"Differential Diagnosis"

Make no mistake, ? I can be a pretty self-centered guy at times, and I absolutely love it when people praise and worship me. Who doesn’t?!? Some might say I am a typical? Leo, while others just believe I’m a naturally flamboyant, self-absorbed guy.

This flamboyancy can be seen in everything I do, from the way I dress when I actually feel like looking great, to my martial arts style. There is never a NEED for flashy techniques, but I just can’t help myself sometimes! Even on the job, I do my best work with an audience present or when multiple people are counting on me, that’s just how I roll.

So imagine the enormous ego stroke I received while making my way through my Google Reader feeds and I discovered this blog post at ChinkyMel’s Corner. Thank you for making this lion purr, stroking my ego, and keeping me entertained with your wonderful blog these past few months!

On another note, expect the next installment of “Middle School Business” sometime later this week, along with details on an upcoming guest post I’m writing for a more ‘female oriented’ blog.

[Part 1 of this story]
[Part 2 of this story]
[Part 3 of this story]
[Part 4 of this story]
[Part 5 of this story]
[Part 6 of this story]

My 7th grade algebra teacher, I swear she had spawned from a cloud of chalk dust of erased algebraic equations. ? The woman was obsessed with numbers and formulas, I had never seen anything like it, and my father was a math teacher for a few years!

Every day, it was pages and pages of notes and algebra problems jotted down and solved on our graph paper notebooks. ? I had never been a fan of math, and the only thing that made this class tolerable was the fact that practically everyone in the class bought boatloads of candy from me on a daily basis. ? Who could blame them? A subject as dull as algebra required a sugar rush or two just to keep everyone awake. More »

[Part 1 of this story]
[Part 2 of this story]
[Part 3 of this story]
[Part 4 of this story]
[Part 5 of this story]

Upon walking into the classroom, it took a few moments for my eyes to get used to the dim lighting within. ? The Texas heat, the brutal desert sun, and the full speed run across campus had left me drained, but as my vision slowly came back, my energy was returning in the form of pure adrenaline. ? Had my bag been plundered and pillaged while I was away? Would I have any chance of recouping my stolen goods? ? What would I do if I had been jacked?

As I sat down, I immediately reached below my desk looking for my backpack. ? Merely discovering its presence below my desk brought some comfort, but I had to be sure. Pulling it out from under the desk, I quickly inspected each pocket one by one looking for any signs of tampering. ? My books & notebooks were present, but who would steal those? ? My Mexican candy pockets had been left untouched. My loose change was all there. That???s when I discovered…my chocolates pocket was wide open! More »