twist of fait accomplis

Oh, what the hell, here's a Friday Five.

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why? Even though I was a computer science major, I didn't enjoy most of the core comp sci classes I took.
2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? I've had a bunch that I really liked, and it's tough to pick a favorite. In high school I really liked Mr. Moran (Poetry and Short Fiction classes) and Mr. LaBrot (history). In college, I liked Professor Ackermann (Comp Sci, including two individual studies), Hank Lewis (Short Fiction), and Dr. James Farmer (Civil Rights History). They were all teachers that made a strong impression on me or treated me like an equal. Mr. Moran's classes were just fun and he allowed us to be very open. I still occasionally keep in touch with Mr. LaBrot (who was cool for reasons mentioned here. I keep in frequent touch with Professor Ackermann, as he was the first person at MWC to really see that the Internet was going to become a cultural phenomenon and part of our everyday lives. Hank Lewis was an excellent writer and a super-nice guy that I haven't talked to a couple of years. We met for lunch in New York a few years back. And, lastly, Dr. James Farmer, who was an integral part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s... what can I say? Taking a class with a man who was a significant part of the movement was an amazing experience.
3. What is your favorite memory of school? Lunch in high school, hanging out in the dorms in college. And the half-year English classes I took in high school were an excellent alternative to the bland, boring full-year general English classes that the masses took.
4. What was your favorite recess game? I remember in elementary school playing a kind of hybrid game. A group of us would have a tennis ball or racquetball. We'd stand 15 feet back from a brick wall and one person would throw the ball against the wall. As it came flying back at us, we had to catch it. If it touched us, or we missed it, we'd have to run and touch the wall before someone else grabbed the ball and pegged us with it. The odd thing: whether or not you got hit didn't really matter (other than the inevitable stinging that followed getting thwacked with the ball) -- there was no "out" of the game. You just rejoined the group. One funny incident from elementary school that sticks in my head for some reason happened during one of these lunchtime games. One kid named Nick turned to another kid named Brett (my best friend at the time) and said, "Brett -- your momma!" Brett looked at him like he was about to attack him. Nick clarified, "No, really, Brett, your momma!" and pointed behind him. Brett's mom had come to take him to a doctor's appointment or something.
5. What did you hate most about school? High school: so many things. College: nothing, really. My high school was very sports-oriented (they were third in the country in basketball and were actively recruiting players by the time I graduated), thus there was a heavy jock mentality. A lot of the asshole jocks got away with everything, while the school decided to enforce their bullshit policies on good students that never gave anyone trouble. The principal was a prick, as was the vice principal. I once wrote a short story for class about how the principal lived in the walls of the building and how if he ever actually had to face a student, he'd pee himself. Nice. When I drive by my high school on visits home, I still give the school the bird and say "Thanks for nothing." Fortunately, I did manage to make a good group of friends that made the days go by a little better.

That makes me sound a tad bitter, doesn't it? Maybe I'll have gotten over it by the time my 10 year high school reunion rolls around. Or not.