Welcome to IT

(This is from an IT class when I was in Year 9. The questions being asked are too superlatively easy, dull, what-have-you, so I'm answering them. This class later turned into what-I-call a nightmare class, where it just got so bad that you didn't get any benefit from it. And yes, I have used the format from the Not Always series, but it works)

Classmate: You're on fire!

(I look down.)

Me: No, I'm not.

*Fun* with Omegle

Warning: the link ahead isn't really suitable for under-13s to go on. The people there can often be immature adults.

I did an experiment on http://www.omegle.com/. I did it in question mode as the questioner and all I did was display a statistic. That statistic was relevant to my time on Omegle. (I let Omegle re-use if it was good enough - which I don't think it is - so if you get any statistic, say hi). I changed the parameters of what I was counting a couple of times, and I've got the end result of 300 conversations here:

Number of conversations: 93 Instant Disconnects: 207

(If at least 1 stranger doesn't say anything before the disconnect then it is an Instant disconnect)

Things I noticed:

- Everyone who referred to my gender thought I was male. I'm not - I'm Statistics girl to the rescue!

- If the conversation got long or uncomfortable enough, I'd be disconnecting.

People did say some interesting stuff.

Stranger 2: is this a question?

I don't know - are my statistics a question?

Stranger 2: Thats not a question

Stranger 1: Exactly, Stranger.

There you are then. I think it's clear.

Stranger 1: maybe if you asked more interesting questions OP

Stranger 1: or any question for that matter

I was just giving you a statistic. I didn't care if you actually did it or not.

Stranger 1: what are supposed to say to this? :p

Whatever you like - I don't care really.

Stranger 1: OBJECTION!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S NOT A FUCKING QUESTION!!!

There we are then, case closed.

Stranger 2: who gives a shit?

Stranger 1: Not me

Stranger 2: cant really blame people for disconnecting

Stranger 2: this isnt even a proper question

I said: case closed.

And I'm not blaming anybody.

I'll give you some more soon!

Truth or Dare

You could go for the truth...

Me: Truth.

Semibreve: Okay. What's your secret?

Me: Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........................
...
...
...
I don't think I've got one.

Semibreve: But you must do, because everyone has a secret.

Me: Okay... I don't like going in the water at swimming pools? [I lied.]

Crotchet: That's not a secret.

...But then when you haven't an answer for the question set, you're looking at an awkward moment.

So, you could go for dare...

Classmate: I dare you kiss that boy over there.

Me: *goes to do so having seen other people do dares*

*ends up looking mental to some poor victim*

...but you could be asked to do anything.

The best way is to avoid it altogether...

Person: But it's bad luck not to accept!/Oh, you're no fun.

...
...
I've never done this but this is the result I've seen.

Looking like a good person socially has never been more difficult and embarrassing.

So, what would you choose?

Eid

As yesterday and today is Eid, I am going to share with you prior experiences of Eid at high school.

- When there was only one school-day, almost everyone would be off. In my form, there'd be me, and two other people, George and Alice. No-one else. And in some forms there'd be nobody at all.

- All we'd do is talk with the teachers and write on the whiteboards and maybe play a few games or something, only occasionally would what we did ever be related to the subject we were supposed to be doing.

- The school would be practically empty at break and lunch - meaning a lot more space to yourself. To do whatever you liked. Yay!

- At the end of the day you'd go home having not accomplished anything worthwhile.

- Or, there was the two school-day Eid - but only one day was to be taken off.

- You'd get about half a class both days, some coming in on both, some not at all in defiance of the rule.

- The day was very similar to the one-day Eid, only you were far more likely to do some work.

- Eid tended to be good fun anyway.

Word Generating

Let's play a game of Word Generator! Or, while you read the total stupidity I'm about to spew, I'll generate words using a generator and then ramble a bit about them. Or something like that.

