Chelsie Standfill’s Day — Highland High School

6:30 a.m. Why do alarm clocks create such an annoying buzz to wake you up? What’s wrong with a nice, calming sound, like chirping birds? Oh yeah, they’re still sleeping!
7 a.m. Time for my morning coffee, the only thing worth getting out of bed for. That and school, of course.
7:35 a.m. Walking down my driveway to the bus stop.
8 a.m. Still on the bus, trying not to doze off. Hitting every pothole in the road seems to be preventing that quite well.
8:25 a.m. Finally at school. I realize I didn’t do the homework for first period. Or second period. I feel a hurried panic coming on.
9:15 a.m. Sitting in first period, watching possibly the first movie ever made. And, to go with it, the longest video study guide ever written. Seriously, how many trees went into this?
9:42 a.m. Why did I sign up for a morning physics class?
10:22 a.m. Hamlet: Isn’t this supposed to be some Earth-shaking, remarkable, intellectual piece of literature? A play to enrich the mind and intrigue people? Frankly, I’m disappointed. Shakespeare is overrated.
10:40 a.m. Is Hamlet even in English?
11 a.m. Lunch, greatly underrated. Finally, some natural sunlight and fresh air. Oh, and of course all the new gossip, since this is the first chance I’ve had all day to see my friends.
11:09 a.m. On this short walk to the store, I have learned of two rumored pregnancies and a break-up, and have been informed that I didn’t complete the worksheet packet for fourth-period French.
11:14 a.m. Armed with a cup of coffee, some chocolate and a bunch of new gossip, courtesy of the mile-long store checkout line, I start the dreaded walk back to school. It seems to be a lot shorter than the walk to the store.
11:55 a.m. French is a lovely language. Really, it is. It makes beautiful music. Just take “Les Miserables” for example. But having to learn the past participles and parts of speech takes some of the glamour and mystique away.
12:25 p.m. I’m starting to appreciate French more now that pre-calculus is slowly approaching.
12:33 p.m. The teacher has left the classroom, so every cell phone in the room has appeared and is blaring inaudible music. And one kid is actually dancing.
12:47 p.m. Walking into my pre-calculus class I feel a sense of impending doom. I am possibly the most inept person when it comes to math. When it comes to going away to college and starting your life, most fear moving and becoming self-dependent. I fear college-level math classes.
1:22 p.m. Staring at my feverishly written notes, I again feel that sense of doom. I can barley read half of what I’ve written let alone understand it. Now I have a headache.
1:32 p.m. Walking to my last class, I hear giggling girls and foul-mouthed boys, scolding teachers and a stern principal. High school really is a cliché.
1:43 p.m. I wisely chose to be a T.A. my last period of the day for the entire year. Most people don’t understand why I would chose to spend an hour each day correcting papers, but it’s more entertaining than you’d think. Some of the answers I come across, especially on pop quizzes, could have come straight from Steve Martin himself.
3 p.m. Just stepped off the bus. I’m headed back home. Only 19 more hours until I start the cycle over again.
3:54 p.m. Just finished my mountain of chores: Laundry, dishes, sweeping. Now it’s time to do my homework so I’m not in a panic tomorrow morning.
6 p.m. Homework is finally finished.
7:12 p.m. Now I have some free time. This is probably the most amount of free time I’ve had all week. I think I’ll go zone out in front of the TV.
8 p.m. TV is making my eyes hurt. I think I might actually do something good for my brain and read a little — but only a little.
8:51 p.m. Brilliant idea! Yoga! The perfect relaxation technique before hitting the sheets. A little hot tea, a little meditation and a lot of sleep and I might actually feel awake tomorrow.
9:58 p.m. Feeling rejuvenated and refreshed after my mini yoga session. Well, it’s time to turn in! Good night!