did a lot of yoga stretching, which felt great, but left my back sore. Then, during jambe sur la barre (leg on the barre stretches, after barre), she had us lift our legs off. Owing to which barre I was using, I was not watching her, and so I thought that she meant to lift with just the leg and stomach muscles. In truth, she meant to grab our feet with our hands and lift that way. I realized this after the first side, when my quadricep seized up in a very painful cramp. Miss Susan told me, “very good!” while everybody else stared at me aghast and told me I was insane. I noticed all their feet held up by their hands, and most of them were not even so high as my leg had been. Considering my leg was not much higher than my hip, this is not saying much for them. I guess my lack of doing anything physical for three weeks left me looser than I expected. Then, when we were doing the other side, I had to do the same so as to stay balanced. At least the second time I was prepared for the cramp in my leg.
Despite the soreness and the exhaustion, it is wonderful to be back at dance.
That night, though, I was so very tired that I could not focus well on my AP US reading (which was about 50 pages, and I actually took notes for once, seeing as it was a double sparkle). However, since I at least try to be a good student, I decided to finish it. So, after dinner and a bit of rest, I sat down at the computer and got working.
It took me all night, by the time I stopped being distracted and sleepy. I think I got all the questions right, however.
The combination of lack of sleep (and the night before I slept less than intended, as well, because I spent so much time trying to get Bluah to stop teasing me) and dance left me very much disoriented the next day.. After AP US, I managed to slip in Mullican's room, ending up quite painfully in the splits. I realized then I ought to have worn shoes that actually had some traction. It hurt, a lot, and Drew had to pull me to my feet because my legs were resisting changing the altitude of all my body mass. All the rest of the day I took miniscule steps so as to avoid the same thing happening, and after I got home I changed into my snow boots before I left again for Y&G.
Y&G passed in rather a blur. I just remember Ian telling me that he had sent me an email on SWG (which I have not played in probably 3 months…), that I got the role I wanted (w00t! State Board of Education!!), and that they are still using the wrong name for me in the official forms and such. They are supposed to use my real name, not my nickname! If my nickname had anything to do with my real name (i.e. Kathi is short for Katherine), it would not be so bad, but my name and my nickname are completely different!!!! They seemed to think it was fine, though, and I did not have the energy to argue. I guess I just shall have to hope that nothing happens.
Bob II is next weekend!!!!! I can’t wait to see ISHD again! It’s going to rock! Heh Jessy said she was going to do my hair in lets of little braids for it. I wonder if she actually will or not. It takes a long time to do, at least on myself. I will have to help her a lot, I think. Fun fun. At least it’s something to do during lunch.
Today, I saw Ivegotanaxe again! She gave me an awesome Christmas gift, and then minutes later another gift because we were in a thrift shop and found a shiny purple vest for $2.16. It doesn’t fit especially well, as I have definitely never been petite, but it is wearable, and it’s quite a lovely shade of murasaki. The first gift was a Nerd Up! T-shirt. My haha thinks we are both mad and does not find it funny. Alex just shrugged it off. Dante says he gets it but does not understand it, meaning that he has no clue whatsoever. I love it and I’m going to wear it all the time.
Now if only I had a gift for her in return…*thinks* Perhaps…I think I have an idea. Squee! Now I must acquire stuffs to work with.
And now I’m off to do more AP US reading, only not nearly so much and without notes, as we’re forbidden the use of them from now on. Our class is babied by all the AP teachers, I swear. US and Euro we’ve had fewer flashcards than the class above us, and the other ones were extra credit, we’ve gotten notes almost the entire first semester for US when we were only supposed to first quarter, Language & Composition we’ve got fewer poems to know for the semester final, and Bio is a joke. Nobody in the class who takes the exam is going to do well unless they are great at teaching themselves and have the Princeton review or something. Mr. Putman could teach much more well than Mr. Gunning can. Colouring worksheets are suitable occasionally in elementary school. They are not for an advanced placement class, especially when nobody reads the side with words on it or pays attention to anything.
Zyane!