Address: I often spell this as 'adress' without meaning to - it's just bad habit! An Address could be a house address or an email address. My 'Blog Address' is where you can contact me if you need to - but only about the blog - minimperson@gmail.com. Anything else, tough luck. If you are known by me, you should have another suitable means of contacting me, and if you aren't known by me, you shouldn't need anything else. So there. (and yes I will try to reply, and yes, you may speak criticism as long as it is constructive). So there you go. Next word please.

Rock: These things are everywhere on the ground and you can get them for free. They can be used as a weapon but you will probably be arrested for it. Certain Pokemon can disguise themselves as rocks. Rock 'n' Roll is when you pick up a rock, and you roll it down a hill watching what it does. I'm just kidding. It's a music genre that is associated with rock cake.

Voting: At school you would have votes for Form Captain, Vice Captains (boy and girl) and Form Representatives (again, boy and girl). I often tried for one of these positions before I realized that I would not be a good choice for any kind of job that involved talking to other people. One year the Vice Captain was between me and a short grumpy girl - I had once revealed my less-than-positive view of her to a group of gittish boys because they'd asked about it and I hadn't thought that they'd do anything about it because they'd said something that made me think they were going to keep it to themselves, but instead they shouted it across the grounds (we were doing some Art out there). What happened at this vote? An annoying boy said across the classroom "Don't Vote for Minim!" (Paraphrasing, cos he used my real name). I didn't get the position.

Convert: One boy, I'll call him Ali, tried to get me to believe in God. I'd told him I was atheist. He was a Muslim. I think Ali wanted me to convert to Islam, once he asked me about it but I didn't hear him properly over about a dozen keyboards. I could rant about Music class forever but I'm actually just going to value the fact that I may have written quite a bit and leave you to it. I might rant on another day.

Betraying Trust

As a 10 year old, I was trusted to walk home by myself. In later days I walked part of the way with a nice girl called Hepzibah. But in the earlier days I used that trust for my own purposes.

Going on the swings.

I started off rather paranoidedly (is that even a word?), as you do - it would be one or two minutes before I was hiking home again, smiling about my victory and hastening off home.

It wouldn't be too long before I started to get cocky.

This started with staying longer at the playpark, 5 to 10 minutes minimum. because it was so fun.

Then I started to use the other gate out of school. It was closer to the park than the one I was supposed to use, so I used it. Unfortunately for me the Lollipop Lady there was good friends with my mother and she told Moth that I'd been going out that gate recently. Moth automatically thought "Bullying" and so she asked about it several times. I wasn't supposed to be going to the swings, I thought, so I never said anything about that, and as Moth only followed up the bullying line I got off Scott-free. Which must have been very relieving for Scott.

As I started to get even more comfortable about my stupid little excursions I started going the park way home rather than the way I was supposed to go. This could have caused 152 problems, but only one occurred - that is, I spent so much time in the park that I met my elder brother and sister on the way home. They asked me why I was going that way, and I lied, by saying that I'd been gathering conkers. I'm not sure if they were convinced or not but they never really looked into it.

I started walking with a 6-7 year old and her family instead (My sister thought this was immature, but so was I) and later on, a girl of my own age - Hepzibah. I guess it was more appropriate than playing on the swings.

Constant

I just drew a 'comic' strip, and thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy.

College, or, I Am Weird

I have been attending Sixth Form college for two weeks, now, and I haven't got anything else I want to write about this Tuesday so I'm going to halt production on another names list (I am forever doing names lists) and try not to get distracted by the Tim Minchin DVD (which is really difficult because of certain tendencies towards ADD and a slight sound sensitivity - not to mention that Tim Minchin is Totally Awesome), the cat (my brother's cat!), and

[starts singing along to TM]

[song ends]

What was I on about again?

Okay, I shall do some writing on college, and rate certain aspects - probably comparing it to High School as well.

