One Minute

“No. No! No!” I thought to myself as I sprinted down the hallway as fast as I possibly could. Heads were turning but I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t stop to take a single breath. I knew exactly where I needed to be. I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to do it for Andrew. I had to do it for Christina…

See, yesterday was the second day of our AP Chemistry Unit 5 Test…Knowing that we would only be taking a test, I didn’t bother to bring my binder to class. What good would it do me? So, I walked casually into class with Zach, the both of us attempting to recite half-remembered formulas about frequency and wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. Both of us made it into class just as the One Minute bell rang.

There was only One Minute until the official start of class.

It was just as I set my backpack down that I looked over at the turn-in box…and I watched as someone placed a packet of papers inside it.

In that moment, I gasped so powerfully I think I heard a couple people wheeze as they attempted to get their share of oxygen, seeing as I’d just sucked most of it in. It was also in this moment that I turned to face my maker…Mr. Portis.

I knew he knew. And he knew I knew he knew. And I think the whole class knew he knew I knew he knew. (Knew is such a weird word…)

The problem was…there was a Lab Report due…before class started. That’s how it always was. Every time. And that meant I had a little bit less than a minute to get to my locker…get my Lab Report…and turn it in. Because Mr. Portis is the kind of teacher who doesn’t accept late work without consequence…But it was also a risk. Because Mr. Portis is also the kind of teacher who doesn’t take to kindly to tardiness…Particularly on test days.

But I had to try, didn’t I? Especially seeing as it wasn’t just my grade on the line. My Lab Team, Andrew and Christina, were counting on me. I was in charge of making our Lab Reports and turning them in on time.

So, there I was. I stared at Mr. Portis for only a second before I made my choice and, with a lunge, I began my sprint. My sprint for the grade.

“Bye, Brian,” Mr. Portis said extremely casually as I flew out the door.

I run Track. I run Cross Country. We do speed work outs all the time that involve sprinting…I don’t think I’ve ever run as fast as I did yesterday. Luckily, the hallway was fairly clear because most kids were in class already so I had a straight shot to the Senior hallway.

I started pumping my legs as fast as they would go and I’m pretty sure I broke the sound barrier as I passed Mr. Blaesser’s room. I rounded the corner to the Senior hallway and was faced with the bottleneck.

The thing is, at the end of every hallway there’s this really annoying set up where there are two passageways split by a pillar. But this causes a huge amount of backup (a bottleneck) and usually turning a corner out of these passageways is kinda risky…because you’re pretty likely to collide with someone. Well…

I rounded the corner to the Senior hallway and Kylie and Sarah were making their way through one of the doors and they were taking their merry little time! And…this next part I’m pretty ashamed of…but I had to get through.

“Excuse me? Excuse me! I gotta go! I gotta get through!” I shouted, trying to halt my light speed sprint. Of course, Kylie and Sarah react by essentially stopping and turning to see who was yelling. I had to go. I had to. Well…I guess chivalry really is dead because I just went ahead and tried to run between them. But they were so close together and, well, I looked back over my shoulder just in time to see that I’d shoved Sarah into the pillar dividing the passageways.

“I’m so sorry!” I hollered over my shoulder as I reached the Senior lockers. I counted best I could and stopped at the one I thought was mine…And fate finally took my side. It was my locker. I was so happy I just slammed on the locker door a few times as I tried to quickly enter my combination.

Miraculously, the locker door opened on my first attempt and I dove for my AP Chemistry binder. I yanked the binder out of my locker and slammed the door as I turned to run away…But there was no satisfactory crash of the locker door closing. I turned around and saw, to my horror, that when I’d pulled my binder out of my locker, I’d jostled some of my other things loose and they were currently stopping my locker door from closing.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” I muttered as I ran back to my locker and started fervently kicking everything back inside. Once everything seemed to be out of the way, I slammed the locker door and took off down the hallway.

“No. No! No!” I thought to myself as I sprinted down the hallway as fast as I possibly could. Heads were turning but I couldn’t slow down. I couldn’t stop to take a single breath. I knew exactly where I needed to be. I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to do it for Andrew. I had to do it for Christina…

I opened my binder as I ran and desperately grabbed at our Lab Reports. I think a few random notes fluttered away when I yanked the precious packet of papers out of the side pouch but I couldn’t stop to pick them up! Who knew how much time I’d wasted by dealing with that stupid locker of mine?

Before that bell rang, I needed to be inside Mr. Portis’ room with our Lab Reports safely in the turn-in box.

I was so close…

How long is One Minute? How short is One Minute?!

Every step I took brought me closer and closer to the door that now seemed to be glowing with a holy golden light…I think I heard it calling my name, too. And I’ll go to my grave swearing that there was this random orchestra placed surreptitiously in the hallway and it was playing the score from Chariots of Fire.

I bolted into the room and skittered around the table that blocked me from the box.

“Hi, Brian,” Mr. Portis said in the exact same dull tone of voice that he’d used earlier.

I was going to make it.

I pulled open the AP Chemistry drawer and stuffed our Lab Reports inside. Just as I slid the drawer closed…the bell rang.

I turned to face the class, and the moment felt right…So, I raised my arm in a sweeping motion and took a bow.

I recieved some scattered applause.

I was panting like crazy and I was even sweating a little, part from the run and part from pure adrenaline, but I’d made it. I’d turned in our Lab Reports on time. I’d made the sprint from the AP Chemistry room, to my locker, and back all within One Minute.

Unfortunately, due to some silly mistakes I made on the Report itself, we only got a 16/20…But it would’ve been worse if it’d been late!

I worked for that 16/20.

And it’s the sweetest B- I’ve ever earned.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

The Wisdom of Mr. Nott

So, up until this year, PAC has been directed by Mr. Nott.

Mr. Nott is the Drama/Theatre Teacher at Gull Lake High School. I also identify him as one of the “Greats” at Gull Lake. The Art Department Great.

And he’s really got that stereotypical Drama teacher feel to him. He’s relaxed but he cares. He can get pretty “out-there” but he always stays oddly familiar…If that makes any sense. You can usually identify him by his signature ponytail and friendly smile.

Not only does he teach Drama, he’s the proud teacher of the only Oral Traditions class in the state of Michigan. This class focuses on storytelling, an art that Mr. Nott is arguably obsessed with. There’s a quote on his door that reads: “The shortest distance between two people is a story.” And I think this fascination with stories has a lot to do with the kind of person he is.

