Now, I love to dance! After a long week of work there is nothing better then going out and hitting up a nightclub. It is Friday and I am going to get all decked out in my best threads. I call up some of my buddies and we head out for a night on the town. I cannot wait to hit the dance floor.
We headed out to one of our favorite clubs. Picture this: the lights are way down, strobes are flaring, swirls of red, yellow and blue swing across the floor, and the music is bumping! There are so many beautiful babies all over this club. The only problem with the Solid Sizzle was that it was packed. There are so many people in this club that we could barely move. I saw this girl that was so gorgeous. I gave her an eye and she smiled back. I tried to make my way over to her but I couldn’t get through the crowd. All I could do was bump, up and down, and that was it. After a minute or two of not being able to get to her, I saw she was talking to another guy. I was so pissed. I looked at my buddies and said, “Let’s get out of here.” They nodded and we bounced.
We walked on down the street to another place we liked, the Liquid Lounge. This place was off the hook. The Liquid Lounge was so much more laid back than the Solid Sizzle. We could flow through the crowd, talk to the beautiful ladies and, best of all, we could dance. I was cutting a rug like the end of the world would come tomorrow.
We were at the Liquid Lounge for about an hour and we thought to ourselves even though this place is banging we have got to at least check out the Gas Grill. The Gas Grill is a restaurant but at 10 o’clock the tables get pushed aside and the DJ starts spinning some tunes. We knew since it was just after ten there wouldn’t be many people there yet we so we could probably get in for free.
Sure the Gas Grill didn’t have as many people as the Liquid Lounge or the Solid Sizzle but I was extremely happy because I had almost the entire dance floor to myself. To our surprise, at 11 o’clock there was a break dancing contest. There were four or five guys whipping around the dance floor. I couldn’t believe how they could move their bodies the way they did. One guy did some robot moves and, man, he was good! Another guy was spinning his legs up in the air like a tornado and somebody else was spinning around on their head. This night could not get any better.
After the break dance contest, my buddy leaned over to me and said, “Hey they just opened up a new club downtown, let’s go check it out.” I was game and so where the rest of my boys. When we approached the next spot we could see the name of the place in neon lights, The Plasma Place. This placed looked hot! There were all sorts of honeys in line waiting to get in. I said to myself, this is it! This is the place!
We didn’t have to wait long to get in maybe twenty minutes. My buddy Carlos walked in first but what I saw next would scare me to death. I stopped dead in my tracks before entering and I held my friends back. Someone took Carlos by the arm and flung him up against the wall. People started slamming into one another at full speed. It was a huge mosh-pit. I saw Carlos get slammed into the wall again, his arm flew off and hit some girl in the head. It was mass hysteria. The bouncers rushed in to try and break up the fighting but they were getting tossed around just as bad as anyone. One of the bouncers got slammed into the bar and his head went flying across the room. People were smashing into one another and body parts were flying everywhere. I felt the urge to vomit. All I could do was stare and watch as the horror unfolded.
The violence played out until the police arrived and the place was covered in tear gassed. When the police found Carlos he was dead. His limbs had been ripped from his body. My friends and I couldn’t believe what had happened. The night had been so awesome until Carlos was killed. I think it can go without saying that ever since the incident at the Plasma Place, I just haven’t had the urge to dance anymore. I advise anyone planning on going out dancing to steer clear of the Plasma Place. It’s located in Matterson City in the State of Matter. Please whatever you do don’t make the same mistake that my friends and I made, don’t go to the Plasma Place!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Alaska (Photo - Get Lost)
My friends thought that I was crazy for visiting Alaska in February. I lucked out. Apparently, 30-40 degrees F is a warm spell for Alaska. Since it was so warm, I decided to do some hiking at Eagle River Nature Center just outside of Anchorage. I was eager and excited. I set a course for straight ahead but a glance to my left stopped me dead in my tracks. I stared deep into a forest of trees that seemed to go on forever. I stood there mesmerized then snapped a photo of what looked to me like beautiful infinity. I continued hiking, but the trail I was on ended abruptly. Hiking alone and lost in Alaska didn’t seem like a good idea so I doubled back. The ice-covered earth caused me to slip and fall probably twenty-five times. Finally, I found the trail. My friends thought I was crazy for getting lost in Alaska too.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out – A Fish Tail (Part 7)
Giovanni and Sushi guarded the tank and Bubbles was able to swim freely without worry. Harley remained inside the driftwood. Even when the big head sprinkled food into tank Harley remained where he was. A whole day went by without the sight of Harley and the others began to wonder about him.
“He must be starving,” Bubbles said to Sushi and Giovanni about Harley.
“Well, I hope he’s realizing that it isn’t okay to pick on other fish,” Giovanni said.
“I wonder what he’s doing down there,” Sushi said.
“It doesn’t matter as long as he leaves us alone,” Giovanni said.
“Do you think we should check on him?” Sushi asked.
“No, I think he’ll come out when he’s learned his lesson. Either that or he’ll come out when he’s desperate for food. Either way I’ll be ready for him,” Giovanni said.
Another day went by before Harley appeared from the driftwood. Harley slowly poked his head out of a hole in the wood. Giovanni saw him right away and was ready to pounce on him if necessary. As soon as Sushi saw Harley he went to protect Bubbles so she wouldn’t get mistreated again. Harley swam slowly out of the wood sculpture and traveled straight for Giovanni. Sushi and Bubbles watched with concern for what might play out. If Giovanni were to get into an altercation and needed Sushi, he would have to leave Bubbles in the corner by the heater and attack Harley from behind. Harley swam directly up to Giovanni and Giovanni glared at Harley. Bubbles and Sushi watched in suspense. Before Harley got to close, Giovanni gave a warning.
“We don’t want any trouble from you, Harley,” Giovanni demanded. Bubbles became so scared that she started to shake. Sushi was preparing for a fight. Harley continued to swim closer and Giovanni became defensive. “Listen, buddy. You had better not…”
Harley interrupted with a whisper, “I’m sorry.” Harley’s voice was so quiet that Giovanni didn’t even hear what he said.
“What did you say?” Giovanni was taken aback.
Harley hung his head down in shame, “I’m sorry Giovanni. I’m sorry for hurting you. I don’t know what got into me. I was out of control.”
Giovanni was flabbergasted. He fully expected an all out dual with Harley. Sushi and Bubbles couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Harley was apologizing. They began to drift out toward Harley and Giovanni. Giovanni responded to Harley, “Well, thank you, Harley, but I think there are some other fish you need to apologize to.”
Bubbles and Sushi appeared next to Giovanni. Harley turned and looked at Sushi, “Sushi, I’m sorry for being such a jerk. When we first got here, you and I were a team and I ruined it. I hope you can forgive me.” Sushi smiled. Harley turned and looked at Bubbles, “Bubbles, I’m so sorry for hurting you. I should have never treated you like that.” Harley was choked up and paused. “It’s just that when the first Bubbles passed away I thought it was the end for Sushi and me. I couldn’t believe the big heads added more fish after Bubbles died. I was so scared and so frightened that I didn’t want to let anyone new into the tank or my life. When you showed up it was like replacing our Bubbles. Just the thought of how Sushi and I could so easily be replaced scared me. I’m sorry for treating you so poorly, Bubbles.”
Bubbles smiled and there was a long pause before Giovanni spoke, “Thank you, Harley.”
Sushi and Bubbles chimed in, “Yeah, thanks Harley.”
Sushi continued, “I’m really glad you came around, Harley,” and Harley smiled.
“I’m so glad we can live in a peaceful tank now,” Bubbles said with a smile.
Harley gave a heartfelt response, “Me too, me, too.”