Social:

HS Rating: 2/10
College Rating: 5/10

My social life seems to have improved. I used to barely speak with anyone except teachers (and I got laughed at for that *sigh*) and those I did speak to in school time outside of lessons either were lots younger than me in the case of later years (year 7/8-ish), a lot older than me and knowing me as "Crotchet's sister" (they'd have been year 10/11 when I was year 7/8). Those my age heard a load of gabble, often about the Chalet School or other things I found interesting (True story: I once spent a whole lunchtime talking about an option in the Maths Challenge - More Information Needed). Well, about, one or two people, really. This was usually early morning to one person, and when another came in, I ended up completely silent while the other two talked for a bit and then went outside for a walk. And then at lunchtimes I'd gabble away until someone challenged me to run around the field once and when I had completed they weren't there and I spent the whole of the rest of lunchtime looking for them and panicking. (Okay, it only happened once, but there's the issue of making it interesting).

Now, I have a better, more balanced way of approaching conversations. Okay, I still would never dare to start a conversation, and don't like to speak in a group (Or even just trying to think myself into talking and Not Doing So - it's worse the larger the number). But, I know different ways to approach conversation (ask questions - this is easier at College level because you can ask what subjects they're doing, and talk about college a bit, and let them talk about things more than you do.

Okay, let's go ahead while Tim Minchin is playing with a wand/conductor's stick thing.

Comfort:

HS: 3/10
College: 7/10

High school: basic chairs, uniform, not very brilliant desk space.

College: more padded chairs, wearing what I like (okay, underwear doesn't tend to be comfortable, but my arms are) and quite good desk space.

Lessons:

HS: 6/10
College: 9/10

High School: At High School people weren't always serious about their subjects, and classes were large. Teachers who had little control over a class meant that classes were so annoyingly rowdy and it was difficult to concentrate and I always had to go back to the old standby of singing, and then people would tell me to stop singing and I'd hum, which would mean they insisted on stopping me from humming, or later me just silent and just wanting to Get Out as soon as I bloody well could. It was especially bad when the lesson was being taken by a cover teacher. I could rant on forever about cover teachers, but this page is pretty long already and I've still got 2 more aspects to talk about (unless I think of any more). However, lessons did tend to be decent, and were bloody awesome if they were being taken by Mr Aitken. But that was just Year 9 Maths, and one in Year 10. I wanted him as Head of Year when I was in Year 11 like he was head of Year 11 when I was in Year 9. He had an office near my form room, but I am going off on a tangent and ought to get on with what I am supposed to be writing about.

College: Classes are smaller and tend to be more serious about what we're studying (we get to choose, see). I also get to sit near the front all of the time where I'm less likely to mishear stuff (although I do do it - 39 for 35, for instance, which is a bit awkward when it's a page in a textbook).

Timetable:

At High School, the timetable was always full. From 8:45 to 3:30, everything you did was timetabled. so you might get, for instance:

Monday:

8:45 - Registration
9:05 - Science
10:05 - Science
11:05 - Break
11:15 - English
12:20 - Lunch
1:15 - Registration
1:30 - Spanish
2:30 - Drama

So all of your time that can be timetabled is.

But at college, it's different because you have time that isn't timetabled. So I have one lesson on a Tuesday, and only one - the other time can be used for study, eye tests, lying in, watching Tim Minchin, blogging, and a lot of other stuff. Socializing would be a big part of that for some people, but probably not me. I'm a bit of an introvert.

Groupwork:

The nightmare of High School, this was. It was a total nightmare. Apart from the fact that I am hopeless in a group unless I have a specific job in it, I am easily distracted by idiots and end up arguing with them because they are too distracting (and so is my currently favorite song with is a Tim Minchin one *roll*). I always find it awkward to talk in a group unless I am making an objection. But in College at the moment there doesn't seem to be that much groupwork, and what's the betting that there is little in distraction? Pretty high, I'd imagine.

Remember me?

N: Hi, do you remember me?

Me: *thinking about high school* Err...

N: Oak class? Mr H?

Me: *trying to remember Year 6* Umm...

N: G's friend?

Me: I think I remember you... err...

