Fall 2007

Beginning High School, September

I started high school on September 4, 2007. I was both excited and bummed to be going—really sorry for summer to be over, but glad to be with friends again daily. I’m taking honors English/social studies, honors chemistry, math analysis, French II, and concert band. I also tried out for Jazz Band and made that, which meets for an hour every day before school starts. All my teachers except my “Reb time” counselor are women. The band director’s really nice but more focused on classical than jazz music. I really miss my junior high band director, but I’m going to make the best of it.

Homecoming Dance, October

My high school’s Homecoming Dance was Saturday, October 27^th. It was my first formal dance, and it was quite the lesson in money management. I hadn't yet been to a dance that involved renting tuxes and limousines. Mom and I agreed that money spent on a tuxedo rental for a sophomore was silly, so she took me shopping, and we bought a nice jacket and tie that I can wear again.

I went with my friend Anita, and we had a really good time. Early in the afternoon a bunch of us guys [left] went to Dane’s house. We played basketball and video games for over an hour and then spent 20 minutes getting ready. Then we headed to Kristen's house, where all of the girls had been preparing for the past 4 hours.

Next we went to Molbak’s nursery, where the guys set up a treasure hunt for the girls to find their corsages. A friend of someone in the group took some pictures of all of us (as did lots of parental units). Anita was the sophomore homecoming princess (yes, I went with royalty), which is why she wore a tiara and sash [right].

Next we drove in three vans to the Purple Café, where we ate as a group of 13, without adults. Dinner was really good (except for the octopus). In the end, the management told one of our chaperones who’d come to pick us up that we’d been such a pleasure to have that they were giving us a discount on the meal.

The dance was at the Inglewood Country Club. Lots of guys in tuxes, girls in fancy dresses, and flowers on everyone. The only bad thing, really, was that the DJ as one of the worst I had ever heard. He liked to stop songs in the middle and change randomly, which made for some awkward dancing.

After the dance we all went to Ryan's house, where I spent the night and got a couple hours' nap at about 5:00 in the morning. When I got home on Sunday I plopped down in a chair, popped in The Polar Express, and zoned out for the rest of the day.

Lake Washington District Honors Orchestra, November

On November 7th, I was one of two trumpets, among over 70 musicians (mostly strings), who played in the Lake Washington District Honors Orchestra.

It was an interesting situation because, originally, one of two the trumpets was Matt, a senior at my school. The other was a guy from Eastlake High, who showed up for the first practice and then never returned. Consequently, Mrs. Lane asked me only five days before the concert if I would like to fill his spot. I said yes, but I had only one practice with the orchestra before having to perform in front of a gym filled with parents [above—that's me under Mom's subtle arrow].

The music was good, though; we played Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "The New World" Op. 95—Finale, and we got lots of positive comments afterward.

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