A sign of relief had enveloped the tank. It wasn’t long before things were running smoothly throughout the tank. Everyone was sharing food and everyone had their own spot in the tank where they could go to relax. The big heads took good care of the tank. They changed a good portion of the water regularly and made sure the items in the tank were arranged nicely. Soon after things were settled the big heads added some more fish to the fish tank. Five glowfish were added. The glowfish were these amazingly bright colored fish. Two of the glowfish were tangerine orange, two more were fluorescent green and there was one fish that was fire engine red. Once released from their bag, the red glowfish approached the others.
“Hey, how you fish, doin’? I’m Kool.” Kool had a big smile and spoke with groovy tone. Kool continued, “Those two green glowfish are Spike and Funky.” The two green glowfish nodded. Kool then pointed his fin to the two orange glowfish. “Those two fish over there are Charles and Khalis. Fish like to call us, Kool and the gang.”
Bubbles, Giovanni, Harley, and Sushi all looked at each other and knew that these fish would definitely bring some fun and excitement to the tank. They were happy to have the glowfish join their tank, even Harley. The group introduced themselves to the glowfish.
The tank couldn’t have been a better place to be. The tank was completely broken in. There was no worry of dirty water, getting sick or even burning eyes. Of course, the first Bubbles was missed but the new Bubbles fit in just nicely. The new Bubbles didn’t sing really annoying songs and Harley was happy about that. What was really cool was that Kool and the gang did sing songs and they sang some really good tunes. Even better was when the big head shut off the light, the glowfish glowed in the dark.
“He must be starving,” Bubbles said to Sushi and Giovanni about Harley.
“Well, I hope he’s realizing that it isn’t okay to pick on other fish,” Giovanni said.
“I wonder what he’s doing down there,” Sushi said.
“It doesn’t matter as long as he leaves us alone,” Giovanni said.
“Do you think we should check on him?” Sushi asked.
“No, I think he’ll come out when he’s learned his lesson. Either that or he’ll come out when he’s desperate for food. Either way I’ll be ready for him,” Giovanni said.
Another day went by before Harley appeared from the driftwood. Harley slowly poked his head out of a hole in the wood. Giovanni saw him right away and was ready to pounce on him if necessary. As soon as Sushi saw Harley he went to protect Bubbles so she wouldn’t get mistreated again. Harley swam slowly out of the wood sculpture and traveled straight for Giovanni. Sushi and Bubbles watched with concern for what might play out. If Giovanni were to get into an altercation and needed Sushi, he would have to leave Bubbles in the corner by the heater and attack Harley from behind. Harley swam directly up to Giovanni and Giovanni glared at Harley. Bubbles and Sushi watched in suspense. Before Harley got to close, Giovanni gave a warning.
“We don’t want any trouble from you, Harley,” Giovanni demanded. Bubbles became so scared that she started to shake. Sushi was preparing for a fight. Harley continued to swim closer and Giovanni became defensive. “Listen, buddy. You had better not…”
Harley interrupted with a whisper, “I’m sorry.” Harley’s voice was so quiet that Giovanni didn’t even hear what he said.
“What did you say?” Giovanni was taken aback.
Harley hung his head down in shame, “I’m sorry Giovanni. I’m sorry for hurting you. I don’t know what got into me. I was out of control.”
Giovanni was flabbergasted. He fully expected an all out dual with Harley. Sushi and Bubbles couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Harley was apologizing. They began to drift out toward Harley and Giovanni. Giovanni responded to Harley, “Well, thank you, Harley, but I think there are some other fish you need to apologize to.”
Bubbles and Sushi appeared next to Giovanni. Harley turned and looked at Sushi, “Sushi, I’m sorry for being such a jerk. When we first got here, you and I were a team and I ruined it. I hope you can forgive me.” Sushi smiled. Harley turned and looked at Bubbles, “Bubbles, I’m so sorry for hurting you. I should have never treated you like that.” Harley was choked up and paused. “It’s just that when the first Bubbles passed away I thought it was the end for Sushi and me. I couldn’t believe the big heads added more fish after Bubbles died. I was so scared and so frightened that I didn’t want to let anyone new into the tank or my life. When you showed up it was like replacing our Bubbles. Just the thought of how Sushi and I could so easily be replaced scared me. I’m sorry for treating you so poorly, Bubbles.”
Bubbles smiled and there was a long pause before Giovanni spoke, “Thank you, Harley.”
Sushi and Bubbles chimed in, “Yeah, thanks Harley.”
Sushi continued, “I’m really glad you came around, Harley,” and Harley smiled.
“I’m so glad we can live in a peaceful tank now,” Bubbles said with a smile.
Harley gave a heartfelt response, “Me too, me, too.”
A sign of relief had enveloped the tank. It wasn’t long before things were running smoothly throughout the tank. Everyone was sharing food and everyone had their own spot in the tank where they could go to relax. The big heads took good care of the tank. They changed a good portion of the water regularly and made sure the items in the tank were arranged nicely. Soon after things were settled the big heads added some more fish to the fish tank. Five glowfish were added. The glowfish were these amazingly bright colored fish. Two of the glowfish were tangerine orange, two more were fluorescent green and there was one fish that was fire engine red. Once released from their bag, the red glowfish approached the others.
“Hey, how you fish, doin’? I’m Kool.” Kool had a big smile and spoke with groovy tone. Kool continued, “Those two green glowfish are Spike and Funky.” The two green glowfish nodded. Kool then pointed his fin to the two orange glowfish. “Those two fish over there are Charles and Khalis. Fish like to call us, Kool and the gang.”
Bubbles, Giovanni, Harley, and Sushi all looked at each other and knew that these fish would definitely bring some fun and excitement to the tank. They were happy to have the glowfish join their tank, even Harley. The group introduced themselves to the glowfish.
The tank couldn’t have been a better place to be. The tank was completely broken in. There was no worry of dirty water, getting sick or even burning eyes. Of course, the first Bubbles was missed but the new Bubbles fit in just nicely. The new Bubbles didn’t sing really annoying songs and Harley was happy about that. What was really cool was that Kool and the gang did sing songs and they sang some really good tunes. Even better was when the big head shut off the light, the glowfish glowed in the dark.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out – A Fish Tail (Part 6)
After the incident with Harley and Giovanni, Sushi went looking for Giovanni. Sushi poked his head into each of the holes in the driftwood. When Sushi found Giovanni, he began to approach him. When Sushi did Giovanni backed up and became jumpy.
“What do you want!?” said an angry Giovanni. His voice was deep and he looked at Sushi with a fuming glare.
“Hey, I’m sorry about what happened with Harley. I’m not sure what’s going on with him. My name is Sushi.”
Giovanni was hesitant to respond, “I’m Giovanni. You can call me Big G if you want.”
Sushi put a smile on his face, “Well, welcome to the tank, Big G. It looks like you came in on the tail end of the breakin’ in period. Things were getting pretty bad before you got here. We lost a fish. Her name was Bubbles just like the fish you came in with. I actually thought the Bubbles you came in with was our Bubbles coming back. I guess I was wrong.”
“You mean to tell me there was another Bubbles that lived here with you?” Giovanni sounded baffled.
“Yeah, I was pretty confused at first.”
Giovanni thought for a moment, “Maybe all balloon mollies are named Bubbles.”
“Maybe,” Sushi replied.
“So what happened to Bubbles?”
“The water got real cloudy and we were swimming in food waste and poop. Our eyes burned, Bubbles and I got really sick. She obviously didn’t make it. Once the big head changed some of the water, things got a lot better.”
“Sorry to hear about your loss,” Giovanni said sincerely.
“Thanks,” replied Sushi.
Giovanni wanted to know more about Harley, “So has Harley always been a jerk?”
“Harley has always been a little rough around the edges. Things got a lot worse when Bubbles died.”
“Did he have a thing for her? I mean, did he like her?” Giovanni inquired.
