February 27, 1995

Here I am in my Crown Alloy phase, the title of the very pen I write with, having received it several months ago from my good friend Jason Cud3bec. It has an unfamiliar area code on it -- maybe it's best not knowing, just to wonder -- like the name of Alejandro's wife at ISSA (see Vol V ... July 1994). Alejandro reminds me of Juan Ramón Castiglian0, the Peruvian foreign exchange student who wears a lot of wool sweaters and is quite brilliant at the mathematics, always up at that chalkboard on John Wilson's beckon. Confused by the lovable lunch ladies serving of gyros a couple weeks ago... There is something, I think, to be said of courage. Such an admirable trait & it can get you far -- to have the courage to speak up & be able to get what you want, rather than sulking in the corner like a nobody. You're on top of the world. Once you have it, that is. Someone procure me a potion of courage relatively soon... Not that I'm particularly shy or anything -- because as revealed in some middle school counseling session with Theresa M0e -- I only "used to be shy" -- she got that out of me & I could tell she was proud of herself because that was her job. And many times, I'm quite outspoken. But that only allows me to function normally. How about going beyond the call of duty, John M Cunningh@m? That would be nice. But allow me to realize my limits, too. If my potion were to do that for me, I'd squeeze a couple of drops into my breakfast cereal or school lunch. It'd be a daily dose, like Katy's Advils & Bayers & the like just because of her arm -- which I'm sure hurts like the devil -- but she knew that, dammit, when she gave blood. Stop bitching to all of us. She's becoming quite annoying & Mr Schuli3n doesn't like her, either. Maybe all of her pomp & circumstance is only relative to Stacie, who is usually quite sullen & spaced out come the end of the day -- but that's also due to a low chemistry grade. The truth is I think it's the people & her surroundings -- because we're fine alone -- she just gets sick of the noise & overactive students like Collin... That's my theory, leastwise... What did EJ say? That Stacie must have "waves of vacillation"? Over the Ryan incident, as I wrote about that for my district writing test... (Rola: "Aren't you & Ryan really good friends?") He got a haircut today. Mr Schuli3n said his beard looked fake. He looks less scruffy, Ryan does. Anyway, enough of that, lest I get overly hung up on it. Maybe I should have gone to see "Hoop Dreams" tonight, as there was a free screening of the Academy Award-snubbed film at North Central College, complete with chat w/ Frederick Marx, filmmaker. I had little homework & I spent the evening watching "Murphy Brown," addressing Thespian newsletters (the way I like them -- birthdays included, to be sure), and staring at the sample JETS test in preparation for Saturday's big event. But may the Good Lord come down & bless us with a beautiful four-day weekend, as they are certainly rare in this day & age. And God bless the superintendent... (never done anything to cause my disapproval) -- JMC 9:37 PM