The Amazing Mr. Bindel

Screw my plans, Mom!	May. 30th, 2005 @ 11:33 am

My mom just called from the UIL State Solo & Ensemble Competition where she's accompanying a bunch of band kids with their solos & ensembles.

She told me the plans have changed, that we're leaving for Dallas tomorrow morning, coming back Wednesday night, not taking Kushal with us, assumedly not going in separate vehicles, and not going directly to Boys State from Dallas.

It's a very bad idea for us to be leaving tomorrow. I need to call the McDermott office and Waterview to let them know I'll be coming so soon, but today's Memorial Day and all the offices are closed. If we do indeed leave early tomorrow morning as my mom would like, it's going to be hectic getting everything packed, calling Waterview to get a key, get utilities turned on, etc.

Current Music: Silverchair - Blind

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.	May. 30th, 2005 @ 03:52 am

It's 3:50 AM and you might be wondering why I'm up this late after a long night of gambling at Project Graduation last night. Daniel Jurek came over and we ended up having a 6-hour discussion with my dad about things such as rock music through different generations, corruption in government and church, dragons, Christianity, and college life.

I just got back from taking Daniel back to his house. It rained hard tonight; so hard, in fact, that we came to an uncrossable point in the road, had to turn around, and reroute because the water was so fast and deep.

I graduated from high school last night! A few relatives from New Mexico came in to watch, and it was fun. Afterwards was the all-night Project Graduation. My little brother, Daniel Lundbergh, and Samuel Wilson were my gambling team, and Julian Jones contributed some money as well, putting my grand total to a little over $100,000 by the end of the night. With it, I bought a PS2—the newer slim one, complete with an additional wireless controller, an expansion card, and a warranty—which I'll probably sell if Alejandro and Matt don't think we need it at the apartment.

Speaking of the apartment, I'll be leaving for UTD two days from now. We're going to buy some furniture and stuff once we get up there. Right now, just my parents and Kush will be coming, but we could probably take a couple more people if anyone wants to take a trip to Dallas. Just ask.

I called Roman today to get some clarification on our summer apartment. It turns out we're going to be rooming with two Mexicans (the real kind from Mexico, not the Texan type), but neither of us knows their names or anything else about them; they won't be there until mid-June, though.

After we get my stuff moved in, Kushal and I will be coming back to Austin to be counselors at Boys State for a week and a half.

For the first time in a long time, my bedroom here at home is very tidy. Sadly, I'm gonna have to pack it all up tomorrow. There's so much to do in the next couple days…

Current Music: Silverchair - The Closing

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Correction	May. 25th, 2005 @ 08:56 pm

OK, no Schiflett stuff quite yet. Maybe later tonight, maybe tomorrow. But here's a small correction to my last post:

Janelle just told me Breanna turned in my English book last week along with all the other books in the band hall. So apparently it had been somewhere in the band hall this whole time.

Current Music: Blindside - This Shoulder

The end is coming!	May. 25th, 2005 @ 08:15 pm

School's over! Graduation is three days away! Dallas is just a week away!

FBLA went out to eat at Olive Garden and then to Blazer Lazer Tag in Austin after school today. For the first game, only our group played. I came in 1st by a bunch. Second game, a bunch of sophomore girls from somewhere else came and played along with what appeared to be a math club from some Austin school. I was in 2nd place for the entire round except for a couple minutes I spent in 1st place before losing it to Ray Schiflett. Those Schifletts are hardcore—more about that in my next post, concerning yesterday's BS.

A while back, my big purple book for English IV AP went missing. That was probably around February by my estimation. I anticipated having to pay $56 for it today to get a signature for my senior checkout sheet, but Mr. Mendez told me it had been turned in sometime in the past week. Thank God for fair thieves! I'm very relieved.

Tomorrow is the seniors' final checkout and graduation practice at Strahan. I picked up my senior pics from H-E-B and I'll be distributing them tomorrow. Holler if you want one.

Current Music: Blindside - Shekina

» Och jag ska aldrig mer vara rädd att visa mig vek

Other entries

The Russian language has 33 letters in its alphabet. I've finally finished learning them all (Russian spam email serves at least one good use!) Understanding most of the transliterations is trivial, but for all the rest, I've asked Kristina Viniar to help me. :)

The sales manager at Honda called a little while ago to follow up on our visit. When I told him about Progressive's outrageous insurance rates, he asked how many DWI's I had (haha!) Then he gave me a number for one of his friends who works at Farmers' Insurance. I'll call them tomorrow and hopefully yield more favorable results.