“No. Harley desperately wanted to break out of here and I was going to go with him. We both didn’t want to have to go through the breakin’ in of the tank. When Bubbles died, Harley tried as hard as he could to jump out of the tank. He didn’t even come close. He’s been in a bad mood ever since.”
Giovanni had some insight, “Sounds to me like he had his heart set on getting out of here, now that he realizes he can’t, he’s going to take it out on everyone else.”
Sushi’s eyes lit up, “You know Giovanni, I think you’re right. I’ll be back,” and he darted off to find Harley.
Harley was picking off the last of the food that was left behind from this morning’s breakfast. Sushi approached slowly and spoke softly.
“Hey Harley,” Sushi said calmly.
Harley snapped his head around, “Don’t you listen. I told you to back off!”
Sushi needed Harley to listen and wasn’t backing down, “Listen, Harley. I know you’re mad that we didn’t make it out of here but the tank is broken in now. We’re going to be fine.”
Harley refused to hear a word Sushi said, “Mind your own business, buddy!” He pushed through Sushi and began to swim off.
Sushi yelled at him, “Why can’t you just talk to me. I don’t want everyone to live in misery here. I want everybody to get along.”
Harley turned to look at Sushi, “You’d better find yourself a new tank then,” and swam off.
Tensions were obviously high in the fish tank. Giovanni remained hidden away inside the driftwood. Every time he came out Harley would jab at him and Giovanni would swim back to the driftwood. This made living in the tank especially difficult for Giovanni because he was unable to eat without being bullied. In fact, during feeding time Harley would jab at Sushi too. Bubbles became nervous about all the jabbing and thought she might be next so she steered clear of Harley.
One morning, just like any other, the big head opened the hood and dropped in some food. Harley darted to the top to get his unfair share of food. He gobbled up almost everything in sight. Sushi and Giovanni were waiting a moment so Harley wouldn’t be too defensive when they went up for food. Bubbles didn’t hesitate. She stayed far away from Harley and he didn’t bother her. While eating though, she drifted into the outgoing flow of the filter. The stream of water moved her toward Harley and she actually bumped into him. Harley became furious and rammed her not once but twice. Bubbles scurried away as fast as she could.
Giovanni and Sushi both saw what happened and the both simultaneously darted at Harley who went back to eating. Giovanni and Sushi both reached Harley at the same time and rammed him at full speed. They both clobbered him from opposite directions and that made him spin around. He was stunned. He didn’t even realize what had happened until he saw Giovanni and Sushi glaring at him. Harley instantly became nervous so he darted off into the driftwood. Harley had finally crossed the line.
Giovanni and Sushi both looked at each other. Giovanni spoke first, “I’ll go check on Bubbles.”
“I’ll stand guard by the food,” Sushi said.
Giovanni found Bubbles in the corner by the heater. She was shaking. Giovanni approached her softly.
“You okay, Bubbles.” She just nodded her head. “Don’t worry Bubbles, we took care of him.” She nodded her head again. “Come on lets get you some food.” She backed up even further into the corner, refusing to go. “It’s okay, Bubbles, Sushi is on guard. Harley’s not going to hurt you anymore. Harley’s not going to hurt any of us anymore. We’re going to make sure of it.”
Bubbles gathered up her courage and followed Giovanni up to the top where Sushi was. Sushi and Giovanni watched the tank while Bubbles ate. Once she was finished they alternated. One ate while the other kept watch. Giovanni and Sushi made a pact; Harley wouldn’t be controlling this tank any longer. It was about time that someone broke Harley of his attitude.
Will Harley change his ways? Can there be peace in the fish tank? Find out next week when the fish tail continues.
“What do you want!?” said an angry Giovanni. His voice was deep and he looked at Sushi with a fuming glare.
“Hey, I’m sorry about what happened with Harley. I’m not sure what’s going on with him. My name is Sushi.”
Giovanni was hesitant to respond, “I’m Giovanni. You can call me Big G if you want.”
Sushi put a smile on his face, “Well, welcome to the tank, Big G. It looks like you came in on the tail end of the breakin’ in period. Things were getting pretty bad before you got here. We lost a fish. Her name was Bubbles just like the fish you came in with. I actually thought the Bubbles you came in with was our Bubbles coming back. I guess I was wrong.”
“You mean to tell me there was another Bubbles that lived here with you?” Giovanni sounded baffled.
“Yeah, I was pretty confused at first.”
Giovanni thought for a moment, “Maybe all balloon mollies are named Bubbles.”
“Maybe,” Sushi replied.
“So what happened to Bubbles?”
“The water got real cloudy and we were swimming in food waste and poop. Our eyes burned, Bubbles and I got really sick. She obviously didn’t make it. Once the big head changed some of the water, things got a lot better.”
“Sorry to hear about your loss,” Giovanni said sincerely.
“Thanks,” replied Sushi.
Giovanni wanted to know more about Harley, “So has Harley always been a jerk?”
“Harley has always been a little rough around the edges. Things got a lot worse when Bubbles died.”
“Did he have a thing for her? I mean, did he like her?” Giovanni inquired.
“No. Harley desperately wanted to break out of here and I was going to go with him. We both didn’t want to have to go through the breakin’ in of the tank. When Bubbles died, Harley tried as hard as he could to jump out of the tank. He didn’t even come close. He’s been in a bad mood ever since.”
Giovanni had some insight, “Sounds to me like he had his heart set on getting out of here, now that he realizes he can’t, he’s going to take it out on everyone else.”
Sushi’s eyes lit up, “You know Giovanni, I think you’re right. I’ll be back,” and he darted off to find Harley.
Harley was picking off the last of the food that was left behind from this morning’s breakfast. Sushi approached slowly and spoke softly.
“Hey Harley,” Sushi said calmly.
Harley snapped his head around, “Don’t you listen. I told you to back off!”
Sushi needed Harley to listen and wasn’t backing down, “Listen, Harley. I know you’re mad that we didn’t make it out of here but the tank is broken in now. We’re going to be fine.”
Harley refused to hear a word Sushi said, “Mind your own business, buddy!” He pushed through Sushi and began to swim off.
Sushi yelled at him, “Why can’t you just talk to me. I don’t want everyone to live in misery here. I want everybody to get along.”
Harley turned to look at Sushi, “You’d better find yourself a new tank then,” and swam off.
Tensions were obviously high in the fish tank. Giovanni remained hidden away inside the driftwood. Every time he came out Harley would jab at him and Giovanni would swim back to the driftwood. This made living in the tank especially difficult for Giovanni because he was unable to eat without being bullied. In fact, during feeding time Harley would jab at Sushi too. Bubbles became nervous about all the jabbing and thought she might be next so she steered clear of Harley.
One morning, just like any other, the big head opened the hood and dropped in some food. Harley darted to the top to get his unfair share of food. He gobbled up almost everything in sight. Sushi and Giovanni were waiting a moment so Harley wouldn’t be too defensive when they went up for food. Bubbles didn’t hesitate. She stayed far away from Harley and he didn’t bother her. While eating though, she drifted into the outgoing flow of the filter. The stream of water moved her toward Harley and she actually bumped into him. Harley became furious and rammed her not once but twice. Bubbles scurried away as fast as she could.
Giovanni and Sushi both saw what happened and the both simultaneously darted at Harley who went back to eating. Giovanni and Sushi both reached Harley at the same time and rammed him at full speed. They both clobbered him from opposite directions and that made him spin around. He was stunned. He didn’t even realize what had happened until he saw Giovanni and Sushi glaring at him. Harley instantly became nervous so he darted off into the driftwood. Harley had finally crossed the line.
Giovanni and Sushi both looked at each other. Giovanni spoke first, “I’ll go check on Bubbles.”
“I’ll stand guard by the food,” Sushi said.
Giovanni found Bubbles in the corner by the heater. She was shaking. Giovanni approached her softly.
