I've had a bad day today. My day started okay, but ended with a car accident and some crazy news from the doctor. Oh well. Sometimes you have bad days, right?

I am somewhat of a comedienne - in my head mostly. When I've had a bad day, sometimes I really just have to think of something funny to say. So, today, I feel like reminiscing about the good days of high school and sharing them with everyone. Here is my top 10 list of favorite memories from high school (in no particular order). Now, I'm going to have to change some names to protect the innocent (or not so innocent)...

1. Running for school government president as the first female ever to run and running with the magnificent campaign slogan "Give it a whirl, vote for a girl"....(Yep, it's true. That was my slogan. I did win. Maybe Hillary should adopt this slogan. Not!)

2. Sitting behind the stage in Mrs. Music Lady's class listening to Stairway to Heaven backwards so I could hear the "secret message". I never did get to hear the secret words, but I sure loved to do this over and over again.

3. Sitting in math class as a Jr. High kid only to hear a lecture about time....Always started the same, "Time. Every time I snap my fingers someone dies, someone is born....every precious second. What are you doing with your time?". Oh yeah. And hearing the teacher say to me, "Miss Persell. Mr. Rodriguez will be there at the end of the class. You can stop looking at him now. Eyes up here. He's not going anywhere". Loved to look at Mr. Rodriguez...he was cute at the time. Yep. Loved it.

4. Getting ready to go to the Jr.-Sr. Banquet. We didn't have proms. Just banquets. No proms - proms lead to dancing...dancing leads to sex. Yep. It's a true fact. No proms. Just banquets - eating leads to gluttony - another deadly sin. My favorite part was seeing who actually ended up at the banquet as dates. It was anyone's guess up until the night of the banquet.

5. Wearing A-line skirts down past my knees and kneeling on the floor during a "drill" to be sure it was long enough...and when it wasn't, having to go to Mrs. "I've got the worst skirt collection in the world"'s office to find one that was more appropriate (and uglier by the minute).

6. The JUG. Now, for those of you who did not attend NCA, you will have no idea what the "JUG" was. I, however, never had to go there, but I did have some friends who did. Didn't it stand for "Justice Under God"? It really was a place (behind the stage) where you had to go and couldn't listen to Stairway to Heaven backwards...

7. Cheerleading. Ah. Fond memories. Yep. It's true. I was a cheerleader. Ashamed to admit it now. Seriously, I am. We had gauchos down past our knees and couldn't move our hips at the time. Great memories. Loved to do our favorite cheer....so many words to remember...how'd it go? Oh yeah, "Knights. Power. Knights Power". Those were all the words. Good times.

8. Burning Madonna and Billy Joel tapes during revival week. I must have burned the same Madonna tape 4 times. Every time I would burn it, months later I would buy a new one. Only to burn it again when it came camp time. Funny thing is, I now own the CD of the tapes I burned. Life is ironic. Those were good times though.

9. Sweet 16's singing group....and the lovely dresses that brought to my wardrobe. I remember one year that we actually had plaid dresses. Red and black plaid dresses. When we stood altogether, we seriously looked like a bad upright picnic table cloth. And, who can forget the Mrs. Director of Sweet 16's crying each and every time we sang. Again, good times. Fun times. Could have done without the awful dresses, though.

10. Last but not least, my favorite high school memory had to be the time that my 9th grade Social Studies teacher took us to see, "The gods must be crazy" at the Little Theater. She was new to the school that year. This was a movie/film about the African people (can't remember all of it). For those of you who are geography and cultural buffs, you know that in native African tribes, not all of the people are clothed fully. Yep. 9th grade. NCA. Mrs. "I Will Bring Them to a Show With Nudity"...that went over big at the time (sarcasm warranted). She lasted as a teacher only about 3 weeks. Then, we had a new social studies teacher. Hmm. Interesting how that all happened. Anyway, it was one of my favorite memories. My class loved the film - it actually had some tremendous artistic value. Probably not wise to bring a bunch of hormonal 9th graders to see it. We were not very adult acting in the movie theater, if you could well imagine....Imagine ten 9th grade boys watching a film about native African women....Fond memories.

Ok. So, these made me laugh out loud a little. I feel a little better. Hopefully tomorrow can be a better day. Loved the 80's. Loved high school. Glad I'm not a teenager anymore...and wouldn't go back for the world.