Strings, Books and Planes

So how you guys doin'? Pretty cool. Today my brother did something good in school.

Today I woke up at seven and went to class. It was interesting, because we were learning about the history of Texas and its annexation to the United States. I really enjoyed this, because without being horribly smug, it is one of the very few periods in American history that I know nothing about. That did not seem to smug actually. One thing I do not like about this class is that no one seems to answer questions. It could be that the class is very early, or just that no one pays attention in high school history classes but I repeatedly find myself to be the only one who will answer the simplest of questions. Something I really do not like talking about in these classes is politics. It is all very well to have political disagreements with people you already know and respect but when you are in a room full of strangers and all that they know about you are your political beliefs, and that you are creepy, it is not the most pleasant of situations.

Another thing that I do not enjoy talking about in my classes is religion. I do not particularly enjoy sharing my views on the subject with people I have never met, and doubtless they feel the same way. It is however very uncomfortable when you hear something from a professor that is blatantly untrue about some of your most deeply held beliefs. You feel it is your duty to correct them, but they are often not interested in what you have to say, and clearly the rest of the class is not either and are far more interested in sleeping or texting under the table.

Anyway, I greatly enjoyed my second class today. We had two guest musicians who play Balkan music. One played the violin, and the other the accordion. They gave a very interesting talk about the nature of their music, and gave many demonstrations. Usually I very much dislike the sound of the accordion, especially in Mexican Conjunto music but seeing an amazing player in person is a totally different matter. We had to dance too, which was the only low point of the class.

After studying some Spanish verbs, I went outside and cut a fallen dead tree apart with a machete, which was awesome. After this, I went to my class.

I feel that lately I have been telling you too much about my grandmother, but it is no understatement to say that she and my Spanish professor are the same person. By that I mean broken English, and an inability to explain things clearly. I found out that it is much better to go home after class and study the textbook, than to repeatedly ask questions in class for reasons I previously alluded to. I am very determined to get a good grade in our upcoming test.

I am now sitting at home and writing to you. Tonight I have my silly Irish paper to polish off after I get back from my elderly catholic musicians convention. See you tomorrow.