Here's my 5th period blog post :)
Room 170, EJK, Concert Band, is the loudest classroom in my day, but also the most relaxing. Everyone is talking loudly, updating each other on the latest fight, drugbust, or breakup/dating couple in the school, or, more recently, who is going with who to TWIRP.
The saxophones and tubas are usually have their instruments out first, and are busy having mini battles or practicing. The flutes and clarinets are next, followed by the trumpets and trombones, and finally the bassoon (that's me!) and the bass clarinet (someone who doesn't really like me. Prep.).
Its pure cacophony in there before Mr. Kimbrough of Mr. Hansen tap the stand and call out our warmups: "Page 4 number 1!"
The warmups are fairly easy- scales and arpeggios. My favorite warmup is actually a song- Tallis' Cannon. We do that one usually only with Mr. Hansen.
Now the great, revered, yet father-figure to some, Mr. Kimbrough steps up to the stand and asks us to pull our the piece of music we are currently working on, Tribal Quest. and we will pound it as much as we can today.
Most of the flutes love talking, especially Nora and the bass clarinet next to me, Austine (pronounced Austin). They don't like me, I think its cause I"m not preppy.
The saxophones like to practice while Mr K is talking- not a good idea.
Hershel, a goodnatured alto sax, sits beside me. Next to him is one of my favorite people in band, as well as my marching band brother, Brock Ware. Brock is a sweetheart, not afraid to hug anyone who's having a bad day and not too cool to acknowledge you in the hall at school.
The room itself is huge, with what I call 'soundboards' to help with the sound. The room is white just like most other classrooms, but but the soundboards help cause they are a softer NightHawk purple.
Kimbrough is calling people out section by section recommending them for next year's classes. He recommended me for Wind Ensemble (an honor to be in) and backed up Miss Golrick's long ago request that I join Honors Chorus after she heard me unconsciously harmonizing with her when she was singing.
I like that Mr K knows he can toss me into the middle of something -something I have never done before and that is highly stressful- and he knows that I'll be able to handle it.
Its my personal goal to never let him down. Like I told him when I first came, "The harder you push me, the harder I will work."
We've got 3 minutes till the bell rings, so I gotta go.

I'm sitting in Civics and Economics right now, the fist class of my day. It's one of the more fun classes, because everyone is sleepy, so our work isn't that hard.
Just like most of my classrooms, the walls are white, but Miss Denny's room is covered in posters. Granted, they are maps, posters about WWII recruiting and the presidents, but it goves me something to lok at.
Miss Denny has a banner, too, from Applachian University- three time NCAA D I National Football Champions. That was her college, and boy is she proud of it.
Miss Denny is a really sweet teacher, always looks pretty, and has some good humor.
Lorin, who sits on my right side, is sound asleep, waiting for the music to start. Paige, on my left side, is reading a book.
I have to sit in between them cause they hate each other. Don't ask me why.
Anthony is tapping his feet and dropping books to keep himself occupied, while Bashkim is trying to look like he's not getting into trouble.
Its pretty lonely since Tyrewon left- no more songs or imitations. I think we all miss him- him and his crazy ideas.
Marrissa is just staring off into space- I don't think she really cares about any classwork anymore.
I know how she feels.
For some reason, Logan is refusing to pick up his notebook from the front og the room, despite the gact that Miss Denny keeps asking us to pick them up. He is the only one from 1st period that won't. 2nd, 3rd, and 5th still need to pick theirs up. I see some pretty notebooks that I would like :P
Anthony just 'fell' out of his seat and is having a hard time moving, for reasons I don't feel the need to explain. Boys, never fall out of your seat to make the teacher mad. You usually end up getting hurt.
Today (actually 2 days ago now) we're on a no break schedule, so we're in class for longer, which really stinks.
I gotta go though, Miss Denny just told us to pack up.

I'm sitting here in Math class right now, writing this on composition notebook paper while everyone else finishes Benchmark #2 test corrections- I finished mine on Friday.
I'm hoping to do a series of blog posts about each of my classes, for those of you who are homeschooled who still read my blog. They will be out of order (I'm doing my 4th period first) but hopefully you will enjoy them.
Miss Sharp is walking around the room still handing out folders and papers. Mine looks like it has a lot of red marks on it- not a good thing. I hate algebra.
OK, so some of them are good, but not many.
The projector is glaring off the whiteboard again, giving me a pounding headache, while the sun is shining brightly and the florescent lights are slightly flickering. The walls are white, causing the light to bounce off of them, and give the room a very cold, clean, unfriendly air about it.
Even though the classroom is supposed to be quiet, every student finds some kind of loophole.
Zach, who in my opinion is ADHD and a math whiz, is constantly changing positions, tapping his pencil, and tipping his chair back. He's a cute little guy, very sweet.
Nick M bounces his legs up and down, much like me. Shaquan is messing with his jacket zipper and putting numbers into his calculator like its a matter of life and death. Surprisingly enough, he's turned out to be one of my best friends here in the school. Makayla and Brittany M, best friends and the stereotypical snobs, are chomping and smacking gum and using "like" every other word and basing the way the world works on their feelings.
Araya, a pretty blonde haired girl, has a sad story: Dumped by someone she loved. She was lied to, and the guy ripped her heart out of her chest, tore it to shreds, stomped on it, pierced it with a knife, and left her to patch up the pieces as best she could.
Needless to say, every stitch in the healing process hurts.
I've been feeling a little protective over her lately, because I know how she feels and I know that right now she is the most vulnerable. She seems thankful for the protection, though. She's slowly starting to trust me to help and to protect her. I have only seen someone so broken a few times before, and to see her cover up every thing with that gorgeous smile hurts me as well. Cause I know how much she hurts. The things I would do to that boy if I could get my hands on him.
Paige, Kimberly, Kasie, and Brittany H are bugging Miss Sharp for help, and Luke is playing games on his calculator. Dylan is asleep, despite the repeated attempts of Miss Sharp to wake him up.
I've got to run, 3 minutes til the music starts.

I've had a busy week, and its not over yet. Monday is the only day I rode the bus home this week, and I might not ride it for the rest of the week.
Tuesday, I went to my second-but at the same time first- meeting at CAP with Devin Tilley, aka Devlin. Major Wiggs was happy to see me again, as was Mr. Bailey, who gave me my first CAP nickname: Trouble. I don't know why. Me? Trouble? Not possible.
I followed Josh and Devlin around for most of the evening, learning where things were and laughing with them.
Josh will be my commanding officer for 6 months, and already he and Devlin are getting me into programs like Great Start (where Cameron Horner will be teaching the common curtesies of CAP), helping me plan for scholarships to get me into Encampment this summer, and already making me work with them. This coming Tuesday I'll be doing PT with them (heck I'm scared), and then I get my papers to sign up.
I'm going to have a hard time there, I can tell already. Not that I won't enjoy it, but I recently found out that the panicky feeling I get, feeling like I have to run and I can't breathe is a panic attack, and although they are very light and I can control them, its only going to be a matter of time before I start losing control unless I can manage to keep a tight grip on myself. Its kinda scary. On top of that, I have asthma and bronchitis.
And I'll have to remember to call my friends by their title and last name, and to treat them with respect...not what I'm used to doing. So I'm living it up while I can, hangin out with Devin as much as possible and teasing Josh as much as possible before I'm put into uniform.
Gotta go, bell's ringing :)