I'm closer to Lance Armstrong than you are

It's staying fairly low-key around this place.

Monday was fairly interesting. After Chemie 11, Herr Horlacher (the teacher) brought me up to the computer lab to show me something. "It's not in America yet!" he told me. What it was was some sort of contraption involving a pulley attached to a computer mouse. The computer could chart the rate at which the pulley turned through the mouse, thus allowing speed to be charted and making way for various physics and calculus experiments and demonstrations. More interesting was the software, which allowed one to examine and play around with the data, opening up a broad avenue of mathematical exploration, surely a great educational tool. He then told me that the program and device had been created by himself and another teacher at a school in Ludwigsburg. After this, he also told me I could bring one back to the States, and that he would give me the software and show me how to make more devices. "I mean, we sell them here, not large-scale or anything, but, yeah, the mouse is what, $2, the frame and pulley and whatnot, like $20, you could turn around and sell it for $30, you know? It would be fine by us too; I mean, we could sell to the US if we wanted to, but that's just too much hassle. So you know, you could take this back, make more, and sell them, or whatever!" All of a sudden the topic turned from physics to entrepreneuring. I left fairly confused and lost as to what he exactly wanted, but we have agreed to meet again later in the week after school.
Sport that day was quite fun. We split into 3 teams of 6 and played four different games, rotating so that one was always sitting out. First was something like Ultimate Football, but one could take three steps, and there was a mat one had to land on. I'm no football player, but at least I could handle the oblong ball. Once, I bulleted a pass the length of the gym into the chest of one of my teammates. My European counterparts were in awe. At the same time it was unfortunate, because they dropped many of the passes, though they were hit directly in the hands... The second competition involved two teammates running and diving onto a mat, which we attempted to slide across the gym and back. Two people could easily go sliding 30 feet on the mats with the slippery side down. We also played basketball and soccer. I benched myself for a fair share of the last one, which in turn helped the team out considerably.

Tuesday we didn't have class until 2nd hour. Also, in Mathe 12, we got back our tests from about a month ago. Well, maybe not that long, but close. I got a 12. In 12th grade, they stop receiving grades on the 1-6 scale and start receiving "points" on a scale of 15, which then factor in (with the Abitur, that monster five-subject test at the end of 13th grade) to a final grading for college. If one passes, one may go to college. However, better grades are needed if one wishes to practice medicine or law, for example. 12 out of 15 was certainly not bad, especially since the average in the class was 6.7 (more points are better, i.e. 15 is high, 0 is low).

Audience Participation:
There's not a whole lot of response to the bombing, to tell the truth. I haven't heard anyone talk about it at all. I don't know who or what "shroesalafhder" is, but if you mean Gerhard Schroeder, chances of his re-election are certainly looking slim. Also, it's "kaputt" with two Ts.
About the math problem: 9999999961-10000000038 is an interval of 78 numbers, none of which have a sum of inclusive digits evenly divisible by 13. If you want a more explicit answer, I'll be glad to give it ;)
I didn't know any Joseph Jordan, at least I don't think I did. I'm starting to think in German, yes, but more interestingly is when I think in English and use German phrases, i.e. thinking "It gives..." when I want to think "There is..." because "There is..." in German would be said "Es gibt," which translates literally to "It gives..."

Ich hab' nichts zu sagen. Ehrlich. Ihr sollt mehr sagen, so dass ich auch mehr sagen kann. Wenn ihr wollt, könntet ihr mir mit den folgenden Wörter helfen:

"Some German words are so long that they have a perspective. Observe
these examples:
Freundschaftsbezeigungen.
Dilettantenaufdringlichkeiten.
Stadtverordnetenversammlungen.

These things are not words, they are alphabetical processions.

Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen.
Alterthumswissenschaften.
Kinderbewahrungsanstalten.
Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen.
Wiedererstellungbestrebungen.
Waffenstillstandsunterhandlungen.

Of course when one of these grand mountain ranges goes stretching across
the printed page, it adorns and ennobles that literary landscape but at
the same time it is a great distress to the new student, for it blocks up
his way; ... "
- "That Awful German Language," Appendix D of A Tramp Abroad

Let's see if I can translate these puppies. No dictionaries here... *roll up my sleeves*

Symbols of Friendship
ugh, not sure on that second one...
Books (Collections) of City Ordinances

*note that these are all plurals. Twain surely did this to add a couple extra letters onto each word ;)

Books (Collections) of (Area/State/Region etc. you get the picture) Ordinances
Ancient Knowledge of something, I think it has to do with either tombs or books
Childrens' "Awareness/Safety Programs" for lack of a better translation.
Explanations of Independence
I feel like I should be able to figure that one out, but I can't
Finally, Peace Undertakings/Negotiations

I'd have to say the longer words tend to be the easiest because, as noted before, Germans tend to name things quite simply. Take that last word for example:
Waffenstillstandsunterhandlungen. Waffen (weapon) stillstands (standing still) unter (under) handlungen (handlings, sort of... with under means negotiations/undertakings)