It turns out Mrs. Moore does want everyone to do the DAP research papers, so at least a handful of us have perfect 0 averages in her class for the nine weeks with two days remaining to rectify that. We're just missing some miscellany, a few journal updates, and—oh yeah—a research paper. I thought I wouldn't have to use it again for a while, but I'm back to my good ol' inspirational line: my name is David Bindel, and I can do anything. Now that it's been said, I just have to sit back and watch me do it.

(BTW, the title of this post is in no way Russian; it's Swedish.)
May. 23rd, 2005 @ 08:55 pm

» 9

The baccalaureate service tonight was alright but only about 25 seniors showed up out of a graduating class of around 340. At least the Lindseys were indeed there as promised.

Finals start tomorrow so the schedule will be screwed up for the next few days.

Are there any DAP'ers who haven't written a research paper? I hope Mrs. Moore doesn't hold it against us. Please comment if you know anything about it. (Rikki?)
May. 22nd, 2005 @ 11:02 pm

» 10

I saw Michael Jaimes at H-E-B tonight. He used to be in our class, but he graduated early last year. Since then, he's been at A&M majoring in international studies with a business minor, and he's trying to finish in 3 years so he can graduate early… again. Props.

Tomorrow morning, the youth orchestra is playing at church, and my mom asked me to play with them again. The church is also going to honor all the graduating seniors. In the afternoon, StuCo is having its end-of-year party in New Braunfels following the bowling tradition of the last three years. Later in the evening, there's the baccalaureate service at St. John's Catholic Church. My mom will be playing piano there. I hope a bunch of people go.
May. 22nd, 2005 @ 12:04 am

» A new car? Maybe.

My dad took me to Classic Honda to look for a new car today for college. We really like the Civic LX and were very nearly about to buy one; then we called Progressive to see how much it would cost to insure me for a new one with full coverage (because the car would be financed). They said $462 per month! There is no way I'll be able to afford that much, so I'll probably have to settle for something a lot less than a 2005 Civic LX. :(

It makes me wonder how so many other people my age are able to drive much more expensive cars (SUVs and Mustangs, for example), pay significantly higher insurance rates, get new cars every year after they total last years', and so on just because their parents spoil them. It makes me mad and somewhat proud to know that the rest of us can/must survive on less with less materialistic outlooks on life.

Don't get me wrong—I think that hard work deserves worthy compensation, and I know people who deserve whatever fancy car they might want; but for some reason, the deserving aren't generally the people who actually get those nice cars.
May. 21st, 2005 @ 10:24 pm

» 11

The Band Banquet tonight was fun. Quite notably, the lasagna was delicious! As a senior, I willed away the family name to my little brother, my better bassoon to the better bassoonist (Steffan), and my mom to next year's band. I was a little surprised that Sam Parrott was picked to be a drum major—not that he doesn't deserve it (he directs very well from what I've seen), but only because he'll be a junior; it's good that juniors are finally getting a spot like the directors have been wanting for a while. Even more surprising still was the band directors' presentation of the Outstanding Senior award to me—I wasn't expecting it, to say the least. To close it all out, Breanna did an excellent job with her Powerpoint featuring all the seniors and things that happened throughout the year. Congratulations to all of next year's leaders in the band, and I hope y'all do well!

Tomorrow Milton T is letting me borrow his cap & gown for all the graduation stuff going on. Then I have to make a short trip to Austin to have ACC mail my final transcript to UTD. After that, there are a bunch of parties to attend, maybe a lawn to mow, a room to ransack, and a car to clean out.

I was going to go to bed about an hour ago, but got sidetracked and now I'm dead tired. So goodnight everybody.
May. 21st, 2005 @ 12:10 am

» We're out in the front of this marathon with our armor on, stay strong, drive on

The Physics AP exam killed me yesterday (multiple choice—easy; free response—extraordinarily difficult). It's all over now, and my perception of the future is more defined. So I can be happy.

