Monday Oct. 31st

Today I was still feeling crappy.  We had an in class essay in English.  It went ok.  I still feel sick but better.  After school I went home and took a nap.  I almost missed the last cross country practice.  After practice, I went home and watched some TV.  Also I did my French which I had a lot of.  It is mostly done.  No new babe news but often I get stares from girls and I wonder what It means.  Listened to more of the Ramones tape I bought-  There are 5 right off the bat good songs.  I'll have to give the others a few more listens.  I didn't do anything major for halloween. Monday is just a weird day to have it. Plus, I guess I was so pre-occupied with state I didn't really pay that much attention. Kind of snuck up on me. It is hard to believe that my first month of doing this is is over with but it is here.  Much has happened and most of it good.  

"A fishstick is not a fish or a stick it is a fungus." Matt Groening

Sunday Oct 30th

#1 Song - "Kokomo" The Beach Boys

Well the full force of the sickness really hit me today. I did manage to go to work this morning. I was a little sore from the race.  I also did all my homework. At least when you are sick you don’t feel the urge to go and have fun, so you might as well do homework.  There wasn’t even a Broncos game today-they play tomorrow night on Monday Night Football.   I was getting a little tired of just sitting around the house by this afternoon, so Mike and I made a run to Sound Warehouse.  I picked up a new Ramones tape- “The End of the Century”. Well, it’s not new but I don’t have it.  Came home after and finished up the day.

"Do your parents know that you're Ramones?"- Miss Togar from 'Rock N Roll High School'

Saturday Oct. 29th

Today started off bad. Mike and I missed breakfast. I swear, I called for a wake-up but it never came. Worst of all, nobody even tired to wake us.  You would think someone might look around and wonder where the 2^nd and 3^rd runners are. This kind of pissed us off.  It was like the banner shit all over again. Thanks for running well but you aren’t quite part of the team. Tried to get over it, even use it for the race. Luckily I still had a banana that I bought at the store the night before.  I had to eat it on the drive down to Pueblo. It was a little chilly out this morning but I am used to running in the 30s this time of year.  The meet is held at Pueblo City Park and has been for the last few years.  Got to the course and checked it out.  It was pretty thrilling to just be there with all the schools from the different divisions. Bear Creek is in 3A (the big schools) with 25 other teams. The smaller schools are in A-2A.  Mike actually came down last year as an alternate.  The team finished 16^th   then, but he didn’t run.  Now it was our turn. I was surprised at how many of my classmate drove down for the meet.  So did my mom and my sister.  That was nice of them.  We went over the map again even though we probably all knew it by heart. I did about a 10 minute warm up with my bro and some strides. I was nervous.  Considering everything, I ran pretty well.  I got a personal best time of 17:00.  I finished 55th overall out of around 200 guys.  Our team result was a little disappointing. We got 10th out of 25 teams.  All the teams we had hoped to have an off day didn’t. In fact our league rivals, Wheat Ridge got second. Their lead runner was 5^th which is pretty helpful  at state.  The girl’s team, however, kicked butt. They got 3^rd!! So they were on the podium. More amazing, they placed without a single runner in the top 10. They just stuck together. On the ride back home, the guys all talked and we started to feel better about our finish. I mean, only 4 teams out of our conference even made it. A lot people would’ve loved just to be there.  We were passing around tapes and I can across this great song “Girls with Guns” by Tommy Shaw.  Put me in a good mood just to hear it.   We made a surprise stop at a rest area. Some parents were waiting for us with pizza. As I was eating, I felt a slight tickle in the back of my throat which means I’m getting sick.  Felt worse as when I got home at about 1:30 so I just lazied around.

“Stand tall, don’t think small, don’t turn your back against the wall”- Tommy Show, Girls with Guns

Friday Oct. 28th

Okay, I'm not as mad about the banner thing; not because I was wrong but because it wasn't that big a deal at school. School was okay today thankfully it was shortened.  I went to French -nothing much, Math - had a test I think I got 100%, and Physics- did a worksheet.  Then we had the assembly to celebrate the win and give us a good send off. It wasn’t just cross country. A few of the teams were headed to state. It works out well because ours is tomorrow.  First the team congregated in the ping pong room and waited. Coach was on the gym floor calling out the team.  He announced the all-conference team members last.  Everyone cheered loud. I felt happy about being down on the floor knowing Sean, Pete, Andy and possibly Gieger were clapping for me.  That part was awesome but I felt kind of stupid standing there holding the ladder.  After the assembly we had some Jeffco Suburbans waiting for us.  It took us 1 and half hours to get to Colorado Springs, where we would be staying.  I spent a good chunk of the way down listening to a mix tape I made on my cheapie walkman; songs to pump me up.   The state meet in is Pueblo another 45 minutes away. Not sure if Coach just didn’t book rooms in time but it means we will be getting up extra early tomorrow. We stayed at the Palmer House just off the highway.  Mike and I were roomies.  We drove around aimlessly looking for a place to eat lunch. We settled on Wendy's because a lot them have this great “Superbar”.  You can eat as much as you want and they have pasta/ pizza section along with Salad bar and Taco bar.  Unfortunately, this Wendy’s didn’t have one. We were too hungry to look elsewhere so I settled for a chicken Sandwich.  Then we visited the Olympic Training Center.  It was cool but not as exciting as I had hoped.  While we were there, a Judo competition was in progress.  We watched that for a bit.  We came back at around 4.  I slept until 5.  Dinner was at 5:30 in the hotel’s meeting room.  We had spaghetti, second night in a row.  Then a couple of us went to the store to get snacks for the movies we were watching.  We rented Lethal Weapon and a Jay Leno comedy thing. Both were good with Jay Leno being especially funny.  Now it is time for bed.  I haven't really thought about the race much.  I just hope that I do well.  I have confidence for myself and my team.  I want to pull a major upset and I can visualize it.  Let's just see what happens.  

