School?

[Andy]

So by now, everyone's probably adjusted to their new school, right? (Assuming you're attending one) :) So, what's it like? Do you like it? And what are you studying?

I'm taking a Tolkien Seminar, Calculus 2, Intro to the Novel (because I have no idea what a novel is):P, and Object-Oriented Programming. I like all the classes, but Calc 2 is really hard, as I've told some of you. I had a test in it this morning, and I think it went well, but I'm not sure.

[Rafael Domination]

ahhh, college. I get to go there next year.

I find school in Canada much more relaxing. (yes, there's an occasional gunshot here and there, but hey, it beats being whacked to death by a rabid nun in a dingy catholic high school in the scorching hot sun in Dubai...)

[Andy]

Right now my school's having a humans vs zombies contest. Basically, the zombies wear headbands, and they have to run up to humans (who have nerf guns) and yank off their flag or something. If that happens, the human loses the gun, dons a headband, and becomes a zombie.

But if the human shoots them before the zombie gets him, the zombie can't attack any humans for an hour. It's all part of this fun halloween thing. It lasts a week, by which time they want to see if there are any humans left.:)

[Rafael Domination]

Aw...what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All we have for a halloween event is to go look of plastic-bag ghosts in our reaaaaally small school! (Ya, I'm thankful that we even have an event, but you guys get to use NERF GUNS!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW JEALOUS I AM RIGHT NOW? :D)

Sigh...

[Andy]

http://umdnerf.com/

That's the site. At leaest your school has something for halloween. Mine didn't do anything last year. No party, no costumes, nothing. Just wait one year moooore. ;)

[The Doomed Engines]

I'm taking Intro Pyschology, Political Science, Poetry Workshop, and Chemistry.

fun shit.

[Carraka]

Bahahaaa I want to go to your school now!

Even though I would probably hide in bathrooms or something. Eep. All we have is some Costume Spirit Day. And I don't have a costume, so I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just unspirited like that.

[Rafael Domination]

Oh wait...I forgot...are we allowed to swear on this site just like on TW?

Anyhoo...my school did have one good thing last year...we held a can (or food) drive and if we reached a certain quota, a few teachers would dress up in humilating costumes.

Principal...(she's a woman) went as a summo wrestler
Vice principal...Rapunzel (he's a 50-year-old guy by the way)
some bio teacher I forget his name...britney spears
P.E. teacher guy I had for last year...a bridesmaid.

and stuff like that...

[Shaun]

Umm. As for cursing. We'd prefer it be kept to a minimum. If you slip up, no biggy. We're not going to kill you or anything. But if your post is all curse words and there's no reason for it we might get a little uppity about it. But the occasionally curse word isn't a problem. After all, this is a site for writers anywhere from 10 to 30 (well probably 25ish), so there's bound to be plenty of people used to cursing.

As for me. Well I just started going to UC Santa Cruz. It's a decent enough school. The campus is gorgeous. It's right in the middle of a redwood forest, which is wicked cool.
As for classes, I'm taking:
Modern German Fiction
Intro to Musical Drama (it's a literature class on Opera)
Literary Interpretation

I personally like my German class. Literary Int. is pretty much pointless because we're studying French literature, which makes no sense because it's a class on interpreting literature in English...so why we're doing translated works is beyond me. The Opera class is okay, but the reading is really dense and stupid because it talks about stuff that we're not only not learning about in class, but stuff we don't know anyway. The terminology is in Italian or German or French, so it's near impossible to understand what they are talking about and half the stuff we're reading refers to operas we're not even going to be watching in class.

As for school activities. To be honest, I don't get too involved in campus. I mostly write, read, or surf the net. I think the problem is I'm just so much older and more mature than most kids on campus. I don't mean that as an insult, but I just don't fit into pop-culture. I don't listen to loads of emo music, or giggle and prattle on about gossip, or say 'like' every other word. I don't find acting like a moron to be hilarious or cool, so generally I just don't fit in, and that's fine. I'm rather anti-social anyway. I get along better when I'm writing :P
There was a naked run thing they had that I thankfully missed. Apparently every fall all the people on campus streak when the first big rain comes for the fall season. So, I can imagine a few hundred naked college kids running around. I missed it, as I said, and I'm sort of glad. I really don't need that to wake me up in the morning :P.
On to other stuff. The campus has a big anti-speculative fiction binge, which would have been nice to know before I went here. But luckily they have a lot of speculative fiction stuff in their library--criticism especially--and UCSC is the campus that funded and supported the Heinlein Online Library, which it damn well should have since Heinlein lived in Santa Cruz for a good portion of his life.
As for that, umm, I dunno what else to talk about!

