I haven't gotten to post to my blog because I have been staying after school all week to help start our school's newspaper. The school bought 2 new computers and a printer for the writing and journalism class and I volunteered to help get it setup and to start to learn a program called Indesign. It is called a "layout" program because you lay out all the writing and the pictures before you print it out on paper. It was really exciting last night when we finally got the new printer to work with the new computers. For awhile it was printing the page sideways and then it would print it too small or too big and finally we just unplugged everything and started over. My teacher Mr. Grady was getting very upset at all the equipment and had to go outside to smoke a cigarette twice. Tom and I figured it out while he was out smoking his second cigarette. Mr. Grady came back in and said "ok from now on you guys are in charge of the computer." Tom and I looked at each other and laughed because just last year Tom and I both got our first computers and we didn't know much about them and now we are in charge of our first newspaper. I also get to write the movie reviews for the paper and since I have been practicing writing all summer, Mr. Grady made me the "editor". I told him that I really have trouble spelling and that the computer corrects my mistakes and he told me that it was ok and that editing is not all about spelling and grammer, but also about how "everything fits together like a puzzle". I said that I am good at puzzles.
I also have to do a project for social studies about my family's history and I thought that would be great idea for the newspaper if we did our first issue about the family history of the students and of the teachers at our school. Mr. Grady said that it was a very good idea and that perhaps we'll have enough room if we only include one interesting thing about the history of every person's family in the school. I said that it might be hard since there are 80 or so kids in the school, but he said that it can be a weekly part of the paper and that I should just start with the people in my social studies class which is only about 15. I also thought that maybe not every student has a family history that they can find out about and some students are adopted. Our teacher told the class that if we cannot find out much or if it isn't possible then we must write about their hero. I thought about that and wondered if having a hero is the same if you don't know that person. Like if your hero is a baseball player, but that you have never met that player? I guess I wonder what it would be like not to have any heros that are a part of my family. My Grandpa, Dad and Mom are all my heroes because they feed me and are always caring about me. I guess a baseball player or a rock star can't feed you or care for you so it must be hard to have them as your only heroes.
I told Dad and Grandpa about it and they said that they would help me, but that uncle Don is the real historian in the family and that I should call him too. I already know that our family came from austria and I also know that I have many cousins that either still live in Austria or have moved here recently. My Dad says that Uncle Don communicates with some of them and that Cousin Bruce also met one in Los angeles. I am looking forward to finding out all about not only the Buckheisters, but also my Mother's family, the Michaels.