Saturday, June 20, 1998

San Francisco trip report

I just got back from a one-night stay in San Francisco with my parents. It wasn't so much a vacation as a business trip as Dad had to go there for a conference, but he took the rest of us along due to San Francisco being so close.

Dad was away in meetings most of the time, so it was pretty much just me and Mom. The two of us considered exploring the downtown on our own, but we decided against it due to the reputedly high crime rate in San Francisco. There wasn't much else to do, so we spent the bulk of the time in our hotel room. But it wasn't all that bad because SimCity 2000 had kept me occupied, and that we got to see The Arrival on HBO.

The three of us also watched U.S. Marshals last night. The film turned out to be pretty good. This was our first time seeing a pay-per-view movie, so it was a neat experience. The movie wasn't cheap by any means, but it was nevertheless the most memorable part of our trip. Even though we didn't get to do a whole lot otherwise, it was nice to be with Dad whenever he wasn't in a meeting.

Despite being so short, the trip was not without mishaps. Those who have seen Deep Impact may remember the scene where astronomer Marcus Wolf throws down his pizza in a panic after discovering that a comet is on a collision course with the Earth. Well, I thought it would be funny to reenact that scene by slamming down my croissant whenever a disaster happened in SimCity 2000. It was actually pretty funny... until I accidentally spilled my sparkling water all over the laptop. Oops.

I cleaned it up as quickly as I could, so computer still works fine save for some sticky keys. I fully expected Dad to kill me for that, but much to my relief, he merely had a good laugh about it. The whole thing was rather hilarious in hindsight.

In other news...

I didn't feel like making a separate post, but last Thursday's party totally rocked. It was really great to see my Springer classmates one last time. I'd definitely like to thank Brianna for inviting me. :-)

Currently watching: U.S. Marshals
Release date: March 6, 1998

Wednesday, June 10, 1998

done with elementary school

I graduated from Springer Elementary School today. It's so hard to believe 6th grade is already over. Here I come, middle school!

The graduation ceremony was somewhat bittersweet. Because I had been a part-time student for most of the school year, I was not eligible for a diploma. On the other hand, I did receive the President's Award for Academic Excellence, something I'm really proud of. I'd say finishing elementary school is a big achievement in itself. But at the same time, it was a little sad to part with all the friends I've made at Springer.

Although I only became a full-time student about three weeks ago, I had come to know my classmates well. I'm definitely going to miss everyone, especially Mrs. Carrie; she was one of the coolest teachers I've ever had. You're probably going to laugh at me for this, but I actually cried on the way home. *blush*

Of course, the school year wouldn't be complete without some sort of celebration. That isn't something lost on my classmate Brianna, who has invited all of us to her graduation party tomorrow. I'm extremely grateful to be included with the rest of the class. In any case, I think the party is going to be lots of fun!

For those curious, I'll be going to Egan Junior High School in the fall. Middle school will certainly be more challenging, but at least I have two and a half months to prepare for it. Right now, it's time to enjoy summer. :-)

Update: To celebrate the occasion, my parents took me to the Fish Market in Palo Alto for dinner. The food was delicious!

In other news...

I was too lazy to blog about it earlier, but I saw Deep Impact in the theater a few days ago. It was a great movie in my opinion.

Currently playing: SimCity 2000