[Rafael Domination]

You took German too!

I've taken French, Spanish, German and Arabic.

I've also forgotten all of them...

[Shaun]

No, no, I'm not taking a German language class, it's a German lit. class in translation.

[Shadow]

Right now, school is quite boring. My Drama class is going nowhere, as we've been scriptwriting one script for over a month now. Mostly because this idiot in it is always complaining he can't write and doesn't do the script over homework. Geography is good, as we had a walk around town on an environmental survey (in which I forgot my planned survey, so I had to draw it out on the bus on the way to the starting point). I'm doing crap in Maths, but I've always done crap in Maths, so I'm not really bothered. I wanted to drop Maths but it's compulsory and quite essential, so I had to do it. As for French, which is the only language I'm taking, I'm doing quite well in that, though I forget what I've learnt after every lesson, practically. As for after school, college will be around my area, I guess. Probably Doncaster college as it's new and supposed to be very high-tech, plus it's the closest one to me. As for University, if I ever am going to go to one, I want to go to one in Canada and I've set my eyes on Lakehead. I haven't looked at all of them yet, but Lakehead is my target thus far.

[Carraka]

First of all, I go to a school for people with special needs, (specifically, the need to be challenged,) and every day I wonder whether I made the wrong choice. I feel like I don't get enough time to write, and at this point, it seems that writing and reading are the only things that will improve my craft. But at least I have friends (even though they don't write), the classes aren't boring, and (for the most part) the teachers are good. Plus, I don't spend every waking minute obsessing over my grades/shopping/chatting/on YouTube/on Facebook, so that frees up a lot of time. On the other hand, all that time is being spent here.

I take French, and I love the language. The class--not so much. We have too many quizzes. Except we have even more quizzes in Government. Bio's boring, even though I'm learning stuff, and every day I hear an even worse story about the Bio teacher I'm having next semester. Can't wait. Then I have chorus, which is lovely. Singing, piano playing, laughing, eating chocolate--well, we're not allowed to eat chocolate. But I haven't been caught yet.

Lunch. Then math. I've fallen asleep in 80% of my math classes so far. It makes me feel very bad, because I know the teacher can see. He's just extremely tolerant and seems to take the mindset that if we're sleeping, we'll just have to study more when we get home. It still makes me feel bad. On the other hand, I write a lot in math class. It doesn't help me pay attention, but it helps me stay awake.

English! We write waaay too many essays, and I learn nothing about creative writing, but at least I learn grammar. And it's funny. Plus, it's English. I'm supposed to love it, so I love it.

And then there's PhysEd. Right now we're playing floor hockey. My team seems to think I'm an awesome goalie, even though I've let in five goals. I feel really helpless in that position, so after they score on me, I have to play in the field and whack a couple people to vent my frustration. Even if they score on us while I'm in the field, at least I got exercise.

I just summarized my school day, and I'm about to post this online. Wow.

[Ichigo]

ahhh, college. I get to go there next year.

I find school in Canada much more relaxing. (yes, there's an occasional gunshot here and there, but hey, it beats being whacked to death by a rabid nun in a dingy catholic high school in the scorching hot sun in Dubai...)

YOU LIVE IN CANADA?!

[Rafael Domination]

Yep! Just moved onto it a littile more than three years ago. I love it here! :D

[Nyx]

Where did you use to live before ?(if you don't mind me being nosy!)

[Ichigo]

HOLY CRAP!
I look at you in a completly different way now... There's hardly any Canadians here... But now we'll have to go throught the whole "which province is the best" chat. ;)

[Shadow]

I'm the only english guy on here and my time zone is totally different to yours. How d'you think I feel? :rolleyes:

[Charlie]

I've joined to now Shadow, you are not alone.

