Dang, a lot has happened in recent months--I really haven't been able to keep track of much anything, really. Well, I finally have a bit of free time before I get back to work on homework, so I think I'll just blabber on about what's happened ever since the beginning of October--or where my last journal entry left off.

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HOMECOMING & SPIRIT WEEK

For the last one I'll ever participate in, it was a good one. Absolutely wonderful. More hijinks, more craziness, more fun all around than last year's. Oh yeah, and it's still pretty much "Excuse-to-wear-jeans Week."

If I can remember correctly, the theme of this year was "The Spirit of Competition."

And now, a brief recap of all the days!

Look-a-like Day

So they got rid of Decades Day for this new day. The concept of this day is to, if you haven't gotten the title yet, dress up like someone else and, well, look-a-like. There were some pretty cool costumes out there--the Junior class had a thing where all the guys dressed like the Blue Man Group, and some of the sophomores and freshmen dressed up like Secret Service members and Chicago mobsters. Didn't really need to do much for this day--just wore a button down plaid shirt and jeans, which a lot of the guys in our class did.

Color Wars

Like last year, wear the color that is chosen by your class. For our class--since we're Seniors and we're supposed to be "dynamic"--we chose tie-dye. Pretty easy for me to pull off--I already had a tie-dye shirt from my visit to the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont over the summer. But, for those who didn't own anything that looked like it got chewed up by a demonic washing machine, the class got together and made tie-dye shirts the week before!

Career Day

Also like last year, dress like your desired occupation. This was a simple day for me to do--I grabbed my Harvard university sweater, strapped my guitar on my back, and called myself a starving college student who plays on the street for extra money.

Somehow, I found that description somewhat foreshadowing, but it worked nonetheless.

Clash Day

Just like last year, 1982 comes again to barf upon the school with awkward fashion, awkward haircuts, and sheer awkwardity all around. Also, the day when everyone starts to freak out from the stresses of putting the final touches on the Homecoming gym decorations and Pep Rally skit.

Which reminds me, I actually have a very interesting story to tell that relates to this day that happened this Spirit Week.

It was during that Thursday, after school, and we were working on our skit for the Pep Rally (if you want an idea of what it looks like, type in "faith baptist homecoming sen10rs" and click on the first hit.)

So anywho, there's this one part in the skit where we all jump off the chairs backwards--now pay attention to htat detail; it becomes key to the entire story. We were practicing the skit in its entirety outside the homeroom when, and I knew this was gonna happen to someone, while we were jumping I, well, snagged my foot on the chair. Needless to say, I fell back, hit my head on the nearby wall, and popped the joints in my right knee. Obviously, everyone came to see if I was still all right--which I was--and told me to lie down while another of my classmates--a trained lifeguard, nonetheless--asked me a few questions and led me through a few tests to determine the state of my memory and whether or not I had given myself a concussion. I hadn't, and, truth be told, just needed to sit down for a bit because my leg felt a little stiff.

Jersey Day/Pep Rally

I had stayed 'till about 8:30 after my precarious fall the other night, and when I came to inspect what the others did after I left, I was floored by what they had come up with. It was colorful, it was bright, and it looked a heck of a lot better than anything the other classes had come up with during their stays the night before. I remember seeing the sponsors for the 8th grade--who were the sponsors for last year's Seniors (who we soundly thrashed)--giving our gym decorations evil glares the night before; I could see why.

So the Pep Rally went without a hitch, full of fun and games and crazy epicality that usually fills the Pep Rally. Like I stated before, the theme of this year was "The Spirit of Competition," and as such there were a bunch of skits related to the spirit of competition. The 7th grade tried to pull of American Gladiators, but it really wasn't the same without the star power that is brought about by Hulk Hogan. The 8th grade arguably had the most violent skit in recent history, covering the conflict of Man vs. Machine. The 9th grade had the theme of, and I'm not kidding about this one, "Carl's Jr. vs. Every Single Other Fast Food Mascot."

Yeah...not much to talk about with that one.

The 10th grade had some sort of jobby about the conflict of "Jedi vs. Sith" from the Star Wars mythos. Did not understand it AT ALL. Honestly, they had possibly one of the better concepts that could have been drawn, and they just didn't execute it well enough. I mean, with better execution, they could have swept it. But, they didn't.

The 11th grade, under the cry of "REDEMPTION!" after their stunning loss last year, to the concept of America's got Talent for a chance at winning. It was pretty cool--ripped off Youtube, as always, but good. They even took a bit of an homage to our skit from last year!

Our skit was another choreography-based skit, just like last year. Lots of participation, which I think was why we won out in the end--that and natural bias toward the Seniors, but that's for another time.

So yeah, we won out on Homecoming again, and we gloated it off on our pompous butts because we're just plain awesome that way.

We were so awesome, we went Cosmic Bowling a few days after.

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WOLFMOTHER'S COSMIC EGG--An Honest Album Review

So chances are you've heard of these guys--"The New-Age Led Zepp from Australia" as I've heard them sometimes called. Their first album sure did carry that vibe, from the powerful chords in "Woman" to the Bron-yr-Aur-esque bass stomp of "Vagabond".

Their sophomore release carries the same vibe, but it becomes blended with their own style all throughout. It's a wonderful thing and the perfect mix--aspirations and tributes to the old school combined with the raw power and beauty of original ideas. Recommended listening would have to be tracks 1, 2, 4, and 6.

Lots of fuzz rock influences, lots of powerful guitar tracks, and more bellowing vocals that bring about slight memories of Robert Plant. Overall, a good album, 4.5/5 stars. Definitely going on my album.