Today is the first day of school, and right now we’re just waiting around for the teacher to hurry up and finish the seating chart. So I figured I might as well write in this book to pass the time.

By the way, let me give you some good advice. On the first day of school, you got to be real careful where you sit. You walk into the classroom and just plunk your stuff down on any old desk and the next thing you know the teacher is saying— I hope you all like where you’re sitting, because these are your permanent seats.

wait around 空等

英文解释：if you wait around or wait about, you stay in the same place, usually doing very little, because you cannot act before something happens or before someone arrives.

e.g. I waited around to speak to the doctor.

我干等着跟医生说话。

Comment: wait around for sb. to do sth.

as well 还不如，还是…好；最好；不妨

英文解释：with equal reason or an equally good result

e.g. I may as well have a look. 我还是去看看为好。

Comment: as well也有“也”的意思，一般放在句尾。

plunk 随意地放下，漫不经心地放下

英文解释：If you plunk sth. somewhere, you put it there without great care.

e.g. Melanie plunked her cosmetic case down on a chair...

梅拉妮把化妆盒砰的一声扔到椅子上。

Comment: plunk也有重重的放下的含义。

So in this class, I got stuck with Chris Hosey in front of me and Lionel James in back of me.

Jason Brill came in late and almost sat to my right, but luckily I stopped that from happening at the last second.

in front of 在... 前面

in back of 在... 后面

at the last second 最后一秒，最后一刻

the seat is taken 位子被占了，位子有人坐了

英文解释：if you take a seat, you sit down.

Comment: 很日常的口语说法。

Next period, I should just sit in the middle of a bunch of hot girls as soon as I step in the room. But I guess if I do that, it just proves I didn’t learn anything from last year.

next period 下堂课

Comment: 根据不同的情况可以翻译成下个阶段，下期。。。

learn from...从...中吸取教训

e.g. to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones

惩前毖后

I am convinced that he has learned from his mistakes...

我深信他已从错误中吸取了教训。

Comment：注意learn sth，learn of sth和learn from sth.的区别，learn sth.表示学习了某种知识技能，learn of sth.表示获悉和得知某件事情，learn from sth.是从什么事情中吸取教训。

as soon as 一…就...

英文解释：immediately; the moment...

Comment: I’ll write to you as soon as I get to Beijing.我一到北京就给你写信。

dork 呆子

英文解释：if you say that someone is a dork, you think they dress badly in old-fashione clothes and behave very awkwardly in social situations.

Comment: 注意和fool的区别，fool在英文中的解释是if you call someone a fool, you are indicating that you think they are not at all sensible and show a lack of good judgment. 可以看出dork是表示外观方面古板或者为人处事上很怯懦，而fool是表示做事很愚蠢不明智，对事物没有好的判断力。