Problem with my memory #1 - Forgetting most people I've met before, and/or not recognising them after years of change.

A Fiddle Fiasco

From Year 4 to Year 9, I had routine Violin lessons, always with the same teacher, on a Tuesday. The classes, once a good bit of fun and some extra education in Music, later became an excuse to miss half of my most hated subject - Geography. This wasn't even because I wasn't good at it, I had good marks and everything, but it was plainly not what I'd like - it had a lot more to do with people and later, economics, but I'd rather have learnt names of rivers and cities and stuff like that.

One advantage of having Violin lessons, apart from showing a bright spark in lessons while still missing as much as a quarter of them per week, was half a day out of school near the end of each school year to go to a Fiddle Fiesta (which were much more fun than being totally bored out of your skin in a stuffy classroom full of other students who would be disruptive all of the time). These tended to be good fun.

You'd be preparing for a Fiddle Fiesta for some weeks beforehand, getting all your pieces to practice, whether you were first, second, or third violin. In my first Fiddle Fiesta there were two pieces that were fourth violin, which is almost never used. I remember this because I was lazy and didn't want to do the third violin pieces. Me and B, (an old schoolmate from my Junior school who, like me, liked the Goodies, but unlike me, did not know about the Funky Gibbon) did this. But I am seriously going off track now and ought to explain about the Fiasco.

It was Year 7 that this fiasco happened. I had prepared like all of the other students across the town going to a Fiddle Fiesta. I was dead excited about missing Science and English - especially English which was almost unbearable (I realize later that this could be due to an undermining of my talents (they had me a level 4 instead of 5 like I actually was) and a low intolerance of noise (and that class was really noisy!)). I was also excited at going to a new place to do a Fiddle Fiesta - even if Moth didn't really like it that much (That just made me curious).

So it was the day of the Fiesta. I had my violin (which is an awkward thing to be lumbered with, let me tell you!) and there was some extra food in my schoolbag for eating later. I had to make sure I wasn't tempted by it at lunchtime. I ate as always before zooming off.

I zoomed off to a little area in The Quad, near to the front entrance, and milled around there energetically. Excitement brewing. All of that sort of thing.

I saw my Science teacher as I was jumping around. Without any prior experience or common sense, I felt I had to tell her about the Fiesta. So, I did.

Time went exceedingly slowly for the rest of Lunch, and then Registration, but finally, finally it was the end of registration and it was time to go to the Reception desk ready to leave, collecting our violins/violas on the way (they were kept locked in a room in the music corridor).

We waited in the reception area, sitting on the chairs and so on. Waiting, as business occurred between people and things, and a boy saying he didn't want to go. Hearing some of the business, it seemed that there was some issue up. It was something to listen to, and it did not exactly fill me with confidence. Although I had no idea what the heck was going on.

It had been a very very long time in waiting before the receptionist said to us to go back to classes. From what I can tell now, this is what happened: a parent had volunteered to take everyone to the Fiddle Fiesta. He could take us all - had permission and whatnot. Then his son backed out, and didn't want to go. So because of Protection Laws and whatnot, he now couldn't take the rest of us.

Great.

I wasn't exactly ready to go back to class. I had told my Science teacher that I'd not be there, so how could I? She'd have thought I was lying! And everyone else would stare at me for being so late. It would be so embarrassing. Was there any point of going for the last part of the lesson only?

I went and put my violin away, but I was very reluctant to go to science. I stayed in the music room, and it wasn't very long before English. I went, and got some whispers.

And that is the nearest I ever got to disruptive behavior.

The Sun is trying to kill me...

Most people love the sunny weather and the warmth it provides. It makes the outdoors more palatable for them, it gives them a 'wonderful' tan, and it also makes everyone strangely happy.

I think I am missing out on the good points.

No-one else seems to be a massive ball of sweat burning to death like they're in the oven on Gas Mark 9. No-one else seems to feel a bit sick or anything. And no-one else seems to care that it's burning their faces off, instead all going with their friends and groups and chatting like they don't care about anything at all.

