Flashing red numbers say 6:20. Tear off the blankets. Get dressed quickly. Slam a couple of toes on the nightstand. Curse. The room is dark. It’s winter.
English test today. English grades are slipping. Should reread Macbeth. Review notes. Got to keep up. Can’t trip now. Wait. “When the hurlyburly's done/When the battle’s lost and won.”
Breakfast. One glass of water. Half a glass of orange juice. Two eggs, shiny orange yolks swimming in oil. Two pieces of whole wheat toast, buttered. Leave the dry brown crusts in a pile of crumbs. Someone else will take care of them.
Pack up. Stand. Walk. Sit. Unpack. Write.
How did the New Monarchs consolidate power? One: by taking control of the aristocracy. Two: I don’t remember. Three: by securing taxes to wage war. Did they have guns 600, 700 years ago? What happened to the knights? Henry the VIII was a New Monarch. He had six wives. Did King Henry Die Drinking Chocolate Milk?
The history book smells like dust and stale bread crusts and sweat. It’s a used book. It cost 90 dollars. What to read: Nine pages today, ten tomorrow, seven the day after, and do the short answer question. Be ready for a pop quiz. Be ready for an essay. Bring a pen. Stop twitching.
There’s a sweaty handprint on the fireproof lab table. There are rock salt stains and an empty glass beaker. The sink is full of debris. Don’t drop the test tube. Someone’s staring. Rub eyes. Blink. Got to stay awake.
How to solve this chemistry question. If a pure aluminum sheet is one mile long, and one mile is 1760 yards, and one yard is three feet, and one foot is twelve inches, and one inch is 2.54 centimeters, and one centimeter cubed of aluminum is 2.70 grams, and 26.96 grams of aluminum is one mole, and one mole is 602,216,900,000,000,000,000,000 atoms, what do I have to do sleep more than six hours per night?
Write it out. Calculate. Check. Circle. Wrong. Redo it. How many pounds in a kilogram again? “After life’s fitful fever…”
Chivalry was a set of combat rules for knights. The knights prized honor. After the Hundred Years’ War, chivalry was killed by better weapons and quicker armies. What happened to honor? It’s nice out today. The sun is shining like a bright egg yolk. The streets are full of crusty grey slush. Someone should take care of that. Stop looking. Keep walking.
Bonjour. Salut. Brace one elbow on the smooth plastic desk. Twine both ankles around the cold metal chair legs. Je dors, tu dors, il dort. Breathe slowly. Look down. Write. Comment allez-vous?
It might snow tomorrow. Fat white flakes to cover all the dirt in the streets and the sickly branches peeking out of the mud. The probability that it snows tomorrow is 45%. When it snows, the probability that Jimmy gets to school on time is 30%. When it doesn’t snow, the probability is 60%. If Jimmy gets to school on time tomorrow, what’s the probability that it’s snowing?
What? Write it out. Draw a tree. Convert to decimals. See? It’s so simple. They multiply.
Don’t sleep.
How long? How much longer? Can you plate a copper piece with silver? Can you recite the names of all the Enlightenment philosophes? Pouvez-vous dire tous les mots de vocab? 2sinxcosx equals sin(2x), therefore stop lying down on the desk. Pay attention. “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.”
Got to keep up. Can’t trip now. I want some orange juice. How many days until New Years?