            "Oh man there ain't nothing like twisting the night away" Sam Cooke

Thursday Oct. 27th

This day will live in infamy.  Mike and I were not, repeat not, chosen to put up the banner.  The first Bear Creek District Championship banner will be hung by Wade V. and Tom P. because they are captains.  I was so pissed off.  We found out in a team meeting in the weight room.  Mike and I just sat there stunned. Coach asked us what the problem was. He had no clue.  Then he had the nerve to accuse us of being selfish.  Yeah so selfish we ran our asses off at district instead of dogging it and expecting others to pick up the slack. I was really mad about Wade because he totally biffed it a districts. We won in spite of him. Tom P. is okay but he is a wrestler and let’s face it, the only reason he is captain is because the assistant coach is the wrestling coach. The captains already get so much recognition and we get shit. Nothing.  At every rah-rah assembly, the captains go up and try to drum up interest for the team.  I had hoped Coach would try to balance it out but we get snubbed and they get the glory.  I'm not as excited for the assembly or state for that matter.  I don't want my feelings to hurt the team but at the same time I don't just want to let it go.  The feeling I got when Coach said that Wade and Tom would hang the banner almost cancelled out my high from districts. Coach tired to pacify us by letting us "hold" the ladders. Big Deal, could we tie their shoes too? Then I realized that in ten years no one will know who hung the banner but they will know Mike and I went all-county.  (Editor’s note: Here it is ten + years later and Mike and I still know who hung the banner).  I really wanted it for Mike because he overcame a stress fracture and came through for the team when others gave up.  He spent most of the weeks leading up to districts biking and wondering if he would even run. He has been a consistent #2 runner all year long.  The glaring disappointment was the only major thing of the day.  School went okay but it is a blur now.  I'll have to find a way to get excited for state.  No new babe news but at dinner I defeated Emily C in a staring contest.  Life looks pretty bleak out now.  I'll just have to fight through then again I always do.

            "Nice guys who finish first always wind up being last....but someday they are first again"  Me on Banner Juke '88

Wednesday Oct. 26th

Normalcy was the key today.  Not much excitement or agony.  In French we didn't do too much just talking.  Calculus, we went over some homework.  In Physics we went over our tests.  I got an 80%.  Mr. Jones lets us take a retest if we think we can improve so I will probably take the retest. In econ, we had another lecture and a quiz.  I got a 23/25.  I didn't study too much and I still did well. It is probably my easiest class. My teacher for it is the assistant track coach. He usually works with sprinters but I know him fairly well. In track, he always yells “SPRINT!” no matter the event. Good dude.  At practice we did relays.  It was fun.  After practice we went home and rested for a bit until 6:00.  Then we went to the district gymnastics meet.   With some sports like cross country, the district and league meet are the same thing. Others are not. League championships are simply bragging rights because it is the district event where you qualify for state. The rest of the guys from the team were there.  We decided to show support for some of the other teams since we had a lot at districts.  We had fun talking and goofing around.  I really felt like I was a part of the group.  I can hardly wait for the assembly on Friday.  They are going to play Queen's rock anthem "We are the champions" while we hang the banner. It will be a glorious affair.  At the meet I talked to Andrea and Julie.  Julie was being nice.  Yesterday she seemed kind of bitchy or maybe she was just being cold to me. Anywho she was friendly to me tonight.  During my free period I read some more of Premonitions.  Mike said something today that really struck me.  He said "People go out with people for what their friend think" or something to that effect.  Along those lines I found out that Kristen has a boyfriend, a real asshole (and not just a she’s not going out with me asshole).  I guess I knew it all along but I didn't want to believe that she is a sellout.  It seems that more and more people are selling out what they really are for what they want others to see them as.  They are getting futher and further away from the "me inside of me".   Is it a conscious decision or does it just happen?  I hope it doesn't happen to me because I like myself.  I am secure with who I am and I guess with that attitude I will never have to worry about changing.  

 "Cindy, just hear me out and I will leave you alone... kay?  Oh you demolished me on New Year's Eve.  But see, I realize you did me a favor.  You brought me back to REALITY!  All I ever wanted to do was to get close to you and when I finally got there, it wasn't me anymore.  Cindy..oh Cindy.   I was just hoping we could sort this out.  You know; the real me and the real you.  That's all.
            -Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) from Can't Buy Me Love.

Tuesday Oct. 25th

Another boring day in my life.  In French, we just talked about the weekend.  I had to describe the excitement in halting French. Calculus we went over some of the homework.  Ms. Job is very slow and steady but I really have a good understand of what is going on.  Who says you can't learn anything from nice teachers.  Physics took a test- I think I did okay.  In English we discussed Edmund Spencer's "Faerie Queene ". At the beginning of the year, we had to recite that poem in ye olde English. It was almost like learning another language. I also got my paper back.   B+ on content and a C on grammar.  This is about par for me.  I write the meat of the paper well but the grammar kills me.  Economics we didn't do much.  Practice was okay. We played kick ball.  It was the seniors vs. the underclassmen.  After we lost I lying on the ground semi pouting and this junior was lightly kicking me.  It kind of pissed me off, so I yelled "Don't fuckin’  touch me!" right in front of the rest of the team and Orcutt.  I had to do 100 push-ups.  I felt stupid for saying it but c’mon. Isn’t there a saying about kicking a man when he is down?           
After practice I drove down to the Air Force Recruiting office to get an application for an ROTC scholarship.  My pop was in the Air Force during ‘Nam. He always talked about how the Air Force was better than the rest.  But he also told me that, if I go in. I should only do it as an officer. I’m not really high on the military in general but I would be a good way to pay for college.  I can’t say that I would even sign up if I were even given the scholarship. Maybe I just want to cover my bases in case I got to some expensive school.

In the library during my free period, I thought Kristen was staring at me out of the corner of her eye.  What does it mean? I wish I knew.  Also I caught Julie staring at me.  I can't figure chicks out.  I wish I knew what these girls think of me, if at all.  I have to take more chances but for now I am wimpy but happy.  Mike and I reminisced tonight about many good times of elementary school and Sky Ranch.  It was fun. Oh well, Say la Vee.  I wish Patty would write.

"Beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes all the way to the bone" -anonymous but on 1/3 of the merchandise at Spencer gifts

Monday Oct. 24th

Pretty busy day.  A lot happened most bad.  First on the way to school we got a flat tire.  Mike and I changed it quickly and we weren't even late for Calculus.  I got my test back...50/50.  In physics I am kind of lost and we have a test tomorrow.  In English we had a little quiz which I failed.  I suppose I should read the assignment more carefully.  I didn't talk to Julia in econ.  I started reading a new book in 7th period.  It is called Premonitions.  It is really funny but kind of wired.  Practice was hard.  I did feel better and better as it went on.  I found out that there is a pep assembly on Friday.   At Bear Creek, we have a tradition of hanging the county championship banners at pep assemblies.  It is always kind of a big deal to hang the banner in front of over 1000 screaming classmates.  Honestly, I think Mike and I (or Tom B) should be considered and I have a good feeling we just might. Oh we'll see.  After practice we got a new tire and a battery for our piece.  Tomorrow I'll make an appointment to check out the other things wrong on our car.  Even though a lot of things went wrong none of it really phased me.  In school many people congratulated me and the team.   Also some guys on the team are thinking about doing some Junior Olympics when CC is over.  It would be fun if we do well.  That's all.

            "All the cool guys get the neat girls and all the wimps get the rest" - paraphrase from Premonitions

Sunday Oct. 23rd

Another day comes and goes.  Didn't really do much of anything.  Went to work from 6a to 2p.  Even though it means I have to get up butt-early, I like opening the store. #1) it means one less hour having to deal with customers and #2)  I have a good chunk of the day left when I get off.  Although some days I am so wiped that I just come home and sleep, like I did today. I have a little ritual when I get to work. The first thing I set up is the coffee machine and get a cup. I love a nice cup of joe with cream and sugar to get me going.  Even if my friend Sean says coffee with cream and sugar isn't coffe- it's candy. I only drink it at work when I open.  There are 4 jobs that openers do.  Make biscuits and salads for the day, set up the ice cream machines, set up the front end for the day or get things on the grill for cooking. My favorite is biscuits. I just set up my little station and take a few hours to make everything. Grill is the worst. Not only do you have to haul everything up from the freezers in the basement, you have to be ready to go the minute the doors open, right away. And yes, most days we have people waiting for us to open. Especially on Sunday when we open an hour later than normal. Fortunately the day went by pretty fast.  When I came home I napped until 7p. I missed the Broncos losing to the Steelers.  I watched some TV and did my math homework.  Then I watched Cheers.  That's all.  I wonder what tomorrow will be like at school due to the race.  I know that cross country doesn't rank very high but this is our school first conference championship.  I'll be sure to listen to the announcements.  Still feeling good but state here we come.

"I'm a teenage lobotomy" - Joey Ramone from the song of the same name.

Saturday Oct. 22nd

Doesn't really feel like a Saturday.  Started early with a 6am practice.  We were late and we caught some flack from Coach but hoh well.  When I got home I slept until 10:30 when we had to go to work.  It went by okay.   I got off at 3- 5hours is better than my usual 8.  When I got home my friend Pete had called so I called him back.  We decided to hit the softball around at the elementary school that is about halfway between both of our house. Pete is the friend who lives closest to me, about .5 mile. I’ve known Pete since junior high but only moved into his neighborhood in the last few years. We used to live in a crappy townhouse that was pretty close to school (and my amigo Jeremy).  It was small and kind of cramped. I was really glad when we moved into our current house after my freshman year. Pete called some other guys from BC that he knows and live close to meet us there. We wound up playing a game until about 5:30.  Returned home, rested and ate dinner, Tacos.  We had to be at Tom B's house at 6:30 for a varsity night 'o fun.  He has a pretty nice spread.  We played pool, pong, and poker.  We also watched the CU football game.  Tom and Wade V also got involved in a chess match that provided some entertainment.  The rest of the night was spent talking.  That was fun and a good time.  Tom believes that we can go top three teams in state.  If we all run strong, no slacking like some did at leagues, and some other teams have an off day, we can.  Not much else to say except I bess be getting to sleep soon.  All in all it has been a pretty fun weekend and it is only Saturday.  It still hasn't hit me and maybe it never will that I am all conference.  Now I have gotten over the excitement about our team win and I am getting hyped for State.  Nighty-night.

            "We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses......Hit it" - Jake and Elwood blues.

Friday Oct. 21st

Still ridin’ high.  It all seems like a dream.  It’s hard to believe that I am All-County.  Today it was in the both newspaper.  The Rocky Mountain News had the results and even a full page story.  I was mentioned in both.  I kept a copy. The Denver Post only had results and they spelled my name wrong but I don’t care.   I got up at 8:20 due to a day off from school but we still had practice. It was okay. I felt tired and sore. After practice we went to Winchell’s donut hut.  Good eatin’. Then home.  I watched Rock and Roll High School starring the Ramones. I remember seeing this movie before I was a Ramones fan. I thought it was so bizarre. I still think it is but now I can appreciate the music more. Watched it until it was time to hoist my butt up and go get license plates.  They were $57.99 but my mom paid. She is really nice and not just because she paid for the plates.  Our car wouldn’t start at the county clerks so we hiked to Paul’s Place, a burger joint, and split a jumbo basket of fries and some pop. After 1/2 hour it started so we made out way home and rested until work.  It went just fine and with no major problems. A lot of junior high girls with experimenting with make-up came in.  Tomorrow I have to get up early then go to work.  Fun, fun but I need the money.  At work and in general I have adopted an attitude that I don’t care what others think of me because I proved myself what I knew I could be....a champion.  Kind of corny but I am so proud.  Didn’t mention it yesterday but we made history yesterday. We are the first Bear Creek team to win the league CC championships for boys. (The ladies won last year)

“I think about the events of that afternoon over and over again and I can’t help but smile” - Me on going all conference and our team’s success.

Thursday Oct 20th.

In French nothing exciting but no homework for the weekend.  In calc we had a test based on all the other tests that we have had so far.  The same exact questions! I know that I got a perfect score.  Physics- since I already did well on the most recent test, I didn’t have to take the retest and got the period off. Econ and English were just lecture days.  For lunch, Mike and I went to Pizza Hut.  We dined on a sensible meal of salad bar and bread sticks. We’ve done this a few times and it’s worked really well.  At 2:00 we had a varsity meeting to prepare for the race.  I still get a kick out of just being on varsity and going to varsity only meetings.  Before Coach came when we were trying to figure out what our score might be. In cross country each runners place counts toward the score-add up the places of the top 5 and lowest score wins. Tom B. asked each of us where we might place and I reluctantly said 17th place. I'll be honest, I thought that I was being extremely optimistic because that would place me in award territory. First 7 get All Conference designation, the next 7 get 2^nd team All Conference and the next 7 get All Conference Honorable Mention.  After adding it all up we knew it would be close with our chief rivals Wheat Ridge High School and Green Mountain.  Early in the week, our Coach actually said in a newspaper article- “I’d have to give the edge to Wheat Ridge (in the conference meet)”. Man, that pissed us off. We talked a little about it before the coaches came in the room.