In this weather, I get dehydrated like I am a sponge and all of the water is being squeezed out of me. And this is during low-profile activities, like wandering around the college. Not lost; never lost. Just wandering around. And then I'm dead thirsty so I go to a water fountain (or a "wa'er foun'ain" as is said by the people around). And, inevitably, some always ends up going up my nose instead of into my mouth. I don't know if you have experienced this because I am not you, but it is a very uncomfortable feeling.

Going home is a challenge in itself, after all, you're climbing this steep thing that is known as the hill. But when the weather is oppressing you, making your skin leak hot sticky sweat, burning you up and giving you a familiar feeling that you usually associate with too much car - it's called feeling sick - it turns into a nightmare. You end up concentrating on getting to the next patch of shade, and seeing that shade is rare on the way, well, eeek. Do Not Like. DNL. [ooh, nice abbreviation, Minim.] And when you see that nobody else is having problems, you wonder if the Sun is going "Mwahahaha! I hate you, you weird person, so I'm going to make you suffer,"

And then, when you do get home, guess what now?

The stupid lock won't open because the heat makes it too stiff for your puny little claws to turn, even with that tip that you've been given before. So what do you do now?

You go down the road/hill, because that's where your sister Quaver lives and she might be in and then you can play with your nephew for a bit until Moth's home. And they may have "drrriiiiink" as well.

Only your sister is out, doing some college stuff or something like that.

You decide to return to the doorstep, well, Moth'll be back soon. You also decide to cross to the shady side of the road for a bit more shelter. This turns out to be a good thing, as you end up squatting on the pavement due to the morose heat. (Is morose used in the right context, or do I have to change it?) Only some frumpy woman in her car (and cars often have air conditioning) is frowning at you and you notice when your brain turns from 'smush and cobwebs and no use' mode to 'below average and wants good impression' mode. Embarrassment. Fortunately you're already red and can't go deeper, so you get up and pass her, while she looks disapprovingly at you. You could do the same, really, but you don't.

So you get back home and perch outside, intending to check if anyone was in, in a moment. Well, anyone basically means Moth. And, well, she wasn't in then. Cause when I stood up to check, I saw her coming down the road.

But heat is murderous and almost impossible to deal with. 'Nuff said.

The Devil and the Angel

Just posting some artwork I did.

Statement

My hearing is perfectly fine...

[Scene: Noisy music room]

Ali: Would you ever consider converting to Islam?

Minim: [What? A slum?] No.

Ali: Why not?"

Minim: Be a bit disgusting, wouldn't it?

Ali: You think Islam's disgusting?

Minim: Oh, Islam. And no, I wouldn't, I don't like the idea of praying five times a day, I have no problems with homosexuality, and I like my bacon too much.

...it's just the words get confused occasionally.

George: [with very obvious signs of amusement] The couple in front of us jumped at the sound effects.

Minim: [I jumped as well, and I was well further back than they were. Those effects were loud, not to mention sudden]

I can jump at the sound of a lid of a wheelie bin closing.

And now you may have a picture. Enjoy.

(And yes, they are the right way round for me, because I am a leftie)

Hama Beads

With almost every person, there are deeds that they have done that they don't remember, that other people do. This can be very annoying, as they will insist on repeating it or them over and over and over again even when you know that you've done it and don't remember it.

So here are some of mine.

I once took a bite out of a glass. (I wonder how I even managed it - or if it hurt)

I used to go to the toilet every time I saw a sign. (Yes I did teach myself to read at about 4 years of age, (Correction, well earlier than that, possibly even at 2) apparently, and this was a sign of it)

I once stuck Hama Beads up my nose.

I once 'had a fight with' a radiator and cracked my head open. they stuck it back together with Super Glue (its initial purpose in life). I then peeled most of the glue off but it had worked its magic by then. I still have the scar on my forehead.

