I've been kinda lax on the blogging lately, and to be honest I don't have an excuse as to why. Sure, school is school, but I rarely do any homework at home anyway. I haven't been doing a lot of other tech stuff lately either... I guess I just forgot about this thing. I have been sleeping a lot lately, not sure what that's all about.
Speaking of school, I figure I should update on that. The first quarter's over, and as the grades start to finalize, it's pretty easy to form opinions now. 
Mrs. O'Brien (Early Bird P.E.): A decent class. O'Brien is fair, but weird. Gym is gym, and there's not a whole lot to say about it. The only reason I'm getting a less-than-stellar grade is because I slept late several times, and as a result didn't come to class.
Quarter Grade: C
Mr. Conard (Physics 400): A moderate challenge. Conard is a great teacher, and I really respect the guy, but I frankly should be studying a lot more for the class. I know I can do better, because the grade I got was with the sleeping in class, copying homework minutes before it's due, and the finishing up the next period's Spanish homework during his lectures. We spend a great deal of time going over problems, but I've come to view that as both a blessing and a curse. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Quarter Grade: C- (weighted)
Srta. Little (Spanish II): My newly discovered least favorite class of the day, something I feared Chemistry would hold (even though Chem is a ridiculously close second). The foreign language department really needs to have an honors course for the lower level Spanish classes (only Spanish 4 and 5 are AP). We spend enormous amounts of time on the same concepts, and while I recognize the need for some to have them drilled into their heads... I. Don't. Need. That. If it wasn't second period (where I'm still on my peak from the morning cup of coffee), I would sleep in that class every day. Little herself is a strict teacher, which I'm not thrilled with of course.
Quarter Grade: B
Mrs. Boyle (Chemistry 400): As I said above, Chemistry is my second least favorite class. The concepts aren't entirely new, they just seem vaguely familiar. This would be an ideal course for me to take as an independent study, but I'm not self-motivated enough to crack open my textbook to learn. I'm doing pretty well in the class, at least I would be if I did my homework on a consistent basis.
If you had asked me yesterday, I would have told you I hated Boyle. But after today, I'm not sure how I feel about the teacher. So I'm chatting with Mike right outside the classroom before class, and as the bell rings I end the conversation and walk into class. As she's checking homework, Boyle mentions to me that this is my third tardy, and I'll be serving a teacher detention with her on Friday. Being the argumentative bastard that I am, I take the school rules/assignment notebook up to her and debate several definitional terms such as "in the classroom when the bell rings" and "On your first tardy, you will be warned." She claims I've been late twice before (and to be honest, yeah, I probably have), but she never let me know I was going to be marked tardy. (I'm not sure how familiar you are with the general student demeanor, but we won't assume we're tardy unless we're told. If you can avoid the teacher's eye as you slip into your desk, you're in the clear.) As such, with her being the closest school-rule-abiding person ever, she had to follow the letter of the law, and I got out of the detention.
Then comes the shocker: as she's writing me a pass to my next class (since I stayed late to argue with her), she compliments me on my maturity in dealing with the situation. I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open when she said that. I'm the kind of person that holds grudges. If I was her, I'd be ready to clock that smart-ass student in the face. She told me how when she worked in Chicago they got very confrontational with her about tardies, so she didn't tell students that they were tardy. She told me that she was impressed with the way I handled the situation. I was absolutely floored; what she said was completely unexpected. I personally thought my tone was completely smart-assed and mocking; I was ready to take it to my dean if she persisted with the detention (even though I'd have less luck-- the biased deans side with the teachers in every situation). But then Boyle goes and complients me for, basically, pwning her with the school rules. Hell froze over, and I gained an incredible amount of respect for her. I'm not sure if it'll last, because I had written another smart-ass comment on my bellringer sheet before I went up and argued with her. Regardless, it's almost like I feel motivated to do good in her class now, like I always feel when the teacher is exceptionally nice to me (see Bartell). Weird.
Quarter Grade: B (weighted)
Mr. Bruesch (AP Political Science): The exams are challenging (70 and 72, respectively; no studying) and I didn't do a few notecards on current events, but, even more so lately, Bruesch is cool. He's probably one of my top three teachers this semester. Not to mention the class has actually gotten me more interested in politics then I'd thought: the campaign work assignment was truly a very rewarding experience.
Quarter Grade: C+ (weighted)
Mr. Plunkett (AP Computer Science): It's the Plunkett. What can I say? Still going mind-numbingly slow (especially for an AP class), but it looks like I'll be teaching the next chapter, so that should be fun. I still managed an A for the quarter. Pretty good considering his infamously poorly-worded tests and lack of cushioning points.
Quarter Grade: A (weighted)
Mr. Bartell (English III): Great teacher, decent class. I can't love it too much, because, as a personal rule, I hate English, but Bartell is really cool. Also a top-three qualifier. I actually apply myself in his class, even though I could probably get the same grade without doing so. Allows conferences and rewrites on papers, which is a plus. He grades tough, but I know I'm a good writer when I try to be.
Quarter Grade: A
Mr. Klaeren (Calculus AB): I've been hovering at a B+ for most of the quarter, and I slacked off the last few weeks and brought it down a solid B. I'll try and get back into the homework habit for this chapter. Maybe I can snake an A for the semester. Klaeren and I basically have no personal interaction-- just the way I like it with my math teachers.
Quarter Grade: B (weighted)
Mr. Kowallis (MIDI Music): Joe and I are literally teaching the class starting next week. We use a method of composing music that's different from using the MIDI keyboard, and after Kowalis found out (because our compositions kick so much ass), he's comissioned us to teach it to the class. He even wants me to aide for him next semester after he discovered my awesome computer skillz, something he severely lacks (and admits to). Still doesn't give a ton of musical theory-based instruction on projects, but I've come to work around that. Quite a pushover for my fine arts credit.
Quarter Grade: A+
No idea when I'll have a blog post of any real substance or interestingness, but maybe this'll jump-start me. Who knows?