The assistant coach took us on a mind journey through the course. By now, we all knew the map by heart. He went  over every detail of the race in our minds, what we were seeing/ feeling/ thinking. I was into it!  I think that we were slightly hypnotized. Anyway it was really cool and sort of weird.  Finally around 3pm we loaded up the buses and headed to Clement Park.  I was somewhat nervous.  It had to be the best race of my life. When we arrived I “walked the course” then I stretched. The course was in and around a big park a few miles from the school. We start in the middle, make our way around the perimeter, through some parking lots, out to the west end of the park, back again and finish with a slight downhill around some softball fields to near where we started. It’s a pretty fast course. I did a few accelerations to get the legs ready.

The starter gave us the 10, then 5 minute warning. Finally, he called the schools to line up in their respective starting boxes.  “Runners set!” then Bang! and we were off.  I got a good start and I held strong. I felt fluid. During the race I saw a pack in front of me that I thought was the second tier pack but it turned out to be the leaders. At one point, I saw one of my teammate having trouble with his shoe. Then he just kicked it off!  Mike and I were running together for most of the race. It was pretty intense. Bear Creek really mustered up some good support. Heck, even the principal was out there on the course, clapping and even shouting my (last) name. My mom was there too, screaming for us. As the finish line was closing in, I was running hard. I kicked it as strong as I ever had. The crowd was going NUTS. I realized later that it was because Mike was right on my tail. It was surreal as I crossed the finish line and they handed me a ticket with my place on it. I turned it over and saw as ‘6’ on it.  I GOT 6TH PLACE!!! I couldn’t believe it. I was just as happy for Mike who was 7^th. My time was 17:29 and Mike’s was 17:29.9! I’m all conference. I think this was my highest finish all year. I was the second runner on the team. As soon as I got out of the finish area Coach picked me up and hugged me. He was ecstatic. I was bouncing around too. After some quick math with the results, coach delivered the good news. Our team got first! County/ District Champs.  I think he was really surprised (after picking Wheat Ridge to win and all).  I am super happy with my places but in all honesty, I was busting my butt for a team win.  It was our focus the entire year.   We even overcame a few of the guys having off days; Mike, this freshman Dan and I really came through.

Well we did it. In fact, BC sweep districts; All the teams, Boy’s and Girl’s Varsity and Boy’s and Girl’s JV, got first place.  But we are going to state!  I got a lot of congrats and plenty of other hugs but the one that stands out is Andrea. That was nice.  It was pretty awesome hearing in name called out at the awards ceremony and then hear “Bear Creek” be named as the Champs. We took some pictures and milled around for a while. When you have such a great moment in life, you want that moment to last as long as possible. But we finally headed home. When I got home I ate like everything was normal. Then we rented a movie to watch at my friend Pete's house. No school tomorrow but we do have a practice mid-morning.   Pretty mellow end to an exciting day.  All county means that my picture will go on the Hall of Fame, displaying my other achievements (not too many). I am just so happy to be alive.  I can hardly wait to see my name in the papers. Oh well, I did great but life goes on, like Buck Wheat would have wanted. Three day weekend coming up, let’s make it a good one.

“Life is good......and Good is Life”-From a story I written by me.

Wednesday Oct. 19th

Today was kind of a blur. I’m so excited for tomorrow that is all I really thought about.  Had a  super easy practice after school. We just wanted to get the legs moving a little so there isn’t any rust tomorrow. Everyone was pretty quiet and focused. The varsity runners had tonight all planned out. After practice, we had dinner at Tom B’s house. He is a junior but easily the best runner on the team. He was injured last year so he looking for some redemption. He will probably contend for the win tomorrow.  Once dinner was over, we headed up to Arvada to the women’s league gymnastics meet.  Our coach is married to the women's gymnastics team coach so he always “encourages” us to support them. I don’t mind, as they seem to support the cross country team when they can. Also, our school has had one of the top Gymnastics team in the state for a long time. Not to mention there are some pretty cute girls on the team.  We didn’t stay for the whole meet because Mike and I wanted to get to bed a little early. I was so tired when I got home I fell right asleep.


"Hey Ho, Let's go!"- The Ramones

Tuesday Oct. 18th

Not much excitement in the world on MT.  School went okay.  French, English, and Calculus passed without incident.  In Physics, Mr. Jones signed my homework so that means that I got the credit.  Before Physics, I had a meeting with my guidance counselor, Mr. Mercer, about college.  He just wanted to know my plans which I honestly don’t have any.  All seniors have to see their counselors. I want to be an Architect. They have a computer career test you can take anytime you want in the library. I’ve done it a few times. It usually says I should be an engineer but I like art too. So I fudged some answers to make sure it spit Architect out as a possibility.  Since the University of Colorado is the only school in CO that has an Architecture program, I picked up an application. Not sure If I can afford to go out of state.  I am almost finished filling it out. In Econ, I didn't talk to Julia that much.  But during lunch I talked to her a little more.  Mike finally saw her.  I wonder what he thinks.  Later on she looked kind of down and when I said "hi" she brightened up.  During 6th hour, my free period, I finished that book and I talked to Belinda, a foreign exchange student from down under.  She is on the cross country team.  After school, Mike and I went to our Dad's to pay our insurance that we owe him. He pays the bill and we pay him. Heck, maybe it’s just a way for him to make sure we see him once in a while. When we were younger, we would go have sleepovers at his house. It was great. Usually good food (better yet a trip to Showtime Pizza), lax rules, soda and CABLE!! I saw my first booby movie at his house one morning while he was sleeping. But he has this girlfriend that we all hate. We even call her ‘It’- never her real name. She is the same lady he cheated on my mom with and led to the divorce. I never feel comfortable around her. She was gone and my Dad was pretty friendly today. Practice was easy today but I got some good work in.  There was also a speaker on what a champion is.   He is Coach’s brother-in-law. He is some tri-athlete who has done some big races. He had some great advice and gave both mental and physical strategies to think about.  I already practice some of the tips that he prescribed.  One of the most useful bits of advice he gave was when running up a hill don't let up at the top, run a few steps over the other side.  At home I watched T.V., did my French, and read my English assignment.  I also went to the store.  Such is life.  I took a shower when I got home and now I'm all clean and I feel sweet, ready for a new day.  Here is one of the points the speaker brought up:

