That guy I was obsessing about, Alan, is now my boyfriend. :) I knew he liked me, I just didn't know when he was going to ask. He asked through a text, which was cute. We've been going out for a week and a day. Yesterday we had a game in Stone Mountain, which is four hours away. I signed him up to ride with me, and we sat together. Our friend Lori was behind us, and she talked to us a lot. [I'll be talking about Lori later.] I had a great time with Alan on the way up. We looked through my pictures on my camera and watched some of the movies [we were on a charter bus]. We also found out that his phone reads texts, so we spent a lot of time doing that. Then we went to McDonalds and sat together, plus my friend Abby came and sat with us too. We all sat and ate together, and we found out that Alan has seen the movie Airplane! too. Abby and I are movie buffs and love Airplane! to death. I was so thrilled that Alan had seen Airplane! that he got like five thousand extra points. haha. Then we got back on the bus and we switched seats so he sat by the window and I sat on the aisle. It wasn't very long to the stadium, and we got off and hung out a little. Our mutual friend Mitch was being the hugest pervert ever and saying stuff like, "So have you and Alan done anything yet?" and all. I used to think Mitch was pretty cool, but he's kind of lost his swagg. I hung out with Alan until it was absolutely impossible to hang out with him anymore, so I went to warm up and he went to go be with hornline. He kept smiling at me in the stands, which was nice. He did the whole make-a-heart-with-your-hands thing, and I tried to but my cymbals were making it difficult. At break we stood in line forever waiting for food. We paid for our stuff together, but with my ten, which I guess was ok. Then we found out our third-quarter break was over, and he went back to sit down and I was still waiting for my chicken. Before he left, he was like, "Are you going to be mad if I leave?" and I said, "No, go ahead, it'll be fine." When I got back to the stands he looked at me and was like, "Are you ok?" or something, and I was like, "Yeah!:)" Then we marched back in, and after being dismissed we hung out while we put our uniforms up and all. We got back on the bus and I took my seat by the window, and I got all comfortable and he got all comfortable and we shipped off. They put Norbit on for us, and we laughed about that a lot. My head was approximately three inches from his arm because of the way I was laying so I could see the movie through the seats in front of me. I was sort of hoping my head would slide and land on his shoulder, but I also didn't want to move things too fast, you know? We've only been going out eight days. I was almost asleep, and he was almost asleep, when my friend Savannah in front of me dropped this honey bun wrapper onto his jacket, which was right by my face. It smelled really sweet and I was like, "Wtf, man?" It woke him up too, and I took it and threw it to Kyle behind me. Then I tried to resume sleep. Kyle put it through the crack in the seat and said, "I don't want this," and I said, "Please just take it," and gave it to him. I didn't sleep any more, but I almost did several times. I don't think he slept at all, either, because he didn't really act like he was sleeping. I really wanted them to turn the movies off after Norbit, but they put in RV, and that really sucked. I kind of woke up from a half-sleep state when we got into Norman Park and I heard Kyle behind me calling his ride. I kind of looked around, and he looked around, and I laid back down. For the last few minutes of the ride I think I had my hand on his shoulder, I'm not quite sure why. Some freshman girl had been sleeping in the aisle right beside him, and when she woke up she was all whoring around on him and I was like, bitch, back up.

Garrh... why is it so hard to tell if a guy likes you or not?! There's this guy in band with me and I'm a little confused about him. Almost every day before practice, he comes up to me and says something. Like I'll have some fries and he'll be like, "You know you want to give me some." Yesterday he followed me to my bookbag with his saxophone and played a song from our show. I'm on the Front Ensemble with his friend [which is how I met him, anyway] and sometimes he helps take our stuff out to the field to practice. Sometimes he hangs out with us during break. Yesterday, while waiting for break, he and his friend were still at parade rest, and I said, "Stop moving, yall are at parade rest," and he made some random face at me. My/his friend says, "He likes you." I said, "No he doesn't," and she said, "Yes he does." Well, that's what I wanted to hear, but is it true at all? I'm tending to think so, because at the game on Friday he came straight up to me and stood around me for a second. Then when we went to get ready for halftime, he came right up to me again and started talking to me, and we hung out for a while. At practice the other day, his/my friend was playing the marimba when he came in. We were all sitting down later and he says, "I wondered who that sexy girl was playing the marimba when I came in." I was all, "Oh, yeah, it was [his/my friend], yeah." Then he said, "I knew it wasn't you because you weren't here yet." Um, what? Is there anything to be understood from that? But after his/my friend said "He likes you," he didn't hang out with me at break and talked to me very little for the rest of the day. Oh, and one more thing: When we gather in for announcements, he always comes right up to me and stands right beside me. I would love to know what is going on here. It's driving me insane. D:

I'm sure our players would have loved to run onto the field to their fight song. Not to mention the fact that it really did shine a bad light on Colquitt County High School. Mr. McCoy should do something to make sure this doesn't happen again.