“You okay, Bubbles.” She just nodded her head. “Don’t worry Bubbles, we took care of him.” She nodded her head again. “Come on lets get you some food.” She backed up even further into the corner, refusing to go. “It’s okay, Bubbles, Sushi is on guard. Harley’s not going to hurt you anymore. Harley’s not going to hurt any of us anymore. We’re going to make sure of it.”
Bubbles gathered up her courage and followed Giovanni up to the top where Sushi was. Sushi and Giovanni watched the tank while Bubbles ate. Once she was finished they alternated. One ate while the other kept watch. Giovanni and Sushi made a pact; Harley wouldn’t be controlling this tank any longer. It was about time that someone broke Harley of his attitude.
Will Harley change his ways? Can there be peace in the fish tank? Find out next week when the fish tail continues.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out – A Fish Tail (Part 5)
After Bubbles left, the situations in the tank quickly improved. The big head removed a good portion of the water in the tank and replaced it with new fresh water. Sushi instantly felt better but still wasn’t 100%. Harley stayed inside the rock sculpture. The tank was quiet. There was a definite eerie feeling and the threat of death had presented itself. Harley and Sushi would have to hold out through the breaking in period or find another way to break out.
The big head turned on the light and opened the hood. Food came pouring in. Harley darted from inside the rock sculpture up to the surface. Sushi followed.
“Hey, Harley,” Sushi called out. “What’s going on?”
Harley was a bit standoffish, “Hey.”
Sushi tried again, “How you doin’?”
Harley was back to his old tough guy routine only now he was being a jerk to Sushi, “I’m fine. Now, leave me alone I’m trying to eat.”
Sushi was disappointed that Harley didn’t even notice that he was feeling a lot better, “Alright Harley, sorry.”
Harley didn’t say a word. He just ate the food. A few minutes later the big head stuck his hand into the tank. The big head started moving stuff around. Sushi backed up into a corner to get out of the way. First, the small rock sculpture was removed. Then a big tree log was added with lots of hiding places. Next, one of the plants was taken out and it was replaced with a taller plant.
Wow! Sushi thought. This is great! We’re getting a lot of awesome stuff added to the tank. Things are really shaping up. Sushi went to find Harley.
“Hey Harley, what do you think of the new joint? It’s really shaping up, huh?” Sushi said excitedly.
Harley didn’t even turn to look at him, “Yeah it’s alright.” Harley wiggled his tail fin and swam away. Sushi watched as Harley swam away. He couldn’t figure out what was up with Harley.
To Sushi’s surprise a bag was placed into the tank. He swam up to it and realized there were two fish in the bag. It’s Bubbles! Sushi thought. Sushi couldn’t believe that Bubbles was back. I thought she had died. Maybe she was just sick and now she is feeling better.
The other fish in the bag was really big. He was a gourami. The type of fish that is really tall and thin but from the side looks like a squashed pancake. The gourami looked as though he was painted by an artist. He had a bright orange rim around each eye. His body was brownish-gold and he had dark brown zebra stripes that ran down his body. His bottom fin had dark brown spots and he had these two long antenna looking things that extended down into the water. The newly changed water, new arrangement to the tank, Bubbles coming back along with a new fish meant that things were definitely getting better. We just might all make it through the breakin’ in period. Sushi thought.
The bag was soon untied and tipped over. Bubbles and the new fish were released. Sushi excitedly swam up to Bubbles.
“Hey Bubbles!” Sushi exclaimed.
“How do you know my name?” Bubbles responded.
Sushi froze for a minute. He was flabbergasted. Why doesn’t she remember me? Did she forget about me? Sushi replied, “You were here yesterday. We thought you were…”
Bubbles was confused, “I was here yesterday? But I just came from the pet store today.”
Sushi was trying to put the pieces together, “But your name is Bubbles?”
“Yep, and that’s Giovanni over there,” pointing to the gourami. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Bubbles swam in the direction of Giovanni and Sushi followed. Harley poked his head out from the wood sculpture. He was looking right at Giovanni and didn’t see Bubbles or Sushi. Harley darted at Giovanni and hit him in his side. Harley backed up and rammed him again. Bubbles let out a big gasp.
“Oh my!” Bubbles yelled out. Sushi and Bubbles stopped in their tracks. They watched as Harley rammed Giovanni one last time. Giovanni swam off in the opposite direction and found a separate hiding place inside the driftwood. Harley turned and saw Bubbles and Sushi watching. Harley gave a dirty look and swam off. Bubbles was too frightened to even speak let alone move. Sushi chased after Harley.
“Hey! Hey, Harley!” Sushi shouted. Harley turned around and gave a dirty look to Sushi. “What are you doing? Why are you bothering Giovanni?”
Harley snapped at Sushi, “Back off,” and he gave Sushi a forceful nudge.
“Hey! What’s your problem,” Sushi shouted. Harley swam off. It looks like Bubbles, Sushi and Giovanni had more to worry about than just breaking in the tank.
…Tune in next week to find out what happens.
The big head turned on the light and opened the hood. Food came pouring in. Harley darted from inside the rock sculpture up to the surface. Sushi followed.
“Hey, Harley,” Sushi called out. “What’s going on?”
Harley was a bit standoffish, “Hey.”
Sushi tried again, “How you doin’?”
Harley was back to his old tough guy routine only now he was being a jerk to Sushi, “I’m fine. Now, leave me alone I’m trying to eat.”
Sushi was disappointed that Harley didn’t even notice that he was feeling a lot better, “Alright Harley, sorry.”
Harley didn’t say a word. He just ate the food. A few minutes later the big head stuck his hand into the tank. The big head started moving stuff around. Sushi backed up into a corner to get out of the way. First, the small rock sculpture was removed. Then a big tree log was added with lots of hiding places. Next, one of the plants was taken out and it was replaced with a taller plant.
Wow! Sushi thought. This is great! We’re getting a lot of awesome stuff added to the tank. Things are really shaping up. Sushi went to find Harley.
“Hey Harley, what do you think of the new joint? It’s really shaping up, huh?” Sushi said excitedly.
Harley didn’t even turn to look at him, “Yeah it’s alright.” Harley wiggled his tail fin and swam away. Sushi watched as Harley swam away. He couldn’t figure out what was up with Harley.
To Sushi’s surprise a bag was placed into the tank. He swam up to it and realized there were two fish in the bag. It’s Bubbles! Sushi thought. Sushi couldn’t believe that Bubbles was back. I thought she had died. Maybe she was just sick and now she is feeling better.
The other fish in the bag was really big. He was a gourami. The type of fish that is really tall and thin but from the side looks like a squashed pancake. The gourami looked as though he was painted by an artist. He had a bright orange rim around each eye. His body was brownish-gold and he had dark brown zebra stripes that ran down his body. His bottom fin had dark brown spots and he had these two long antenna looking things that extended down into the water. The newly changed water, new arrangement to the tank, Bubbles coming back along with a new fish meant that things were definitely getting better. We just might all make it through the breakin’ in period. Sushi thought.
The bag was soon untied and tipped over. Bubbles and the new fish were released. Sushi excitedly swam up to Bubbles.
“Hey Bubbles!” Sushi exclaimed.
“How do you know my name?” Bubbles responded.
Sushi froze for a minute. He was flabbergasted. Why doesn’t she remember me? Did she forget about me? Sushi replied, “You were here yesterday. We thought you were…”
Bubbles was confused, “I was here yesterday? But I just came from the pet store today.”
Sushi was trying to put the pieces together, “But your name is Bubbles?”
“Yep, and that’s Giovanni over there,” pointing to the gourami. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Bubbles swam in the direction of Giovanni and Sushi followed. Harley poked his head out from the wood sculpture. He was looking right at Giovanni and didn’t see Bubbles or Sushi. Harley darted at Giovanni and hit him in his side. Harley backed up and rammed him again. Bubbles let out a big gasp.
