trinamick
03-19-2004, 03:40 PM
This has just been the day to end all days. To preface this story, I have mentioned before that I am a judge for high school speech meets. In the course of this assignment, I get to see lots of freaky children who, IMO, should never be let out of cages.
Anyhoo, I attended a meet in North Platte, NE, earlier in the season. While sitting in their cafeteria with the students, I noticed a young man in dark sunglasses and a long trenchcoat on the upper level above the cafeteria. He was pacing back & forth along the balcony, talking to himself and gesturing. Now, granted, it isn't unusual to see someone talking to themselves at a speech meet (speech meets always bring out the crazies). :D However, the trench coat and sunglasses indoors seemed a little odd, so I called it to the attention of the coach. I suggested that maybe he wasn't entirely normal, and questioned whether all students were checked for weapons when entering the building (this school has no metal detectors or anything). The coach laughed, assuming I was kidding. I continued to watch the kid for awhile, just having that creepy feeling like something wasn't right with the situation. However, the day was uneventful and we all went home.
Today on the news, they reported that a kid from Malcolm, NE, came to school drunk. He had left the building and gone back to his vehicle when the authorities came to investigate. They found in his vehicle a loaded gun, a can of gasoline, 20 fuses, makings of a bomb, and a note saying he hoped his 3 friends were spared. They deduced that he was intending on blowing up the building or going on a rampage or whatever. Now here's the important part: had they not caught him, he would have been leaving that afternoon for STATE SPEECH! :eek4:
I can't be absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure it was the SAME KID! (Malcolm comes to that meet) So needless to say, I am happy to be alive. Oh, and I'm REALLY glad I didn't judge him poorly in a round! :eek2:
"Beware the ides of speech season..."
Anyhoo, I attended a meet in North Platte, NE, earlier in the season. While sitting in their cafeteria with the students, I noticed a young man in dark sunglasses and a long trenchcoat on the upper level above the cafeteria. He was pacing back & forth along the balcony, talking to himself and gesturing. Now, granted, it isn't unusual to see someone talking to themselves at a speech meet (speech meets always bring out the crazies). :D However, the trench coat and sunglasses indoors seemed a little odd, so I called it to the attention of the coach. I suggested that maybe he wasn't entirely normal, and questioned whether all students were checked for weapons when entering the building (this school has no metal detectors or anything). The coach laughed, assuming I was kidding. I continued to watch the kid for awhile, just having that creepy feeling like something wasn't right with the situation. However, the day was uneventful and we all went home.
Today on the news, they reported that a kid from Malcolm, NE, came to school drunk. He had left the building and gone back to his vehicle when the authorities came to investigate. They found in his vehicle a loaded gun, a can of gasoline, 20 fuses, makings of a bomb, and a note saying he hoped his 3 friends were spared. They deduced that he was intending on blowing up the building or going on a rampage or whatever. Now here's the important part: had they not caught him, he would have been leaving that afternoon for STATE SPEECH! :eek4:
I can't be absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure it was the SAME KID! (Malcolm comes to that meet) So needless to say, I am happy to be alive. Oh, and I'm REALLY glad I didn't judge him poorly in a round! :eek2:
"Beware the ides of speech season..."