The Log of the U.S.S. Adam

Wow.  I’m so speechless that I’m going to write a triple-digit-word blog post.

High School is just around the corner, and I’m preparing to face it.  And when I say face it, this is what I mean:  I’m going to hit it at full speed, just like a linebacker slams a running back.  That’s how.  Except, unlike a linebacker, I’ll probably bounce off and wake up wondering just what hit me.  Maybe a linebacker.  I know it’ll be tough, but I’m ready to face the music, err, the homework.  “High School: the mouse race to prepare you for the rat race.”  I think that pretty much sums it up.  Of course, any good High School student should be telling me that I should sight my source for that quote.  So, for you good students out there, that quote is of unknown origin.  Now, for you good students who noticed I didn’t state whose quote that was, you also should have noticed that I should have said “cite my source” instead of “sight my source”.   I don’t expect most high school students to catch both those errors, because “Our bombs are smarter than our high school students.  At least they can find Kuwait.”  That quote was from A. Whitney Brown, you whipper-snappers.  Anyway, I digress.  Until the fun starts, I’ll be gearing up.  Have you ever noticed how gearing up for school has changed drastically over the last few decades?  Back in the 20th century (Yes, the 20th century), gearing up for school involved getting one or two new pairs of pants or a dress or two (or refurbishing yours or getting hand-me-downs from older siblings or acquaintances).  Maybe you would get some pencils, pens, and some rubber boots.  Nowadays, two months before school starts, big stores are already exploiting the commercial potential of the “holiday” of Back to School.  Between the 4th of July and Halloween, the stores have decided to make the return to educational facilities a money-making ordeal.  To stay “in”, you just have to get an iPod (to help you study, of course), multiple new complete outfits from name-brand retailers, a new binder or two, a new backpack, maybe a laptop, new shoes, and the list goes on longer than your teacher can string out a lecture on parasitic nematodes.  And you know how long that really is.  But retail hype is not what education is all about.  It’s about the learning, the homework, the friends made, the smell of new books, and that glorious feeling of a sunny spring day afternoon following school.  That’s what it’s about, and that’s what I’m about to face.  Just like a linebacker.