Nothing happened

Austin, October 5th

Not really an interesting day. In English I had to present my project. A photostory with a selfmade poem.

I hate my recorded voice... But the pictures are really good. Good job dad! He sent me most of the pictures I needed.

We have a new seatplan in English class, so I couldn't talk with the girls I talked the last weeks. So I talked to one of them after school. We walked, the arm around each other, through the school. I think some of my football team mates saw us. They made jokes about me and that I always have a bunch of girls around me.

Later I've heard from someoe of the marching band, that the girl I walked with has a bad reputation in the school.

Not that I really care what strange people think about me, but maybe I should stop to walk around with her... But to me she seemed nice, and the guys in my English class don't look like they have aproblem with her.

Whatever, today someone told me, that I have no school on monday. Great, so I have time to met friends. In the moment are my plans for monday, to go to Miranda. One of the girls I met at the paintball game.

No football

Austin, October 4th

Great, I just wanted to publish my post, but somehow it's deleted... So once again:

It was a terrible day. The coaches said they have no opponent for the black team this week. Our regular opponent cancelled their JV teams and Cedar Park, which should play against us instead, cancelled their b-team. So I wont have a game this week, if the coaches find no other school.

That ruined my day.

It started so nice, with a big breakfast in an ice cold house. Maybe I should get dressed before I go to breakfast.

Then a ride in a warm school bus. There was an other bus driver than usually. Is Miss Charity sick? I hope not.

In the hall I met Jessica and Carolin. One of the rare times I see Carolin, because I have no classes with her.

Then I had a boring spanish class. Followed by football practice of the special teams. So I had just to stand around again. But after some 20 minutes or so we went to the weight room. I added 10 more pounds at the squads. I'm curious how much I can add until June. Or to the ed of football season. I'm not sure if I will stay in football after November. The coach said something about extra games and try-offs. So maybe I will stay, maybe not.

Multimedia was just relaxed. I worken on some pictures. OP art is that called what we do in the moment. In two days we have to subit our best picture and then I will upload it here, too.

Theater was fun. We played again.

My group had a play about alcohol. In short: I danced in a club, Jessica saw me, brought some drinks. We drunk, went to the bar and drunk more and more, until the barman kicked us off the club. We went to my house and into my bed... At the next day I fell out of my bed and find a stranger in it - Jessica. She woke up, was shocked to find herself in a strange bed. I kicked her out of my house. I went to my kitchen and wanted to drink a beer. Then I rememberend, that I remember nothing from the day before. So I throw the bottle away and drunk water. Just as a little moral for our story. And all that without saying a word. Pantomime.

It's funny, I like to act.

Later today I had a good lunch, self made tacos from Gary. Then I did my homework and chatted with some girls from my school. From Germany was nobody online. I guess they are all in their beds. The school starts in Germany in a few hours.

It's funny to know, that you just go to bed, while your friends have to get up soon.

Guns up ranger

Austin, October 3rd

Today was just great. I was the first time in my life playing paintball. And I loved it. It was so much fun, and I got known many new people.

I was there with Steffen and some guys from our marching band. I met two of them in the lunch period and one them is in my Theater class. But everyone else I didn't knew until today.

We had to wait until everyone was there, so we -I- started to smash some of the paintballs that lay on the floor. And of course we got dirty. We put the pink color in our faces, not our own of cousre, but in the end we had pink paces and dirty clothes. And we didn't even start. But it was fun.

We played togehter and against some guys from Cedar Park and some other. We had mixed groups.
It was really so much fun. In the first some games I hit just 2 people. But I got hit very often. Even when I said I'm out some guys shot at me.
Once I got hit at my mask. Shouted that I'm hit. Stand up to leave the ground, and four balls hit my in the stomach. That was really not nice.
Then we played 'Normandie'. I don't know it is the name of the field where we played, or we just called it because I said to Steffen in looks a bot like D-day. We had to strom a beack and some hills, where other guys are hided.
It was great, I marked two or four people. I'm not sure, at least had four people to leave the ground after I shot at them.
The only bad thing at Normandie were some plants with spikes. They stick on your clothes and hurt you.

Once I lay at the beach, trieng to get the spike things away from a very bad place (my thigh) and the paintballs flew just centimeters above my head.

But that field I liked most from the big areas.

Later, we were the last people who were still there, six of us played at a small area. Three against three. It was awesome.

The first game I shot all three of the others. I run behind them, they had no chance.

Before the next game Steffen and I sung the German hymn. Loud so the 'enemy' could hear us. One reason was to annoy them, the other, because it is Day of the German Unity. Well not really a reason, but that was why we had the idea to sing.

Some of them had a paint grenade. And he said it has my name on it... I shot three balls on his back the game before. I didn't want to hit him three times, I just didn't expect to hit him with just one...

Very soon I was in the middle of the field. My comrades were behind my, but the others shot so fdast, they couln'd move. Luckily I could escape the grenade, but they couldn'd escape me... So we won again.

Then we changed to another area. We played well, but this time I got hit at the shoulder. Michael got one of them I think, but then they hit him too. Steffen alomst got them, but he run out of the balls. So we lost this time. But it's okay, it's boring to win everytime. And we had so much fun, I didn't really care who of us won, we came as one group, so it doesn't matter, right?



After the game we painted us each other again. Well, mostly I painted. I gave Miranda a war paint. And she draw a smilie on my. In the end most of us, especially Miranda and I, were totally pink...

But it was a great day, we really have to do that again.

Happy Birthday Gary

Austin, October 2nd

I'm pretty sure I wrote all that before... but I can't find my blog entry from today anymore, so I start again...