After 46 long, often grueling months with SMHS, it's time to move on. The next step for me is a slightly longer, predictably less complicated stretch of 48 months with UTD. I have roughly 275 hours remaining in San Marcos, and that is a great feeling in most ways. But even with graduation only eight days away, I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to getting a diploma or even leaving the high school. As strange as it may sound, I think this last semester of school (senioritis and all) has been the most enjoyable of all.

Life looks downhill from here. Swallow that pill as you will.
May. 20th, 2005 @ 04:47 pm

» A survey I completed

I've never done one of these before, so here's slightly more insight into my life and mind for the curious:

What time are you starting this? 11:26 PM.
Name? David Isaac Bindel.
Nicknames? Bindel.
Date of birth? November 2, 1986.
Sex? Male.
Height? 5' 11", maybe 6'.
Eye color? Hazel, though some people say they're green. All natural.
Where were you born? San Marcos.
Number of candles on your last birthday cake? Don't remember, but I was turning 18 years old at the time.
Pets? None living. Dog of about nine years died of cancer last year.
Hair color? Brown.
Piercings? None.
Town you live in? Same one I was born in.
Favorite foods? Mexican or Italian.
Ever been to Africa? No.
Been toilet papering? No.
Love someone so much it made you cry? No.
Been in a car accident? Nothing terribly dangeresque.
Croutons or bacon bits? Both.
Favorite day of the week? Saturday.
Favorite resturant? Bennigans.
Favorite flower? No idea on this one...
Favorite sport to watch? Ice hockey.
Favorite drink? Sprite.
Favorite ice cream flavor? Butter Pecan.
Warner Bros. or Disney? Not sure.
Favorite fast food restuarant? Long John Silver's.
Carpet color in your bedroom? Tan.
How many times did you fail your driver's test? 0.
Whom did you get your last email from? Last person I knew: Courtney.
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? MusiciansFriend.com.
What do you do most often when you are bored? Listen to music and/or surf the web, reading all kinds of stuff.
Most annoying thing to say to me? I think the only thing that consistently annoys me is people asking too many questions about things they do not need to know.
Bedtime? Normally beyond 1 AM.
Favorite TV show? TV watching is extremely rare for me, but my favorite shows when I get the chance are The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Whose Line is it Anyway?
Last person you went out to dinner with? Robbin Crayton, tonight.
Been out of country? I've crossed a national border several times going into Mexico and back. I'm not too sure if that's considered "out of the country," however.
Believe in magick? Yes, but I also believe in things greater than magick.
Ford or Chevy? Chevy.
What are you listening to right now? Primus - Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweakers.
Have you ever failed a grade? Never.
If you have, what grade did you fail? See above
Do you have a crush on someone? Yup.
Do you have a bf/gf? No.
If so, what is their name? N/A.
How long have you been together? N/A.
What are you wearing right now? A dress shirt with an African-looking pattern, dress pants, boxers, and no socks at the moment.
Have you ever had a crush on any of your teachers? Nope.
Do you smoke? Never have.
Do you drink? No.
Are you ghetto? No.
Are you a player? No.
What are your favorite colors? Royal gold, black.
What is your favorite animal? Tigers.
Do you have any birthmarks? Yes, a couple--but they are invisible except when I'm really mad.
Have you ever gotten your ass kicked? No.
Who do you talk to most on the phone? Elise Elsenheimer.
Have you ever been slapped? Not really.
Do you get online a lot? Of course.
Are you shy or outgoing? The jury is still out on this one. I believe I'm shy, but many people who know me pretty well say I'm outgoing for some reason.
Do you shower? Yes.
Do you hate school? Mark Twain once said, "I never let school get in the way of my education." I'd have to agree with him. I don't necessarily hate school, but specific things at school I hate, such as bureaucracy.
Do you have a social life? A little.
How easily do you trust people? I wouldn't tell the whole world.
Do you have a secret people would be surprised knowing? Innumerable secrets.
Would you ever sky dive? Yes.
Do you like to dance? No.
Have you ever been out of state? Yes, but only across the southern half of the United States (excluding the farmost east).
Do you like to travel? I think I would enjoy travelling with friends; I can't say I particularly enjoy travelling with family, however.
Have you ever been expelled from school? No.
Have you ever been suspended from school? No.
Do you want to get out of your hometown? Yes.
Are you spoiled? Never.
Are you a brat? Every once in a while...
Have you ever been dumped? No.
Have you ever gotten high? No, but I have no moral objections to it.
Do you like snapple? Can't remember, it's been too long.
Do you drink a lot of water? I try to.
What toothpaste do you use? Can't remember; I use whatever's there.
Do you have a cell phone? Yes.
Do you have a curfew? I think my parents normally say 11:30 PM, but they aren't too strict about that.
Who do you look up to? The American founding fathers, great minds, and my dad.
Are you a role model? Yes.
