1990

The following list of questions was sent to me and I decided to share my answers with you here. Today's topic: Ninth Grade

Who was your best friend?
Maria - no, that's pronounced Mariah. Yes, she gets that all the time. There's an umlaut over the i. It's German. It's a family name.

Who did you "go out" with?I'm pretty sure there was a drought that year. For the life of me I cannot remember anyone. Even if there had been someone, we wouldn't have *gone out* anywhere since I wasn't yet 16.

Did you have a crush on anyone?
Always. I think freshman year I went through a string of crushes on people like Paul (or was that sophomore year), Konow (no, that's not his first name), and possibly Casey's older brother Jeff.

What sport did you play?
I joined the swim team 2nd semester. I had a great time. I was s-l-o-w. But I had fun.

Did you buy your lunch?
Daily. Our high school was unusual compared to those of my friends I have met since. We had a cafeteria but no one that I knew actually ate in it. I always figured it was only inhabited by those receiving assistance for their lunch purchase. The rest of us at at the snack bars. Do not be fooled by their name. They carried real food like sandwhiches and salads too.

Did you skip?
No, ma'am. And I'm not just saying that because mom is reading. I really never skipped school. My parents had eyes everywhere and I always knew I had just the sort of luck that would mean I would be spotted somewhere by someone who knew one of my parents. Plus, none of my friends were skippers. What fun is it to cut school all alone.

Did you ever get suspended?
Not even in my wildest dreams

Were you in any fistfights?
Um, no. I saw a fistfight once outside the Art building. Well, it was really more of a slam-the-other-girl's-head-into-the-curb-fight.

What was your favorite class?
It most certainly was *NOT* geometry. I'm gonna go with band. Most of my friends were in that class and we always had a good time. English would be a close second. That's where the non-band friends were.

What was your school's name?
I'm not going to tell you that here. That's much to much of a give-away about my real identity for the public to know. I will tell you that our mascot was the Coyotes.

If you could go back, would you?
For the whole year, no way. For a week or so to remind my 14 year-old self that 118 pounds was NOT fat, regardless of the fact that I felt like a giant. And to see those crazy bangs and glasses, definitely.

Where did you sit at lunch?
We had a spot on the handicap ramp outside of the band building, next to the pit. I was not one of the super-cool kids. I'm not totally sure why. I knew all those kids but their lunch spot was not mine. Of course those were the kids skipping class so it's probably all for the best. My friends and I sat a healthy distance (within eye view) of their spot. Not so close as to insinuate that we were part of the crowd but not so far away as to be deemed wierd.

Yes, we sat outside. Daily. I'm sure there were rainy days but for the life of me I can't remember what we did on those days. I don't think there were many. Would you believe my winter coat that year was a leather jacket.

Was there a smoking lounge?
Nooooo. I'm pretty sure smokers were relegated to sneaking them behind buildings and in bathrooms.

Who was your science teacher freshman year?
No sciene freshman year. Biology, Chemistry & Physics were grades 10-12.

Who was your English teacher?
What was her name? I can picture her. Gray hair cropped short. I'll get back to you on that.

Who was your history teacher?
Mommy-brain must have really gotten to me. I know I took history but seriously cannot remember the class or teacher.

Did you think you were cool?
No. As mentioned above. I knew the cool kids. I was even friends with some of them. But I hung on the edges of the cool crowd. I think it was the band thing that did me in.

Describe your outfits in ninth grade.
Things I remember owning and wearing - a bolo tie (what was I thinking), oversized t-shirts, big chunky sweaters, jeans that tapered at the ankle and were acid washed.

Did you even have a cell phone?
A what? There were some payphones by the administration building, next to the Pit. I might have used one of those to call my mom once or twice.

Who was your favorite teacher?
That would require me to remember my teachers. I can assure you it was *not* Miss Harry in geometry or Mrs Honeychurch from band.

What's your most memorable moment?
It's a sad one. I very very vividly remember waiting outside of the classroom for geometry to start. That class must have been right after break or else we wouldn't have been waiting outside. Felicia - a pastor's daughter and the ultimate holier-than-thou transplant from Oklahoma - was commenting to some other students about how she "couldn't imagine being born out of wedlock". She said it like it was the worst thing that could ever happen to someone and anyone in that situation should be ashamed. It was at that moment that I realized that *I* was born out of wedlock.

Yes, you heard that correctly. I was not born to married parents. ::gasp::
I had never thought of my pre-adoption life that way before. And yet, there it was, the reality of my humble origins. I never much cared for Felicia after that.

What were your best accomplishments?
I really don't remember accomplishing much of anything.

What action do you regret the most?
That was much too long ago to remember anything enough to regret it.

What did you spend the most time doing on weekends?
In the fall, every weekend was some kind of band event. Football games on Friday nights, band competitions on Saturdays, church and homework on Sundays.

Got invited to any proms?
I don't remember going to any school dances freshman year. Certainly not the prom.

How many years ago did all this transpire?
18.


Now it's your turn. Tell us about your ninth grade year. Give me a link to your blog with your answers.