In case you haven't been able to tell, I am very bored, and making picture things has been my cup of tea today. I introduce to you my fictitious band, Who Touched My Violin String, and their fictitious sophomore album, Beginning to Plow. (Their first album was That Little Fire Called Conscience.) 

Today I read in my local paper that a pit bull attacked two girls, a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old, and it was euthanized. I understand that a dog that bites people should be euthanized, but how do we know that the girls weren't taunting the dog or getting in its face? It makes me so mad to think that possibly those two girls were just screwing around with a dog and it bit them, and their parents were so traumatized that their babies got bit that they didn't share the whole story. Maybe they didn't taunt the dog, maybe it's just mean. But still, to euthanize a dog when you don't know who's at fault? Give it the benefit of the doubt and put it in some sort of seclusion. And also, people really need to spay and neuter their pets. It's not fair to bring new animals into this world only to have people discard them and they end up getting euthanized. I think there needs to be a week each year where vet's offices spay and neuter pets for free all week. People with hordes of cats and dogs can go in and get them all spayed and neutered and not have to worry about the price. Yeah, it may mean you'll never get some kittens, but oh well. If you want a kitten so damn bad, go to the animal shelter.
 

There was this albino squirrel that lived in the yard across the road from us. I had heard my mom and sister talk adamantly about it, but had never seen it until last Friday. It was incredible. It was a little white squirrel that looked like a white cat. I noticed it at a surprise birthday party for my friend. We were playing Spoons and one of my friends was looking out the window. She yelled, "Wow, an albino squirrel!" Everyone looked and saw this little white squirrel playing around in the yard. We were all duly impressed.

It's dead on the road this morning. "/

People really underestimate NASCAR, you know? I was talking to my friend about racing and this dude came up and is all, "Racing is stupid." And this other dude is like, "It's just a bunch of guys driving around in circles." I was like, "No, that is way not all there is to it, you idiots." First of all, that's really rude to go around dissing what people like. If you say you're really into swimming, I wouldn't say, "Well, swimming sucks, it's just a bunch of guys in Speedos swimming around in a pool." But there really is a lot more to NASCAR and racing in general that meets the eye.

- It's not a bunch of guys driving around in circles. In all actuality, tracks are not circles. They are ovals, road courses, or triangles, like Pocono. Tracks aren't just flat pieces of asphalt. They're banked at varying degrees and have bumps, tunnel turns, and all sorts of facets that make them unique. Every track is different and you really have to work at getting the feel of the track down. It takes a lot to master a track, and this can be proven by the fact that certain people are best at certain tracks. For nearly every racetrack there is, there's at least one or two drivers that have been especially good at that track in the past, like Denny Hamlin at Martinsville or Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Talladega.

- It's especially not a bunch of guys driving around in circles for 4 hours. True, most races are about 3 to 4 hours, longer if there are a lot of cautions and shorter if it rains or other inclement weather settles in. But the sanctioning body isn't like, "Okay, this race is going to be four hours and fifteen minutes long today." They set it by miles, and they run the laps according to how many miles they are running. For example, if you're running a race that's called the Speedy-Dri 200 on a mile-long track, you are running 200 miles, and 200 miles for every mile-long lap is 200 laps. Races aren't based off time.

- It's not even a bunch of guys driving around in circles. Racing isn't just a guy's sport. Alli Owens, who is a girl, runs in the ARCA RE/MAX series races. NASCAR is still very true to its roots, though, and while you don't see any girls in the top racing series of America, there are girls in NHRA and IndyCar (ever heard of Ashley Force or Danica Patrick?).

- You can't judge racing until you at least watch a little bit, and you can't truly appreciate racing until you've been to one. When I started watching racing, I was like, "Yeah, that's pretty cool." Then I went to a small race at a local half-mile and really experienced it, and even though it sounds really cornball, it all came together for me. You hear the engines roar up, smell the gasoline and exhaust, and all the good racing stuff and it's like, "Sweet. I get it now." You can't say spraining your ankle hurts if you've never done it.  And you can't say racing is lame if you have never even watched it.