            "You can always rest at the end."-Janet Evans, Olympic Gold Medalist

Monday Oct. 17th

 #1 Song- (I’ll post when it changes)

Nothing much exciting today. In Physics I caught a break because Mr. Jones wasn't there to sign the homework that I didn't do.  Basically, he will go around and sign your homework, then, when you hand it in later, he checks for his signature. No signature= no credit.  I guess it’s a way for teachers to put off homework for a day or two. In Calculus I got a 60 out of 50 on my quiz thanks to some generous extra credit. I knew that I did well.   Some might say that our teacher is soft on us but I am rarely lost in that class. Mrs. Job takes everything nice, slow and complete. She is one of my favorite teachers (next to Mr. Jones) In econ we had a test.  It was pretty hard.  I hope that I do well.  I also talked to Julia more.  She is so nice.  I wonder if and how she feels about me..  Today I saw Kristen in the library.  There was no special feeling when I saw her.  I wonder if I ever liked her.  I am almost finished with the book I am reading.  It is called The Me Inside of Me.  It is about a Latino who becomes rich when his family dies in a plane crash and he must confront all the changes in him and his friends.  It is really good.  Today I was cold to Chris B.  She really annoys me now. At this point,  I would rather have no attention than anything from her.  We had practice at 6:00 pm.  It was almost dark when we finished.  I felt really strong.  There is no doubt for districts.  Tomorrow is report card day.  I hope that I get good grades.  I have to keep up in Math, French, Econ., and Physics and work harder in English.  On the radio tonight I heard a version of Early in the Morning by Bobby Darin.  It was good but I like Buddy Holly's version better.  That's all for me today.  

            "Swimming is not a sport, It’s a way to keep from drowning."-George Carlin

Sunday Oct. 16h

#1 Song - Groovy Kind of Love- Phil Collins

Just a usual Sunday. I went to work at 6:00.  I did machines.  This involves putting together the ice cream and shake machine.  It was hard to remember all the steps and everything.  My manager Diane was in a bitchy mood then again she always is lately.  Work went by semi-fast.  On the way home our car stalled.  My older sister Dana came by to rescue us by giving our battery a jump.  I think that we have carburetor problems.  I went home and I fell asleep during the Bronco game.  They eventually beat the Atlanta 30-14.  I haven't really been excited about the Broncos this year.  I guess getting wasted in the last 2 super bowls puts a damper on things. I didn't do too much homework even though I have quite a  bit.  It is so hard for me to get motivated.  I have to start getting on the ball for college.  I hope that tomorrow is a good day.  We only go four days next week.  Only three days until districts on thursday  I feel that our team is confident but not cocky.  I know that we can win.  Oh well, say la vee.  Time to go to bed.

"You always ought to keep an eye on real life"-Pablo Picasso

Saturday Oct. 15h

#1 Song- Red Red Wine- UB40


A lot of things happened today but none was particularly inspiring or exciting.  First I got up at 6:00 to go to practice.  It wasn't too hard.  Tom made it a little easier by singing the first few lines of Dolly Parton’s '9 to 5' during the run.  I did feel a little bad about my attitude. Just wasn’t feeling it today.  Afterwards, Mike and I went down to McDonald’s to pick up our checks.  Mine was $81.68.  We also ate there.  Then we tried to go home but our car stalled.  So we called Sean he came down and gave us a jump to get it going.  From there we went downtown to the convention center to a markdown stereo show.  We stopped by Andy’s house to pick him up.  Andy wants a car, a car that goes boom.  Overall the show was stupid and lame. Total rope-a-dope. All the good “bargains” that were advertised were gone or barely there. What a waste of two bucks.  After the show we walked the 16th street mall. It was a regular street in Denver until a few years ago. They took away all the cars and made it walking friendly. But because it goes from one end of downtown to the other, there are free shuttle busses that run every few minutes down the length. You have to dodge busses because the driver don’t stop for anything except red lights. 16^th Street has a lot of touristy shops and fast food but every goes there when they go “downtown”. Sometimes on weekend nights we come down to Watson’s pharmacy on one end of the mall. It’s an old timey malt shop that has great chili fries. But today it was a second trip to McDonald's.  Dee was up to him elbows in McRib sauce.  There were a lot of vagrants down there in general.  On the shuttle, there was a guy talking to himself.  We left "the city" at around 3 o'clock.  I came home and took a nap.  I watched some TV until Pete called.  We had a pizza dinner and then rented a movie to watch at our house.  It was fairly weird.   I have mucho homework, well enough to keep me busy tomorrow.  I hope that I have enough time to write and relax sometime though.

            "What were you thinking?"-Tom B, CC stud and teammate.  Used in response to outlandish claims i.e. " I had three cokes and a donut for lunch"

Friday Oct. 14th.

#1 Song- Red Red Wine- UB40


Today I got up early to wash my hair but not early enough because I still had to hurry.  Alas, I made it to school on time.  We didn't do anything major in any of my classes.  In economics, Julia said that she was looking at my picture in the yearbook.  I wonder why?  What does it mean? We left for Greeley right after lunch. The meet started in the late afternoon and it takes about an hour to get there. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved field trips. It always seemed like some big adventure. Even though, because of sports, we travel almost every week, I still get a kick out of boarding that big yellow school bus.  We did a workout up there which wasn’t the greatest. Greeley stinks- literally. There are some massive feed lots around and the place just smells like manure a lot of the time. Today was no exception.  The actual run was light because tomorrow's will be hard; we start at 6:30 in the morning.  We ate dinner before we headed back home. There is always some pressure to eat “healthy” on these trips but I caved and went to Arby's.  Now I feel a little sick, those damn curly fries did me in.  The ride home was okay.  I sat by Chris B. which was a mistake.  She is always stroking my face or leg and saying ' I love you, Matt' or 'Honey'.  It is really annoying.  Mike told me that she likes me. Oooooooooo.  As we were nearing the school our bus did the ‘Bus Driver’ Song.