Mr. Nott has made a Life out of working in the dramatic arts…this pretty much means that his days has been filled with telling stories. That’s all plays are, after all.

That quote reveals something else about Mr. Nott, too. I think his goal as a Teacher is to show students the ways in which humanity interacts on every level and that it isn’t extremely hard to coexist with our peers. High School is a time of hatred for a lot of kids and I think Mr. Nott works to reduce that aggression.

“The shortest distance between two people is a story.” I think he wants all of us to realize that we would all exist more harmoniously if we talked genuinely to one another. Anyway, this post wasn’t really supposed to be about Mr. Nott’s beliefs on how peace would be easily achieved.

It’s supposed to be about a speech that Mr. Nott gives at the beginning of every class.

I received this speech just a week ago, at the change of the trimester…

* * *

“Let’s pretend this is Gull Lake, our school,” Mr. Nott said, pointing to the desk in front of him. On the desk was a pitcher of water and cups. “Let’s say that this pitcher is the teacher…and these cups are all the students of Gull Lake. As you can see, these cups are all shapes and sizes. Just like the kids at this school.”

“Now, you have been told a lie about the way that school works. You probably visualize school like this…You come to school,” Mr. Nott said as he walked the cups along the desk and up to the pitcher, “and the teacher pours knowledge into you, right?” Mr. Nott demonstrated pouring the water from the pitcher into the cup.

“But that doesn’t work…Because not every kid is an open cup. Some kids…” Mr. Nott popped a lid onto the top of one of the cups, “are like this. They don’t want to learn. And no one can force them. That’s one thing you must know: No one can teach you anything. You have to be willing to learn. So, that’s why school really works like this…” He moved the cups back into their original starting position and made them toddle back up to the pitcher.

“This pitcher represents the experience that is presented in a classroom. And it’s the responsibility of the student to dive into the experience…” Mr. Nott dunked a cup into the pitcher, “and try to get as much knowledge from it as they can.”

He pulled the water-filled cup out of the pitcher.

* * *

And Mr. Nott says this to every class he has. Because he thinks it’s an important thing to hear. And he’s right. I think it’s a really good thing that he gives this demonstration.

I think it’s a really good thing that Mr. Nott came to Gull Lake High School.

It’s been an honor to be given the opportunity to work with Mr. Nott over the past 3 years. I can’t believe our time together is almost up.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The day will come that I have to say “Good-Bye” to Mr. Nott…But thankfully that day isn’t today.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

My Time With ‘The Reflection’

When I was a Freshman, Gull Lake High School ran a school year based on semesters. Nowadays, we run on trimesters. But back when we were on semesters, kids used to be able to do this thing called “Double Blocking”. Double Blocking was when you took one class in the first semester (say…Freshman English) and then, in order to get ahead of the game and hopefully reach AP level classes in that subject, you would take the next class up in the second semester (say…Sophomore English.) Well, I did that my Freshman Year. I took Freshman English…and then Sophomore English.

This decision was filled with Pros and Cons…

Pros:

-I was advancing my education in a subject area I enjoyed

-It would create an opportunity to take both AP English classes over two years (one in my Junior Year and one in my Senior Year.)

-I got to have English year-round

-I had Mrs. Jolin as my Sophomore English teacher. (We’ll get to why that’s especially important for this blog.)

Cons:

-I believe that English is the class where you bond the most with your classmates…and I missed out on a lot of that experience with my grade. I never got to see my classmates get assigned parts to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I never got giggle with my peers as we heard a teacher say the “f-word” in Catcher in the Rye. I never got to discuss Lord of the Flies with the Class of 2013. I never got to have all of those English class experiences with members of my grade. (Of course, I have AP Literature this year with a lot kids from my grade…but one year doesn’t make up for the two I’m missing.)

-I was a super shy Freshman surrounded by Sophomores I didn’t know

-I made a complete fool of myself on multiple occasions

Anyway, the most important thing to pull from my Pros and Cons list was that I had Mrs. Jolin as my teacher for Sophomore English. Because that was the first time I was introduced to the possibility of being a member of The Reflection‘s staff. The Reflection is the school newspaper at Gull Lake High School and Mrs. Jolin is the advisor that oversees it’s operations.

So, I’m in Mrs. Jolin’s class and she sort of suggested that I should sign up to be in Newspaper the next year. I filled out the paperwork to take the class…but when it came time to actually make my course requests for the next year, I realized I couldn’t fit it in anywhere.

And then I did something really embarrassing.

I had to tell Mrs. Jolin that I wasn’t signed up for the next year of newspaper. But I felt like I would be letting her down if I told her. I sat there every day in class wondering how I should bring it up to her. One day, we had this assignment where we had to write a poem and read it in front of the class…I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea, but I wrote my poem as an apology to Mrs. Jolin that I wouldn’t be in Newspaper next year. And I read that…in front of the whole class.

Maybe it really wasn’t as humiliating as I remember it…I suppose time does tend to distort our memories.

Anyway, I eventually became a member of The Reflection. This year, in fact, I took Newspaper for the first trimester. And I’m glad I did.

Mrs. Jolin has a very kind, quirky nature and that makes her really fun to work with. I suppose I am a little sad that I don’t have another trimester or that I didn’t take the class earlier. But I think My Time With The Reflection was well spent.

I wrote some articles. I made some acquaintances. I interviewed some people. I took some pictures. And, towards the end of the trimester, Mrs. Jolin even put a link to this blog on the newspapers website…which was pretty nice.

In the end, The Reflection was definitely the right way to start off my Senior Year and I’m really glad that I took the class. I’m glad Mrs. Jolin took the time to tell me to sign up. It’s only a week into the new trimester and I already kind of miss marching into Mrs. Jolin’s room everyday, knowing that the entire class time is being given to me and I can spend it working at whatever pace I please.

But as much as I feel this regret that I didn’t take more of the class…I also feel a certain sense of completion. Like the amount of time I spent with The Reflection was the right amount of time.

I am content.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

The Exam Hiatus

See, there’s a few problems with being a High School Blogger…

1.) The Life experiences that I blog about extend over a grand total of 17 years and most of them take place within a very conservative, wealthy community with extremely low diversity. (As you can imagine, I live a relatively sheltered Life. Most of us at Gull Lake do…) This means my frame of reference for the world as a whole is…this one very, very, very, very small town. What I’m saying is: I don’t always know what I’m talking about.

