September 14 - Gerfuls and being "stingy"

In case you missed the Introduction...

So for the most part, my goal is to reproduce the entries that match with the current date. Calendars are tricky, though, so this won’t always be possible. Nevertheless, I will try to fill the posts with the good, worthwhile content you expect as best I can. There may be something to be gained from this, but it’s really just in the name of fun. Please give it a chance and let me know what you think of all this…stuff.

Read, enjoy, and tell your friends!

Fourth Grade ALP¹ Journal – September 14, 1992
Today has been a fun day, we got to do computers, French, Math, Research, Lunch² was good and learned about a Gerful³.

¹ – ALP was the accelerated program for elementary school students in my hometown. Once a week the kids in the ALP program were taken to the middle school for a day of special classes. This is why this journal only has one entry per week. Just thought you’d like to know.
² – Upon rereading these entries, my current theory is that I disdained the use of periods (or any other real full stops). Oh, I won’t hesitate to start a new sentence with a capitalized word, but I also have no intent on ending that string of thought. No sir.
³ – The “Gerful” was a project that we did during ALP in fourth grade. I know that it revolved around this gerbil-like animal, designing things for it and writing things about it, and then presenting our projects to the class. I remember very little of my “Gerful” project, but I do remember that I hated it.

Sixth Grade Journal – September 14, 1994
No, I’m not very stingy⁴, I can be, but I usually am not stingy, because I share things other people need, and I buy my friends cokes and stuff.

⁴ – When I went back and read this again, I was confused as hell. On the tenth pass I finally realized that I was writing about whether or not I was generous, not whether or not I had sting-related qualities. Yes, I’m being serious. Clearly my mental faculties have dwindled since I was eleven.

BONUS ENTRY: Third Grade Journal – August 22, 1991
Today is August 22⁵. Today four girls Chased⁶ me on the playground, It made me think were should i run were should i hide i kept saying to myself, I was very glad when they went in. whoa⁷ what a day.

⁵ – I begin every entry in the third grade journal in this way. I’m not sure why I felt it was so important to state the date twice.
⁶ – This journal has a spotty record when it comes to random capitalization. A lot of times I simply capitalize the first word once my writing moves to a new line. I missed my calling as a poet.
⁷ – Another example of my ongoing conflict with the full stop. I finally use a period here, but refuse to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. What a rebel.

BONUS ENTRY: Eighth Grade Journal⁸ – August 28, 1996
“Man, Why Do They Challenge Us? We Kick Their Butts Every Time!” Miller Said. We (Luan, Hearne, Miller⁹, Ishbu¹⁰, And I) Teleported Into A Barren Land. “What The Heck Is This Place?” Luan Asked. “I Have No Idea.” I Answered. “Then Everyone Started Looking At Me Weird. “Why Are You All Staring At Me? What!?” I Said. “Your Hair Is Turning Brown And It’s Growing Real Long.” Luan Said. Suddenly My Clothes Turned Into A Long White Robe.

⁸ – The journal begins with the following heading:
Free Write
Chapter 1
Annoyance 2©
Irritation©
Eventually I will find a way to bring some pictures to these entries so you can see these things for yourself. The premise of Annoyance, which you will note that I copyrighted in my journal, involved my friends and I fighting each other across space and time. It is influenced by everything from random fantasy books to Star Wars to zombie movies. It is an insane mishmash. I realize that if I was a student in today’s elementary schools I would probably get in a lot of trouble for writing stories about fighting my friends. How can a kid get a decent public education if he can’t write about shooting crossbows at the person sitting next to him in Language Arts?
⁹ – These are three of my friends who were integral in the battles that rage across the pages of Annoyance. We were the primary members of the “good” side, along with:
¹⁰ – Ishbu, a character played by Kenan Thompson on the Nickelodeon show All That. The inclusion of Ishbu in Annoyance is high on my list of regrets, and I fully blame the aforementioned Miller for it.

So there you have it. Don't worry: there's plenty more to come. See you again tomorrow.