Once in a car after another driver had done some dangerous manoeuvres and my mother had uttered some less than nice language, I said "Mother, there's a child in the car,"

I used to eat anything except custard and cream - this includes slugs, snails, and snowberries.

I tripped up and I said that my knees etc. weren't hurt. Once we'd got close to home I said "And my hands don't hurt either!"

I convinced a load of nursery nurses that I couldn't speak. They learnt I could when they saw me gabbling away to my mother, and they were very shocked, to say the least.

I got sick on fudge.

There may be a couple more, but I can't think of any at the moment.

Picture

I drew this recently:

I didn't like it very much. There was about the same emphasis on 'I'm weird' as there was on 'Me' and it would be better if there was more emphasis on the 'Me' because that was what I wanted.

That was better, and also had a picture of me in it. And the biggest word was 'me'. It is evidently the focus of the whole thing.

But I wanted more.

There we go!

Update: why did I search 'qwertyuioplkjhgfdsamnbvcxzpoiuytrewq,mnbvcxzsdcfvgbhnbvxvhfhfgbcvx c' on Google?

Update: It's Friday the 13th, so it's my lucky day! :D

And I can navigate Rainbow Road

Snowdon trip - Day 1

It was a Friday morning, on Enrichment day. A group of us got to school early in the morning, and gathered, with cases and things, to take with us.

We all went onto the school mini-buses, the boys in one, the girls and luggage in the other. We were about to set off, only...

...one of the mini-buses wouldn't start.

It took us a while to get moving, but eventually, we did.

There were 5 girls, including me. 2 of them were from my own band, and they were likely to go off together. The other two were from the other band, and they went off together. I was happy by myself.

We went out of our town, and on to lots of roads and motorways and stuff like that. As always, I stared out of the window and observed the scenery as it flew past. I also may have had my iPod and so I may have been listening to music as well. I know I was looking at numberplates and turning the initials into phrases.

On the way to our camping ground we stopped off at one of those motorway stations. I didn't need any kind of comfort stop, but I did appreciate the leg stretch and so on. I had brought a tenner but I didn't buy anything.

Soon we were back in the mini-bus and going on, into Wales. We were to be in the North of Wales, in a place called Snowdonia. We were going to climb Mt Snowdon. I had been to Snowdonia with my father and brother, but for some reason or another we never went up Snowdon. And I'd never been camping before. This was something to look forward to.

We arrived. The address was actually a pub, not that it mattered. We got the tents set up, and then went to do our own thing.

I sat by myself, and wrote. I wrote what happened during the day, only with a fictional character in the place of me.

People tended to be interested in my writing, and so they asked me about it. I was always happy to show them my writing, although these days I often read writings of then and wonder if I was brain-dead stupid. I think I must have been.

Anyhow, we cooked on these small stove things we had brought with us (open flames etc. weren't allowed). Once our food was cooked, we ate it, obviously (What good would there be in cooking and not eating?). We had to wash up after that, but that business was soon over, and we could do whatever we liked again.

I went to the end of the what-I-called pier (there was a lake and the end of this wooden construction type thing was over it) and sat, looking at the beauty of the lake and so on.

That is about the best summary I can make of the first day at this moment in time. I don't totally remember it all, which is a shame, really.

First Day of High School - Part 3

Welcome to the third and final part of my first day serial - for previous episodes, go here and then here.

The next few bits were the basics of school life. The rest of lunchtime was spent outside in the warmth of early September. Then we had 15 minutes back in the form room before having a lesson. I think it was Music, so it would have been a doddle to get through, seeing as I had already done violin for 3 years by that point, and that early when no-one else had done Music, it would have been back to the basics.

The last lesson of the day was languages. The whole of Band B had to go to the hall this time. We had all said which language we wanted to do earlier in the day, so that the school could arrange us into language classes. I'd picked Spanish, copying my brother and sisters (Being rather annoyed at their constant teasing in Spanish, and not knowing what the hell they were on about. But then, they always teased me and I still don't understand the logarithms of teasing, so it wouldn't have helped!)

