Journal 1 - background       ok, here we go. I suppose I'll give some background. Background is good.       I was born in North Dakota. Both of my parents were in the military, so we moved around a lot. Some time before I was five we moved to Washington State, and they left the military. We stayed there for a while, I made a best friend, went to kindergarten, learned to read, and we moved again. Best friend moved at the same time.       Moved to nice two story house in different part of Washington. Also sometime before I was five. I know this, because I can barely remember my fifth birthday being there... and only because we never took down the strings to the baloons, they were tied to a light on the ceiling.       The school tried to teach me to read in First grade, but I already knew. So my reading level went way above grade level. I like reading a lot. Didn't like writing, much. Went to school in Washington from first to fifth grade. Spent every summer down in California (both of my parents were from there, Mom liked it, Dad didn't, I think.). All of my relatives are living in California... or most of them. I think I have a cousin living in Kentucky and some relations (aunt of some kind?) in Washington D.C.       So every summer Mom and I would go down to California, and have a whirlwind schedule. A week here, and a week there, and a few days there, and another week there... and then back to Washington, catch the last bit of summer, and back to school.       The summer after fifth grade, my aunt was working at Solectron. She got Mom a job there. So Mom was making some money. I forget how she managed to visit everyone while she was working. Then, one day, she told me that Solectron had offered her a perment job, and she wanted to stay in California. Asked if I wanted to stay too. Pritty sure she asked, although there wasn't much question about it. Course I stayed with Mom.       So we moved in with my aunt. I went to sixth grade in California. Met a bunch of people in sixth grade. Only remember a few. Mainly Terry, How (I think that's how you spell it), and Chris. Terry kicked my chair, I tried to be friends with How, and I drew heads for Chris.       I don't know what I did the summer after sixth grade. I don't think I visited Dad. Might have been another whirlwind tour of relatives.       Seventh grade went to Russel. Lost touch with Chris, I waved, he didn't see me, evenchually stopped waving. Avoided Terry, no idea what happened to How. Made friends with Jenny. She liked reading too, although mostly Horror. Introduced me to Erika. She also liked reading, and liked the books I liked. Made a few other friends.       Erika moved away about half-way through seventh, I think. Joined Jenny's group of friends. Interesting people. Still friends with them. Donno what happened summer after seventh grade.       Eighth grade, never even saw Chris. Was introduced to Robert... no, that was seventh grade... Was introduced to Robert. Interesting person, also read books (seeing pattern here?). Jenny set us up. Think she thought of herself at match maker. Even put thing in school newspaper, to Robert, from mystery admierer. First I heard about it, people in P.E. told me I wrote it. Don't even read newspaper. No comics.       Over summer, broke up with Robert. Wasn't even boyfriend/girlfriend, although he might have thought so. Singally most irritating and annoying person I have ever had the misfortune to meet.       Eighth grade. Member of interesting program. Combine math/science, and history/english. Got neat laptop. Expensive, I think. Combination didn't go very well. Science/math, teacher forced to teach CPM math. Not good at teaching that. Think everyone failed that. History/english good combination, nice teacher. Got glasses that year. Everything goes pop, sharper, clearer, not so blurry. Very nice.       Eighth grade summer...ah, still no idea.       Ninth grade. High school. Hmmm... Only one high school. Rivalry over weather went to Russel or Rancho, each says is better. Emberrising mis-understanding of schedule. Late to first period by 15 minutes for entire week before figure it out. Meet Chris again, become friends. Have classes together. Hear recruting by Computer Acadamy. I sign up, Chris signs up for Hospaltiy, Travel and Tourism Acadamy. I get in, he doesn't.       Summer after ninth grade. I remember what I did this summer!!! I went up to Washington. I think Dad still in Granite Falls house... yeah. Stay with him that summer. Stay up late, get up late, help him work on house. Made neat shower! Double sided. Shower head on both sides. He was going to put one on the ceiling, but decided was too much work. It'd be nice if the water from the shower heads went out farther... right now they cross about waist height. I helped tile the shower. I helped tile the upstairs shower, too. All looks really impressively cool. Helped put in the closet. Would have helped carpet downstairs room, too, but I was asleep. About 5 or 6 am. If Dad had decided to carpet it about an hour earlier, I would have been awake, though. I was playing a very good game. For Playstation, Tales of Destany. Really good game.       Tenth grade. Chris not in so many classes. Bummer. Sorta stopped being friends with Jenny. Drifted off, and such. She was getting strange. Still friends with her old group. I think she got a new one. I was in Computer Acadamy. Very nice place. Core teachers, you stay with them for three years. Mr. Maples, English teacher, is the best English teacher in the world. Probably couldn't tell with my grammer right now... blame the book I read. It does it, and I'll be thinking in bad grammer for a couple of weeks now. It'll wear off, though. Erika came back! Joined Computer Acadamy. Sat down across from me in SSR, staired hard at me while I was reading book. Barely noticed she was there. Finally looked up, she asked, 'do you know who I am?' or something along those lines. I stared hard... looked familer. Finally asked, 'you wear contacts, yes?' (or something along those lines...) she said yes, I knew was Erika. (Part of the mental image I have of her. Vivid memory, standing outside of Foods class, waiting for the teacher, she poking her contacts. One of the very few things I am squeamish about.) Hurray, hurrah, and old friend is back.       Tenth grade summer. Washington again. Shuttled between Granite Falls house and Shoreline house. Shoreline house belongs to step-Mom, cept I don't think she was step-Mom yet. (tenses are fun!) More fixing up the house work. Dad was going to rent it out.       Eleventh grade. Still in Computer Acadamy. Chris in none of my classes. Changes class to get into my elective class. Photography. Isn't doing so well in there... neither am I. (actually, not doing so well in all my classes). He takes the GED, passes, goes to collage. I flunk photography. Second semester, take C++. Omonous talks with Mom about possiblility of summer school, not being able to go to Dad's. Large worry that maybe will fail all classes. Very last minute, decide will go to Dad's, and move there. Stay. Permenantly. I am overjoyed (overshadowed slightly about worry about grades... dratted things, and a few other things, won't mention in background history, because isn't history yet). Oh yes, Dad married now, lives in Shoreline house, Granite Falls house rented to renters who never pay... think by now is second set of them. Last minute hurried packing, want to take my neat computer, but can't, technally is Mom's neat computer, so it stayes, along with all my stuff which is on it. Then, school out on Friday, fairly sure did good on Finals (cept science, not so good, left important study aid behind), took mini whirlwind tour of Grandparents on weekend, Monday went to airport, flew up to Washington.       Summer after Eleventh grade, ie: right now. Went to High school up here, Shorecrest, very nice highschool. Talked to counceler. He's very nice, too. He went though my transcripts (what I could find of them), I had most of the requirements that I needed, just would have to take a few things to make up what I didn't have, also the classes had to take for Twelveth grade. They offer four languages, German, French, Spanish, and Japanise. Also, elective, have Sign Language. Doesn't count in collages though, because it is only one semester and teacher not qualified by collages. Too bad. Taking Japanise, German if can't get that. Have a few electives left over. No room for sign language. I forget what I picked. Is a very nice high school... pity about their mascot, though.       And there you have it. The history of me. Now I just have to write the journal itself.       /back one/  |big list|  /on y va/