Post #2

I know, I know, two posts in ten minutes. I really must be bored.

No, it's just that the last post was dedicated exclusively to the shuttle launch, and there is some other stuff I think I would benefit from rambling on about for a while.

First, Lateness.
At my school, every once in a while they implement the late queues. This means that if you are late, even by as little as a minute, you have to stand in a queue for half an hour and then explain to a member of the staff exactly why you are late.
Today, I had the bad luck to arrive at school to have the gate slammed shut in my face. A tad disheartened, I went around to the late entrance-to discover the late queues.
Now, maybe I'd better mention that no one is allowed in, but there are no teachers to supervise the queue. This means, predictably, that if you arrive first, you will be pushed and pushed and people will step in front of you until you are at the back.
I didn't arrive first, but I stood outside, in the freezing cold, with no coat, no gloves and my reputation as a total geek and goody-goody to endanger me.

New people arrived. instead of going to the back as I had done, they pushed through to the front. Soon I found myself beside a friend of mine, who had arrived much later than me, and yet, due to the shoving and pushing, was ahead of me in the line.

As I came closer to the door, I heard the bell for start of lessons ring. This is when I began to panic, because:
I HAD MY ACTUAL SPANISH GCSE WRITING ASSESSMENT FIRST LESSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was almost hyperventilating. I felt so stressed and scared that I nearly screamed at the big, scary sixth-former who shoved in front of me that I was there first. I complained loudly, something I, the innocent goody-goody, would never normally dream of doing, but nothing happened. I prayed that my more rowdy classmates would get bored and rush the desks, pushing their way through until I was the only one left to sign in, but it was not to be.

I was veyr panicked. My breathing quickened, and when I got to the front of the line the teacher slowly-oh so slowly-asked me why I was late. i replied quickly, but the damage was done.

I was late.
I raced through the corridors to reach my classroom. For a moment I breathed when I reached it, only to see that my teacher was halfway through explaining exactly what we were meant to do. Panicked and scared, with wild eyes, I tried to silently attract my teachers attention to apologise for being late. When that failed, I sat down, hurriedly unpacking my things.
However, my brain was frenzied and I was so panicked that once I had seated myself and loacted the equipment, I was too panicked to listen. I caught snatches of information, such as "I can't-" "Dictionary" and "folders", but I missed most of it. Then suddenly it was time to start.

I still felt panicked and harried, and I scribbled down some completely grammatically incorrect nonsense in order to get the words down on the page. I rushed and rushed, planning to complete at least a third of it by the end, as we had three lessons to complete it.
i wrote too much on the first bullet point, because I rambled on and on. I was too panicked to pace myself and think more carefully about my words and the spanish tumbled out of me in a mix of "I ate lunch tablets for breakfast and cheese had protein and I am a vegetarian therefore I am healthy".

By the time it was done, my twin had written almost half of hers, and begun copying it out in neat.
Disheartened and depressed, I watched as my teacher collected in our work, and my last chance to correct the mistakes I made was torn away.

I couldn't calm down until break, and that was only because I ate a chocolate brownie and five sugar cubes.

It was a real nightmare, I tell you. Horrible.

I don't really know what else to write, but with that inspiration, I doubt I'll have trouble with my English assessment tomorrow. Our task is to write a horror story. Do you think my GCSE horror will be good enough?
Even thinking about it has made me feel sick and panicked again. Urrgh.

By the way, did I mention it's my twin sister's birthday on Friday? Any idea what to get her?
No, nothing else is happening on the same day. Why do you ask?

The Endeavour Launch

Hi again!
As you may have (or may not have) guessed from the title, this post is about the launch of the Space shuttle Endeavour.
It launched yesterday at about ten to nine GMT. I think. I may be wrong.
On Sunday, I got up early (Well, earlier than I'd normally get up on a Sunday) to watch the launch at 09:39 GMT, but it was scrubbed because of low cloud ceilings and rescheduled for yesterday.
I would have still watched it, but I have to go to this thing called "school" which was unfortunately at the same time.
:(
But it launched! At lunchtime I raced into the library to check the NASA website, and I was delighted to discover that the Endeavour STS-130 mission had launched!
With Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and Mission specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick.
It's Terry Virts first time in space, and this morning the shuttle crew woke up to the song "Give me your eyes" by Brandon Heath to commemorate that.

The song inspired me to write a poem about it (yes, I know, dull. Bear with me, okay?) which is short, rubbish and just plain weird. I'm going to post it here anyway. If you don't want to read it, skip down to the end of the italics.
Anticipation (Technically, It could also be titled"Daydreaming".)

The culmination of a lifetime's dream
Bravery and Anticipation
The dream to extend humanity's reach
Filled with nerves and exhilaration

An unexplored expanse,
Devoid of life,
Filled with Adevnture.

An empty vacuum,
Endless and secretive,
A hive of undiscovered information.

Reaching for the sky,
Terror and joy in one heart beat
This is where, finally
Dream and reality will meet.

Good, bad, worst thing you've ever read?
Let me know in the comments. I know it's a tad...well, insane...but try to see past that, will you? :)

Anyway, back To the subject of the Launch.
They are delivering the Tranquility Node to the ISS (International Space Station), which was created in Italy for the ESA (European Space Agency) and is one of the last major US components of the structure. Also the seven-windowed cupola room.

Also, the Shuttle Launch was NASA's last planned night-time launch. Ever.
The mission will last 13 days. Astronaut Nicholas Patrick is planning to try and tweet from space-as other astronauts are already doing-which should be interesting. His twitter username is @Astro-Nicholas. Or it might be @Astro_Nicholas. I'm not sure. Try both?

I find this all extremely interestind and could go on for much longer (As my two annoyed sisters know, after I rambled on for hours to each of them in turn about the failed launch, the real launch, what being a mission specialist entails, how astronauts enter and leave the shuttle, the purpose of the external fuel tank, and many other details).
I pretty much lectured my sister earlier when she tried to make me laugh by making up a comedy story where a girl tried to handcuff herself to a shuttle, File parts away with a nile file, and then mend it with chewing gum.
I lectured her, literally, for about 20 minutes before I got distracted. Silly Rebecca. There is no way anyone could handcuff themselves to the Orbiter. Something that can survive deep space could not be harmed by a nile file, and no, you can not mend a shuttle with chewing gum.
That is a very much shorter version of my lecture as you can probably tell. I also corrected her on other things, but I don't think I have to list every single mistake she made, do I? I'd only end up making one of my own.

NASA has stopped working to build a replacement for the shuttles when they stop being used. I wonder what the replacement, if/when built, will be like?