I Can Has Boyfriend?

First, let me begin by giving credit to a group of people who I love more than anyone would ever know- you guys, the readers. Your support and advice has made this entire process so much smoother and memorable than I could ever have imagined. Also, I still can't believe how many followers I have, I was shocked when I had just one, but now at 17, I'm just in a state of shock! Y'all are really the best and I just thought you should know that.

Things have been going smoothly since Tuesday, the world did not stop spinning, the moon didn't implode, the ground did not open up and swallow me whole, no, it's just another school week. A few more of my friends know now, mostly through one of my other friends telling them and they've all been supportive. In other news, things have been pretty smooth lately - I did surprisingly well on a Gov essay I wrote last week and there has been a relative lack of "O My God" moments which is honestly quite a rare occurrence in my group of friends. I have an English timed writing tomorrow on 1984 tomorrow and i have my (hopefully) last SAT II subject test on Saturday. I can't wait until that is finally all done and over with, I'm really tired of these tests, I honestly believe way too much emphasis is placed on the score of a handful of tests.

Homecoming is slowly approaching, two weeks is all that's left before the first major dance of the year. I'm going out to dinner with some friends as I've done all these years, I think we're going to an Italian restaurant this year. Matt's going to Homecoming with another girl from our French class. They've been relatively good friends since last year but when I asked him, he said they were just going as friends. I honestly shouldn't care so much but the fact this this girl waits for Matt outside of class makes me wonder :/ Anyways, this long weekend (thank you Mr Columbus!) looks to be pretty fun apart from the SAT Saturday. I have a birthday party Saturday evening which I still need to buy a gift for and on Sunday it's my grandpa's birthday. Everyone is just gettin older!

Now that I'm finally coming out at school, hopefully I can find myself someone special, namely a boyfriend. I did a little math in a previous post and worked out that there are about 8-9 gay/bi guys in my class. Now, considering I only know of two being out, it makes we really curious who else might be out there, whether I know them or not will probably be the most interesting part. In a perfect world, I'll get a boyfriend by homecoming so I can have someone to walk down the field and dance with, but that will probably not happen. I already wrote on my info sheet that my best friend Maria would be my escort. Also, I finally saw everyone else on the HC court, and like I expected, it's the usual group of jocks, preps, popular jerks and socialites with me on the side. Now, I know some of the people have a loyal following of friends, but my ever so enthusiastic friends are trying their hardest to get me to win this round with a Facebook group and such, we'll see how it all turns out in two weeks.

Care to be my Homecoming date?

All the best,

JP

Update and a Trailer

For consistency's sake, I decided to post a quick update as to what's been going on in my life as of late. This past weekend was relatively uneventful, I did get some autumn clothes shopping done and got two light jackets to keep myself warm at least until December, and I got a good chunk of homework finished which hopefully will pay dividends this week. So far, this weeks seems relatively quiet, the only assessment as of now that I know of is a French quiz about le passé composé et imparfait (past tense and imperfect past tense respectively) on Wednesday which sounds simple enough but is confusing nonetheless. Annoying things is, even after learning it for the last 3 years, I manage to still forget it and have to relearn everything all over again, sigh. Tomorrow I have Physics again which is currently driving me insane because my teacher is semi-insane, knowledgeable, but insane and the other students are so lacking in basic scientific knowledge it makes my head hurt. Super Seminar is beginning to get more work heavy, I have a good amount of stuff I need to get done this week including some readings one of which is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. Tomorrow is also the day I get the results of my first Calc test which I'm kinda worried about, but the main highlight for tomorrow will be the distribution of the first issue of the newsmagazine for this year! From what I was able to see it should be fantastic and hopefully we will do even better this year in competitions. Finally, I decided to run for VP of my school's FBLA chapter (Future Business Leaders of America) this year so hopefully I'll get the spot, it's a teacher panel decision this year rather than student vote so hopefully my application essay was good enough. Wish me luck :)

Lastly, I watched a really good movie this weekend called Were the World Mine, I really suggest see it if you have the time, it's about an hour and a half and you can find it free on the LOGO website (just google it). It's a sorta movie-musical type thing and it has a really sweet storyline, good acting and great music, and all on a comparatively tiny budget which makes the movie even more amazing.



Have a pleasant week :)

All the best,

JP

Hello, Little Freshmen

So today was the last first day of school and thankfully, it was pleasantly surprising. I ended up with many teachers that I've had in the past, like my 9th grade English Teacher who is now teaching AP English Lit, and my French teacher who I've had now for the fourth year in a row. Actually, most people in my French class have had our French teacher all four years as well, she knows us all very well and is fully aware of each of our own little quirks and habits, so hopefully this will be a good year. Of course, there is the mandatory strange/awkward/moody teacher and this year it's my Physics teacher who seemed rather out of it first thing this morning. In a side note: I swear I'm like only one of four seniors who is taking Physics this year, I just need one more Science credit so I ended up in a first period physics class with almost all juniors, none of whom I know. Fortunately though, I did get lucky with many of my classes peer wise. I have friends that I've known for at least a year in the majority of my classes and this year I somehow got 5 classes with Matt (clouds part, cue angel chorus), I hope I won't be too distracted during all the lessons lol. Anyways, all my other teachers seem really nice, I didn't really get much in terms of homework quite yet, mostly a lot of forms I need to get signed which I'll probably get done tonight.