2.) My posts can be affected by the foolishness of youth. Sometimes my thoughts and feelings are generated through the idea that I’ll be young forever or that the world, of course, revolves around me or that everyone must think exactly like me, right? I feel like these things are just the effects of being young and I am plagued by them, like most of my peers.

3.) (The one that directly pertains to this post.) I struggle to maintain a balance between school, extracurriculars, a social Life, and this blog. Unfortunately for the blog, it often has to take the back seat because I try to maintain good grades, I try to get involved in extracurriculars, and I strive to spend as much time as I can with my friends in our last year of High School.

Next week, the week after Thanksgiving, is Exam Week at Gull Lake High School. Over the next two weeks, I will be in: Exam-Cram Mode…

This means the blog is going on a Hiatus. The Exam Hiatus.

I hate to do it, I really do. I have a few ideas I’ve been toying with and I know what I want to write about when I come back, what thoughts and experiences I want to reflect upon…but they’ll have to wait. The next two weeks will be primarily dedicated to studying for Final Exams. (Next Friday, I’ll probably be taking the hardest exam I’ve ever taken in my Life and I am shaking in my boots. AP Chemistry may very well be the death of me. When we asked Coach Portis how long the AP Chem exam would be…he gave us the most devious smile and said: “Oh…about 27 pages.” If my memory serves me correctly, I think one girl was taken out of class in an ambulance after he said that.)

Anyway, I’ll be back at writing this blog in December. December 1st is the Saturday after exams are over…I’ll shoot for getting a post up then.

For now, I’ll stop wasting your time with this meandering post. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

I’ll see you on the other side.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

The Best of Senior Homecoming

I promise this is the last post about Homecoming. I promise.

Today is Friday, October 12th. The day of the Homecoming game. Earlier, we had our 2012 Homecoming Assembly and later tonight, Gull Lake will pack the stands for our Homecoming Football game. School Spirit, though it barely flickers at Gull Lake High school, was certainly apparent earlier today and throughout this week. And, what’s cool, is that School Spirit was shown in ways that the school administrator’s didn’t impress upon us. It was shown in the excitement of the Band as they played in the halls and the assembly, it was shown in the spontaneous and heart-warming “Have a Safe Homecoming” speech by some teachers, it was shown in the enthusiasm of Dress Up Days, (though, I suppose that was imposed by the administration) it was shown in the Cross Country Teams running of the Game Ball, it was shown in the Cheerleaders routine, it was shown in the Dance class’ flash mob, and it was shown, most importantly, in who we elected as our Homecoming Royalty.

Homecoming is a special time in High School. It’s a time for every area of the school to come together under one common goal: To have a good time. And that is what School Spirit is all about. It’s the combination of every student and teacher in an effort to make their school environment more enjoyable.

Anyway, today was fun. Classes were shortened, people were decked out in Gull Lake attire, it was hard to find someone who wasn’t smiling, and the Senior Cross Country Boys and I got to run the Game Ball from the assembly and off towards Loy Norrix High School. The Cross Country Team has this tradition where we run the Homecoming Game Ball from the opposing school to Gull Lake and when we finish, we run a lap around the Track and hand the football off to the official to start the game. However, Loy Norrix is so close that we didn’t have to start at the opposing High School (nor did we have to start absurdly early). In fact, this year we’re running the Game Ball to Loy Norrix and back all before the game begins. And the Senior Boys got to start the run off right by sprinting out of the gym at the start of the assembly.

Another reason that today really stuck out in my mind was a speech Mr. Burghardt gave to us as a precaution to any risky activities we may have had planned. He talked about the dangers of driving late on Homecoming night because, even if we weren’t drunk, someone else may be. He showed us a sonogram of the baby that he recently learned he was about to have and told us the obligations that come with a child. He even discussed and discouraged the more obscene methods of dancing that are frequented at our Homecoming dances. The part that stood out to me, though…and the part that really made me listen and actually made me see Mr. Burghardt and teachers in a new light, was when he said: “I had this professor in college…and she told me that, if I was a teacher long enough, the day would come when I’d have to go to one of my student’s funerals. And that thought is so scary, it makes my heart race and my voice shake.” And I’d never really thought about that. About a teacher being so affected by a student’s death. It makes sense now, of course, I’d just never thought about it. In a way, I suddenly feel this soft spot growing for every teacher in my school. If any of us students were to pass away, it would be foolish to think that there is a teacher at Gull Lake who wouldn’t suffer.

And then there was Alex.

If the election of Alex into Homecoming Royalty doesn’t prove the power of School Spirit, I don’t know what does. The Senior class came together as a whole under the goal of electing Alex, a girl with Down’s Syndrome, into the coveted position of Homecoming Queen. The desire to be Queen sprung from Alex’s mouth and the Senior Class was more than happy to comply. This, I believe, is a true show of not only School Spirit, but Human Spirit. I think this shows the collectiveness of humanity and our ability to care for one another as equals and as compassionate beings. On the other hand, it was also a very easy decision to make. There wasn’t a single objection made when Khelsea and Hadlee proposed the idea to all of us. Who could possibly deserve Queen more than this unbelievably loving, enthusiastic, and spirited young girl? Sometimes, it’s hard to be proud of Gull Lake. Other times, it can be quite easy to look at Gull Lake and say: “Yeah. Yeah, that’s my High School.” Because we made the right choice on who should be elected Queen. Because we made the choice based off of who was the most deserving. Because we chose only the kindest of souls to represent our school.

In the end, does it matter if we win tonight or not? Not really. Because Homecoming week is about so much more than a Football game. It’s about the collective body of students saying that their proud to represent Gull Lake. It’s about finding joy in stepping out of your comfort zone and trying on something absurd for Dress-Up Days. It’s about discovering School Spirit in ways you never imagined. And it’s about making people’s dreams come true.

Tonight, we’ll crown the most deserving Homecoming Queen in Gull Lake history. Tomorrow, we’ll dance the night away in celebration. And, come Monday, we’ll all have the memories.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

For Those Who Are Applying to College…

…I salute you. I salute those who, like me, find themselves pushing their way through one of the most annoying processes I’ve ever experienced. I salute those who find themselves struggling with essays. I salute those who find themselves wading through pointless application questions. I salute those who find themselves experiencing one of the most stressful starts to a school year ever. I salute those of you who are applying to college.

