It’s that time of the year again — the end of the school year and with it graduations and goodbyes. Usually I’m really excited about school ending because it means summer vacation is nearby. But today as the bell for my last class rang I didn’t jump up and down with joy. It was a much more mellow and somber moment.

Normally when we think of our siblings we often think about how annoying they are. How they bug you and fight with you and get you in trouble.

For as long as I could remember, I have always put extra effort into everything that I did.

Now that the school year is happily drawing to an end, I would like to applaud and even express my gratitude to the geniuses that set up the sophomore curriculum.

Why? Well, in addition to the fact that I obviously learned a ton of interesting stuff this year, I would just like to point out that this was really the first year where all my classes … well, kind of connected I guess.

Someone once told me that at Uni “s years are easier” — “s” years being subbie, sophomore, and senior years.

In my experience, that advice has been true so far. My subbie year was somewhat predictably the easiest one I encountered at this school, and also allowed time to meet new people and have fun occasionally.

Time flies. No one has to toss a clock out the window to prove that it does.

A few weeks ago, I wasn't reading the signs that school was coming to an end. Only now is it starting to dawn on me that I won't be taking classes every day in about eight days — a giant countdown clock has made it hard not to notice.

When you were a kid, you probably believed Santa Claus existed and didn’t know it was actually your parents giving you the presents. If you’ve ever looked back to the past at all the fun things you did as a child, you get a feeling of happiness and a sense that you misunderstood a lot of things.

As the summer fast approaches, I have been continually looking forward to summer reading. Last summer, I think I only read two books excluding the required summer reading for English. So this year, I really want to spend more time immersing myself in fine literature.

Apart from having the best date I could ask for, a sweet ride, and a beautiful dress, I just had a wonderful time this year at prom.

Until two weeks ago, I didn’t think I was going to prom. As a sophomore, an upperclassman would have to ask me, and that hadn’t happened. Then, during lunch one day, senior Katie LaPointe suddenly exclaimed, “Hey! Do you want to go to prom with me?”

The beginning of summer break is fast approaching. As you may notice, there is a spectacularly magnificent countdown (on the homepage of the Gargoyle and above – for a limited time only) to summer break — more specifically, a countdown to noon on Friday, May 30, the start of disorientation picnic.

It is recommended that one should have a light, decent snack before a long run. It is recommended that one should eat a good meal before going on a long drive or airplane trip.

It is also recommended that one should consume a good meal before prom.

As summer approaches I'm beginning to let out a sigh of relief. School is almost over. No homework. No tests. No waking up at 7 a.m. No afterschool sports practices. Total and complete relaxation, right?

The end of May means a lot of things — finals, graduation, summer, three months of freedom, and, most importantly, the end of the current television season.

Most specifically, this Wednesday will mark the close of the seventh season of “American Idol.”

These days, people are obsessed with text messaging.

Look down the street and you'll see people texting. Observe your classmates during class and you'll find somebody secretly texting behind a table. Take a peek into cars driving down the road and you'll see drivers texting.