Journals Section: June, 2002

Beautiful Town Middle School
Originally uploaded by BlackenedBoy

A note to readers: I did not make entries in my handwritten journal during May of 2002, and so that month is skipped.

June 4, 2002
Today was one of the best days of my life. Today I graduated from Beautiful Town Middle School, and I will now move on to high school. Today I dressed in my best and went to school full of smiles and anticipation. I could barely sleep last night, I was so excited. I will never forget this day. No voy a olvidar este dia. We went to our homeroom classes (mine is Mrs. Irritable Science Teacher’s) and then we lined up in alphabetical order and waited outside as the parents filled the auditorium. We then went in and sat down and the chorus sang a song. After which teachers came up to present awards. I was one of three people to receive an award for academic excellence in Spanish, which reads, “Certificado de Reconocimiento Presentado a BlackenedBoy Para Espanol I, La fecha el 4 de junio de 2002 firmado por Sra. Plump Spanish Teacher.” Also, I got a certificate for Social Studies. The award was not given out necessarily for academic achievement. The Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Social-Studies-Teacher-We-Thought-Might-Have-Been-On-Drugs, said that the students receiving the award had a good head for Social Studies and could look beyond the surface. I also received the Student Choice Award, in which students from Team 9 vote on which student wrote the best poem or story. I was later told by one of the teachers tallying the votes, Mrs. Middle School English Teacher, that I won by “a landslide.” I was very happy. I also got my Certificate for Completion of the Eighth Grade 2001-2002 school year. Poor Mrs. Filipina Terror (a Filipina immigrant to the United States) pronounced so many names wrong. For example, she repeatedly called Boy With Long Hair “Xxxx Xxxxx.” Also, she completely slaughtered the name of Mexican Girl. The name is Spanish and is pronounced “XxxxxxxXXxx.” I like that name. Anyway, she got my name right. How the crowd cheered for me. I was so happy. At Dirty Town Middle School I never would have been cheered for so. I am going to a party in Dirty Town on Saturday and I am very excited. I will tell everyone about my new school. Of course, no one will believe me. Not that I have to care or anything. This summer is going to be so fun! Este verano va a ser asi divertido! On Saturday, we go to Idiot Cousin [a girl]’s party, and starting on Saturday night, we (Powell and I) are going to spend five nights over Grand Ma Normal Family’s. The week after that we will fly from Native and Marble City Airport to Central City International Airport in Deep South State. On the 4th of July we will be at our Uncle Nose-Hair’s house in Decaying State. En el dia de independencia de los Estados Unidos, seramos a la casa de nuestro tio Nose-Hair. Also, I might go to Largest City in July. Tambien, quiero ir a la cuidad de Largest City en julio. I need to go to bed now, but I’ll write more tomorrow. Necesito dormir ahora, pero voy a escribir mas manana. Oh, before I go to bed, I think you should know that I got this journal from Mrs. Middle School English Teacher for winning the Student Choice Awards. Oh, tambien, antes de dormir, pienso que debes saber que recibi este libro de Senora Middle School English Teacher para ganar la competicion de Quien los Estudiantes Quieren. That was the best translation I could come up with right now for that. Today was such a good day. This is going to be such a wonderful summer.

June 7, 2002
Today was the first day of summer vacation, and what a day it was. I went exploring through an area in which a small river runs. Powell, the others, and I have dubbed it the Nile River. We have several forts along the river, and have discovered a lake, Lake Terebinthia. Also, we’ve discovered an island, Hawaii. And we’ve discovered another island under a bunch of thorns and an old fence that is completely hidden and we are calling it Mystery Island. There is a man named Jerk who is trying to keep us out of a certain development of houses that is in reality an extension of ours. He says that we’ve done things (which we have—but I pretend to be completely innocent and oblivious and it seems to work). We were throwing rocks into a flooded hole and my he didn’t like that. When one of the fat workers tried to stop us, I decided to have some fun. I made a new department of the Arían government, called the Annoy People Department. We have launched several missions. The most recent was when we posted Powell on top of a hill overlooking the giant hole and about a hundred feet away from a house. We had someone go up to the house, open the door, yell, “Helooooooo?” and then run. When the worker came up to the door, Powell started jumping up and down and mocking him, and people behind the hill threw rocks into the hole. It was much fun, but we’ve been reported.