For Those Who Are Applying to College…I salute you.

I’ve finally narrowed down the primary reason that this process is so absolutely rotten: This is the first real decision I’ll ever make.

Up until now, the biggest decision I’ve ever made was probably what extra-curriculars I would partake in or what classes I would sign up for next year or whether I would take the ACT again or…simple things. Things that seemed like they had an obvious answer. And I feel like most Seniors would agree with me.

Now, of course, we’re deciding what wind we’re going to catch in our sail. We have to choose what schools to apply to and, from the ones we get accepted into, we have to decide which one we’re going to attend. We have to decide what gust is the right gust. And I feel like that’s scary. What if I choose the wrong school? What if it’s too challenging? What if it’s too easy? What if I don’t like the dorms? What if I don’t like the environment? What if the food’s terrible? What if I pursue the wrong major? What if…?

And I don’t think there’s any amount of college visits or research or testimonies or meetings that could possible take the fear of “What if…?” away.

So, that’s why I think applying to colleges is hard. Not only do we have to fill out applications, ask for letters of recommendation, send transcripts, write essays, rewrite essays, and take ACTs…we also have to make a choice once that’s all done.

For example, I’m applying to Hope, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Western Michigan University. Currently, I’m leaning towards Hope and I feel confident that it’s the right answer but…how can I know? How could I possibly know what the right choice is?

Then again…

Well, maybe…just maybe…maybe it’s not all that bad.

The more I think about it, the more I think that, maybe, it isn’t possible to make a wrong choice. The whole point of Life is to experience, right? We’re all here to experience Life. And one of the ways that we do that is by traversing college, right?

Maybe which college you go to doesn’t matter that much. Because Life is happening indefinitely in an infinite number of places. Everyone on this planet is having some sort of experience right now and who’s to say whether one is better or worse? Maybe I should relax some of the pressure that I put on my college selection because in the end, I’m going to be living the Life of an Idiot, no matter where I end up.

No matter which college I go to…I’ll still be an Idiot. I’ll still be a Superman in training. And I’ll still be living Life the best I can.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

How I Asked Her

This is a blog about my Life. Every aspect of my Life that I feel contributes to the creation of me.

Right now, a huge part of my Life as a High Schooler is Homecoming. In fact, the game is this Friday and the dance is this Saturday.

You can bet, Gull Lake is gearing up for the big event. Dresses are being bought. Plans are being made. Groups are being organized. Ties and collared shirts are being purchased. Reservations are being placed. Student Senate is “busy” planning. The administration is ordering breathalyzers from the local police. A DJ is being requested. Float building is in full swing. The parade is being planned. The football team is getting ready for the big game. And every student is either asking their date or wondering who they can ask last minute.

This week is Spirit Week with all sorts of activity like Dress-Up Days, Lunch Time Games, and the Homecoming Assembly. For those who may find it interesting, this year the Homecoming Dress-Up Days are as follows:

Monday – Come As You Are Day

Tuesday – FANdom Day

Wednesday – Sports Day

Thursday – Patriotic Day

Friday – Spirit Day

Anyway, Homecoming is sort of a big deal at Gull Lake. More specifically, how a guy asks a girl is very important. At Gull Lake, flashiness is generally rewarded with an embarrassed giggle, a smile, and a “Yes.”

Of course, whether we admit it or not, part of the reason why people go for extravagent and “flashy” invitations is so everyone else can see. It’s making a bold statement that says: “I care about this person enough to go the distance to make them feel special today. To make them feel like people are watching them with earnest interest.” And that’s really all part of the fun. There’s nothing wrong with desiring a little attention. Personally, I love to make some kind of effort when asking a girl to a dance and I enjoy making it public (maybe that’s the actor in me.) I don’t really see anything wrong with that. I’ve already done a post about how other people at Gull Lake have asked girls to dances. Today is the story of How I Asked Her.

The problem is, Carly’s up at Interlochen. She’s hours away. And despite the fact that I tried to make my invitation public, I’m not sure enough people saw. So, this is my ditch effort to make it known that I asked Carly. And that I tried to make it as cute as I could.

So, with the assistance of our friends in Band and PAC, I invited Carly to Homecoming through a series of pictures. I wanted Carly to know that we all miss her. I wanted her to know we’re always thinking about her. I wanted her to know that her friends at Gull Lake are waiting eagerly for her return. I wanted Carly to know that she’s not forgotten. I wanted her to know that we’re all rooting for her back here. I wanted Carly to know that no matter how far she is, no matter how long she’s gone, there are those of us at Gull Lake who will always care about our favorite ginger artist. And so, I mailed her the following pictures…

 

Rachel and Shelby, two friends of ours in the science hallway.

A few of our Band friends (and Shelby) sitting where we used to eat lunch.

That last one is a little bit odd. It’s supposed to be a reference to a past photo in which Jonah…You know what? Long story. Never mind.

Rachel, Grace (another good friend), and one of Carly’s favorite teachers, Mr. Minehart. This was taken during AP European History, a class Carly would undoubtedly be taking if she was at Gull Lake this year.

It says “Homecoming” for those who can’t quite make it out. The boys of the Gull Lake Cross Country Team are more than willing to help out any fellow teammate when it comes to Homecoming invitations. (Especially if it involves taking our shirts off…so we can show off how built we are. (Sarcasm.))

And that was the last picture. Me up on the cafeteria’s stage during lunch.

So, that’s How I Asked Her. That’s how I asked Carly.

Just today, she said: “Yes.”

Despite what I may like to believe, Homecoming is a large part of my Life during the Fall. It’s a large part of any High Schooler’s Life. And, this year, I decided to ask this spectacular red-headed artist to the dance. This spectacular red-headed artist who decided that she’d take a leap this year. She took a leap in transferring to one of the most prestigious arts academies in the world. I think that it can get pretty stressful for her, sometimes…So, I’m glad she can come home this Saturday and just relax for a night.

I’m glad she’s coming home for Homecoming.

I’m glad that Carly can come home for a night of horribly cliche pictures, a dinner with friends, and a dance in the High School that she will never truly be gone from…

Not while there are those of us here who keep her in mind.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

The Aspects of a Gull Lake Football Game

Tonight, I went to my first football game as a Senior in High School. I used to go to them all the time when I was younger, but I’ve sorta fallen out of that habit. I went tonight, though. And it was so nostalgic I almost felt nauseous. Nauseous with nostalgia.