“Oh my!” Bubbles yelled out. Sushi and Bubbles stopped in their tracks. They watched as Harley rammed Giovanni one last time. Giovanni swam off in the opposite direction and found a separate hiding place inside the driftwood. Harley turned and saw Bubbles and Sushi watching. Harley gave a dirty look and swam off. Bubbles was too frightened to even speak let alone move. Sushi chased after Harley.
“Hey! Hey, Harley!” Sushi shouted. Harley turned around and gave a dirty look to Sushi. “What are you doing? Why are you bothering Giovanni?”
Harley snapped at Sushi, “Back off,” and he gave Sushi a forceful nudge.
“Hey! What’s your problem,” Sushi shouted. Harley swam off. It looks like Bubbles, Sushi and Giovanni had more to worry about than just breaking in the tank.
…Tune in next week to find out what happens.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out – A Fish Tail (Part 4)
The next morning Harley’s eyes burned. The water had gotten even cloudier. Harley looked around for Sushi. Where’s Sushi? Harley thought. He swam around for a minute and found him by the heater in the top corner of the tank.
Harley called out, “Sushi.” There wasn’t a response so Harley swam over. “Sushi? Hey, you okay?” Harley said with worry in his voice.
Sushi wiggling his fins ever so slightly to stay a float. “Hey Harley, I’m not feeling too good.”
“Hang in there. We’re going to get out of here just as soon as the big head comes over and opens the lid,” Harley reassured.
“I don’t think I can do it, Harley,” Sushi said weakly. “I feel pretty frail.” There was a pause. Harley didn’t know what to say so Sushi continued, “Hey, listen. You should check on Bubbles. I don’t think she is doing too well.”
For the first time Harley had dropped the tough guy act, “Where is she?”
There was another pause for Sushi to gain some strength. “She’s done there, on the rocks.”
Harley swam done to her. He stared at her. He checked her tail and fins. He looked at her gills and watched her eyes. There was no movement. Harley went in close and gave her a nudge. There was no denying it, Bubbles had died. Harley didn’t want to believe it. Harley nudged her again and again, still no movement. He nudged her again and again and again, still nothing. Sushi swam down to Harley and Bubbles.
“Harley,” Sushi said softly. “Let her go.” Harley nudged her again; it was obvious she was gone. “It’s alright, Harley. She’s in the big pond up there in heaven.”
Harley was quiet. The big head turned on the light. Harley looked up. He looked at Sushi. The hood swung open. Harley darted. He swam and swam as fast as he could. He was at top speed approaching the surface of the water. All he had to do was make it out through the opening in the hood, and then he would be free. He wouldn’t have to die like Bubbles did. He wouldn’t feel sick like Sushi. He wouldn’t be confined in a tiny tank with food and poop. He would be free.
The event played out in slow motion. He shot out at full speed, the cool air brushed past his mouth and dorsal fin. Soon he would be free. But something happened. He never felt that same air feeling on the rest of his body. His body arched and he headed back down into the water. His belly never even left the water. It was utter humiliation, a severe blow to his ego. He drove at full speed and didn’t even come close to the top of the tank. How would he ever be free now?
Sushi saw what happened and knew that Harley would be disappointed. He watched as Harley swam dejectedly into the rock sculpture. Sushi decided to let him be. Sushi had his own problems to deal with. Sushi was fighting but he felt death coming through the glass. Death had already taken Bubbles. Now, Bubbles was being taken away by the big head. Sushi and Harley wouldn’t be breaking out today.
…Tune in next week to find out what happens to Sushi and Harley.
Harley called out, “Sushi.” There wasn’t a response so Harley swam over. “Sushi? Hey, you okay?” Harley said with worry in his voice.
Sushi wiggling his fins ever so slightly to stay a float. “Hey Harley, I’m not feeling too good.”
“Hang in there. We’re going to get out of here just as soon as the big head comes over and opens the lid,” Harley reassured.
“I don’t think I can do it, Harley,” Sushi said weakly. “I feel pretty frail.” There was a pause. Harley didn’t know what to say so Sushi continued, “Hey, listen. You should check on Bubbles. I don’t think she is doing too well.”
For the first time Harley had dropped the tough guy act, “Where is she?”
There was another pause for Sushi to gain some strength. “She’s done there, on the rocks.”
Harley swam done to her. He stared at her. He checked her tail and fins. He looked at her gills and watched her eyes. There was no movement. Harley went in close and gave her a nudge. There was no denying it, Bubbles had died. Harley didn’t want to believe it. Harley nudged her again and again, still no movement. He nudged her again and again and again, still nothing. Sushi swam down to Harley and Bubbles.
“Harley,” Sushi said softly. “Let her go.” Harley nudged her again; it was obvious she was gone. “It’s alright, Harley. She’s in the big pond up there in heaven.”
Harley was quiet. The big head turned on the light. Harley looked up. He looked at Sushi. The hood swung open. Harley darted. He swam and swam as fast as he could. He was at top speed approaching the surface of the water. All he had to do was make it out through the opening in the hood, and then he would be free. He wouldn’t have to die like Bubbles did. He wouldn’t feel sick like Sushi. He wouldn’t be confined in a tiny tank with food and poop. He would be free.
The event played out in slow motion. He shot out at full speed, the cool air brushed past his mouth and dorsal fin. Soon he would be free. But something happened. He never felt that same air feeling on the rest of his body. His body arched and he headed back down into the water. His belly never even left the water. It was utter humiliation, a severe blow to his ego. He drove at full speed and didn’t even come close to the top of the tank. How would he ever be free now?
Sushi saw what happened and knew that Harley would be disappointed. He watched as Harley swam dejectedly into the rock sculpture. Sushi decided to let him be. Sushi had his own problems to deal with. Sushi was fighting but he felt death coming through the glass. Death had already taken Bubbles. Now, Bubbles was being taken away by the big head. Sushi and Harley wouldn’t be breaking out today.
…Tune in next week to find out what happens to Sushi and Harley.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out – A Fish Tail (Part 3)
There was the sound that a clown makes when creating balloon animals. The big head was unraveling the rubber band that held the plastic bag closed. The bag crinkled and crunched as it was opened. Harley and Sushi looked up to see the big head peering into the bag. The big head then grasped the bottom of the bag and began to tip the opening down into the water. Bubbles was overjoyed and swimming in circles. Sushi kept glancing at Bubbles as if concerned and Harley looked at Sushi with devilish eyes.
“Get Ready, Sushi,” Harley said. “Don’t look back.”
Sushi played the part, “Yeah. I got it, Harley.”
The top of the bag came down into the water, Harley and Sushi darted at full speed to the back of the tank. Harley couldn’t think of anything except freedom, how he would be able to swim wherever he wanted, how he would be able to eat whatever he wanted. The thought of being free filled him with such drive. Harley and Sushi approached the back of the tank and Wham! Wham! Both Harley and Sushi slammed into the glass and bounced back.
“What the…” Harley shouted. He began to franticly look around for a way out. Sushi panicked and followed. Harley kept poking at the glass. “What’s going on!?” He shouted again. “There must be a way out.”
Harley and Sushi searched the entire tank looking for a break in the glass and found none. They quickly found that the glass wall was impenetrable. Bubbles wandered and bounced around the tank singing another song. “Under the sea. Everything is wetter down there it is better.” A big head approached the tank and opened up a small little flap in the hood. Bright colored flakes came pouring in. Harley and Sushi stopped their insistent search for a way out just for a few minutes in order to get some dinner. Bubbles continued swimming in circles singing, “We got no troubles, life is the bubbles. Under the sea.” Once the boys went up to the top she realized what was happening. “Since life is sweet… Oh, food!” Bubbles swam to the top to eat her feast of flakes.
