Ghosts

Do you believe in ghosts? Perhaps that should be my next poll topic. Do you believe in the boogie man under your bed or the skeleton in your closet? Do you think Bloody Mary will get you if you say her name three times in a bathroom mirror (where did that rumor even come from? Isn't the bathroom the must embarrassing place to brutally murder someone?). Are you so scared in the dark that you can't move your legs and when you finally manage to turn on the light you insist there was something just there that just hid in the nick of time? Then when you start screaming for someone to come in and rescue you from the clutches of the evil thing they vanish in the whiff of smoke?

Well, I've never seen a ghost, but I know many people who have, or at least claim they have. A great example of this is the sixth grade bathroom.

There was only one nice bathroom at my sixth grade school. It was next to the library and had automatic flushers and everything. Oh, it was so cool, and us big kids thought we were super special for using the awesome bathrooms when the little kids weren't allowed to. Then we began hearing the rumors.

First main rumor was that these three girls (Blondie, Emma, and Boom) saw a pair of feet sticking out of the bathroom stall. They were bare feet and they stopped about at the ankle. Apparently they all screamed and ran out of the bathroom.

Then other rumors began unfolding. One girl said all the toilets flushed one at a time in a line. Another said the sinks started turning on randomly. So of course, instead of eating lunch, Trouble (sorry, lots of names for you to keep track of) and I would take a Juigi Board and go into the bathroom, sit in the biggest stall (this was rumored as the most haunted), and try and communicate with the ghost. It never talked back, but we never stopped trying. Sometimes other's would join us and we'd trick each other into thinking the ghost was making sounds, and even though you knew it was you all alone making the beeping or snapping noise, you still run out screaming with the rest of them, afraid to be left alone.

Looking back do I really think it was haunted? No. Blondie and Boom admitted to making the whole scenario up so Emma wouldn't look nuts, and I never personally saw anything. But I still can't help wonder...

Wow, I guess I'm a horrible ghost-hunter. To be perfectly honest I don't much mind. I believe in the supernatural, yes, but I would never take a career in chasing them with a video camera at night. Wow, some people are really stupid. That would scare the sh*t out of me.

Well, I guess I'll know for sure when I die. Hope I don't find out soon. Until later.

Public Speaking

To be perfectly honest, public speaking is one of my greatest fears, third only to snakes and zombies. Just knowing that everyone's staring at you, that they follow every move you make is enough pressure to drive a woman crazy. Lets say you have a giant zit on your forehead or a glob of snot is slowly crawling down your face and everyone is just transfixed. And then you trip on your way up or say something really stupid and everyone heard so there's no way to take it back.

The reason I am bringing this topic up is because just today I was summoned to the front of my classroom to present my cereal box (I had to do a project on a cereal box. It was on Benjamin Franklin). I had my report on the back and the picture on the front. I had to summarize the report to the class. I tried not to look at them, but it didn't help that my face was so hot I could fry an egg on my forehead.

"Um," I began. "Well, basically Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence and he was the oldest person in the Constitutional Convention (don't hold me to these facts) at the age of 81." I turned to my teacher. "I'm sorry, that's it. My report was really bad."

"Ok," droaned Mr. Leprosy, "just read us some of the words you used to describe Benjamin Franklin."

"Um..." I flipped my box over to where the picture of Benjamin Franklin stood, smiling at me. I glared back, cursing him for causing me so much humiliation.  "Well, he was creative, because he invented a lot of stuff. And he was brave because he... um... flew a kite with a key in a thunderstorm. Which is brave because he might have died..." The class chuckled and I looked desperately at Black for encouragement. She gave me the thumbs up. "And he's creative, because he invented a bunch of stuff. And he's keen." I have no idea what the word keen means.

"Ok," Mr. Leprosy declared. I ran back to my seat and tried to hide my face from the view of everyone.

I guess I told you that story A) because I'm bored and B) because it shows you just how humiliating speaking in public can be. My hands are shaking just at the memory of that horrific event. Ugh, please no more public speaking. If you have any tips on how to not make an ass of myself in front of my class I would really appreciate it.