At a Gull Lake Football Game, there are certain vivid Aspects that we all experience as Gull Lakers. In this post, I’d like to talk about the value of a High School Football Team and the way that it’s affected my Life and the Lives of almost every other Gull Laker.

The Awkward Middle School Stage That We All Went Through

On the far side of the Football Field, there’s a grassy area that is always entirely inhabited by Awkward Middle Schoolers going completely wild on the sugar they just devoured from the concession stand. And there’s no shame because we all went through this when we were in Middle School. We all bugged our older siblings or our parents to drive us out to the home Football Game where we would quickly scurry off to find our circle of friends that we would desperately cling to for the rest of the night.

Ah, Middle School. How horribly awkward. Anyone that reached their prime in Middle School is going to lead a very sad, sad Life.

The Band’s Performance

Honestly, this is probably my favorite part of every Football Game. The Gull Lake High School Marching Band is chock-full of friends of mine and I love to hurry to the fence each half-time to watch them perform.

Last year was, without a doubt, the best Band Show I’ve seen in my 6 years of going to Football Games. Not only was the music impressive, the band took the Show a step further by adding a story enacted by the Drum Majors (Tanner, Callie, and Ross). The story was that of a warrior (Tanner) denied his chance at knighthood by his Queen (Callie) because the title went to a soldier more worthy (Ross). As the Gull Lake Marching Band played the epic and dramatic score, Tanner wove his way through the crowded field, fighting clarinet players and color-guard soldiers, all in a quest to seek revenge on Callie. In the final moments of Part One, Tanner finally reached Callie’s “castle” and Callie dove from her Drum Major Podium into the waiting arms of her color-guard knights. Tanner took Callie’s spot on the Podium and flourished his arms dramatically as one final note boomed from the band. In Parts Two and Three, Ross, ever his Queen’s servant, fought his way into Tanner’s domain and struck him down. This usually resulted in a huge roar of approval from the crowd.

It was probably the most well-recieved Band Show.

The Lovely Ladies

The Senior girls always take it upon themselves to spear-head the support for our Football players. T-shirts are made every year among a certain crowd of girls, (who I hear take a blood oath to be at every football game) each sporting the name of a different Senior Football player. Then, at the games themselves, they can usually be found in the front row with their t-shirts rolled or tied up to reveal their midriffs and their bellies painted in blue and white. They are the loudest of any section in the bleachers.

Walking Tacos

Maybe every school has these. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did. But, to me, they just seem so…Gull Lake. Them seem so homely. I’d like to believe the only place on this planet that you can get a Walking Taco is at the concession stand at a Gull Lake home Football Game. It’s pretty simple…and, yet, so delectable. A Walking Taco is an opened bag of Fritos corn chips filled with cheese, meat, and salsa. It’s most frequently eaten with a spoon. And it is good.

The 3rd Quarter

Another great part about Football Games is when the Band kids are released to mingle during the 3rd Quarter. (Right after the half-time show, which usually means they’re covered in sweat from their recent workout and all they want is some cool, night air.) They’re given just this one break and they generally all file out to the concession stand to grab a quick snack, and then desperately try to fit in as much enjoyment from their couple minutes of freedom before they return to playing the fight song.

School Spirit

I’ve never had much of it. And I’ve never really thought about it. Today, though, we had a pep assembly about the game that was played tonight. The game was, to quote the slogan “More than a game!” It was also a fund-raising event for cancer research. So, the pep assembly involved an introduction by the head Football Coach, Coach Hiller. And then a speech by a local cancer survivor and slam poet. Personally, I did sort of find Coach Hiller rather threatening and I thought his point was missed in his harshness. The slam poet was an amazing speaker, he seemed unbelievably natural in front of a crowd and his message of “pursuing a Life to help others instead of oneself” was timeless. But this is all sort of off track. Sort of. See, the other point of a pep assembly is to…raise “pep”? Or get people excited about their school. Our pep assemblies don’t usually go very well because we really don’t have a ton of School Spirit. We don’t have a particularly amazing Football team, but I don’t think that’s the problem. Coach Hawkins, my AP Literature teacher, said today that having a school filled with Spirit was one of his favorite parts of High School. And so, I’m determined to discover why Gull Lake doesn’t have that. A lot of people, including the slam poet, (a Gull Lake graduate) seem to believe that it might be because Gull Lake is split up into “Haves” and “Have Nots” (AKA: People who live the high life out on Gull Lake, and the people whose families struggle to make ends meet.) Neither is better. Neither is worse. But it is a prominent division in our school. I realize that this tangent is really far off from what the rest of this blog is about. But it’s part of Football Games and just something to speculate on.

In the end, though, Football Games have been a part of my growing up. Whether I’m there to support the Band or just to socialize, I always leave feeling like it was a Friday night well spent. It was a Friday night in which I was able to interact with my community. The community that I grew up in. It’s nice to feel that sense of community. Now, if only it existed more apparently in the school.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

Popping the Question

We ask and get asked a lot of important questions in our lifetime.

“Do you wanna grab coffee sometime?” “Paper or plastic?” “Do you want fries with that?” “Will you marry me?” “What do you want for Christmas?” “Credit or debit?” “What is the meaning of Life?” “Who am I? “(Insert another existentialist question.)” “Yes or no?” “Where are you going to college?”

One of the most relevant questions to my generation at this day and age and during this Fall season is…”Will you go to Homecoming with me?” Seven little words that can be said in so many different ways and responded to in only a few…”Yes.” “No.” “I’ll have to think about it. (AKA: A prolonged no.)”

In this post, in honor of the Homecoming Season, I’m going to be writing some of my favorite ways that guys at Gull Lake have asked girls to dances. And maybe we’ll take a little trip down memory lane and see the different ways that this Idiot has asked his dates. They get pretty embarrassing.

Here we go…

The Test Question

Remember Adam? The kid who almost ran me over in my Freshman 24 Hour Marathon? The one who made me drop the Baton? Well…he can be a bit of a sweetheart. In his Senior Year, he asked his girlfriend Morgan to a dance with the help of one of his favorite teachers, Mr. Blackburn. Adam requested that Mr. Blackburn put a question on a quiz that read: “Will Morgan go to Homecoming with Adam?” Morgan, of course, answered “Yes.” She got the question right. And for those of you out there who mate are “mate-for-life” types…Adam and Morgan were recently engaged to be married. So, clearly, The Test Question works…

Sticky Note Scavenger

One year, this kid name Chris made quite a grand gesture in his Homecoming request…or maybe it was Prom. Who knows? Bottom line is: it was a school-wide event. It was hard to walk down the hallway that day without seeing countless guys strutting around with two sticky notes taped proudly to their chests. The idea was simple enough. A girl, Emily, was given a note at her locker at the start of the day that contained two differently colored sticky notes. The note read that Emily had to find the matching set of sticky notes to find her prince. By the end of the day, Emily had found her suitor…and denied him.