The next few hours were pretty uneventful, Harley and Sushi continued scouring the tank for a way out, Bubbles continued singing her song, “The seaweed is greener in someone else’s lake. Down here all the fish is happy.” Soon it was time for the lights to go out. Sushi, Harley and Bubbles would rest for awhile.
Morning quickly came and the light in the hood was turned on. They could see that the water was already becoming cloudy. The water now had left over food particles and fish poop mixing in.
“Harley, my eyes are burning,” Sushi said.
“Mine too, Sushi,” Harley said.
They watched as Bubbles swam around in a daze through the haze. The big head opened the flap in the food. “Sushi,” Harley said abruptly. Sushi turned quickly and saw that Harley was looking up at the opening in the hood.
“What is it, Harley?” Sushi said wondering.
Harley responded, “I think I have an idea.” The big head began sprinkling multi-colored flakes into the tank. “Come on, Sushi.” Harley darted to the top of the tank and Sushi followed. First, they would chomp on some grub. Bubbles didn’t realize there was food so Sushi had to call out to her.
“Hey, Bubbles. Food!” Sushi shouted.
“Ohhh, food.” Bubbles opened her mouth and took a big bite of something floating in front of her. She quickly spit it out. “Oops, that was poop.”
Harley looked at Sushi and rolled his eyes. He mumbled, “Moron,” and went back to eating. Bubbles swam to the top for some real food. After a quick bite, Harley revealed his plan to Sushi.
“Alright Sushi, here is the plan. See that flap up there in the hood.”
Sushi responded, “Yep.”
Harley continued, “Tomorrow morning we’re going to wait down there in corner of the fish tank. When the big head opens up the flap we’re going swim as fast as we can and jump out the top of the tank.”
“Really,” Sushi said. “You think it will work.”
Harley responded, “Of course it’s going to work.”
“What do we do when we get out of the tank?” Sushi wondered.
“We swim free, Sushi!” Harley exclaimed.
“Wait a minute, Harley. There’s water out there?”
“Yes, you dope! It’s all water out there.”
“Really?” If Sushi could have scratched his head with his fin he would have. “You mean the big heads are in water?”
“Yeeesss!” Harley said as if it was obvious.
Sushi was still confused. “Why aren’t they swimming?”
“Oh my god, Sushi. Don’t you know anything? They’re too fat to swim.”
Sushi was starting to believe him but it all still didn’t quite make sense. “Alright Harley, I’m in.”
“Alright then Sushi,” Harley said. “Tomorrow morning, we’re breakin’ out of here!”
…TO BE CONTINUED
“Get Ready, Sushi,” Harley said. “Don’t look back.”
Sushi played the part, “Yeah. I got it, Harley.”
The top of the bag came down into the water, Harley and Sushi darted at full speed to the back of the tank. Harley couldn’t think of anything except freedom, how he would be able to swim wherever he wanted, how he would be able to eat whatever he wanted. The thought of being free filled him with such drive. Harley and Sushi approached the back of the tank and Wham! Wham! Both Harley and Sushi slammed into the glass and bounced back.
“What the…” Harley shouted. He began to franticly look around for a way out. Sushi panicked and followed. Harley kept poking at the glass. “What’s going on!?” He shouted again. “There must be a way out.”
Harley and Sushi searched the entire tank looking for a break in the glass and found none. They quickly found that the glass wall was impenetrable. Bubbles wandered and bounced around the tank singing another song. “Under the sea. Everything is wetter down there it is better.” A big head approached the tank and opened up a small little flap in the hood. Bright colored flakes came pouring in. Harley and Sushi stopped their insistent search for a way out just for a few minutes in order to get some dinner. Bubbles continued swimming in circles singing, “We got no troubles, life is the bubbles. Under the sea.” Once the boys went up to the top she realized what was happening. “Since life is sweet… Oh, food!” Bubbles swam to the top to eat her feast of flakes.
The next few hours were pretty uneventful, Harley and Sushi continued scouring the tank for a way out, Bubbles continued singing her song, “The seaweed is greener in someone else’s lake. Down here all the fish is happy.” Soon it was time for the lights to go out. Sushi, Harley and Bubbles would rest for awhile.
Morning quickly came and the light in the hood was turned on. They could see that the water was already becoming cloudy. The water now had left over food particles and fish poop mixing in.
“Harley, my eyes are burning,” Sushi said.
“Mine too, Sushi,” Harley said.
They watched as Bubbles swam around in a daze through the haze. The big head opened the flap in the food. “Sushi,” Harley said abruptly. Sushi turned quickly and saw that Harley was looking up at the opening in the hood.
“What is it, Harley?” Sushi said wondering.
Harley responded, “I think I have an idea.” The big head began sprinkling multi-colored flakes into the tank. “Come on, Sushi.” Harley darted to the top of the tank and Sushi followed. First, they would chomp on some grub. Bubbles didn’t realize there was food so Sushi had to call out to her.
“Hey, Bubbles. Food!” Sushi shouted.
“Ohhh, food.” Bubbles opened her mouth and took a big bite of something floating in front of her. She quickly spit it out. “Oops, that was poop.”
Harley looked at Sushi and rolled his eyes. He mumbled, “Moron,” and went back to eating. Bubbles swam to the top for some real food. After a quick bite, Harley revealed his plan to Sushi.
“Alright Sushi, here is the plan. See that flap up there in the hood.”
Sushi responded, “Yep.”
Harley continued, “Tomorrow morning we’re going to wait down there in corner of the fish tank. When the big head opens up the flap we’re going swim as fast as we can and jump out the top of the tank.”
“Really,” Sushi said. “You think it will work.”
Harley responded, “Of course it’s going to work.”
“What do we do when we get out of the tank?” Sushi wondered.
“We swim free, Sushi!” Harley exclaimed.
“Wait a minute, Harley. There’s water out there?”
“Yes, you dope! It’s all water out there.”
“Really?” If Sushi could have scratched his head with his fin he would have. “You mean the big heads are in water?”
“Yeeesss!” Harley said as if it was obvious.
Sushi was still confused. “Why aren’t they swimming?”
“Oh my god, Sushi. Don’t you know anything? They’re too fat to swim.”
Sushi was starting to believe him but it all still didn’t quite make sense. “Alright Harley, I’m in.”
“Alright then Sushi,” Harley said. “Tomorrow morning, we’re breakin’ out of here!”
…TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Breakin’ In or Breakin’ Out - A Fish Tail (Part 2)
A big head carried the bag that the three of them were in out to a car. Harley kept swimming around the bag looking for a way out. He ran into the sides of the bag about a hundred times and couldn't find any cracks or breaks to get out from. He looked up. There was plenty of air above the surface of the water but the bag was tied at the top. Harley wasn’t sure what to do and that made him angry. Sushi could tell how angry he was so he left Harley alone. Bubbles had already forgotten the conversation about the poop infested tank so she swam happily around the bag so excited about getting a home. Bubbles being so happy made Harley even madder.
Sushi inspected all of the areas that Harley did and neither one of them had found a way out or had any idea of how to get out. There was obviously no use asking Bubbles for her input. The big heads drove their car for about ten minutes and reached what was presumed to be their home. The big heads picked up the bag and carried them into the house. Sushi was the first to see the fish tank.
“Harley, there it is!” Sushi shouted. Harley looked and his worst fear was realized, there weren’t any fish in the tank. Sushi’s voice started to shake. “There’s nobody in there. Harley, there’s nobody in there.”
Bubbles saw the tank. “Hey guys, look, our new home!”
Harley, too angry to talk, backed up to edge of the bag and went full force into the side of the bag. Harley bounced back. He tried again and again showing no signs of breaking through the bag. Sushi stood back and watched too scared to move. Bubbles swam in a circle and sang a song, “Bah bah baaaah bah bah bah baaaaah Lived a man who sailed to sea. Bah bah baaaah bah bah bah baaaah In our yellow submarine. We all live in a yellow submarine. A dut dah dut dah do.”
