Best of Week

The best of this week, without a doubt, had to be the commencement of short stories.
I'm going to come out and be quite honest: this past week was v-show week, and I was thus averaging about four hours (if that) of sleep per night. Alors, devine quoi, I was very very ready to pass out in class almost every day, as Mr. Allen so truthfully pointed out after hearing my use of the name "Blobert". Under normal circumstances, I regret to say that I probably would have. I have a strong will, but I think my eyelids prove a tad stronger in the end (I've experienced it in French and Biology class, which I'm not proud of).
Thus, something of true greatness would have been necessary to keep me up and slightly energized, no? You are correct, and that something of immense greatness came in the new unit of Short Stories.
I've always been a fan of ictional writing, but never a fan of short stories. From an ignoramus point of view, of course; I've never really read more then on or two in my life. All I know is that I love to write fiction, don't have enough time to write a full novel (which I've had in the works since this summer), and that this was my grand opportunity. I'll just deal with the reading of short stories without protest; hey, it's better than heart of darkness, no? I thought. I was quite wrong. Not about it being better than HoD, because they are more enjoyable to me, without a doubt, but moreso wrong about me having to "put up" with reading short stories. I did nothing of the sort. In fact, I was opened up to a new world of short, meaning-unemphasized, literary candy (which is a very strange way to put it, and I'm slightly ashamed I just wrote that, to tell you the truth).
I've definitely enjoyed every short story we've read; I've enjoyed their craft, I've enjoyed thinking them over (and NOT for the purpose of finding the "hidden meaning"), and I've enjoyed the fact that, well, they're NOT long--they're NOT a chore. Oh, and did I mention I'm no longer a bumbling, truthful-opinionless ignoramus in this subject?
So, I have to thank Mr. Allen and his curriculum for this week. And though that has an air of suck-up insincerity-for-brownie-points to it, that statment is very sincere. Honestly, even when I dislike what we may be reading, I am always somewhat amused and interested while in class. I really enjoy lerning in there. And now, after months of books that are quite difficult and not exactly the most enthralling to a classroom audience such as ours, we are given this creative respite. Well, it may not be so much of a break for others. But for myself, at least, this is the most exciting part of the year so far. It's a gift, a time for indulgence. I had another, far superior word for it, but it vanished the second I looked into the sun and found myself doing an Obama-style "determined, sternly optimistic look into the future".
Anyway. Thank you, Mr. Allen. I have a feeling that this whole process may prove to be a "best of the quarter" as well.