- It's a lot more complicated than you think. Most people think that drivers just hop in a car, start driving around, and finish when they say stop. But did you ever wonder how they get in a car, or when they start driving, or when they know to stop? How do they know what to do when they make pit stops? What do they do in there? Do you think they drive around and know who's beside and behind them based simply on mirrors? No. A driver has two people in his ear the whole time - his spotter and his crew chief. The spotter is sitting way up above the track and is telling him who is where, like, "The 24 is on your right rear quarter panel," and, "16 coming up on the outside." They're also responsible for getting them through crashes where their visibility is limited and making sure they don't run over any debris. The crew chief is talking strategy with him and telling him when to come in to pit. The crew chief and the car chief go over what's going to happen with the pit crew, and the whole thing is perfectly coordinated so everyone knows what's up. The driver also tells the crew chief how his car is running - if it's tight or loose, if it's running too hot, if there's a vibration, if he thinks his tire's going to blow. The crew chief uses this information to decide what they need to do in the pit stop. Pit stops are more than just gas and go. Usually there's a change in tires, but if there's a serious problem, they might make a track bar adjustment or even change the battery. Basically, you can't race without a crew chief or spotter. It's not just driving a car.

- Crew chiefs are really smart. As I just said, crew chiefs take information from their driver and know exactly what to do with it to provide solutions to the problems. Also, they know pit strategy, which sounds easy but isn't. How often do you bring in your driver? Are you going to rely on a caution to bring your driver in to pit, or are you going to do a green flag pit stop? Are you more interested in track position or having fresh tires? Are you going to stay out or come in? And they have a real heyday when it comes down to a fuel mileage race. A lot of times, when a race is called a "fuel mileage race", meaning that the race is down to about 20 laps and you have a choice of staying out and finishing on fumes or coming in to get gas and ending up near the middle of the pack [but it's never as simple as that], the driver dedicates the win to their crew chief because their pit strategy got them the win. Their call either won them the race or lost them the race. Same with races where rain plays a factor - when weather is in the area, NASCAR will call a caution. The crew chiefs have to decide whether to bring in their driver for a pit stop and wait for the rain to stop, or leave their driver out and either let them win the race or bring them in when the rain stops. Almost every driver who wins a rain-shortened race will thank their crew chief first and foremost.

- Drivers are not just redneck guys - they're smart, too.  First of all, not all drivers are the good ol' boys from the South. Back in the day, most of the drivers were from Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, etc. Nowadays, there are more coming from Indiana, Wisconsin, New England, and even Las Vegas and California. There are even some foreign-born drivers, and one is racing full-time - Juan Pablo Montoya. But the drivers aren't just figureheads placed into a car. If you've ever seen Days of Thunder, your impression is pretty wrong. [I don't recommend basing your NASCAR experience off of Days of Thunder, since it's highly unrealistic when you get right down to it.] The drivers know their stuff. If you've ever driven, you might be like, "Driving is so easy." But driving is not racing. Driving is being in a car, driving at about 55 to 60 mph, and getting to a destination. Racing is being in a car, driving at anywhere from 120 to 180 mph (again, this varies from track to track), and trying to drive faster and better than 42 guys right in the same area as you. Have you ever driven 180 miles per hour before? Face it, unless you're a real daredevil, you've never driven upwards of 80. It's hard to control a car going that fast, especially if somebody spins out in front of you. And drivers don't just keep the gas down the whole time, which was a point brought up by the two ignorant guys who criticized racing in the first place. If they don't slow down going into the turns, they spin out and cause a big crash. Racecars are stick shifts, so they have to constantly shift. There are very few tracks where you can keep in the throttle the whole way around - most of them involve lots of braking. Also, racing is very tiresome. You have to be up on the wheel a lot, especially if their car's tight or loose. You have to overcompensate for a tight or loose car - you can't drive the same way you would with a car going well. You can't just go out for a nice little Sunday drive in an ill-handling car. You have to be cautious. If you're not, you're going to crash the whole field.

- NASCAR cars aren't the same as their counterparts. Basically, your shiny Ford Fusion you use to get back and forth to the grocery store isn't the same as Carl Edwards' Ford Fusion he uses to race every week. They're called stock cars because their chassis is similar, but under the hood there's nothing  that's similar. Your Ford Fusion couldn't hold up. The engine has more horsepower, and basically everything else is different. Even inside the car, nothing's the same. It's not a five-seat car. It's got one seat in the front and the rest is roll cage and metal. They don't have a speedometer. The driver can't look at their dash and see that they're going 175 mph. They look at their dash and see that they're running 8100 RPMs. Oh, and drivers have to judge how fast they're going by the RPMs, and this is very important when you factor in pit road speed.

