September 5th, the Loft

Today was the first day of school. Whatever happened to the first day of school being nothing but syllabus reading and introductions? I was so excited for this year because I passed Algebra last year, so I don't have to take it this year.

Oh no, I've moved onto Geometry now. It's bad enough that I didn't understand all of the little a's, b's, x's, and worse yet, z's. Now we're onto using all of the above in relations to little hieroglyphics in the book. We get to figure out how to use them in relation to the area of a square! Yay! Not. So not.

Now, I don't have Michael to distract me during G&T anymore. I'm still in there with Lilly and Boris though. I don't know why they would put me in there this year, it's not like I'm flunking Algebra like I was last year.

And at least last year, I had Michael tutoring me during G&T, as well as Mr. Gianini's after-school sessions. He was especially helpful after he married Mom and moved in with us. But he's an Algebra teacher. NOT a Geometry teacher! Even if they did teach him something about Geometry, I bet he'd be less helpful than he was last year.

Lilly, of course, quizzed out of Geometry. She's in Trigonometry. I'm guessing it has something to do with Geometry, but she'll be so far into her own homework she won't be able to help me.

Michael, will be at Columbia, of course, studying something really smart. Like quasars. He won't have time to help me.

This brings me to another thing. It was totally heart-wrenching to say good-bye to him when I dropped him off at Columbia. Yeah, he's only a couple of subway stops down the line, but it's not EVERY DAY. He's not living just across the Village anymore. And I can't just hop on the subway to go see him. I'll have to call an armed escort and car service to take me there, watch me while I am there visiting him [I guess to make sure that some hot Columbia undergrad doesn't kidnap me and sell me into white slavery.] and then escort me home. It's not like we'll be alone or anything. And I'm sure he really doesn't have a lot of time anyway, he'll be studying all the time. Going to parties and classes. Meeting really hot co-eds...

I decided to push away my mounting pile of homework and sign onto my computer. Having DSL is so nice—I'm not tying up the phone line and I can be on whenever I want—in addition to being incredibly fast.

Just as I signed on, I got an Instant Message from Tina:

Iluvromance: Mia, I sincerely hope you have a lot less homework than I do.

FtLouie: I wouldn't count on it. I have 20 problems to do for Geometry, in addition to reading two chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird to read for Wan AND two pages of translation for French Deux.

Iluvromance: I have the French too, I can help you during G&T tomorrow since we have it right after.

Yes, Tina got into G&T too. By some miracle, we are all in the same G&T class and the same lunch.

We have the best luck.

FtLouie: Great!

Iluvromance: TKAM is really good so far. I'm one chapter into it.

At this point, I got distracted by another Instant Message.

LinuxRulz: So how was your first day?

Michael! I tried to not sound too excited when I wrote back.

FtLouie: Well, since I'm up to my eyeballs in homework, not that great. But I guess I'll scrape by. Somehow.

LinuxRulz: Let me guess: Geometry problems?

FtLouie: You know me so well. Yes, I can tell that Geometry is going to be even more of a pain in the butt than Algebra. Now we not only have a's, b's, and c's, but we have stupid shapes!

LinuxRulz: You are so not going to be a math major.

FtLouie: As if I could be a math major when I was flunking freshman Algebra for most of the first semester.

LinuxRulz: How is G&T? Lilly told me you were all in it together.

FtLouie: It's pretty great. Tina's in there too—we're going to be able to do our French together.

LinuxRulz: While, of course, listening to Boris and his violin.

FtLouie: I'm sure I'll cope. Somehow. Either that or we'll just shove him back in the supply closet.

LinuxRulz: I think we can all agree that that supply closet is the only way most of us stayed sane last year.

FtLouie: You can say that again.

I wanted to break the silence by saying something along the lines of "So, met any interesting people lately?" but I couldn't figure out how to ask this subtly. So I just lamely went:

FtLouie: How are your classes?

LinuxRulz: Slightly more difficult than Geometry. Mostly 500 person lectures on computer science and calculus.

FtLouie: Calculus?? How will I ever survive college?

LinuxRulz: You'll survive it by not taking calculus and just taking all of your writing classes. The ones that you are good at. You might have to take College Algebra, but if you come to Columbia, I can help you with that.

FtLouie: Yeah, right. As if I'd ever have the grades to make it into Columbia.

LinuxRulz: Might I remind you that you passed all of your classes with an above B-average?

FtLouie: Yeah, due to you and Mr. Gianini tutoring me and Kenny slipping me all of the answers in Bio before we broke up.

LinuxRulz: I'm sure that you will have no problems. If Mr. Gianini teaches Algebra, most likely he knows something about Geometry too.

I highly doubted this, knowing my luck. At this point, I remembered Tina.

FtLouie: Sorry Tina. I was talking to Michael about the horrors of Geometry.

Iluvromance: You aren't kidding. I understood Algebra just fine, but now there's all of these squares, and rectangles, and, I shudder to write it, triangles.

FtLouie: Those stupid triangles. They are the worst.

Iluvromance: Yes, yes they are. But anyway, Dad is making me get offline. He wants to call my grandmother in Dubai.

Tina was not as blessed as me to have DSL. She still had dial-up, just like the Moscovitzes. We said good-bye before I got back to Michael.

FtLouie: Anyway, I should probably go. Before tomorrow, I have two chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as 20 Geometry problems to decipher. And I have to squeeze in some sleep between now and then.

LinuxRulz: I'm sure. I should probably go as well. I have a chapter in my Astronomy book to read, and I just checked and it's over 50 pages long.

FtLouie: Remind me again how I am going to survive college.

LinuxRulz: By not taking Calculus and Astronomy.

FtLouie: Right. Well...

This was the part I always dreaded. Having to say good night.

LinuxRulz: Right. Good night.

There! He said it!

LinuxRulz: I love you.

And then he signed off! He really is the most wonderful boyfriend on the face of the planet.

Well, there's Chapter One. Please review!! Cookies to all that do!