June 15, 2002
We are on our way to Grand Ma and Grand Pa Normal Family’s house. From there we will go to Native City and Marble City International Airport. I am so excited. [Code started here] My father, of course, is being negative about everything, but he’s starting to cheer up. [Code ends here] I am happy. He and my mother marvel at how much they think alike. It makes me happy to see how in love they are. We have to be at the airport at five o’clock, even though our flight is at seven o’clock. That is due to the new security measures. We should get to Deep South State at around nine o’clock this evening. Even so, we probably won’t get to our hotel until after eleven o’clock or midnight.

Later
It’s about five-thirty and we’re on our way to the airport. I can’t wait until we’re on the airplane. Oh! I can see Native and Marble! It’s so big. It’s such a wild feeling that in two hours we’ll be six miles in the air. This will be my first time flying since before September 11th. We are now sitting on the observation deck of Native and Marble. Thomas said something about hijackings and Mom and Dad pulled him aside and spoke with him. Our plane isn’t in yet. We all hope that we get the Whale Plane, a Southwest Airlines plane painted on the outside to look like a whale. We’re going to Mouse Planet. I always get Mouse Planet and Mouse Soil confused. Mom told me that Mouse Soil is in Movie State, in Celebrity City. I am so happy that we are going to Central City. We will fly over Southern State, Growing State, Humid State, and Sprawling State before crossing the line into Deep South State and landing at Central City International Airport. We will be flying over the East Coast, which means that we will fly directly over Vacation City.

We’re on the plane, about six miles up in the air. They’re having us order drinks now. I’m really very hungry and I’d like some food. Powell has the window seat but that may change in a few minutes. I don’t know why, but for some reason whenever I think of Deep South State I think of this girl named Horse-Face who was in my Math class. I don’t really like her, and I can’t figure out why I associate her with Horse-Face. Short Boy’s family is supposed to be waiting for us in Central State. [Short Boy was our neighbor, and our parents were very close. He was several years younger than Powell and I, and his sister, Lanky Girl, was about Powell’s age] [Code started here] I tell you, I don’t much look forward to seeing Short Boy, and I hope he doesn’t act like an— [Code ended here]

June 25, 2002
I’ve decided to start writing in this, as it’s ridiculous that someone has given me such a nice gift and yet I am not using it. Today Powell and I went to camp for the first time. It is something we’ve been fighting against for years. A day camp. Especially now that we’re getting a pool. At least it’s only until noon each day. We have two “classes” a day. This week we watch (well, I watch) movies first, and then I go to writing, which I did not intentionally sign up for (its name alluded to an entirely different course), and then we eat lunch (perhaps the best part), and then we go home. Today when we came home Mom called us numerous times on the phone, and we did not answer for fear of chores. I finally did pick up, though, because I thought that she must be getting very worried. Then I pretended that Powell and I had been outside, which I feel guilty about now. After Mom called, a woman named Kim called saying that she wants her lawn mowed. This delighted us, as we hadn’t gotten many calls. We went over there and it was monstrously hot. Even in the shade it was terrible. Powell did a lot of work and then I took over. I did the big hill and I felt as if I was going to pass out. I felt terrible. I was sweaty and panting…like a worker. It was a truly terrible feeling. The $21.00 I got for the job was not enough, and I told her that next time we would charge $30.00. She said that was understandable. Then we went home. Well, I did; Powell and Short Boy were already in my house. I made them go get the lawnmower. Then I ate. I’m hungry now.

June 26, 2002
Camp was better today than it was yesterday. When I came home I began to read the newspaper. Mom arrived home before three o’clock. She informed me that she has signed me up to take the Native State Functional Math Test on July 25th, which I agreed to. Then she told me that she had signed me up for a week of prepping before the test. I was furious that she had done this without my consent. I told her so and she told me that as I am fourteen she doesn’t need my consent. I told her that she was rude. My father is not coming home tonight. He was supposed to and we have been most distressed about it. I was because I wanted him to talk to Aunt Smugly Superior before she departs for her business trip today. My Aunt Smugly Superior wants to convince my father to allow Powell and I to go to Decaying State this summer to stay at my Uncle Nose-Hair’s. Because of the fact that my mother Anne was back on drugs this month, my father has said that it is too dangerous for Powell and I to attend the party. Aunt Smugly Superior is convinced that there is no danger. For the most part, so am I. Powell and I desperately want to go, and our cousins want us to come, too. We had so much planned. We were going to have a séance, and we were going to play Ding Dong Ditch and do other things. I’ve been trying like mad to persuade my father and discovered that I needed outside help. So far, Aunt Smugly Superior has called my uncle and grandmother to try to determine what to do. My cousins have told me that they believe Aunt Smugly Superior can probably convince even my stubborn father, because she persuades people for a living. She is a fundraiser; she gets money to help fight diseases. I hope that they’re right. Aunt Smugly Superior comes back from her business trip on Friday. Hopefully that is when she and my father will talk.