Spanish was the last language, and by that time, they just said 'The rest of you are in Spanish'. I was one of them, and I was tired of waiting, so I was glad to know that I would be in Spanish! (And get a walk to the correct room, of course)

That first lesson was not the best. There were two other boys and one other girl in the class, who were in my form. Though that bit isn't important. (Well, the girl was revolting, but she left the school after that year anyway)

The teacher first asked us if any of us had done any Spanish beforehand. No-one had, which made her job easier, and meant that we didn't have to take a test. Some teaching happened, but at some point nearer the end of the lesson, we were asked to copy down some vocabulary etcetera from the board.

There was a teensy problem with this: the writing was small tiny miniscule and I needed an eye test. So it was bleeding impossible to do it at the rate wanted. I was still writing by the end of the lesson, and I let whoever was collecting the books to collect it, although I did feel a little nervous. This teacher was not one who would tolerate... anything.

There were still one or two things to get through, though, after school. I was unsure about where to wait for Crotchet, as we were supposed to walk home together. I hung around the front gate, wondering if this really was the way out. Finally, after everyone had left, Crotchet walked up the pathway, and said he wasn't going to collect me from lessons, and I should wait at the lamp-post outside the school. We then walked home.

The route home was up the hill. It was very warm, and so for the most of it I had my water-bottle in my mouth often. However, as my energetic younger self it had less effect then it did in later years. We finally got home. It was a first day to remember, in a mass of many days I spent at that school.

First Day of High School - Part 2

Welcome to the second part of my three-part serial about my first day ever at the school I've now left - First part is here.

However, what we got was a one week system, and what initially was an issue of concern was now a good thing instead of a concerning thing.. At my previous school, any timetable was kept to - for about two weeks a year! This timetable was firm, and even had which teachers and the room numbers. I copied the room numbers but not the teachers. Who needed to know that when going to your next lesson anyway?

We were then introduced to our learning leaders. I was soon to learn that all they did was come come into form time and check our planners or take us for reading when our tutors wanted to talk about us to the form, without us. They had a different tie to us and I thought this part was cool.

The Learning Leaders took us on mini-tours of the school before taking us back to the form-room. When I say mini-tour, I mean, our group went round out of the T-block, down around the library (not inside, just the outside! And we weren't even told!), under an arch, and into the science block. We only stayed downstairs S-block as well, not going upstairs. As the only thing I ever touched downstairs was the Homework club (all being learning mentors and IL and stuff like that) it wasn't particularly helpful to know that!

Mini-tour over, we went back to the form-room, but soon it was time for break. I dispelled my energy by myself in a corner of the field. All of the bigger students had come, now, and they too were having break. I looked around at the field and surveyed it, but there was nothing there for my old (and weird, but imaginative) game. It was all spaced too far apart, and there weren't enough bushes anyway. I decided to put that particular game away, never to come back.

After Break, we were due to go to the lesson timetabled, which was Science. However, I was unsure of the way. I distinctly remembered an arch, only I could not see an arch. Maybe I had made that bit up? I panicked slightly.

And then, a girl from my form, Alice, joined me, and we went together from there. We went in one direction, and asked a teacher's help. Well, she did all the asking. I'd seen the science block while she was showing the map of the school in her planner to the teacher. I could also see the arch from here, and was relieved. At least I hadn't made that bit up. I said nothing about knowing this, though, and finally we made our way to Science. I never actually got lost after that one time.

We were by no means the latest. It was a large group of boys who were. The teacher was more annoyed with those boys than she'd been with us, speaking somewhat sympathetically to us, and far less so, in fact, impatiently, to the gang of boys. The lesson progressed after that.

After the hour of Science, it was lunchtime. Alice and I went to the canteen (which wasn't that far from the Science block). We both had packed lunches (and lunch cards that we were given in Form), but I bought a bottle of water from there as well.

Keep an eye out for Part 3 - which has a good tip hidden in it.