It's the tenth of October, been about a month since school's started and, as expected, the days and weeks are rolling together into a routine grind. Depressions and grumpiness is being pushed aside as everyone settles into the pattern of work and study for the week, then relax on the weekends. Since the start of our school's home football games, a pattern has been emerging so that every or every other weekend is dotted with football games and fall events shared with friends. We see each other when we can and it's enough for me, for now. High school angst and woes aren't worth the energy, so I'm just trying to get used to it.

Despite the "improvement", though, it still feels like we're all in for a rough takeoff to the year. The general camaraderie that's usually around is thin. We lost four or five teachers last year, and only gained three, so other teachers are taking on odd classes. The local teacher's union is arguing with the board of education about teacher's salaries and rumors of a strike starting in Mid October are spreading, though the superintendent promises all parents that schools will remain open even if teachers don't come in. I sure hope that doesn't ever happen, as I just want this year done with and not prolonged into the summer due to some dumbass miscommunication. I don't care what the other kids say about getting a break from school, I don't want a strike. -_-

And to spread tempers even thinner, the newest batch of freshmen is promising to be one of the worst. It's a well-known fact that freshmen consider themselves to be hot shots upon entering high school. It's been perfectly natural for there to be tensions between freshmen and their older peers. We all grow up for a whole year then look back during the next year and understand. But the freshmen invading our school this year have had some of the worst attitudes. Usually congenial and patient teachers have ranted about how back-talking, bullying, loud and obnoxious their freshmen classes are. I've heard some outrageous stories myself about kids who have absolutely no respect for the rules or authority. Ok, kids aren't precisely known for being fountains of wisdom, but our school is pretty proud of having a generally likable staff and kids who learn and teach each other to be nice to each other. We're not saints but there's a strong undercurrent of connection and kinship between most folks around the school. We respect each other, at the least, and expect others to respect each other. The freshmen treat each other and the rest of us like we're trash and have had no qualms about smashing up our system, and our classes have already bumped heads trying to keep them in line. There have already been several assemblies specifically for freshmen and their behavior, and I'm hoping that they get their heads on straight soon before we have to start cracking skulls.

Other than these two big issues, bad luck in general has been visiting us. All sorts of sicknesses have left the school with higher than normal absence rates, something that usually comes in November and December. Worries about our economy, bad moods, and other such things have dulled the usual bright colors of the turning leaves and crisp, blue skies. We've buckled through troubles before, looks like we'll just have to buckle through some more.

All of the controversies and changes and growing up *have* led to a small resurrection of my account, as you may have noticed. I've been looking into various writing and poetry clubs here on dA that I can't believe I've never seen before and have finally gotten the urge to get into writing again, though my poetry is still as rusty and unkempt as it always has been. Practice makes perfect, I want to start improving and now is as good a time to start as ever.

So here's to balancing it all and making sure to remember that everything is a learning experience that I can benefit from. Over and out.