Protest Rally

I feel like this budget cut thing is becoming the highlight of this blog. I do have a lot of other things I'd like to catch up on, but it's still one of the most exciting and pressing issues going on for me at this point. Like I said about a week ago, the school board had planned to go through with the cuts in our music department as well as special education, parenting, art, and a few other areas. And the administration has received no cuts whatsoever. So a friend from school was brave enough to organize a protest rally yesterday. After classes were over, close to 50 students and I made our way to the front of the school building and marched along the sidewalk, signs and all. One of the biggest successes was that three news channels showed up and interviewed some of us. The link to TMJ4's report can be found here: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/16051682.html

The final vote by the school board took place that evening and some of us showed up to saw a few words and support our cause. Unfortunately, the school board still voted to continue with the cuts. All the while, our administrators are receiving huge raises. So that's crappy. But what made me happy was that we do have a voice and we can get together for a common cause. Maybe it didn't provide instant gratification this year, but it made people aware of the issue and may help us for next year.

Self-Interview

So instead of doing an ordinary blog today, I'm going to try a self-interview style. Well, here goes.

Q: How is your mental health as of late? Has your shecule driven you up the wall yet?
A: Yes, it has! I've hardly even had time to eat this week. Oliver rehersals are going until six now and I'm working 16 hours on weekends. I've been snapping at people on random occasions to channel some of my aggression. But a busy life is always a fulfilling one.

Q: How is your book going? You know, the one you keep talking about...
A: Bad! I'm doing what many writers call "putting it on the back burner", which is to really say, "forgetting about it completely". I've read it over and it has a lot of direct characterization in it, which I don't want to have too much of. But I'll probably be writing a short story once I find the time.

Q: What about your job at Hollywood Video?
A: Well...it's a job. I work.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up for this week?
A: An anthropologist! Other cultures are fascinating and I want to learn more about them. The pay is a bit on the low end, but the real reward is in travelling and learning. I would have to get a PhD, so that would definitely be interesting.

Budget Cuts and Barack Obama

Continuing on from my post about the school board meeting, the results have turned out against us. Our school board has decided they value the administrators more than the teachers and one of our band directors will be cut. What will this mean? Realistically, our band will not be as good as it is now. People can put all the heart into the music as they want, but we will not be as good without 1/3 of our directors. Marching band will also suffer without a third director and may not even exist anymore. The community tried to convince the school board to make the right decision but democracy (or lack thereof) has failed in this instance. I'll be blunt. Our supernintendant is a greedy snob who values his salary more than our education. And when he and his supporters are the ones who calls the shots, that isn't a democracy and it pisses me off to no end. Well, I guess if I won't have marching band over the summer, I'll have to find something else to devote my time to.

On a happier note, Barack Obama is doing well! I am an Obama supporter and I really notice our nation needs change. I could go into another liberal rant, but I've already had one for this post. I wish I could vote, but I'm sure there will be other ways for me to support his campaign. Obama seems to have gained a lot of momentum after his Wisconsin win on Tuesday and Hilary is now the underdog. I think Hilary Clinton is very smart and efficient, but Obama is extremely motivational, which is a trait that shows more potential than any other candidate. We'll see what happens, I guess. Save the arts!

Winter Formal

So last night was our Winter Formal Dance! Overall it was pretty fun but I wish a few more of my friends would have come (you know who you are). I was able to ask off from work for the night and stopped by at Nanci's for pictures. Amanda, Nanci, and I went as a mini-group. The only crappy thing about the dance was the music--not enough slow dances. It was basically a giant hip-hop-fest but it was still fun. After we dropped Nanci off at home, Amanda and I went to DiCarlo for dinner. It's an awesome Italian restaurant and they just made a new addition to it, so it looked really new and classy. I had lobster stuffed raviolli and Amanda had an artichoke/eggplant dish, which she let me try. The highlight of our evening was when Amanda said we should go to the airport. "Why?" I asked. Apparently she just felt an impulse to go there. For anyone who hasen't been to Mitchell Airport at 12:30 AM, it is a creepy place. The only people there are custodians and a few odd people whose flights got cancelled. The overall vibe was really quiet and dead. But...we were still destined to go there for some reason. On our way out, after we left the parking garage, the parking garage attendant said, "Have a peaceful night" when we left. Have a peaceful night? I've heard "Good night" and such, but "Have a peaceful night"? What is a non-peaceful night? That's like saying, "Hope you don't hit a roadside bomb on your way home" or "Don't get attacked". We found that was pretty hilarious because we just like to laugh at small details like that. So there's my recap of Winter Formal '08--good night.

