My Favorite Place

Some may find this topic to be a bit unoriginal, and perhaps you're right. It seems like one of those questions that would be on a "Getting to Know You" worksheet (the ones we get on the first day of school, with the same questions every year). But before you judge my topic choice too harshly, let me tell you a little about Christina's basement.

It's sort of like walking into a time warp; like someone froze the room in 1999 and no one has touched it since. We all revert back to our childhood, instantly shedding all tawdry facades and allowing ourselves to let go. We don't pretend to prefer baroque art or music, in fact, we all admit that Disney is our favorite. One entire wall is filled with board games, and the other with all the best Disney movies (VHS of course). These two things are enough to keep us entertained for hours, and time just seems to stand still. 

Lying on a big comfy couch, we all feel free to say absolutely anything we want. We can talk about people who have been acting perfidy, or have just gotten on our nerves. We can scream, sing, or do absolutely anything we want in Christina's basement. If I feel as though I've hit a nadir in my life, walking in is like going back in time, back to when things were much simpler. 

When someone else walks in (such as Christina's brother), he will often find us dancing maladroitly around the room, doing things we would never do on an actual dance floor. We've grown accustomed to the stigma that might come with this, and none of us mind. Some may think we have ceded our dignity, and maybe they're right. All I know is I much prefer it that way.

There is no other place that I have ever felt as comfortable, or as free. We can be whoever we want to be, without fear of any judgement. All we do is laugh, laugh loudly and constantly and for hours. Hours that mean nothing, because time means nothing. There is a working clock in the basement, but the numbers simply don't make sense in our head. Sometimes it's because we aren't willing to comprehend the notion that we have been lying in her basement for twelve hours. But usually we don't even look because we're much too preoccupied with our own fun. 

You Win

(Mrs. Abrams: There are no vocab words in this blog. While you should certaintly feel free to read it, I don't want to waste your time if you're in a rush.)

1. "If a car with a mass of 1250 kg is traveling at 105 m/s, what is the total work being done?"

What an interesting question, Mr. Cann. I bet you had to think really long and hard for that one. Okay Sam get to work. Did you know that you can divide both numbers by five? I wonder if that was on purpose. Probably not. Someone in the hallway is wearing loud high heels. I hate that. Alright so work equals force times distance. So 1250 times...Oh wait. 105 m/s is not a distance. Oh no. Oh no. 

Okay, you know what? That's fine. I can handle it. I can handle being given a velocity instead of a distance. Do you know why? I can find the distance! I can find the...wait. No. You can't find the distance. The distance cannot be found.

So how is this problem possible?! Where is my formula with velocity? Do I have one? So how should I convert? Do I want to convert? Why is it so cold in here? Is the window open? Sam you don't have time to worry about windows focus on the test! 

How big is 1250 kg anyway? Is that the size of an average car, or is it more like a person? Only science people weigh things in grams. Now, give it to me in pounds and the whole problem starts to make sense. Give it to me in pounds and the lightbulbs go off in my brain, painting pictures in my head. Ha, who am I kidding? It wouldn't make a difference.

What were you thinking, Mr. Cann, when you wrote this problem? Were you trying to trip us up? Because if you are, that's a nasty thing to do on the first question. The first question should boost our self-esteem, it should let us think we're capable physics students for at least a few more seconds. Then the next question should crush us, it should drive us screaming out of the room. It should leave us crying on the floor, begging for mercy. That's how this should have worked, Mr. Cann. You never want to flip us out on the first question. 

Will you laugh while grading this? Will you fall out of chair laughing? Will you call up your friends, William and Borislaw, and will you all share a big chuckle over this? Or will you grimace, and pity my lack of brains? What I'm really trying to ask is, how much enjoyment will you take out of my failure? Don't get me wrong, I understand why grading my test is humorous. But still. If I'm miserable, you shouldn't get to laugh. Maybe that's not fair, maybe it's none of my business. But still. 

Maybe I'll hand it in now, completely blank except for cross outs and doodles. Maybe you'll give me a few points for drawing a heart, smack in the middle of my workspace. Or maybe if I copy the formulas, really, really neatly, you'll be so impressed by my effort that you'll award me a point on this exam. 

Do you make up formulas, concepts, principles, laws and just throw them on the test, creating a nice little hodge-podge of made up information? What's the point of assigning us homework if it's not even going to resemble the exam? Honestly, who would know if you gave us one easy problem? Would you get in trouble with your supervisor, would he actually be upset if there was a single problem that actually had an answer? One problem would have been nice, Cann. One solvable problem...well it would have been a nice Christmas present. But it's alright. Too late now. You win. 

Btw: I managed to pull off a 48% on this test. And I was happy. 

 

Oh Monica

You know how every year, you have that one person that you feel like you spend the entire day with? This year, I have classes three through eight with Monica. Since we spend so much time together, it would only be appropriate to dedicate a blog entry to her. 

  Even though she can often be very garrulous, I usually appreciate her keeping me occupied with her odd conversation. She doesn't realize when I'm not listening to her, and it's always amusing when she finds out. Yesterday she had a five minute conversation with herself about how difficult it is for her to open a door. This is the type of colloquial conversation she engages me in every day, and I've found it's often difficult to listen. She usually brings interesting comestibles to snack on during Convoy's class, although she doesn't always share them. She gets very cranky when she doesn't get her mid-afternoon snack, and you don't want to be around her. 

While it might sound like I spend the entire day making fun of her, she also has her fair share of fun with me as well. She enjoys mocking my credulous nature, and often convinces me that we have a test next period even when we don't. My cryptic remarks are never let go, and she takes pleasure out of making sure the whole class hears them.

The best thing about Monica is she can always make me laugh, even when it's at my own expense. She makes me feel better even when I'm having a bad day, and I'm really glad that I see her as much as I do.