Cool Cherry Cream

I would tell you how nice life is right now, if not for the fact that "Charles in Charge" has taught me better than that.

Jason: Well, you shouldn't be happy out loud. My father always says so, whenever he compliments something out loud, it always breaks.
Charles: Yeah, but I was complimenting my life.
Jason: …goodbye, Charles.
"Charles in Charge"

I've felt that way a lot lately. Walking home, blue skies, beautiful weather. We've put the pool up this year and it's already up to 84, which is really really nice.

I had my math exam last week. I think I did well on the first part of the test, on Tuesday, which was the last three chapters. The next day we did the first three chapters and I wasn't quite as confident about that, mostly due to the fact that I didn't study at all because I was feeling really crappy. Studied all day for the first test though, so I think that really helped.

Also, I am really upset that I got those standard deviation questions wrong. I knew it was wrong. It couldn't be zero, it's impossible. If you're super clever, you probably know what I did wrong: I forgot to square it. Friggin' hell. The question about the moving averages, that too I got wrong. Never really understood that part.

Same day that I was feeling crappy I did my homelessness presentation with Jada, which I think went well. Maybe not as interesting as some other people's presentations, but I think we covered a lot, and it actually went on quite long. Every group was supposed to show a video clip, and the one group that did child sexual abuse showed one about this priest guy who's all like "good night Mr. and Mrs. Smith… oh wait, I forgot to bless the children, let me go up to their little bedrooms and bless them…". But the whole time, I couldn't help thinking how much more appropriate (and entertaining) it would have been to show "Tommy".

Today was my math presentation about statistics in the music industry, record sales, that kind of stuff. I looked at why sales are declining and where the industry is gaining the rest of the revenue. I think my PowerPoint looked damn good, mainly because I'm so nitpicky about things like that. I did my presentation last night a few times and it was always about 15-20 minutes, and that was going fast, so I took out a slide about how the quality of music has declined.

This morning a girl in my Individuals class said that the teacher had wanted us to use more math in our presentations than the first to presenters did. Luckily for me, I had computers next, and the teacher lets us work on other projects if we have them. So I made a new slide looking at matrices and finding revenue and stuff, which I think worked out well. But still, not much math overall.

So, time for math class. Also, we have to peer-review all the other presenters, which I hate doing. I always mark way too hard or way too easy. Usually with PowerPoint presentations though, my mind tells me to mark hard, but I end up marking easy because overall, the majority of PowerPoint presentations are really really bad.

Anyway, I'm second to present. I think it went well, though I feel like I forgot to say a lot of stuff, which is probably why Alex said it felt like my presentation was quick. I also spoke really fast, which I always do. Halfway through the presentation, someone was yelling out in the hallway or something and the teacher went to investigate. Some of the girls in the class told me I needed to slow down, which I knew, but also knew I couldn't really do anything about it, because that's how I always am. Jada later told me that I did slow down after that, but I didn't realize it.

So yeah. I think it went well. But, I mean, I don't want to get my hopes up. It could've gone either way. I know the teacher said she would mark easier on the first few to go, which I think includes me, which I like. But still… I don't know.

All I have left to do for this class now is write an essay, which is due tomorrow, which I am obviously starting tonight. I started it when I came home and I've only got two paragraphs left to do, after taking about an hour break.

I feel kind of bad, because most of my academic stuff is bullshit. I mean, I can get good marks on presentations because I'm good at making it look good. I fool everyone into thinking it is good. I also think my writing has improved a lot. I can use big words and make essays sound good, even if they aren't. Too bad I couldn't do that in grade 11… but let's not talk about that.

So, despite my warning from Jason Pembroke, I have to say that life is good. School is almost over. Life is good. I'd say that hard times are over, but, well, that's pushing it a little too far, and I don't want to jinx myself, you know?