Three cheers for the bus driver, bus driver, bus driver,

Three cheers for the bus driver, bus driver man

He drinks and he cusses, He wrecks all the busses

Three cheers for the bus driver, bus driver man

Man, we really got going and it was LOUD. The driver always seems to appreciate it.  We got home at 9:00pm and now I am in bed.  No time for fun, it comes tomorrow.  The weekend is kind of suck because I look forward to seeing Julia.  After the meet I talked to a guy, Jon L, who was a senior on the senior last year I knew him from cross country and track. He goes to the college in Greeley and came out to cheer the team.  College hasn't changed him that much.  I wonder if it will change me.  I got to get that scholarship info in. That is all I have for today.

"Women are no damn good!"-Dabney Coleman on Saturday Night Live

Thursday Oct 13th

(Note: I found a great website which lists the #1 song on any day. For reference, I shall start including it.)

#1 Song- Red Red Wine- UB40

Today was another one of those roller coaster days. Bad start to the day.  I was driving to school by myself, Mike usually gets a ride with my friend Pete since they both have  to go earlier. Our piece of crap Chevy Citation has developed a bad habit of stalling whenever it’s stopped. I fear red lights and I hit one when I turned off the highway. Ka-chunk, ka-chunk then stalls. The bad thing is you have to wait a couple hours before it starts again. I was close enough to school that I figured I could walk the rest of the way once I got the car off the road.  So I spent 1^st period trying to move it off the ramp and into a nearby gas station parking lot.  The problem was that there is a tiny incline that I couldn’t get over. Finally, this guy stopped and helped me.  I got an A on my physics test.  I knew that I did well.  We had an in-class essay in English.  I hope I did fairly well.  In Econ we have been watching the cartoon movie  Animal Farm. Today we finished up the movie and discussed it.  I talked with Julia a little.  She said that if ever I needed help with my French she would help me.  I'd like help with my French kissing I thought.  We had an easy practice.  We had a relay race and the winning team got to make their ice cream sundaes first which was my team! Good deal. After practice, my Pete, who had tennis practice, drove us to the gas station and gave our car a jump start.  Then he followed us home and we played some one on one basketball in our driveway. The driveway slopes and we live partway up a small hill. So you have to be careful when you miss a shot to make sure you corral the ball or you are going to be chasing the ball for a good while.  I won the game.   Tomorrow will be fun. We team is going to Greeley for the Greeley Invite. Since the district race is in a week, Coach is holding out the varsity runners. We still have a light workout to do and of course, cheering on our teammates. It may be nerdy but I like getting out there and yelling for other BC runners. It was nice to have that when I was on the junior varsity team. I have this fear I will be sick or districts and I hope it doesn’t come true.  I’m feeling extremely confident about our changes in fact, I know that we can win.   One week away.  I did my math and French homework.  I have to get up early so I can wash my hair before school.  I hope I have a good day concerning women tomorrow.  Peace be with you.

            "Mickey's a mouse, Donald's a duck, Pluto's a dog.  What the hell is Goofy?-from the movie Stand by Me

Wednesday Oct. 12th

           Hey, Hey, Hey, it was an okay day.  Nothing much happened in school.  In Physics, we had a test; I think that I did well.  Good enough to keep my "A".  Today was the end on the quarter.  With some luck I should have 4 A's and one B.  In Econ we watched Animal Farm, the cartoon version.  Julia and I exchange some glances.  At one point she checked my reaction to something in the movie.  My bro and I have this theory that is someone (a girl) “checks” your reaction to things, they are kind of feeling you out. Maybe it is just pop-psychology it makes sense to me.  Her hair was down but it still looked good to me.  Practice went well. We had intervals. You usually run a set distance (like a quarter mile) at a set time. It’s faster than race pace so you can improve your speed without going a full race distance. I love this type of workout.   I felt strong and made all my times.  After practice some of us from the team went to Dairy Queen.  I had a vanilla cone with Krunch Kote – my usual. Damn Good!  All day long I've had this annoying cough.  I might go to the doctor tomorrow.  I finished my English paper but I can't relax because we have an in-class essay coming up.   Also I did all of my French homework.  I went to the public library in Columbine High School to see how many pages my Econ book had.  There were a lot of Columbine wenches there.  Today after 4th period I was walking behind Cathy B.  She turned around and looked like she was going to say something but she just smiled.  I don't know what it means.  Didn't see Kristen today.  I talked to an old friend and former girl I liked, Shawn D. We’ve known each other since elementary school and were quite close when we were younger. In 6^th grade, we went to a week long camp-like thing during the school year. It was called outdoor lab. Some school like projects, crafts, hikes and even a dance on the last night. All the kids in the school district went. For some of use (not me) it was the first real experience away from home.  Anyway, Shawn was there and we had lots of laughs and some memorable experiences (nothing romantic though). The lab used High School kids as counselors. So we always promised that we would apply when we got to High School so we could go back. We did and we got picked! But when the schedule came out, the week we were assigned was the week of the district Cross Country meet. So I had to bow out. I was really bummed because that could’ve been my chance with her. But No go.   Shawn chided me about not going to outdoor lab but I have to run in districts.  I'm really excited and my attitude is better. Hope I can sleep well.  

            "Hi. how are you?"- Matt D. (cross country captain) everyday to everyone

Tuesday Oct. 11th

Today was pooey.  French, Calc, and Physics were okay.  Nothing exciting happened. Tomorrow we have a test in Physics. My physics teacher, Mr. Jones is a pretty cool guy. He is older but has a strangeness to him that everyone really likes. He once told us a story about an out of control magnet that latched on to his belt. He had to remove his pants to get rid of the magnet. He was cracking up as he was telling it and everyone else was laughing to. It was awesome.  In AP English we got into small group to discuss the poem that was assigned.  I got into a staring contest with a girl that was in my group, Cathy B, Chris's older sister.  She was staring at point blank range, less than 5 feet for about a minute.  I kept it up until my eyes started to water.  Then she gave in by smiling at me. She is kind of cute but she is really known in our class for having larger knockers.  I haven't been involved in a staring contest for a while.  Econ- I talked quite a bit to Julia.  I think that I “like” Kristen more and more. (no slam on Julia intended). Not sure what it is about her. Hell, I haven’t even said two words to her.  I saw her in the library during 7th hour.  I have that hour free and I usually go to the library until I have practice.  There was no eye contact with her.  After an easy practice, Mike and I went to McD's for a snack.  Since the food is free I can tolerate a lot of it.  My legs were hurting when we got home at 6:30.  I had just laid down when my mom came into my room and told that I was supposed to work 6-9.  Mike and I scurried down there.  Even though I only worked 6:45-8:45 it seemed like 5 hours.  After work I ate some stew.  Then I watched the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  He wasn't too funny.  I didn't study for Physics, so I will have to tomorrow.  I hardly ever do homework until I absolutely have to.  That's all until morning.