[Nyx]

There's hardly any Canadians here... But now we'll have to go throught the whole "which province is the best" chat. ;)

What province do you live in?

[Imelda]

My school is great!

Mostly because I don't go to one. :p 'Cept for work, but that's ok, because it's fun work.

I feel so old now. At least before there were other people at uni ... now I'm the only one working. :(

And OMG, Shaun, you're in the middle of a redwood forest?! I would KILL to be in the middle of a forest! I am so jealous right now ...

[Carraka]

I'm in the middle of a forest! I mean, my characters are, but same difference.

How am I going to find fun work? Oooh I know! I can go work for editors and reject people in the slush pile! People like you. xD I'm sure that will make me warm and fuzzy inside.

[Ichigo]

What province do you live in?

Beautiful British Columbia :violin:

[Nyx]

Oh my god same here! Beautiful British columbia all the way!

[Shaun]

I've been to BC. I used to live in Washington and we drove up there a couple times. It's absolutely gorgeous there, just like it is in western Washington. I quite enjoyed it. Plus, despite what all Americans say, Canada rules :P

[Shadow]

Are you Canadian or American, Shaun? I want to go to Canada for a university, then spend the next few years in a motorhome travelling across Canada and the States whilst writing novels. What I'm going to do to support myself, I have no idea. :rolleyes: I probably won't have enough money to buy a motorhome when I leave uni.

[Shaun]

Oh goodness, I'm American, Shadow. :P. Ironically enough it is a lot easier to do cross country trips in Europe with almost no money than it is in the United States...the U.S. doesn't have Hostels--which in a lot of places in Europe will let you stay in exchange for labor such as cleaning, doing dishes, cooking, etc. The U.S. basically runs on money :P. If you don't have it, tough.
I actually am curious now about Canadian Uni's because a lot of them are teaching science fiction now, which is fantastic. I really want to study SF & F for my degree :(.

[Shadow]

Really? They teach that? Canada, here I come... in several years time. :rolleyes: Really, the US don't have hostels? Can't like motels count for hostels or whatever, though?

[Carraka]

I went to a "hostel" up in New York City with my family, but I don't know exactly how it worked. All I know is that the rooms were very cheap, and the stairways were like the ones in Canada.

I think this country is spoiling me. Very slowly.

[Shaun]

They have them, Shadow, but they are not even remotely common. They teach SF in Canada in some places just like they teach SF in some places in the US and UK. It's just a little more prominent and accepted in Canada thanks to Sawyer.

[Quietus]

Hey guys, guess what!? My school has banned this site! Isn't that so retarded?

[Shadow]

My school has banned Google Images! That just takes the fucking retarded biscuit. Trying to get recycling pictures for Chemistry, oh dear, a massive stop signs jumped into my face because some assholes can't watch their pornography at home. Idiots.

[Shaun]

Why did they ban the site? Can you find out?

[Crocolyle]

They might've just banned all message boards.

[Imelda]

I could write you a convincing message to get it unbanned. I persuaded my council to do it with TW. :P

[Guessed]

I once found a site that would let you bypass internet firewalls... I found it in the vast universe of StumbleUpon, I think. I bet you could google it.

Our school has the dumbest firewalling system. You can get onto public discussion sites, including facebook (not that I'm complaining. I'm at lunch right now.) But search for certain terms on Google and you're immediately halted. A few weeks ago, I was doing a search for Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" story, but google, yahoo, even askjeeves yielded nothing. At the end of the period, I finally realized that they blocked the word "lottery" - yech. u_u

[Imelda]

There are loads of proxy sites, but a lot of schools block those too. :(

[Nyx]

We had a google image ban for a while in our computer lab but it ended up pissing the teachers off more than the students because it was so needed for presentations that the ban was off in less than 2 months...yes pathetic story I know but I just wanted something to throw myself in this thread with:D

[Shadow]

Well, I've discovered if we use Google on Firefox, it's not blocked. Hopefully, the pornography addicts won't discover you can. :glare: