Monday, March 8, 2004

   Stress, stress, go away....
I wish I had some sort of trademark....something...to get rid of stuff. Or just to claim as my own. Like a Modrod, or some sort of object to use. If I had one, I'd use it to ward off stress and beat away demons of procrastination.

Suggestions Welcome!

I can't wait until I (or someone else, for that matter) thinks of a proper tool. Stress no more! (Or not as much) Procrastination will die! (or at least be cut back by a few minutes) And my self-confidence will soar! (...yeah, sure)

Lots of things have happened lately. As usual, I'm going to refuse to talk about them all and do so anyway. Here's going back to Friday, at least.

Friday at school, I don't care enough to remember. Apathy still had a strong hold on my exhausted state of mind, and details are difficult to wring from what was my consciousness at the time. After school, I went right to Sacred Heart, where I hung out with my friends who still go there, Tyler, Victoria, and Christina. There are numerous others, but those three are the most prominent and are likely going to St. Bernard's next year.

We did some puzzles and played board games, as the weather did not merit any outdoor activity. Then we played Wall Ball, which I am slowly gaining back playing ability in. After Christina and Victoria left, I helped set up for my Youth Group's Stations of the Cross performance.

We performed the Stations of the Cross in our usual fashion, projecting our still shadows onto a screen to create a dramatic effect. I'm the light crew. I plug in the light, count out the number of seconds, and unplug it. On two of the scenes, though, I actually have to stand up and move the light. O.o One of them is when Jesus dies on the cross. On that scene I had to lift the light so that the entirety of the cross fit onto the screen.

And on the last scene, I get to create a pretty neat effect. Our Jesus character stands in front of the screen and I approach slowly with the light, lowering it closer and closer to the ground, angling it up at him. This movement causes his shadow to loom larger and larger on the screen, until suddenly the light goes out.

After that we helped put on a soup and sandwich supper for those who had come to the presentation. Much ado about that.

On Saturday, I had to get up early and be driven up to St. B's. Saturday was the Connecticut State Fencing Competition. High Schools from around the state came together to compete. These schools included East Lyme High School, which David (Boba Fett) goes to. We hung out a little, not as much as I'd have liked to, but we were both otherwise occupied. He had the attentions of various freshman girls ;) and I attended one of our girls as she fenced.

I say "attended" because this time I didn't really do all that much work. At the Novice Tournament, Tim had treated me like a subservient cretin. Jokingly, perhaps, but I did what I was told. Angela, the girl I was helping, did most of her own tasks. She carried her own weapons and equipment, she got her own Gatorade; basically, she did everything I tried so hard to help with.

She truly appreciated my efforts to help, as did her mother, who was there watching her fence. With my polite desire to help and obvious concern for her daughter, Angela's mother soon absolutely adored me. I sometimes have that effect on people, believe it or not.

What ultimately led to her permanent inclination for me was when Angela collapse on the fencing strip in near the end of a bout. With a quiet sigh, she slumped to the ground and began crying. Her mother immediately rushed over and began peeling layers of clothing off of her to cool her off in case of exhaustion. A medical personnel was sent for. She hadn't eaten much or had much to drink that day due to anxiety.

This was apparently not the first time something like this had happened, and so Angela's mother was able to describe the event to the trainer that had come to serve as medical help. Apparently there was something else wrong with her, and she was waiting for results from a blood test. She eventually got back on her feet and finished the bout. (Winning, incidently) She was brought to the trainer's office, with me dutifully carrying the equipment, food, and drink that were left behind in light of the unusual circumstances.

Angela's mom just thought that I was the sweetest thing, helping Angela out so much. I sat beside Angela in the office, watching as she was compelled to eat about a quarter of a sandwich and keeping ehr company. Angela's mom mothered me, insisting that I eat something as well.

All in all, it was a fun day. I grew much closer to my teammates during that day, specifically to Angela. Part of what caused by bad state on Saturday evening was the realization that I couldn't go to the Team States competition this coming weekend. I was just so filled with love for my team at the moment that the news filled me with...bad feelings.

I can't go because of a Confirmation retreat I have this weekend. It goes from 4:30PM on Friday, to 3:00PM on Sunday. That's right, it robs me of my entire weekend. No time for homework, and I'm not allowed to bring any electronic devices. They've even said that they're taking our watches away, digital or not. Just so we won't realize how long we've been doing a particular activity. Can you say: "eccentric"? :p

Oy...Sunday was spent scrambling about for information for my English Paper, and on writing the paper. It got done at around one in the morning, which isn't that bad, considering I've had about a month to do it. A month's worth of work for a few hours of sleep lost did not seem too bad at the time.

That opinion may change soon.

I had a fairly average day today. Classes were not unusual, and lunch was the usual ridiculous prices for small amounts of standard food.

What occurred during lunch was slightly more significant, though. Now, get this clear, first. We have twenty-two minutes for our lunch period. That includes walking to the cafeteria, waiting in line for food, finding a spot to sit, and finally, eating your food.

It only took me a few minutes to reach the cafeteria, scarf down a grinder, and head to the nurse's office. The nurse's office has a small room adjoining its entrance, which is where my friends and I customarily play Yu-Gi-Oh. We'd recently come up with a system of ranking our skills. Whoever beat the #1 person at the time, became the #1 player out of all of us. Today, the #1 Player was my friend John.

I'd been cautious about my Decks recently, relying mostly on Effects, Magic and Trap Cards to win my duels. All too often I had been stopped by cards like Mirror Force, Magic Cylinder, and Spellbinding Circle. I became timid for a little while, not wanting to directly challenge anyone in a match.

That wound up not working as well as I'd hoped, unfortunately. So last night I built myself a Beatdown Deck. Lots of powerful monsters and destructive Magic and Trap Cards.

I totally annihilated him. I was number one.






He challenged me to a rematch.








I wiped the floor with him once again.





He challenged me again. This time we were interrupted, but I was clearly on the path of victory once again.

I was #1. I still am as of this moment.

So, that was a neat little accomplishment. After school, my friend Mark challenged me. I finished him off in short order as well. My title remained where it belonged.

After school I came home and procrastinated, as usual. I had every intention of eventually getting work done. But then I realized that it was late already, and another day or so wouldn't hurt, especially with the teacher of the class in question. He's a very nice guy. I think he'll understand.

I think that's all I'll do for now. You're lucky I didn't get into a rant about my Confirmation classes and teachers. And the retreat. Ugh...

Now, remember, there's an old Portugese saying: "Win good fame and..."

See comment for end of quote.

And remember, I need a trademark item to do away with the evils in my life.
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