            "You just got your asses whipped ....by a bunch of goddamned nerds.......NERDS"- John Goodman in Revenge of the Nerds

Mon. Oct. 10th

Today was sort of an up and down day.  I went to school early so I could work on my economic discussion notes but I had to return home to pick up Mike.  In math we got our tests back.  I did better than I thought.  With some luck I may be able to pull the "A" out.  In  Physics the people at our table had a sports-o-rama.  Using carefully crunched and folded paper, we played basketball, bowling, golf, and pool.  Then we finished with some hockey.  The rest of the day went okay.  I didn't go home after 5th because I wanted to write and watch Kristen in the library.  She always talks to Nick F.   He's the type of guy who is on varsity soccer and track, popular and has girls hanging around him.  I guess he's a nice guy but all that bugs me.  I hate guys like him.  Practice was a bitch.  We ran 4.5 miles from the school to the freshman/sophomore meet down the road. Part of the route was up a monster hill. (yet we still beat the bus. When the meet was over and we had done our cheering, we ran back.  It was hell because my legs hurt.  After practice, I went home and watched TV, resting my legs.  At 9:30, Mike and I went to Mickey D's for dinner.  We came back and watch Cheers until now.  My story is going along slowly.  I don't know if I should change it to first person, I think that I will.  Every time I listen to Buddy Holly I am amazed at the man's genius.  I hope that tomorrow is happy across the board.

            "Sometime you gotta say 'What the fuck'.......you can't say it , you can't do it"- Curtis “Booger” Armstrong in Risky Business

Sun. Oct. 9th

             Another weekend is over and I am somewhat saddened but there will be another one on the horizon.  Today was really busy. Went to work. For once I got off on time. Mike and I usually work the opening shift. It means we have to get up super early but we usually are done around noon. The problem is that we are always slammed at lunchtime so it can be hard to leave in the middle of a rush. I don’t mind staying a few minutes extra but anything beyond 10 gets on my nerves. Today was an exception.  After work we had to finish cleaning my Dad's corral of horseshit.  My father keeps his horses at his girlfriend's parents’ house.  It is a ritzy spread in the mountains.  Whenever we owe my Dad a favor or money, which isn't too often, we clean the corral for him.  Sometimes he buys us ice cream or offers us a soda, when he is there.  Today he wasn't.  I'm so glad that we are done.  After we finished we cruised around in the mountains.  We first stopped at a scenic overlook at Buffalo Bill's grave.  It was really cool.  Then we stopped and went on a hike.  It was fun reliving and talking about fun times we've had in the mountains. Something about the mountains sets life in perspective.  So I did bad on my math test, I still am able to see the beauty.  If you can't then you might as well be dead.  Anywho we then stopped at Safeway for some candy.  I felt kind of bad about eating it but I might as well enjoy.  I finally found out whether Mike likes KW.  It's a no but that still doesn't put me any closer to her.  Today she came into where I work, McDonald's.  I felt kind of stupid but she has seen me there before.  I promised myself that if she looked my way I'd wave but she didn't even attempt eye contact.  I wish she'd give me a clue.  I thought of a great idea for a story.  It is about a guy like me who meets up with Buddy Holly who never really died.  I hope that I can finish this one. It seems I am always starting some kind of story only to abandon it after a few pages.

 Today I felt kind of nostalgic for the summer camp where I met Patty and had a blast. I went there 3 summers in a row. It was only a week long but those were some of the happiest times in my life.  The smoky smell of the air as I walked arm in arm with Laura, who I thought really liked me.  That was before she fell for a counselor.  Memories. Oh well, here I go diving into another Monday.

            "Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style.  Ain't got no girl to make me smile. Don't worry...Be happy.."-Bobby McFerrin

Sat. Oct 8th.

Hey, pretty good day, even though I really didn't do much.  We had a Cross Country meet.  It was the Smoky Hill Invitational.  We have a fairly large Cross Country team. It’s kind of the “catch-all” sport. No one gets cuts and some people who want to get in shape for winter or spring sports join the team. We have a lot of wrestlers and girl soccer players. Usually each meet has 3 races (each for boys and girls). Top 7 run varsity (that’s me!), the next 7 run JV (that was me last year) and the rest run the “open” division.  We probably have over 60 people running in the open division for each meet. It’s cool to see all the gold jerseys with ‘Bear Creek’ on the front. The course is mostly run in this big park and its pretty fast-not too many hills.  There was some dispute over whether the course was measured accurately but I ran a really good time, 17:40.   Our team did really well overall getting fourth out of fifteen teams.  We beat the two other strong teams in our district.  I know that we can win districts!  After the meet we went to McDonalds for a snack.  Then we went home.  All I did the rest of the day was watch TV and a movie, Strange Brew, the hoser brother comedy classic.  I kind of wanted to go out but I felt like staying home more.  Tomorrow I have much to do.  Finished Patty's letter and all I have to do is mail it.  Sometimes she gets me mad.  It seems whenever our letter writing has slowed or stopped, I am the one who revives it.  Oh well.  Time to rest up so.Good night.

            "I think if you watch really closely, you'll see a lot of powerful overacting on my part"-David Letterman

There was no entry for yesterday because I was so tried due to practice and work.  Today went semi-okay.  French wasn't too exciting. In math I biffed (messed up) my exam.  I'm kind of worried about my math grade. The quarter ends next week so I guess I will find out then. Quarter grades aren’t really recorded or anything but they do give you an idea of how you stand in a particular class. I have always get a big charge out of seeing an ‘A’ on the report card. It might have something to do with my Dad used to pay us for grades. When we were younger, Mike, my sister Shannon and I would head over to his house for a sleepover and we would present our semester report cards. In grade school we got a check (C), a plus (like an A) or a minus (F). My Dad would only pay for pluses- .25 cents per.  Once we got to letter grades, getting an ‘A’ became the money maker earning a few bucks. It kind of stopped after freshman year in high school. But I still calculate the value of my grades.