Now being at the top of the dangerous and trap ridden high school food chain, it's fun to see the little freshmen and think that that was me only a few years ago. Time really does go by so fast but in these few years there are a few bits of wisdom I'd like to pass along to the underclassmen.

Freshmen - I know you're probably terrified, heck, this is probably the biggest congregation of teenagers you've ever seen, but there's no need to worry. If you need help, whether it be finding a class or how to do well in a class or an assignment, just ask us, the junior or senior class. I know we look imposing but most of us are friendly and will gladly help you out, we've had to go through everything you're going through and you can learn from our mistakes.

Sophomores - So you've survived freshman year and have moved up one step on the high school food chain, good for you. This is the year to start getting more involved in the school, join some clubs, find a sport to do if you haven't yet or start building up your resume by getting a part time job. Just be sure you don't lose sight of your assignments.

Juniors - Work hard this year, and I really mean it. Junior year will probably be the year where you either break it or make in in high school. You should be taking some AP or IB courses this year in order to challenge yourself, sure it might be a lot of work, but it's probably be the best year to prepare yourself for the real world before the dreaded disease known as Senioritis sets in as laziness and sloth seep into your brain. Get looking at colleges too, soon you'll be working on college applications and before you know it you'll be packing your bags and setting off for your dorm! Keep it up this year, and you'll be greatly rewarded for all your effort in the near future.

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In other news, my friend Maria decided that she would take me out to dinner on Friday for my 17th birthday which is actually on Thursday. I think the place is a Brazilian Barbecue restaurant in the area which should be fun and different, I haven't had that in quite some time. The original plan was supposed to be Saturday but I'm going to UPenn for a college visit that day so it wouldn't have worked out, oh well.

So overall today went well, got some nice teachers, met up with many old friends, and I got a lot of classes with someone I truly care about. Hopefully this will be a good year.

Oh, finally, Question of the day-

If you could re-do or change one thing during your high school years, what would it be?

If you'd like, you can explain why. I love hearing other people's stories and experiences.

Work Printed, Bag Packed and Ready to Go

It seems like only yesterday that summer started, the saying of good-byes to the seniors, emptying out my locker, finding out my final marks for each class, yet this in reality was about two months ago, ouch. But yeah, one day left until senior year which is exciting and rather daunting at the same time, but hopefully seeing people I haven't talked to since June will cheer me up. Today was pretty boring, pretty much putting the final touches on my AP summer work, printing it all out and digging out my binders from last year, dumping out the 20 lbs. of paper that have accumulated over time, and getting all my new supplies organized and ready to go, exciting, I know.

So how would I rank this summer to other years? Well, pretty high actually, apart from the occasional drama (creepy guy asking me for money in Vegas and not being able to actually say goodbye to Ben), I had plenty of fun. I found plenty to do in Vegas from shopping and exploring the various attractions in Vegas and I got to meet some very nice people on the cruise and I even got to bond a little with my cousin who I never actually see more than twice a year. So, buying stuff I don't actually need and making new friends, sounds like a plenty productive summer for me. But probably the most memorable aspect of this summer would be how much this blog has grown - from my first subscriber Fer way back when to the current 11 (do my eyes deceive me!? Love Y'all), I really believe I have found a permanent outlet for myself to express my true personality and self which I would otherwise have to keep bottled up from 98% of people. So I guess the main thing I can say is a giant "Thank You" to everyone for making my summer truly the most memorable I've had.

I'll probably end up spending my evening reading over my summer work one more time and make last minute corrections as my OCD self kicks in, but tomorrow I plan to spend Labour Day doing what I do best - relaxing and spending way too much time on the computer. oh the joys of technology.

In anticipation of the new school year, I'm bracing myself for some high school drama once schools gets going Tuesday, it's about as inevitable as the rising sun and taxes.

