From now on it will be the Freedom Horn. Not the French.

Flutes WILL take over the world

The flute section in the band certainly has MUCH more influence in this school then I thought. (What a scary thought!) While I was going to my locker, I heard a Freshman who I did not know (but I know he is not associated with the band whatsoever) unconciously humming the flute part to Snow Caps. Two things: either he studies and analyzes parts to music nobody has ever heard, or he heard one of our flutes singing Snow Caps. I seriously doubt its the former and is the latter. So this now confirms my theory that, yes, flute players will take over the world. As long as they are nice to horns, I am okay with that.

Story

Ok, here it is. You have all been nagging me about it. Just PLEASE don't act like the eighth graders have been acting about it. It's very annoying and embarassing.

I Am a Soldier
By:
Christopher Ramos


The deck beneath my boots vibrated with the familiar hum of the six ton engines in the aft part of the ship. The klaxons rang in my ears as I ran through the blinking reddish hue toward my gun post. My peers were running in all directions, but I shut them out along with the dim lights and the chaotic ring of the klaxons. That’s what I am trained to do, for I am a soldier. My name is Patrick Montgomery, 2nd lieutenant of the EES Starship Centauri. We are under attack by the Stesh Federation 31st Armada. We are the escorts of a civilian convoy enroute to the Aldebaran system. A shudder went through the ship causing me and others to catch ourselves on the wall, but I kept going; that was my duty, and that is all that matters.
I kept jogging the labyrinth of corridors and lifts until I made it to my station. Two marines saluted me as I jabbed the button to open the door to my turret. I threw myself on my seat and sealed the door behind me. With practiced efficiency I began the startup procedure. Thirty-three seconds. I had it engrained in my mind. I went through the check list one piece at a time. Life Support, five seconds. Comm., twelve seconds. Auxiliary power, four seconds. Weapons, eight seconds. Backup systems, four seconds. It was all ready to go. Thirty-three seconds. Efficiency was my job, for I am a soldier. There is no alternative, only the right way.
I got my targeting system calibrated and looked for the nearest target. There were only seven capital ships escorting the twelve civilian ships. We were outnumbered, but I don’t think about the odds. I concentrate on my orders, my duty, my training, and my survival. I don’t think about anything else because I am a soldier; I do what I am to do. I found my target in three seconds. Efficiency. I tracked it down just like in the simulators and calculated my shot just like I had for the thousands of times I had in training. I found the opportunity of shot and fired. Target destroyed. Efficiency, success. There is no failure.
I did not think about the life I destroyed. He probably had a family with a wife and kids. I probably just created a widow and the kids will never grow up with a father. But it is not my job to think about that. Leave that up to the press to debate about. Kill or be killed. I am a soldier, there is no failure. I must finish the job with efficiency and success. I don’t think about the consequences, I just do it. For me, there are no consequences, just my duty; for I am a soldier. I found the next target in two seconds. It took me another six seconds to destroy another family. Kill or be killed. There is no failure. Just success.
I heard the screams of my comrades as they were killed in explosions on the ship. But I do not think about it. There is time for that later. My duty is my priority. I saw the bodies being shot into the hard vacuum. I saw their fixed look of surprise as their corpses froze, but I do not think. I act. Then I felt the sickening shudder as the ship split apart. But it is my duty to protect my empire. I flipped on the backup batteries and calculated how many shots I had left. Eight. Eight shots and then I would flip the power from life support to weapons and I would have four more. Then that would be it. I made my twelve shots and decimated twelve more families. Then I sat back in the darkness and the cold of space crept in. I had five minutes. I am a soldier. I would not be remembered, just another name on a memorial wall. Just another statistic for the general to look at, another number added to the death toll. But I do not think about that. I just act. For that is my duty. For I am a soldier.

Just a walkin'

To the tune of Father Abraham

Today I was walkin'
Just a walkin'
and I found myself juuust a hummin'

Yes I was a hummin'
Just a hummin'
Just a little tune called Snow Caps

Then I realized
With fear and dread
Just what I waaaas a doin'

And I stopped myself
Just in time
Before anybody heard my voice

I started thinkin'
Just a thinkin'
Why I waaas a hummin'

Then I found
Out why I did it
Just because I am in band

So I resolved
To never again
Do that aaaawful hummin'

And if I did
Get that urge
I'd just keep it to myself

So if you hear me
Just ever hear me
Please dooo me a favor

Please slap me
A good hard slap
And that will get me stopped.

Football game

Well, I have had my last first ever football game. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think it turned out pretty well. There are a few things we need to fix, but nothing time will not mend in a while (to look at it optimistically). Anyway, I guess I didn't get the real feel of it because we didn't wear uniforms, so I suppose I will have have my last second for real football game next week.

Why...

Is it that, everytime we try to learn something in biology, somebody either always asks a stupid question, does something stupid, or any other phrase with "stupid" in it? We never learn anything. There are people in my class who are always trying to get attention, or they just don't know what an atom is and needs to get out of the class.

For example, we "learned" what water is today (can you believe that?), and we were talking about water being the universal solvent. So, when the teacher asks the question at the end of her lecture, "What is the universal solvent?", the first answer I hear is "Sugar!" Then, later during the quiz, that same person asks, "What is a blossom?" If you don't know what a blossom is and you think sugar is a solvent after thoroughly discussing it five minutes before you should not be in a Pre-AP Biology Class! All you have to do is listen!!

Then there are the people who just crave attention and they do stupid things like loudly bang their heads on their desks when they're bored. Get real people! It doesn't matter if you're bored! Suck it up and you might just learn something new or remember something you forgot!

I'm not saying that you should not be in the class if you don't know what the universal solvent is (most of us didn't), but after learning it last year and the year before and then GOING OVER FIVE MINUTES BEFORE you think you would remember it! I just wish those people would listen or stop trying to get everybody to look at them! Please, all you have to do is pay attention and let other people pay attention, and you'll be fine. If you can't pay attention for five minutes or even take notes that you can use for tests, then I don't think you should be in that class because you will be left behind and forgotten and I don't think that's right.

Sleep

Have you ever wondered why it feels so good to stretch out on your own bed after a long day of work? Probably not, because you have been to busy oohing and aawweeiing to think about it. Well, I did one day and I could not go to sleep. Because once I thought about that I went on to think about how I go to sleep. How do I command myself to go to sleep? How do I know that a whole night went by and not two seconds? What did I do while I was unconcious (scary thought)? Why do I not know when I fall asleep? How does it just happen? So on and so forth. The more I thought about the more I became awake and could not fall asleep for a couple of hours. So, just to see what would happen, I thought about it again. And guess what...You got it! I could not go to sleep. So my conclusion from these experiments (as Mrs. Tingle would say) is that, when you are trying to go to sleep, do not think about sleeping, just do it. Although you probably knew all this, I just wanted to bring to your attention. *yawn* good...night...don't think about sleeping...don't think about sleeping...Darn It! I woke up.

Little Siblings

a;lksdjga;ndlkfjgae;ohgae;rlgnasdgq34ioegtpaouhert!!! There, I feel better. What's the deal with little siblings?! If they insult you, you know you can't insult them back because they will cry and tell on you and get you in mounds of trouble. If they hit you, you can't hit them back for the same reason. Grrrr. Now she won't stop screaming because she knows it annoys me. I think my head's going to explode. I can't even do my homework correctly. O well, you still gotta love 'em.

Wow

Wow. I am so tired. So this is what high school is like. I've done more homework this week than I have done in the last month of school. Anyway, that's okay. I am starting to get used to it. The food is much better than Junior High. And there's a coke machine! Yay! I am so tired I can't even think straight. I cant remember what I was just about to write. Anyway, first week is over. I am going to sleep this weekend until I can't sleep anymore.

Andrew's Advice

All right Andrew. I took your advice. I have my own blog. I actually think it is kind of nice. It's all mine, no sharing.
Anyway, I finished my second day of school and my two hours of homework (certainly uprecedented in my life, but I suppose I better get used to it). Well, I think I'm going to go to bed soon, seeing that I have to get up tomorrow for band workout. So, I will leave my private, but public, realm and go to my beloved mattress and have many different, weird, and completely unrelated dreams (that's been happening a lot lately, I must be insane).