Harley looked like he was going to kill someone and that someone might just be Bubbles. The big heads lifted off the top to the fish tank and rested the bag in the water so that the water in the bag would adjust to the water temperature in the tank. They could see everything in the tank and one thing was for sure. There were no other fish inside that tank. There was an eerie feeling, a large tank with no other fish. It was dark. The light source had been removed so the bag could rest on the surface of the water. The only sound was the low hum of the brand new filter in the corner of the tank. There were stones at the bottom all different shades of brown. There weren’t even any plants or rock sculptures. Harley couldn’t help but think this was a dead tank.
Sushi spoke, “Harley!” Harley turned to see what Sushi wanted. “Look at that Harley.” Harley looked toward the back of the tank. “It’s wide open.” Harley began to smile.
“This is going to be easier than I thought.” Harley said. They both saw an area at the back of the tank with large rocks stacked next to each other. The rocks created a wall with all sorts of cracks in it. “Sushi, that is our way out.”
They heard a noise and turned around. It was just Bubbles singing her song, “As we live bah bah bah baaaaah. Everyone of us bah bah bah baaaaah. Blue and Green. In our yellow submarine.”
Harley looked at Sushi, “Can we leave her here?”
Sushi laughed akwardly.
“Alright, Sushi,” Harley began to explain. “Here is the plan. When the big heads open the bag we dart straight for the wall of rocks, find a crack and get out. You got it!”
“I got it, Harley.” Sushi said. “But what about…” and he motioned to Bubbles.
“She’s on her own, buddy.” Harley said without even thinking about her well being.
Sushi looked concerned. He turned and looked at Bubbles.
“We all live in a yellow submarine. A dut dah dut dah do,” Bubbles sang.
Sushi turned back to Harley. “Dude, she is not going to make it.”
Harley snapped back, “Listen Sushi, we would never even be able to convince her to come. She wants to be here. Let her go.”
Reluctantly Sushi said, “Alright.”
Within a short while a big head came by added plants and a rock sculpture. The decorations were pretty flimsy by Harley’s standards but it didn’t matter much. They wouldn’t be here very much longer. When the plants and sculpture were settled into the stones at the bottom the big head reached for the bag.
“This is it!” Harley said to Sushi. “Get ready!”
Sushi waved his back tail ever so slightly ready to zip at the first possible moment. Suddenly Bubbles realized what was happening.
“Ohhh boy! It’s time. We’re getting released.” Bubbles was overjoyed.
Sushi turned back to Harley and gave a look of concern. Harley was determined. He wasn’t going to let anything get in the way. He was going to leave Bubbles behind and if he had to leave Sushi behind he would.
“Let her go, Sushi.” Harley was breaking out.
…TO BE CONTINUED
Sushi inspected all of the areas that Harley did and neither one of them had found a way out or had any idea of how to get out. There was obviously no use asking Bubbles for her input. The big heads drove their car for about ten minutes and reached what was presumed to be their home. The big heads picked up the bag and carried them into the house. Sushi was the first to see the fish tank.
“Harley, there it is!” Sushi shouted. Harley looked and his worst fear was realized, there weren’t any fish in the tank. Sushi’s voice started to shake. “There’s nobody in there. Harley, there’s nobody in there.”
Bubbles saw the tank. “Hey guys, look, our new home!”
Harley, too angry to talk, backed up to edge of the bag and went full force into the side of the bag. Harley bounced back. He tried again and again showing no signs of breaking through the bag. Sushi stood back and watched too scared to move. Bubbles swam in a circle and sang a song, “Bah bah baaaah bah bah bah baaaaah Lived a man who sailed to sea. Bah bah baaaah bah bah bah baaaah In our yellow submarine. We all live in a yellow submarine. A dut dah dut dah do.”
Harley looked like he was going to kill someone and that someone might just be Bubbles. The big heads lifted off the top to the fish tank and rested the bag in the water so that the water in the bag would adjust to the water temperature in the tank. They could see everything in the tank and one thing was for sure. There were no other fish inside that tank. There was an eerie feeling, a large tank with no other fish. It was dark. The light source had been removed so the bag could rest on the surface of the water. The only sound was the low hum of the brand new filter in the corner of the tank. There were stones at the bottom all different shades of brown. There weren’t even any plants or rock sculptures. Harley couldn’t help but think this was a dead tank.
Sushi spoke, “Harley!” Harley turned to see what Sushi wanted. “Look at that Harley.” Harley looked toward the back of the tank. “It’s wide open.” Harley began to smile.
“This is going to be easier than I thought.” Harley said. They both saw an area at the back of the tank with large rocks stacked next to each other. The rocks created a wall with all sorts of cracks in it. “Sushi, that is our way out.”
They heard a noise and turned around. It was just Bubbles singing her song, “As we live bah bah bah baaaaah. Everyone of us bah bah bah baaaaah. Blue and Green. In our yellow submarine.”
Harley looked at Sushi, “Can we leave her here?”
Sushi laughed akwardly.
“Alright, Sushi,” Harley began to explain. “Here is the plan. When the big heads open the bag we dart straight for the wall of rocks, find a crack and get out. You got it!”
“I got it, Harley.” Sushi said. “But what about…” and he motioned to Bubbles.
“She’s on her own, buddy.” Harley said without even thinking about her well being.
Sushi looked concerned. He turned and looked at Bubbles.
“We all live in a yellow submarine. A dut dah dut dah do,” Bubbles sang.
Sushi turned back to Harley. “Dude, she is not going to make it.”
Harley snapped back, “Listen Sushi, we would never even be able to convince her to come. She wants to be here. Let her go.”
Reluctantly Sushi said, “Alright.”
Within a short while a big head came by added plants and a rock sculpture. The decorations were pretty flimsy by Harley’s standards but it didn’t matter much. They wouldn’t be here very much longer. When the plants and sculpture were settled into the stones at the bottom the big head reached for the bag.
“This is it!” Harley said to Sushi. “Get ready!”
Sushi waved his back tail ever so slightly ready to zip at the first possible moment. Suddenly Bubbles realized what was happening.
“Ohhh boy! It’s time. We’re getting released.” Bubbles was overjoyed.
Sushi turned back to Harley and gave a look of concern. Harley was determined. He wasn’t going to let anything get in the way. He was going to leave Bubbles behind and if he had to leave Sushi behind he would.
“Let her go, Sushi.” Harley was breaking out.
…TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Breakin' In or Breakin' Out - A Fish Tail
Harley’s days consisted of swimming around and having these large heads stare at him through a window. Harley had grown strong and fast so whenever one of the big heads tried to scoop him up into a net he gave them hell. He darted from one side of the tank to the other. He swam behind the rocks and plants. Usually, the big head trying to scoop him up gave up and went for some other fish that was too stupid to realize they were being caught. Harley was the king of the tank. He swam wherever he wanted to. Anytime new fish were added they were told by others to swim clear of Harley. Harley was a Dalmatian Molly. It was as if he wore black and white camouflage. Harley looked tough and swam with confidence. His tail had a spike on the bottom which made the other fish steer clear of him.
Another day came where a big head pointed at Harley and he heard a noise through the glass, “I wand thah wun.” Harley knew what was coming. The big head with the net was coming after him. Harley wasn’t going to let that happen. The net came in and Harley darted to the opposite side of the tank. The net followed so Harley went down and darted past a plant. The net went back up. ‘Ha,’ Harley thought, “This is going to be easy.” But the net came again and this time Harley went for the rock sculpture. He swam through to the other side. Harley knew that the net couldn’t follow him. A lot of the other fish never realized that. They just swam around and eventually got caught. Harley was smart he knew the best places to go in the tank. Eventually the big head would give up.