Have you ever been to Six Flags or Cedar Point? Six Flags, yes.
What name brand do you wear the most? The only brand name that I am consciously aware of is the one on my shoes (but I'm having to look to see what brand they are right now)--Reebok.
What kind of jewelry do you wear? None.
What do you want pierced? Nothing.
Do you like takin pictures? Yup.
Do you like gettin your picture taken? Sometimes.
Do you have a tan? I have a slight farmer's tan.
Do you get annoyed easily? Only with excessive questions...
Have you ever started a rumor? Not that I can remember.
Do you have your own phone or phone line? Just a cell phone. There is no land line dedicated to me, however.
Do you have your own pool? No.
Do you prefer boxers or briefs? Boxers.
Do you have any siblings? Yes.
Have you ever been played? Not that I'm aware of.
Have you ever played anyone? No.
Do you get along with your parents? I get along with my parents most of the time.
How do you vent your anger? I keep it all inside.
Have you ever run away? No.
Have you ever been fired from a job? No.
Do you even have a job? Not in any traditional sense.
Do you daydream a lot? Sometimes.
Do you have a lot of ex's? No.
Do you run your mouth? Never. I'm a man of few words, conscientiously attempting to make *everything* I say or write (besides copied notes) purposeful. Very little I write lacks ulterior meaning.
What do you want a tattoo of? Nothing.
What do you have a tattoo of? Nothing.
What does your ex bf/gf look like? N/A
What does your most recent crush look like? She's very pretty.
Have you ever been bitched out? Not that I remember.
Are you rude? Only when it comes to my one annoyance, but I'm starting to sound like a broken record about this.
What was the last compliment you recieved? Hmm... a few people trying to convince me that I'm an outgoing person.
Do you like getting dirty? It's been a while since I have, but I used to love the mud as a little kid.
Are you flexible? Very. I'm also skinny and bony.
What is your heritage? German, Cherokee and other native American tribes, Mexican, Russian, and cowboy.
What is your lucky number? All numbers are lucky signs for me.
What does your hair look like right now? It looks exactly like my hair always looks.
Could you ever be a vegetarian? I could if I wanted to be.
Describe your looks? You do it.
If you had to completely dye your hair it'd be what color? Never considered it; I have no idea.
Would you ever date someone younger than you? Yes, but not more than a few years younger.
Would you ever date someone older than you? Yes, but not more than a few years older.
When was the last time you were drunk? Never have been.
How many rings until you answer the phone? 2.5 to 3.
Have you ever been skinny dipping? No.
If yes, when was the last time? N/A
When was the last time you went on a date? It's been a long time.
Do you look more like your mother or father? Father.
Do you cry a lot? No.
Do you ever cry to get your way? I outgrew that a LONG time ago.
What phrase do you use most when on the phone? "Right."
Are you the romantic type? Not too sure.
Have you ever been chased by cops? Only in dreams.
What do you like most about your body? My eyes, my skinny yet unbelievably muscular physique, etc.
What do you like least about your body? My teeth.
When did you have your first crush? Way back.
When was the last time you threw up? Can't remember, probably a couple years ago.
In the opposite sex, do you prefer blondes or brunettes? Blondes, I guess.
Do you ever wear shirts do show your belly? No.
What about cleavage? I like it. :D
Is your best friend a virgin? I think so.
What theme does your room have? Electronic appliances and sound equipment everywhere... other than that, it's very Spartan.
What size shoe do you wear? 11
What is your screen name on AIM? AmazingMrBindel
How are you feeling right now? A little hungry.
When was the last time you were at a party? A couple hours ago.
Have you ever given a lapdance? No.
Have you ever recieved one? Yes (though it was regrettable...)
Has there ever been a rumor spread about you? Not that I've heard of or cared about.
What is one of your bad qualities? Very introverted.
What is one of your good qualities? Gentlemanly.
Would you marry for money? No.
What do you drive? A 1998 Chevy Prizm.
Are you more of a mommys or daddys child? I don't know; I try to be independent of both as much as possible.
When was the last time you cried in school? 8th grade.
Would you ever hook up with the same sex? No.
What kind of music do you like? Rock especially, but not whiny punk rock/emo, nor rap, nor country.
Would you ever bungee jump? Yes
What is your worst fear? Being killed without first doing something to deserve it.
Would you ever join the army? Yes.
Do you like cows? I guess. Cows make milk makes cheese, and I like cheese.
If you were to die today, what would you do? I couldn't say here safely.
If you had one last word to say to someone before you die, what would it be? "FREEDOM!" (Braveheart style)
Do you like to party? I'm not really that kind of person
Hearts or broken hearts? Hearts
Moons or stars? All of them.
Coke or pepsi? Pepsi.
Favorite scent? Old ones I remember.
Favorite band? Blindside or Our Lady Peace.
Would you ever dye your hair red? No.
How many languages can you speak? A few.
What time are you finishing this? 12:20 AM, fifty-four minutes later.
May. 19th, 2005 @ 12:34 am

» 13

Everything's been great for the last week. Sewiously. A few things could be better, but it's all still heading in the positive direction.

The mock trial for the babysitter infanticide case began today with Amy Pearson and I as the best prosecuting attorneys SMHS has to offer. We're pushing for the death penalty, and things are looking good for us. A bunch of people are helping with the trial as witnesses and jurors. Whatever defense there is (we haven't seen anything impressive yet, sadly) will be practically useless. :)

On a related note, the debate banquet was tonight. Robbin Crayton (who graduated last year) was kind enough to come after being invited at the last minute, and she was still kinder to pick me up very last minute after I discovered my car's rear right tire was very low on pressure.

Tomorrow will be hardcore. Tomorrow is the AP Physics exam late testing date. I'm a late tester, and I still hardly touched any study material. Wish me luck; I need a 4. After that test (and a book talk with P.S. over Animal Farm, which I need to read again by tomorrow afternoon), everything will be over! 13 days left in San Marcos, and I intend to use them well; then I'll be gone.

Which reminds me, I need to email Ms. Slovak [our McDermott mom ;-) ] about our summer apartment in Dallas. No one's heard a thing about it yet, and summer's only 2 weeks away! :-S Though I haven't come to a decision yet, I've been considering the possibility of coming back for visits every other weekend or so.

I need to get a cap and gown from Travis Salmon for graduation within the next week. I shall call him tomorrow. And mail some transcripts from Texas State and ACC to UTD, along with my housing app.
May. 18th, 2005 @ 11:24 pm

» I want to kick down some doors

I had a bright idea to stop by Hays County Justice Center this afternoon to see if I could ask a judge for advice. I ended up talking to a very nice and understanding court clerk because the judges were all out for lunch. She basically told me that the people in Martindale are sticklers and wouldn't be flexible about anything (she actually got a ticket there a few months back, herself.)

She said if I pay the ticket, it makes me a convicted criminal with a Class C misdemeanor, and that it sounds a lot worse than it really is, that pretty much everybody has those on their records. Hehe, I'll be a convicted criminal as of tomorrow!

I really hate not being able to control the circumstances around me, but in this case it seems unescapable. Therefore, I've decided that instead of going to an ineffective show cause hearing in the morning, I'll just pay and then pray that the insurance company doesn't butcher me.

See y'all at Fiesta Texas!

Sincerely,
David Bindel, a smooth criminal
May. 12th, 2005 @ 10:51 pm

» In the words of David Bindel...

Last night's PHP meetup in Austin was by far the best we've had, and sadly, my last before I go off to college. We had people talk about Mambo content management system, a new medium known as podcasting, and how our new project FreeMeetup.org is going to work.

The AP Government exam went pretty well this morning, I thought. None of us knew what selective incorporation of rights was, though. One essay knocked down for all of us, three to win with. Now all that's left to do this year is the AP Physics exam next Thursday. There are just 17 days left until graduation!

Tomorrow night is the Top 10% Banquet. Mrs. Morales is my most influential teacher for various good reasons; I hope the banquet organizers publish my praise of her without editing it. Rumor has it that they're giving us PalmPilots or MP3 players, but I'm mainly looking forward to the food. :)

The mock trials going on in debate are going to be a lot of fun over the next week. It's the real trial that's a killer. I hope tomorrow is a much better day than today's been.
May. 11th, 2005 @ 09:56 pm

» STATE OF TEXAS v. DAVID ISAAC BINDEL (part 2, and it hasn't even started yet)

OK, three telefono calls to Martindale Municipal Court over the last three days, and now I am really pissed.

I asked if I could come in any time tomorrow to talk to the judge for 5 minutes at most. They said the judge would be busy starting tomorrow morning with pre-trial stuff for some big case or something. I'm cool with that, even though it means I'll probably have to miss our cool senior trip to Fiesta Texas.

So then I asked the secretarial lady on the phone if I would be able to talk to the judge on Friday, *the day the court already set* for my hearing as they stated in the letter they sent me. Their letter explicitly stated that I must appear at 10:30 AM for a show cause hearing or face an arrest warrant for failure to appear. When asked about that, the lady kept saying, "I don't think you understand..." and proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't come to court because the judge wouldn't see me for a HEARING THAT THEY SCHEDULED THEMSELVES, and that I should just pay the $70 ticket. BULLSHIT. I've already paid $95.00 in basic required "court fees," yet to this very day, I haven't spoken to the judge nor even seen her face. I will not let them deny me a hearing.

I've paid more money in basic court fees than the speeding ticket fee itself is.
I am trying my best to comply with the court's cryptically error-laden instructions, but have been met with more conflicting statements from the court's secretary.
The court's secretary has told me I shouldn't show up for a show cause hearing that they ORDERED me to attend under threat of arrest.
I *am* going to see the judge on Friday morning as incompetently ordered, regardless of what their incompetent secretary told me.

Again, I'm not contesting the ticket. I've already pleaded "no contest" to the ticket; now all I'm trying to do is get my show cause hearing so that I may convince the judge that I am an outstanding citizen, an incredibly active student, and a tactfully scintillating force in the courtroom (though I'm not sure of that last part yet). This is in hopes that she will grant me an extension for the deadline to take a driver's safety course so the ticket will be expunged from my otherwise flawless record.

Money is what Martindale wants, so they will have their money. I'll pay the $70. I, as a teenage male, just don't want a ticket inflating my car insurance even higher. I'm going to concede that I've screwed up twice with the speed-trapping, podunk city of Martindale (firstly, getting caught speeding; secondly, missing the deadline for defensive driving), and then beg the judge for one last chance with a promise to not let down -- the ultimatum: three strikes and I'm out.

Afterwards, the judge will be hearing my opinion of the court's conflicting treatment, which, concerning legal matters, is reprehensible.
May. 11th, 2005 @ 08:17 pm

» STATE OF TEXAS v. DAVID ISAAC BINDEL

Tell me what you would do if a court clerk sent you a typed order essentially like this:

You owe the court a cashier's check for $70 payable to "MARTINDAL [sic] MUNICIPAL COURT" due by _______, you must appear for a show cause hearing on 5-13-05 .

First of all, let's clear this up: I'm not without fault. BUT who do I make the check out to? If you note the red-highlighted text, the court's correspondence to me clearly (and notably, in quotations--therefore absolutely) indicates that the cashier's check is payable to "MARTINDAL MUNICIPAL COURT." Now, let's say I were to do a little digging and find out there's no such entity as MARTINDAL MUNICIPAL COURT--it simply doesn't exist. Is the check still valid? Can it be cashed? Is it legitimate for the Martindale Municipal Court (which does exist) to demand a check payable to such a non-existant entity?

Next, tell me when this cashier's check is due. The green-highlighted underline where the date is meant to be written in was left completely blank -- no trace of a due date for this cashier's check to someone/something that does not exist. The court clerk filled in a date for a show cause hearing, but neglected to provide a due date for the cashier's check. Is it actually due ever? If it is, when?

Finally, in the blue-highlighted space, there ought to be a conjunction to complete the sentence. Is it supposed to be "Give us money AND come to court?" "Give us money OR come to court?" "Give us money BUT come to court if you feel like it?"