School Board Meeting

So last night was our school board meeting to discuss this year's budget cuts. They involve quite a few teachers, including one of our band directors. The cuts this year are getting really bad and our education could really go to the dogs if all of them happen. Some teachers, students, and I went up to say a few things about the cuts. One of the interesting things we made a point to mention was the fact that none of our administration is getting cut and our supernintendant makes $132,000 a year plus $42,000 in fringe benefits. Let's just say our supernintendant really turned red when we actually made a point to mention it. I'm a bit less nervous now because I heard the board members were discussing our comments about the administration. It would really suck if we lost another band director and a lot of our extracurricular band activities would be way harder to support. I guess we'll just play it by ear and see if they keep her.

Sorry to get all political on this post, but damn, if so many wealthy people weren't getting tax cuts then maybe our school would have a decent amount of money to work with. So that's my rant for tonight.

Not Writer's Block, But Sort Of

Today was not a very fun Monday and I'm becoming really lazy with my book! I haven't sat down and written at least a page in almost a week. It's not so much writer's block as just plain business. And today, I won't lie, I'm just too crabby to write anything decent. It's one of those typical Mondays. The good thing is that I know what I plan on writing for the next few chapters, so when I get back into the rhythm of things, I should be able to pick up right where I left off.

I think I'll tell a little bit about the plot at this point--but not too much because I don't want my ideas running loose on the Internet. Essentially, it's about the collapse of society as we know it and the few survivors who endure anarchy, chaos, and violence (most people reading the blog know the reason behind this). I've tried several times to write a full-length novel and failed, but I think this may be "the one". I just need to keep the willpower to write on and keep the plot moving as it should. I should be able to get back to writing later this week, after the school board meeting on Wednesday is over with. I'll tell more about the meeting on Wednesday, but basically the administration wants to cut more teachers! Bad!

PS: I'm actually listening to REM right now instead of Colplay for once.

Starbucks, Airporting, and Hollywood Video

Hoorah for the weekend, although this time it's more so a week continuation than a weekend. Before I had to go to work today, though, I had a few hours to spend going around town with Amanda. Starbucks was delicious and after that, we went to the airport to hang out. Yes, the airport--it's the BEST place to hang out if you make it fun. Amanda and I do this thing called "being airport king and queen" and we basically stand on top of the parking garage at the airport and wave down at the road. Usually we hardly get anyone to wave back but today was different! A really nice guy waved back and shouted a "hello" at us! Winter sucks, but you really can have fun if you know where to find it...

I've been working a lot at Hollywood Video lately--usually about 15 hours a week. But because of play rehersals during the week, all my hours are crammed into the weekend, but it's still money. I'm very glad to have found such a flexible place to work at that doesn't involve cleaning up dirty food (in referance to my old job at the Final Approach). I do miss the tips I got at my old job, but I still would have taken that cut in pay in a heartbeat if it meant I didn't have to come home covered in grease at night.

Mmm...lattes.

We waved at the plane, but I don't think anyone in it saw us.

My First Post

So this is it, the first post in my blog which I intend to keep for the rest of my natural life. This morning, I woke up to find out school was cancelled because it was supposed to snow up to 20 inches. Not used to having so much free time, I quickly became bored and thought, "Hey, what if I start a blog?" So...here it is...a blog. In case you haven't read my profile, I'm Adam Lang, an outgoing, talkative high school student. The reason I wanted to start this blog, actually, was mostly sentimental. I want myself, my family, and my friends to be able to look back and remember my own experiences--the exciting, the boring, and the downright crazy. My goal is to post several times per month, but we'll see how that works after my schedule gets even more hectic.

Why is my schedule so hectic? Well, rehersals for the school Musical, Oliver, have recently started and we meet every day after school to sing, choreograph, and block the show. On top of that, homework, my job at Hollywood Video, and my friends keep me pretty busy. I'm also in the process of writing my first novel, which is untitled at the moment. As much as I'd love to say what it's all about, I want to keep its content on the down-low because I'm only about 30 pages into the story. But I will say that it has bits of adventure, action, mystery, philosophy, and a love sub-plot in it. I'm trying to provide some background information about myself so people who don't know me so well will have an easier time understanding future posts. Hopefully, my next few posts will have some interesting stories/experiences in them, seeing as interesting things always happen when I am busy. That being said, I look forward to my next post and a bunch more to come.