Perhaps this isn’t the best method…

Shin Tape Surprises

This is how I asked a great friend and teammate of mine, Emmi, to our Sophomore Homecoming. There’s sort of a running joke in our school that the Cross Country Team is…sort of like a Cult. The Cult works from within. More often than not, you’ll see that guys on the team ask girls on the team, instead of pulling from outside the Cult. My Sophomore year, I was no exception. Something you should know about Emmi is that she’s quite fragile. Particularly her shins. So, knowing that Coach Portis was going to be taping her shins to prevent shin splints, I gave him one strip of medical tape that read “Emmi, Homecoming? -Brian”. When Coach Portis placed it on her shin, she said “Yes.”

Whiteboard Revelations

Sticking with the Cross Country Team, I remember my Freshman Year when Cameron also used Coach Portis to aid in his asking Ali. On the Cross country Team, involving Coach Portis in a Homecoming request is almost synonymous with asking a girls father for approval. Anyway, Coach was giving us the game-plan on some meet we were going to run at the next day. At the end of the meeting, Coach said: “Oh yeah, One last thing.” And he reached down (Coach Portis, along with all the Science teachers at Gull Lake High School, has about six huge white boards that slide up and down to reveal or hide anything that may be written on them) and pulled up a white board that said: “Ali, Homecoming? -Cam” And she said “Yes” too.

Secret Service

I’m pretty sure there’s a by-law in the Bro-Code that says something about never denying a fellow Bro when he needs you to be his Wing-Man. Anyway, in my Sophomore year, Jeremy asked me to help him in asking Erin to Homecoming. With some aid from many of Erin’s friends, we discovered that she had a weakness for chocolate. So, Jeremy went out and bought a bar of chocolate. He asked me and another Jeremy (Jeremy C.) to act as sort of a “Secret Service” or personal guard. Jeremy C. and I approached Erin with black t-shirts and aviator sunglasses, completely straight faced. She gave us the most peculiar look before Jeremy C. and I turned towards each other, nodded once, then stepped aside to reveal…Jeremy in a suit, holding a bar of chocolate. “Erin? Will you go to Homecoming with me?” And the answer was “Yes.”

The Proposal

Today, in preparation for writing this post, I asked a lot of people at school what their favorite “Homecoming Request Stories” were. In my first class, Leah told me a story that I couldn’t help but share.

Leah had been sitting at her lunch table, believing it was a day like any other. Suddenly, Will approached her and got down on one knee. I can’t imagine this was received supremely well by Leah’s surrounding peers. “Leah? Will you go to Prom with me?” Will asked as he opened a ring box that had one little word inside it: “Prom?” She said “Yes.”

“Wait,” I said upon hearing this story, “That worked for you?”

“Well…yeah,” Leah said.

Peacocking

Back to the whole Cross Country thing, there was this kid named Ryan. When I first met Ryan, he was one of the quietest, most introverted kids I’d ever met. As time progressed, however, Ryan became more and more outgoing. It wasn’t long before Ryan was an energetic, talkative comedian who could make anyone laugh. One of the most outstanding examples of his transformation is the manner in which he asked Cara to his Senior Homecoming. Ryan laid across the hood of his car with a rose in his mouth and a sign that read: “Homecoming?” How could Cara say “No”? Of course she said “Yes.”

The Holly Invite…Invite?

Still on Cross Country stuff. So, my Sophomore Year, Sam B. (now the fastest runner on our guys team) asked Carly (not my Carly) to Homecoming. The Gull Lake Cross Country Varsity Team (7 guys and 7 girls) makes a yearly trip to Holly, MI to run in the Holly Invitational. The Team leaves the night before the meet and spends that night in a hotel before getting up early the next morning to go run. In Sam’s Freshman Year, though, he spent part of the night before plotting his Homecoming request. Carly was lead into her hotel room by the girls Team and the windows blinds were pulled aside to reveal “Homecoming?” spelt out in signs held up by the guys Team. With Sam holding the question mark. An instant “Yes.”

Poetry

My Junior Year, I asked Sarah to Homecoming. And I did it in a pretty sappy fashion. I stopped her as she was walking to her car for her off-campus class. “Sarah? Do you mind just listening to this poem for AP Lang really quick?” I asked, “I’m afraid it doesn’t sound good.” “Sure…?” she said. And I dove into it. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember what the poem said, nor do I have a copy of it…but I guess it worked? I mean, she did say “Yes.” I seem to recall I was trying to be clever by having the poem describe exactly what I was doing in that moment. It was entitled: “The Question”, I believe, and it was all about a boy asking a girl a question: “Will you go to Homecoming with me?” Anyway, that’s that sappy little method.

The Power of One Direction

This is perhaps one of my all-time favorite methods. Jeremy C. (the one I mentioned before) had a friend pull his pickup truck right next to the school. At the end of the day, Katie was pulled out into the cold (it was snowing) by some of her friends. The pickup truck instantly began to blast “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction and Jeremy C. and a gang of his Basketball friends broke out in an impressive synchronized dance. Luckily, this was about the time that I happened to waltz out of the building. I watched as Katie stood mesmerized by the show being put on in front of her. One particularly hilarious moment was when the boys ripped their shirts off…I don’t think they counted on snow being in the forecast in the middle of Spring. Anyway, I could spend all day describing their dance…or I could post the amateur video of it. The quality isn’t all that great, but you’ll get the general idea…

Click Here for Hilarity

He’s Got Balls

For Brady’s Junior Prom, he decided to ask a girl with his balls. His foam balls, that is. Brady wrote P-R-O-M-? on five different foam balls and stuffed them into Kelsey’s locker. When she opened her locker, the balls tumbled out. Not many girls can say “No” to Brady’s balls. And Kelsey was no exception. She said “Yes.”