Also, my 17th birthday is in 4 days and I'm so excited!! :D

Insured! and Prop 1

Today I finally did something I've procrastinated for too long a time, me and my mom finally paid visit to our car insurance agent to get me added onto my parent's car insurance plan. We had planned to do this for about two months now but we always seemed to find some way to push it another two weeks until now- we finally got it done. Apart form all the techincal jazz, at the end of the day, it really means one thing - I will finally be allowed to drive by myself, so, if you live in the D.C. area, get off the roads or brush up on your emergency avoidance skills, haha. No worries though, I'm not a reckless driver by any means, i don't use my phone while driving and I can barely text properly even when I'm not distracted so I definitely won't be doing that either. Speeding shouldn't be a big issue either, traffic in the area, while not extreme, will naturally limit me to well below posted speed limits for the majority of the day and evening. I guess then if I do every want to let loose, I'll have to spend the $1,000 plane ticket, $1,500 hotel fee and $800 car rental to go to germany and experience it's Autobahn. (Effectively #6 on my to-do list for life according to what I wrote back in 8th grade for an English assignment)

Anyways, the meeting went all well and smooth in the end. The guy we worked with was funny and very likable and we worked out every possible discount we could, a good student discount and a some safe-driving booklet thing was was essentially like a homework book that I had to do- essentially, I had to fill out a book totalling an hour of work which eventually ends up as an $240 savings per year that I get in return, nice! Despite all of this though, I still effectively almost doubled my mom's yearly rates, one of the great bonuses associated with being a male, teenage driver.

Being Friday, it means there is now only three days until school officially starts up again for me. I finally got my schedule a few days ago and I got lucky this year and got some classes with friends I haven't had classes with since freshman year, I am also guaranteed at least 4 classes with Matt this year including journalism which I will thoroughly enjoy. I plan to enjoy this last weekend of summer with some quiet relaxation time before the inevitable bustle of Labour Day packing and getting everything ready for school. Anyways, I hope everyone who starts school this coming week a pleasant final weekend of summer, and for everyone who has already started school, I hope you had a pleasant return back to school and I wish you a successful year.

Also, for anyone who lives in the great state up north known as Maine, I implore you and anyone you know to please vote "no" on Proposition 1. Proposition 1 is much like the highly covered Prop 8 initiative in California which aimed to limit equality for gay couples. Even if you do not live in Maine, it is imperative that everyone try to contribute something to the effort to prevent Prop 1 from being passed in November.

More Info - Protect Maine Equality

Reflecting on Junior Year

Today was another milestone in my 16 years, I have completed my junior year of high school. In the end, it all ended up turning out alright, my GPA is a very happy 4.14 for the year but probably only because I had to work my ass off for the last quarter of school, jeez I wish i could recover all those lost hours of sleep. But yeah, it was fun, as I mentioned before, me and a group of friends dressed up mafia style today and freaked out a few people in the halls and the occasional teacher which was fun to day the least, we ended up going to one of my friend's houses and watching the Godfather 9first time for me), playing Halo 3 (which i sucked horribly at) and eating pizza and cake for lunch (which, thankfully, I'll always be good at).

So what have I learned this year? well apart from all the stuff in the land of academia, i also learned some important tips and lessons during my tenure as a 11th grader. First, be nice to the teacher, seriously, i lost count of how many times i have been able to get away with some things or have been able to away opinions because a teacher likes me (i'm hardly a teachers pet either). Another lesson, get sleep, and plenty of it. I did crew this year, and being a novice this time 'round I guess I didn't sort out my time properly since for pretty much half of 2nd and all of 3rd quarter, i ended up going to bed at about 2AM (note, I get up at 6:20), so that probably hurt me in the end. Third, You can never underestimate the value of friends, even if they can be bitchy and nagging at times, if you can get through those periods, you can trust in the fact that you will be on good terms for as long as you and your friends live. For me at least, I am not one to be easily become close friends with, I need time to decide if I can trust someone so my inner circle is made up only of people who I know I can trust with even the most unsavoury of secrets. That's why i appreciate my best friend who shall not be named, but let's just say she was the first person I came out to on, and, i can't believe I actually remember the exact date, on July 22, 2008. Remember now that this was a time I was so afraid and absolutely terrified about this that actually telling someone would be as big of a step for me as the discovery of penicillin was for the field of medicine. And a fourth and final lesson, remember to have fun, school is stressful enough and there is no need for your life to be filled with long nights and constant work without some respite and relaxation. take some time to do something you enjoy, have a cup of tea, listen to some music, or just take a nap, seriously, it does wonders. My own mission statement for life in a nutshell is "work hard, play harder", you only have one life to live, make the most of it.

Okay, now that all that jazz is over, it's time for me to start enjoying summer before the flood of summer AP assignments (remind me why I'm taking 4 classes and taking 5 tests next year?) and never ending college visits takes root. As the one year anniversary of my initial coming out is rolling around, I was thinking of coming out to all my friends this summer, not just because it's one year, but just because I'm much more comfortable with myself now and I think it would benefit both me and my friends and people I know to be able to know the true me and not just a masked version. I'll see what happens, hopefully I can get a boyfriend next year or at least have a date for homecoming, but maybe I'm looking a little too far into the future haha.