Epic Episodes
On Wednesday of this week the seniors took everybody's picture for the yearbook. I ducked in and out behind the background screen several times to access the copier on the far side of the room, and I sat for a picture as I was told to do. They had a sheet draped over a tall support of some kind to serve as a backdrop. On the floor in front of it was another sheet, and on the sheet was a stool also shrouded in a sheet. When I walked in they told me to be careful not to slip and fall when I walked across the sheet to sit on the metal stool. I was careful, and everything turned out well, except perhaps for the pictures. I didn't see them.
Today I saw that the photographer-in-chief had posted on Facebook a picture of another scene in the "portrait studio." I was all alone in the house when I saw it, but I laughed louder and longer than I've laughed since the giggling fit Lois and I had on the way home from Obsess in Arkansas. I understood then why the seniors had warned me to be careful. "There but for the grace of God go I" I thought when I saw the picture.
In a classic case of understatement, Seth had captioned the picture "an unfortunate little episode during our high school photo shoot." There was Andrew on his back on the floor at one corner of the sheet, legs straight up in the air, hands almost as high--desperately clutching the backdrop, which by then had fallen on its side. The stool stood quietly at the lower left corner of the picture, and the back wall of the lab was exposed. Andrew surprisingly did not look panicked--quite cheerful, in fact, for how out-of-control the situation must have seemed at the moment. Seth, for his part, did what he was there to do: He took a picture.
I'm guessing Andrew had been innocently walking toward the stool when he stepped on the sheet and slipped. He must have grabbed for the screen as he went down and the screen came down with him. The photographer had, for all of us, been snapping lots of pictures before the real "sitting" was underway--probably to keep everyone a bit off balance and to get some candid pictures. That explains why this "unfortunate episode" was so faithfully recorded.
Even the best photographers rarely capture this kind of accidental action moment, and I am still very amused whenever I look at it. I showed Grant as soon as he walked in this evening. "Epic," was his pronouncement.
Note: I'm not sure if it will be possible to see the Facebook picture if you're not my friend or Seth's friend, so I tried to describe the picture so you can "see" what I meant, even if the picture is not viewable.
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Freshmen Day came off as planned today. The festivities started out with cinnamon rolls at first break, provided by Marvin M. (a dad) and iced coffee (provided by Jonny, a freshman). As expected, this set the tone for everyone else being pretty sure that the freshmen were thoroughly conceited and needed to be taken down a peg or two. Tim responded by placing a bag of Snickers on the testing table, and announcing that they were for the sophomores, juniors, seniors, and teachers. I'm not sure on the details, but I heard talk of others having given the freshmen "candy," which in reality was rocks wrapped in candy wrappers. One junior girl gave all the freshman boys tiny pink socks, and gave the girls comic books.
During second break, the freshmen doled out candy for everyone at school. That was a surprise for everyone who was determined to dislike what the freshmen were doing today. Then at the beginning of the educational movie we saw at the end of the day, the freshmen walked out of the kitchen bearing a filled goblet in each hand to distribute among the students. The "shake" mixture looked very festive and frothy, with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top, and accented with (can't think of what they're called--tube-shaped and creme filled "sticks"). Then the last bit of resistance melted, and the thank yous were sincere. Free popcorn was on hand after school.
This was a rare day when the ball really was in the freshman court all day. None of the other classes can plan a similar day without looking as though they are stooping to copying the freshmen. And because the freshmen ended up being so nice, others can't really complain about what they did. All in all, I think it can be declared a successful coup, with the freshmen having been the party in power at the end of the day.
Today I saw that the photographer-in-chief had posted on Facebook a picture of another scene in the "portrait studio." I was all alone in the house when I saw it, but I laughed louder and longer than I've laughed since the giggling fit Lois and I had on the way home from Obsess in Arkansas. I understood then why the seniors had warned me to be careful. "There but for the grace of God go I" I thought when I saw the picture.
In a classic case of understatement, Seth had captioned the picture "an unfortunate little episode during our high school photo shoot." There was Andrew on his back on the floor at one corner of the sheet, legs straight up in the air, hands almost as high--desperately clutching the backdrop, which by then had fallen on its side. The stool stood quietly at the lower left corner of the picture, and the back wall of the lab was exposed. Andrew surprisingly did not look panicked--quite cheerful, in fact, for how out-of-control the situation must have seemed at the moment. Seth, for his part, did what he was there to do: He took a picture.
I'm guessing Andrew had been innocently walking toward the stool when he stepped on the sheet and slipped. He must have grabbed for the screen as he went down and the screen came down with him. The photographer had, for all of us, been snapping lots of pictures before the real "sitting" was underway--probably to keep everyone a bit off balance and to get some candid pictures. That explains why this "unfortunate episode" was so faithfully recorded.
Even the best photographers rarely capture this kind of accidental action moment, and I am still very amused whenever I look at it. I showed Grant as soon as he walked in this evening. "Epic," was his pronouncement.
Note: I'm not sure if it will be possible to see the Facebook picture if you're not my friend or Seth's friend, so I tried to describe the picture so you can "see" what I meant, even if the picture is not viewable.
*********************
Freshmen Day came off as planned today. The festivities started out with cinnamon rolls at first break, provided by Marvin M. (a dad) and iced coffee (provided by Jonny, a freshman). As expected, this set the tone for everyone else being pretty sure that the freshmen were thoroughly conceited and needed to be taken down a peg or two. Tim responded by placing a bag of Snickers on the testing table, and announcing that they were for the sophomores, juniors, seniors, and teachers. I'm not sure on the details, but I heard talk of others having given the freshmen "candy," which in reality was rocks wrapped in candy wrappers. One junior girl gave all the freshman boys tiny pink socks, and gave the girls comic books.
During second break, the freshmen doled out candy for everyone at school. That was a surprise for everyone who was determined to dislike what the freshmen were doing today. Then at the beginning of the educational movie we saw at the end of the day, the freshmen walked out of the kitchen bearing a filled goblet in each hand to distribute among the students. The "shake" mixture looked very festive and frothy, with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top, and accented with (can't think of what they're called--tube-shaped and creme filled "sticks"). Then the last bit of resistance melted, and the thank yous were sincere. Free popcorn was on hand after school.
This was a rare day when the ball really was in the freshman court all day. None of the other classes can plan a similar day without looking as though they are stooping to copying the freshmen. And because the freshmen ended up being so nice, others can't really complain about what they did. All in all, I think it can be declared a successful coup, with the freshmen having been the party in power at the end of the day.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:45 PM
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