Today is GARYS BIRTHDAY!

So we were out for breakfast, in a restaurant called Chili's. The hostesse there is a class mate of me, I'm pretty sure she is one of the three or four Ashleys in my English class.

I had shrims. I like shrims, and self made fries. 

After breakfast we were in a Goodwill shop. They had lots of funny halloween stuff. I love the black 'unknown phantom' dress. And the nurse dress. Of course I wouldn't wear it,, but there are some dirls in my school I'd like to see in that... 

Back at home Gary unpacked his presents.

From me he got a 'Original Swiss Officer knive' from Victorinox.

No I don't make advertising, I just like the Victorinox cross more then the Wenger cross. This are the both companys who produce the 'Original Swiss Army/Officer knives'.

Actually, they are both not 'original'. The Swiss army uses just one model of this knives -for both, swiss officers and normal soldiers-, with less functions than the most of the civil models have. And they are not red. A long time they were silver, but I think since one or two years they are black or dark green. I would love to have one of the really original knives.

I'm a bit jealous that Gary has a swiss pocket knive and I don't, even if I gave it to him... My knives are soo fare away. In Germany I was used to have one all the time, in school, when I met friends, when I was camping. Not that I was often camping, or used it often in school. But if I had needed one I've had one.

Here of course I would never take on with me to school. I read in a German newspaper about having knives in American schools. Absolutely No Go! You will be suspended from school for that...

Later we three walked the 1.000.000$ trail. I'm sure it has a name, but I just know it as the million dollar trail or just 'the trail'.

We wanted to do that since I'm here, but first we had not time, then I was unable to find it alone, and then it rained so hard, that it was under water for weeks.

Some parts are still under water, and it's dirty, and everything is broken. Some trees are dead, at some are just the top leafes still green. It didn't look like a one million dollar trail. Maybe if everything is repaired, but now it just look dirty.

Somewhen we changed from the trail to the high way. We saw a turtle in the river under the bridge we were walking along.

We stopped at a restaurant for dinner. We had spicy shrims and chicken.  Loran asked me if I want a Heineken. It was of course just a joke, but the waiter looked a bit shocked.

The rest of the day Loran and I spent in the gym.

Rangers vs Timberwolves

Austin, October 1st

I can't believe how fast the time runs... Yet October... Hey, then soon is Halloween. My second Halloween in the USA. I hope this one will be as much fun as in Toledo, OH.

I had a eye doctors appoitment this morning. It had not make sense to go to school for 10 minutes and then go to the doctor -my way to school is more than 10 minutes, and its in the other dirrection like the eye doctor- so Gary and I went to the 'International House Of Pancake' for breakfast. Then I went to the doctor. My eyes are okay. At least with the contacts. In the next days I will get some new contacts. But now I can still use my one-month-lenses.

But now I had to go to school. I was there at about 10 o'clock, so I had 15 minutes Algebra 2. And great... they wrote a quizz, so I can go after school to the teacher and write it then...

Like every friday we were in the weight room during football class. I did a good workout. Particularly proud am I still of the squads or squas or how they are called. Two 45 pounds and two 10 pounds weights plus the stick.

For this week our Seniors (hmm why do I think this were the Seniors?) have prepared something special. Car Bash!

They organized two cars, sprayed one of them green. On both Cedar Park and stuff like that and we students could bash them in our Lunch time.

After school I wrote the quizz. I needed just about 12 minutes, but I missed my bus... So I had to wait until someone could pick my up.
When I stood outside, PJ asked my, if I can help to push one of the destroyed cars behind the school. Why not, I have nothing better to do, so I helped. We were about 10 boys, and still it was hard to do.
10 boys for one car?? Yes, later we saw that the emergency breake blocked the wheels... Stupid.
We hit the car a bit with the hammer, after we brought it to the parking lot behind the school. Some of the light bulbs weren't destroyed, and the mirror were still where they should be. Well, now not anymore.

In the evening I went to the Football game. Vista Ridge Rangers versus Cedar Park Timberwolves.
The JV black team -my team- beat them on thursday, the JV red team lost. So now I wanted to see which Varsity team is better.
There I met Steffen and Jessica, two Germans, Adam and Johnathan, two guys from my football team, Moraia, a girl from my theater class and Torri, a grl from my English class. Later I met some other people I knew. Many of the football team, but some others, too.
Steffen and I waved to some of the marching band. And I waved to y spanish teacher. I was not sure if she saw me, so I stopped, right when she started to waving back.
We shouted for Sivonna. She is one of the conductors of the marching band. But she didn't hear us.

It was a exciting game. Cedar Park scored very fast. But we could score, too. Then they again, then we. In the 4th quarter we had more points. Everyone was happy. But about 20 seconds before end Cedar Park made a touchdown. It was 34:35. If Cedar Park makes the extra point it's 35 for both.... but they did not kick the ball for one point, no, they made a second touchdown. And this it worth 2 points... 36:35. And just a few seconds to play.
Our team started a great attack, but at the 40 yard line they were stopped. So we lost against the rivale Cedar Park. The first time in this season that our Varsity team lost.  
It was a sad atmosphere. First everyone was so happy and suddenly almost everyone was quiet.
Of course we clapped and sung for our team, but it was completely different then the last game I saw.

But I have to see the positive things. My team was the only team who was able to beat Cedar Park. And it was the first time, that Vista Ridge JVs could beat them.
The JV black and the Varsity team have now the same numbers of wins and losses in this season, but the black team has a longer winning series.

Always look on the bright side of life...