- NASCAR fans aren't all rednecks. I'll partially give you this one. If you've ever been to a race, I understand. I have, too. Of all the people there, what is the type of people you encounter the most? Loud drunk rednecks. So it would appear that most NASCAR fans are beer-loving rednecks that scream for their favorite driver. But I am personally offended by that stereotype. I'm a NASCAR fan, and I'm not a redneck. NASCAR is open for everybody. Anybody who wants to like NASCAR can - it's not just a Southern thing. You've got family people, abrasive men, old ladies, foreign-born folks, and 16-year-old girls, like me. Even though it seems like they're all rednecks, they're not. Trust me on this.

- Racing is not dangerous. I know what you're thinking. Driving at 180 mph around a track with forty-two other cars around you isn't dangerous? Yeah, okay. And didn't Dale Earnhardt die while doing this? He did. But as I just said, racecars aren't the cars we drive. Since that day Dale Earnhardt died, NASCAR has been trying to fix their cars to make them safer. The cause of Dale Earnhardt's death was never truly released, but alluded to being extreme head impact, or something similar. Now, the drivers wear bulky helmets that attack to the seats and render their head immobile. This is called a HANS device. There are some crashes that happen now that, 15 years ago, the driver would never have walked out alive. Here are some crashes you can YouTube: Michael McDowell at Texas 2007, Carl Edwards at Talladega 2009, Patrick Sheltra in ARCA at Daytona 2009. Thanks to the incredible safety measures, these drivers emerge unharmed or, at worst, with an injured foot or a sore neck. Also, there are ways to get out of the car quickly and easily in case of trouble or a fire. Plus, drug tests are being administered to make sure that drivers aren't under the influence of drugs, which goes a long way in keeping people safe. Think about it - drunk driving in regular cars is bad. How bad would it be in NASCAR? If anybody dies while racing in NASCAR today, it's gotta be one bad wreck.

Today is Jackson Pollock's birthday and I'm spending it by being sick and staying home. Here are my ailments: 
- A runny nose.
- A sore throat.
- A fever.
- A feeling of "I can't eat anything because nothing sounds good, but I'm actually really hungry".
- Sneezing.

Here is what I've done today: 
- Wake up
- Take my temperature (99 in one ear, 100 in the other)
- Eat some Frosted Miniwheats, then realize I don't want to eat the rest
- Act sick and sad, thus convincing my mom to let me stay home
- Sleep
- Wake back up
- Watch VH1 Classic Rock videos
- Go to Walmart with my mom (I needed some new pencils and I didn't think she'd get the kind I wanted, I'm rather anal about my school supplies. Plus, while I was at Walmart, my mom got me a sick present like she always does when I am sick. I got two NASCAR magazines. Also I got some JellO Oreo pudding and animal cookies. I've eaten both and they don't make me feel any better like I thought they would)
- Read my magazines
- Get on Facebook
- Get on LiveJournal, and that's what I'm doing now.

I'm pretty bored, but super happy because I'm missing chemistry now and I missed a history reading quiz. I neglected to read the pages I was supposed to read for the quiz, and I've already failed all my reading quizzes so it's just best to read it today and be done with it. Today I have to finish my choice books, write an essay, and read that stupid history chapter. Even though I am sick I will persevere and get through this. :]

Yesterday I was taking a test in Lit and it was really freaking hard. I  glanced over at my friend's paper to a) see how far she was going on hers and b) see what she put for number ten. My teacher actually looked right at me and did the little eye-finger thing and said, "Keep your eyes on your own paper." And I'm like nodding like crazy. I was so embarrassed. Now my teacher (and other people that saw this exchange) think I'm a cheater, which is only partially true because I don't cheat all the time. It was just that once, and the test was really hard. Or maybe I actually am a cheater, since last year my biology teacher believed I was cheating when my friend handed me back my test review right in front of him. I wasn't the one cheating - I was only letting him hold my paper. But he put a big zero at the top and said, "Cheater = Cheatee." Maybe I actually am a cheater. I can't help it. But I kept worrying about it all day. I don't want him to be all, "Well, Rachael is this cheater, so I'm going to give her a zero." If I get a zero, I'm probably going to cry. I made an actual zero on a history quiz one time and it almost broke my heart. If I make another one, a lot more damage will be done.