 Classes were shortened today because we had a spirit assembly. The seniors won the spirit contest .This consisted of our sweat-soaked Vice Principal, Mr. J. decked out in dark green "slacks", waving the spirit stick around and pointing it at a particular class, signaling them to yell "Bear" or "Creek". The class of 1989 always gets really into the contest and we have always won.  The rest of the day went all right. Julia wasn't in Economics, she was in Boulder.  I wonder if I could get the courage to ask her out. We had a cross country dinner at Matt D's house for varsity only.  We loaded up in carbohydrates via spagetti.  After dinner we watched a George Carlin concert video.  It was pretty stupid but I we did have fun talking about everyone’s favorite comedy bits.  Then we went home.  I'm really tired.  I hope that I do well in the meet tomorrow; the Smoky Hill Invitational. It’s a bigger sized meet. There's this girl at school named KW.  She is really nice looking and sometimes we exchange glances.  I might be inclined to like her but I think that Mike does.  I really don't know her at all. Perhaps I should gain contact.  I just need more courage.  Overall I am happy about my life right now.  I have to finish the letter to Patty that I started.

            "I had a date.........once"- Gary Shandling

Oct 5th.

Today went well.  In French we had a really mean substitute.  Her favorite saying was "there's a time to talk and a time to work, it's time to work."  We had a lot of work to do in class.  I didn't have to go to Calculus because of a speaker for the seniors.  His name was Ken Davis.  He was pretty funny and had the message of ‘Be the Best of Yourself’.  I sat by my friends Sean Maslow, Peter Zizka, Joe Stewart, Andy Beck and by twin brother, Mike.  These guys are my group of friends.  I have known them since our days at Carmody Jr. High when we were fightin' Cobras.  We have had a lot of the advanced level classes together.  This semester I have Sean in French, English, Calculus, and Economics ;Pete in English ; Joe in Calculus and English ; Andy in Calculus, French and English.  Mike is in my Calculus, Physics and English classes.  Mike and I had a lab to do in Physics.  I was able to finish and understand it.  In English I wasn't paying attention because I was really tired.  That girl Julia is an exchange student from Belgium.  I hope to talk to her tomorrow because today I didn't.  Practice was really easy .  After practice Mike, Tony B. (a sophomore on the team) ,  Anglie M. ( a freshman on the team), and Chris B. (who is constantly flirting with me) and I went to McDonalds for free Big Macs courtesy of a kick butt Olympic team. Ummm, they were tasty.   McDs has a scratch off game where if the US wins gold, you win the food prize. On one hand it’s a pain at work because people are constantly asking for tickets to scratch. On the other, my job allows me pretty good access to free tickets. You would be surprised at the number of people who don’t even play the game.  When I got home I watched Weird Science, then drove to the Safeway which is about 8 minutes away, then some homework.  
            Last night I had the strangest dream.  Andrea was in it. I think that I am starting to like her.  I'm kind of glad because liking someone gives a purpose to everyday.  I haven't been "in like" with anyone in a while.   I thought that it was kind of weird that I was interested in Julia before I knew that she was foreign. Then again, she is pretty hot.

            "Bula Bula"- Gary Busey in The Buddy Holly Story

Oct 4th

  Today was a good concerning women.  In the morning before 1st hour, I had a little chat with Andrea B.  I met her last year in French class.  She was kind of a punker chick then but now she is a pom-pom and she is still cute.  Anyway she complimented me on my running.  I also kind of met a new girl in Economics.  Her name is Julia (I think).  She seems nice and is pretty good looking.  During a filmstrip I kept trying to make eye contact.  A lot of the times I looked over she looked back.  I think that she was staring at me.  Maybe I am just hoping too hard.  Practice was kind of hard today and I was beaten by this freshman, Dan Fagan.  I didn't really care because I always beat him in the meets but Mike didn't like it.  After practice was work.  Like my two sisters before me, Mike and I work and the local McDonalds. Actually it is kind of far from our house but my older sister Kim is the manager and she gets Mike and I the shifts we want. Sometimes it is kind of embarrassing working there but at least I get free food. It went okay.  This bus load of 8th graders came in and I said "A bus load of eighth-graders with too much make-up on, my dream come true."  Everyone thought it was funny.  After work I did my French.  I didn't do any Calculus and we have a lot due for Thursday.  I don't have Calculus tomorrow due to a speaker for the seniors.  I made up a good cut down.  You ask someone how old they are and when they answer then ask "I mean in human years."  Tomorrow I will try to get a conversation going with Julia.  Maybe then I can find out if Julia is really her name.  There is this freshman on the cross country team who I think likes me.  Her name is Chris B. and she is always calling me honey or saying that she loves me.  Sometime it bugs me and other times I just think "hey go with it".  I really don't like her and is young but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like the attention.  Oh well, until tomorrow night.

"The crime is not that I rebelled, the crime is that other kids do not"-Matt Groening from School is Hell

Oct 3rd

Today was my B-day. It wasn't too exciting.   Meredith, one of my friends and co-workers, showed up at school with balloons and birthday cards for Mike and I. She graduated from Bear Creek a few years go. That was strange.  I hurt my leg in a football game we had during lunch hour. A few times a weeks a group of us throw the old nerf ball around. Sure it might not be the "coolest" thing but we have fun.  I collided with my friend Joe.  During cross-country practice I had to stop and walk a lap because I had a cramp of some sort.  I couldn't even take a deep breath.  In physics I got a 90 on my retest which will help my grade mucho.  All the other classes went okay. I guess I should turn in now so that I get enough rest.  Tomorrow morning I have some homework to do.  We'll see how things go.  I hope that tomorrow is a good day.   I have to write my Kansas pen pal.  Patty Pittman is a girl I met about two years ago.  We met a Sky Ranch, a Lutheran summer camp, and have written ever since.  She once admitted that she had feelings for me but that was long ago.  Now, I just think she has changed so much and that having a pen pal isn't "cool".   In any case, I should write Patty before the weekend.  I think that I'll end each day with a quote.

"Hell those books could make Nebraska look exciting"-Mike Tartar (my brother) on the World Book Encyclopedia

Okay I goofed

The journal actually starts on Oct. 3. Which happens to be an important date to me.