It is nearly ten o’clock. Unfortunately, Powell and I have to go to camp again tomorrow. We’ve started calling it “Camp Gay Gay.” Tonight was very fun. The neighbors, Short Boy and Lanky Girl, came over and we played charades with Mom and it was quite funny. Powell gave Thomas a gigantic wedgie and Thomas was screaming bloody murder. Mom tried to shut him up while the rest of us laughed hysterically. So Thomas started chasing Powell and Mom helped by giving Powell a wedgie. Quite the sight. Unfortunately, Short Boy and Lanky Girl had to go home. How I wish we weren’t in that dreadful camp. It’s the most terrible thing to do during summer. Tomorrow I’m going to try to get Mom to cancel it, although I seriously doubt that that will happen. I’ll still try. I’ve been reading War and Peace. At this point, Natasha Rostov is sixteen, and no longer in love with Boris Drubetskoy, whom Pierre vaguely suspects is having an affair with his wife, Helene, otherwise known as Countess Bezukhov. Also, Berg has proposed to Vera. Vera has accepted. Helene is in very high circles of society. Lisa Bolkonsky is dead, and Andrei Bolkonsky is visiting their son, Nikolai Andreyevitch. Nikolai Rostov has put the Rostov family in debt. The year is 1809. Also, Andrei may be in love with Natasha.

June 28, 2002
It is about 3:15p.m. I just saw on the news that a fire at the United States House of Representatives has forced the partial evacuation of the Capitol. I believe that it was an accident. The Arizona wildfire has hit the half-million-acre mark. Oh! The fire was on the fourth floor, near the House Speaker’s office! Curious. I have tried calling Annoyingly Perfect Cousin and Innocent Cousin [both girls]. They haven’t once picked up. WorldCom is breaking up. Yesterday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed itself after it “flabbergasted the nation” with its ruling that the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance are un-Constitutional. President George W. Bush called the ruling “ridiculous.” I agree. Oh, that fire at the Capitol was an accident. It seems that corporations are crashing left and right: Enron, Arthur-Anderson, WorldCom, K-Mart. I wonder when it will end. Even Martha Stewart has gotten caught up in it. Apparently some Iranian guards were seen taking pictures of New York City landmarks, and the U.S. government has ordered them to stop.

Later
It is about 5:30p.m. I have been trying since noon to reach Annoyingly Perfect Cousin and Innocent Cousin and have not yet been successful. I am really starting to become concerned. The Fourth of July is next Thursday. If we can’t get in touch with them soon, it will be too late. Oh, I hope I can get ahold of them! I have to get ahold of them! Also, on an international note, President Bush is having a medical procedure done soon and will need to be put to sleep. For the time that he is asleep he will transfer presidential powers to Vice President Dick Cheney. When questioned as to his reasons for this, President Bush said that it is because the United States is still at war against terror. I think that as a precaution I would have done it anyway.

Near ten o’clock p.m.
A few minutes ago came one of the biggest letdowns of my life. Despite my Aunt Smugly Superior’s negotiating (and I’ll admit that she didn’t try very hard), my father hasn’t changed his mind. I don’t want to go with them to see fireworks on the 4th of July. I’m just so sad and so mad and I just want to be alone. They offered to meet up with Smugly Superior and Southern Accent [our uncle] and Annoyingly Perfect and Innocent for a day. It’s so pathetic, and I can’t imagine going to Hick State when I should be in Decaying State.

June 29, 2002
There is hope yet! My mother Anne, my grandmother Weird Family told me this
morning, is very mentally ill. My Uncle Nose-Hair has forbidden her from coming to his house, which of course means that she will not be at the party. So, I said to my grandmother, “Then why can’t we go?” She said, “We don’t want to take the chance.” However, there is hope. If Anne is hospitalized before the 4th of July, we will be able to go! My Aunt Smugly Superior, and Uncles Mafia and Nose-Hair, are trying to do this. Also, she and her husband Idiot Man are going (if not legally) bankrupt. I plan to make some phone calls and hope she will be hospitalized.