Puzzle It Together

The following method is probably the most all-encompassing, crowd pleasing, and commonly used creative request. This method takes on many different shapes and forms but has the same basic principle: the recipient of the request receives one part of a larger message in each class, slowly clueing them into the overall statement of: “Will you go to (Homecoming, Sno Court, Prom) with me? -Suitor” Whether it was Ryan asking Ali with his little present boxes full of compliments, or Jonah asking Joy with his balloons, or Lam with roses, or Grant with actual puzzle pieces, or Nate with easter eggs, all these methods will almost guarantee a “Yes.” It’s creative. It’s fun. And, with a little thought, it can be personalized to any girl.

Popping The Balloons

Dallas asked Cara with balloons. But perhaps he should’ve been more clear with what he wanted her to do with the balloons. Each balloon, tied to her car, contained part of “Will you go to Prom with me?” (So, it kind of fits in the last category.) After what seemed like a million years of us (the Cross Country guys) huddled together, watching Cara from across the parking lot as she confusedly stared at the balloons, she finally understood that she had to pop each balloon. With some encouragement from us, (“Use your keys!”) she finally got the message. (Works on two levels, see?) Cara burst all the balloons, Dallas rolled up in his car, approached her with a bouquet of flowers, and asked. She said “Yes.”

Stringing Them Along

At the end of a school day that seemed very average for Stephanie, she was handed a very long piece of string. The string stretched down the hallway and out of sight. Stephanie was instructed to follow the string to find her suitor. One floor down and a hallway over, Brandon was frantically pulling flowers out of his locker and holding tightly onto the other end of the string. Stephanie followed the string until she found Brandon, waiting with a smile and a bouquet. “Stephanie? Will you go to Prom with me?” Brandon asked. “Yes,” she replied.

Plan B: Just Go For It

In the end, what’s it all really about? It’s about expressing from one person to another: “Hey, I think you’re pretty special. I wouldn’t mind spending an evening with you.” Or maybe it’s about something more. Who knows? Bottom line is: A boy is asking a girl to join him in a night of frivolity. There are a lot of crazy ways that a guy can ask a girl. A lot of crazy ways. But, in the end, there’s nothing wrong with just…going for it. I’ve done it twice! The first time, my initial plan fell apart. So, I just went for it. I went over to Kelcey’s house my Freshman Year and knocked on her door, flower in hand. And, in front of her whole family, I asked her to Homecoming. And she said “Yes.” For my Junior Prom date, Valerie, I was at my off-campus class and I just decided one day that I had to man up and do it. Unfortunately, the girl I was going to ask was already half-way to her car…about to leave. I bolted from the classroom without an explanation and chased her down…followed by half the class. Oh well, she said “Yes.” And one of my best friends Jeremy did the same thing with Grace. And they’ve been dating for almost a year now. So, it works. It works to just go for it. You could spend all day planning some silly way to ask a girl to a dance and, trust me, she’ll totally love it, it’s worth it to do that occasionally; but never forget that the reason she’s saying “Yes” isn’t because you wrote “Will you go to Homecoming with me?” on a few different pieces of paper that people handed to her throughout the day…it’s because she wants to go with you. Never be afraid to just…well, you get the idea.

In the end, Homecoming and Prom are an awesome time in a High Schoolers Life. Even if you don’t end up asking someone or you don’t get asked, I think it’s awesome to be surrounded for a few weeks by spontaneous bouquets, balloons, notes, messengers, secretive teachers, signs, hidden clues, strings, roses, balls, poetry, One Direction, sticky notes, and proposals. Because it’s all about gestures. It’s all about making someone smile for a day.

Making someone smile by letting know that there’s someone in their High School who cares about them. Someone who wants to spend a night with them. Someone who wants to dance with them.

That’s pretty special, I think.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

The Battle of Masterpieces

One of my best friends in the entire world is Zach. Zach is a guy I can tell anything and receive no judgement. Zach is a guy I can look up to. Zach is a guy I can count on. Zach is a guy I love to have by my side. Zach is a guy who I can make fun of…and he can make fun of me right back. Zach is…Zach. He’s my Zachie-Poo. And I love him.

Friends like Zach are important. Any Idiot could tell you that. Life isn’t…Life when you go through it without someone to share things with. And that’s why I’m so glad I have Zach. Most recently, Zach and I are going through our Senior Year of High School together. Also, as of this year, Zach and I are partaking in the Battle of Masterpieces. Let’s go back…oh, I don’t know…to Seventh Grade really quick…

I was sitting in Computer class type-type-typing away when my teacher, Mr. Bussies, suddenly said: “Well, hey there, Mr. Quartermaine.” I looked around and saw a burly man with short-cropped, black hair standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Mr. Bussies, mind if I talk to the kids for a second?” the man, Mr. Quartermaine, asked.

“Go right ahead.” said Mr. Bussies.

I don’t really remember a whole lot of what Mr. Quartermaine said…but I do remember one thing:

“…By your Senior Year, we’re trying to make sure that every student in the High School has some kind of personalized computer.”

I sort of forgot all about Mr. Quartermaine saying that…until last year…

“Have you heard the news?” said almost every student in Gull Lake.

“What?” said all the other students.

“We’re getting iPads next year! All of us! We each get one!” And so it went.

Word of the technology initiative that lead to these iPads spread quickly. Students had mixed reactions. Many argued that these devices were a pointless waste of money and they would only distract us. A few stood up for the Apple technology and claimed it would be useful, they were the minority, though.

A few weeks before School started, the members of Student Senate (that’s me) got to receive their iPads early. We were the guinea pigs to see how quick the iPad Rollout process could work. Anyway, I got my iPad. And it was awesome.

It still is awesome. I love my iPad. I feel like I’ve put it to good use. Especially with the Battle of Masterpieces…

And so we come full circle. Back to the Battle of Masterpieces.

I create Zachsterpieces. And Zachie-Poo makes Braintings. Which means, we use our iPads to create beautiful portraits of each other and send them to one another through the iPads iMessage system. Of course, because Zach and I are model students (Jeez, I can’t believe I typed that with a straight face), we only do this in passing time or at lunch…right.