This is official, high-level legal stuff I'm dealing with, so mistakes are not permissible. Computer Science to Pre-Legal? Hell no. It's just that as a fairly educated person who is proud to be himself, I cannot allow any legal system to take undue advantage of me if i can help it, and the court has obviously made some serious errors which make its note flawed, incomplete, and hence, non-understandable and impossible for me to comply with.

For safety's sake, however--I've never been arrested and would like to keep it that way as long as possible--I will be going to court, but I will try to make friends with the judge and politely ask for an extension. If that doesn't work, I plan to present these issues to her and then politely ask her again. If it comes down to it, I'll even pay the $70. But if I can help it, I won't be doing that.

In the end, everything will be okay: the date is scheduled for my lucky Friday the 13th. :)

'Course, the 13th is our senior trip to Fiesta Texas, so I'm going to see if the court can move me to Thursday the 12th. But that's also my lucky day.

If someone could accompany me for moral support, it would be very much appreciated.

On a much better note, the senior class of 2005 voted me "Most Likely to Succeed" in the Senior Hall of Fame.
May. 8th, 2005 @ 02:09 am

» (No Subject)

ACC Financial Accounting is finally finished with me. Grand total: 56 bona fide college hours, and now my central Texas college career is over.

High school graduation is just three weeks away; the last two weeks have gone by unbelievably fast. It's a busy week, though:

Monday night - Band Expo at Strahan Colliseum
Tuesday night - my last night as organizer of the Austin PHP Meetup (meeting at Austin Java, Co. - Barton Springs location)
Wednesday night - Band Practice
Thursday night - Top 10% Banquet
Friday night - Band Banquet at J.C. Kellam

May. 8th, 2005 @ 01:50 am

» Muse concert

Just got back from the MTV U. Tour with Muse for Texas State University in Austin. I took Jonathan and we hung out with Shannon and Katie. Muse was good with tons of talent (as always) and some awesome lighting, but their live show wasn't too special--bad balance of instruments with vocals and their act only lasted little more than an hour. There was a handful of exceptions to the rule: I had a really fun time when they played Stockhold Syndrome, complete with the flawlessly played classical piano interlude.

My overall recommendation: leave Muse in your CD/MP3 player.
May. 8th, 2005 @ 12:57 am

» (No Subject)

The senior awards ceremony was a couple nights ago and I got some stuff I didn't even know existed (United States Marine Corp. Scholastic Excellence Award anyone?) I'll have to say that one of the most amazing people there was Nathali Hernandez. As a first-generation native-born American, she's dealt with, done, and accomplished so much with such a selfless attitude. She made it into Brown University with a full ride and many local scholarships as well.

The AP Lit exam was way too early in the morning that same day. The multiple choice section seemed 90% easy with just a few questions that made you ask, "WHAT?!??" A bunch of people were saying they had some of the same problems with the essays that I did (BTW, it's legal to talk about 'em right............ NOW.) The first essay (poetic analysis) was very easy; the second (prose analysis) had an overly simple prose piece with very little literary technique, aside from the way too obvious imagery. I bet the graders for that second essay are going to be bored out of their minds. The final essay (in which you get to discuss a story of your choice) was pretty easy. I wrote a lot of quality info for it, but because it was the very last part of the test for me, I think my mind was kind of bored and not functioning at peak, so we'll see. I need to make at least a 4 to get credit at UTD, and I think I pulled it off.

Now all I have to worry about are the US Government and Physics AP exams. Stephanie Marlow gave me a bunch of study material for the government exam next Wednesday, but I'm taking the test without having taken the class, and I haven't done any studying for it up until yesterday. I'm counting on myself to be able to squeeze by with a three based on previous knowledge, past experience, and whatever studying I'm able to get done by Wednesday.

Mr. Sarzoza announced to the AP Physics class yesterday that there is a testing irregularity in that College Board shipped one testing packet fewer than what we need, so there's a chance someone would have to take it later. I volunteered, he kind of ignored me and asked the class several times who wanted to do it, to which they all elected me to do it. See, I haven't taken that class since last year when I made a 3 on the exam, but I need to make a 4 to get credit at UTD, so I'm taking the exam again this year. They wanted to give me a (possible) extra week of study time since i haven't been in the class.

That was two days ago and some of yesterday. Sarz is having an physics study session this morning, so I have to leave for that now. Plenty more when I return.
May. 7th, 2005 @ 08:46 am