This post is to show you the Latest and Greatest of the Zachsterpieces and Braintings…

Let’s begin now…

It all started with this…

 

A picture of Zach. And this…

 

A picture of me. And at this point, there had been no fouls by either party…until Zachie-Poo sent this…

 

Zach’s always been a line-crosser. That jerk. As if I would ever grow a mustache. So, I sent this…

 

You bet I made him feel pretty silly. Ha. What a chump. Then Zach sent me this…

 

I suppose that one was from a friend of ours, Grace…but it came from his iPad. Clearly, I couldn’t take such an insult. So, I sent a barrage…

 

First, Zach Potter. I should clarify, I love Harry Potter…so, I don’t see how this one was quite an insult…

 

 

The Zach. Ha! As if Zach would ever have such a “chiseled” body. (Sculpting pun.) In all honesty, though, I appreciate Zach’s physique…that’s okay to say…right…?

 

Another classic, the Zach Lisa. Notice the professional craftsmanship of the photoshop…I’ll bet Zach was feeling pretty silly now.

 

And now we see Zach Wiegand. In other words, we see Zach as me! How absurd. Zach was totally regretting that mustache now.

 

I felt like there was more too the Zach Potter story, so I created Zach Potter Goes to Hogwarts! Look how happy he is in his little boat…Ehem! I still totally hate Zach, though…

 

And I ended the barrage with The Last Zach-Bender. An instant classic. Again, this one wasn’t very insulting…oh well. Then, Zach retaliated with his second Brainting…

 

To be honest, I’m not really sure what that is…but I find it insulting…for some reason! So, I sent back…

 

That’s right. Brian and the Creation of Zach. I made him. He owes me. Instead, he humiliates me with mustaches!

 

A healthy Meme reference this may be, but it doesn’t compare to what I sent him next. My piece de resistance…

 

Third Wheel Teel. Enough said.

 

Followed by The Last Zupper. And then…

 

Hope for Americans: Zach Obama For President. Only two problems: No one would vote for Zach. And Zach isn’t Black…

 

Another Meme reference. I’ll admit…that one was okay.

 

As if I would ever wear that dress…

 

Our revered Cross Country Coach and feared AP Chemistry teacher…Mr. Portis…transformed into Brian Portis…! Zach’s work had to be replicated…

 

Zach Portis Sits at His Perch. Classic. Zach responded with another Grace-assisted post…

 

Me as Grace. The most amusing aspect of this piece, however, is the girls expression in the background…”WTF” indeed, Zachary. “WTF” indeed.

 

Lastly, I did this. Zach as Zach. Because, truly, the highest insult would be to, of course, put Zach’s head on his own body. Ha!

And that’s as far as the Battle of Masterpieces has gone. Of course, Zach and I are still on speaking terms for now, but our conversations are generally very thick with deceit. Our mouths are very civil while our eyes plot the next humiliating scenario that we will put each other in.

Perhaps the Battle of Masterpieces will never be won. Who knows?

All I know is that it’s been a great way to start of Senior Year with one of my favorite people in the world. Zach’s been by my side for seven years. I’ve been by Zach’s side for seven years. Maybe one of the worst things about knowing that High School is ending is knowing that Zach and I will reach a parting of the ways. Already, the odds of us going to the same college are slim.

I don’t know what the future holds. But I know one thing. One thing that someone very wise told me once…

“It doesn’t matter if it’s 20 days or 20 years…there are some friends that you just hold on to. There are some friends that could call you years from now, and it would be like you’d seen each other just yesterday. There are some friends who you’d always be there for.”

I’d like to think I have a few friends like that…

One in particular, though, is Zach.

Zach is my friend, through and through.

He’s my Zachie-Poo.

And I love him.

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)

Back To School: Senior Year

It’s been a while. A few days. Five or so, by my count. That’s a little embarrassing. I’ll try and look past it.

Basically, I’ve been busy. Really busy. I may have made a slight mistake in my scheduling choice, but I keep telling myself not to think that. That’s not a wise path to travel down. I have to believe that I’m meant to be in the classes I’m in…even if it means I spend most nights this year glued to my AP Chemistry book…

I shouldn’t complain. I mean, my Cross Country Captain, Jeremy, has been taking AP classes since he crawled out of the womb. The kid is insane. I think he’s contending for Most AP Classes Taken By A Gull Lake Student.

Sophomore Year, he took AP World History. Okay, reasonable start. A lot of people did that. Junior Year, he took AP Chemistry, AP Spanish, AP US History, and AP Calculus. Okay…not a whole lot of people did that.

Senior Year? He’s gotta let him self off the hook, right? No.

AP European History, AP Statistics, AP Literature, and AP Language. Overall, there are only two AP classes in my school that he didn’t take (AP Physics and AP Biology). And you know what? His Fifth Block? The extra class that he could take? The one that could be some blow-off class…? It’s Physics.

If he doesn’t get accepted to the best colleges in all the land, I’ll…I dunno, smack myself or something. The point is: the kids a genius. I hold him in only the highest of respects.

But, I’m just trying to explain why I shouldn’t complain. I mean, I’m just taking AP Chemistry and AP Literature. My nightly “work-load” is probably pathetic compared to what he’s been dealing with for two years now.

So, I won’t complain. I’ll simply say that I’ve been busy the past few nights…with…things. Maybe homework.

Overall, though, going Back To School has been awesome. It’s almost like we never left. The halls seem just as familiar and the faces…are, admittedly, a little off (I don’t really know a ton of Underclassmen…frickin’ Freshman…) But it’s all there! The teachers. The new classes. The joking in the halls. The congregations of cliques before school starts. The fresh notebooks. The new pencils. The fluorescent lights. The crowded passing times. The uncomfortable lunch tables. The warble-y announcements. The Foreign Exchange Students. The sound of the Band’s metronome coming from the practice field in the parking lot. The weird tasting drinking fountains. The Senate meetings. The after school Cross Country practices. The fidgety Internet connection. The squeaky Gym floor. The football games. The Lock-Down drills. The gossip. The early mornings. The late nights. Everything. All of it. It’s High School. It’s familiar. It’s a shame it has to go in less than a year.

But, nothing lasts forever, I know that. I’m glad I’ve enjoyed High School while it lasted. This year’s going to zoom by. I know. I’m sure if I blink a little too hard, when I open my eyes, I’ll be standing on the stage at Miller Auditorium…and I’ll be taking my diploma. I’ll be shaking hands with good ol’ Donny-Boy (our Principal). And I’ll be stepping off. Off on my way.

Off to take on Life.

Yikes. “To take on Life”? That still sounds a little scary…

Hopefully I’ll be out of my training by then…

-Brian Wiegand (An Idiot, A Superman in training)