The net went for him again and he darted again to the other side of the tank. The net followed and Harley darted back through the rock sculpture and up the filter. When he got there he figured they had given up so he turned around and all he saw next was green netting swallowing him up. Whoooosh! The net got a hold of Harley. Harley fought with all his might to free himself but his efforts were useless. He found himself getting tipped upside down and he fell into a small container of water. He was flabbergasted and he began to panic. He swam around trying to find a way out, a way back to his tank. He quickly realized there was no way out.
Without much time he was joined by a Balloon Molly named Bubbles. Bubble was golden yellow with a big white belly. Bubbles eyes had a glaze over them and Harley could tell right off the bat that Bubbles had nothing but bubbles inside her tiny head.
“Hi. I’m Bubbles. What’s your name?” Bubbles said with a big smile.
“Shut up, you idiot. Don’t you realize what’s going on?” Harley said sternly.
Bubbles with excitement, “We’ve been picked!” We get to go to a special place.”
“Ohhh, you idiot. You don’t get it. They’re going to try and kill us.”
“Ohh no,” Bubbles said unbelieving. “We’re going to have a special home.”
“That’s what the other Balloon Mollies told you, wasn’t it?” Harley said.
“Yeah,” said a very chipper Bubbles. At this point another fish named Sushi was dropped into the container. Sushi is a Marble Molly with similar designs as Harley but he was much smaller and didn’t have a spiked tail. Before Harley could say a word Bubbles approached Sushi. “Hi. My name is Bubbles. What’s yours?”
Sushi rolled his eyes and swam to Harley. Bubbles swam after Sushi, “Hey. Where are you going?”
“Hey man,” Sushi said to Harley.
Harley replied, “Hey.”
“You got a plan?” Sushi said.
“Not yet,” Harley responded.
“A plan for what?” Bubbles said with her glazed over eyes.
Harley and Sushi rolled their eyes and just then the container they were in was flipped over. The three of them went tumbling down into a plastic bag.
Harley forced himself upright and said, “Damn!”
“This is bad,” Sushi said.
“What are you guys talking about? This is great. We’re the special ones,” Bubbles said.
“You’re special all right.” Harley said.
Bubbles became excited, “Geee, thanks!”
Sushi and Harley rolled their eyes. “Listen,” Sushi began to talk to Bubbles. “Chances are likely that we’ll be breaking in a new fish tank and very few fish every live through the breaking in period of a fish tank. If anything we want to be the fish that come in after the break in period.”
Bubbles eyes got big, “No. That’s not what the others told me. They said it was wonderful and great. We going to have our very own tank and we’ll be taken care of.”
“Listen, Bubbles,” Sushi tried to explain. “Mollies are fish used to break in a fish tank and breakin’ in a fish tank ain’t pretty. Not many fish make it through the whole process.”
Bubbles looked puzzled, well even more so than normal. “What is this breakin’ in process?”
Sushi explained, “Well, when a fish tank is first setup the water is beautiful and clear. After fish get put into the new tank the water gets real cloudy. The tank stays dirty for a few days during that time not many fish live through it. It’s like living in your own poop.”
Bubbles eyes got even bigger than they normal are. “Like living in your own poop!?”
Harley swam over and spoke abruptly to both of them, “Yeah, and that’s why we’re breakin’ out of this joint!’
…TO BE CONTINUED
Another day came where a big head pointed at Harley and he heard a noise through the glass, “I wand thah wun.” Harley knew what was coming. The big head with the net was coming after him. Harley wasn’t going to let that happen. The net came in and Harley darted to the opposite side of the tank. The net followed so Harley went down and darted past a plant. The net went back up. ‘Ha,’ Harley thought, “This is going to be easy.” But the net came again and this time Harley went for the rock sculpture. He swam through to the other side. Harley knew that the net couldn’t follow him. A lot of the other fish never realized that. They just swam around and eventually got caught. Harley was smart he knew the best places to go in the tank. Eventually the big head would give up.
The net went for him again and he darted again to the other side of the tank. The net followed and Harley darted back through the rock sculpture and up the filter. When he got there he figured they had given up so he turned around and all he saw next was green netting swallowing him up. Whoooosh! The net got a hold of Harley. Harley fought with all his might to free himself but his efforts were useless. He found himself getting tipped upside down and he fell into a small container of water. He was flabbergasted and he began to panic. He swam around trying to find a way out, a way back to his tank. He quickly realized there was no way out.
Without much time he was joined by a Balloon Molly named Bubbles. Bubble was golden yellow with a big white belly. Bubbles eyes had a glaze over them and Harley could tell right off the bat that Bubbles had nothing but bubbles inside her tiny head.
“Hi. I’m Bubbles. What’s your name?” Bubbles said with a big smile.
“Shut up, you idiot. Don’t you realize what’s going on?” Harley said sternly.
Bubbles with excitement, “We’ve been picked!” We get to go to a special place.”
“Ohhh, you idiot. You don’t get it. They’re going to try and kill us.”
“Ohh no,” Bubbles said unbelieving. “We’re going to have a special home.”
“That’s what the other Balloon Mollies told you, wasn’t it?” Harley said.
“Yeah,” said a very chipper Bubbles. At this point another fish named Sushi was dropped into the container. Sushi is a Marble Molly with similar designs as Harley but he was much smaller and didn’t have a spiked tail. Before Harley could say a word Bubbles approached Sushi. “Hi. My name is Bubbles. What’s yours?”
Sushi rolled his eyes and swam to Harley. Bubbles swam after Sushi, “Hey. Where are you going?”
“Hey man,” Sushi said to Harley.
Harley replied, “Hey.”
“You got a plan?” Sushi said.
“Not yet,” Harley responded.
“A plan for what?” Bubbles said with her glazed over eyes.
Harley and Sushi rolled their eyes and just then the container they were in was flipped over. The three of them went tumbling down into a plastic bag.
Harley forced himself upright and said, “Damn!”
“This is bad,” Sushi said.
“What are you guys talking about? This is great. We’re the special ones,” Bubbles said.
“You’re special all right.” Harley said.
Bubbles became excited, “Geee, thanks!”
Sushi and Harley rolled their eyes. “Listen,” Sushi began to talk to Bubbles. “Chances are likely that we’ll be breaking in a new fish tank and very few fish every live through the breaking in period of a fish tank. If anything we want to be the fish that come in after the break in period.”
Bubbles eyes got big, “No. That’s not what the others told me. They said it was wonderful and great. We going to have our very own tank and we’ll be taken care of.”
“Listen, Bubbles,” Sushi tried to explain. “Mollies are fish used to break in a fish tank and breakin’ in a fish tank ain’t pretty. Not many fish make it through the whole process.”
Bubbles looked puzzled, well even more so than normal. “What is this breakin’ in process?”
Sushi explained, “Well, when a fish tank is first setup the water is beautiful and clear. After fish get put into the new tank the water gets real cloudy. The tank stays dirty for a few days during that time not many fish live through it. It’s like living in your own poop.”
Bubbles eyes got even bigger than they normal are. “Like living in your own poop!?”
Harley swam over and spoke abruptly to both of them, “Yeah, and that’s why we’re breakin’ out of this joint!’
…TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Waiting for Stephen
Amber hurriedly entered the main entrance to the Bristol Public Library and found her friends sitting at a table in the back corner.
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. I had to wait for my mom to get home from work so I could take the car,” Amber said almost out of breath.
“It’s cool, Amber. We’re still waiting for Stephen,” replied Eric without expression.
“He’s not here yet?” Amber said with a combination of surprise and disappointment.
“No.” Cindy replied with a slight somber tone.
Amber let out a simple sigh. “Did anyone talk to him today?”
“I called him this morning but he didn’t answer,” Will shrugged off the answer.
Amber questioned the group, “He did know that we were meeting today, right?”
“We told him a thousand times, Amber,” Will spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone while almost rolling his eyes.
Amber’s faced dropped with disappointment.
Eric interjected, “Alright guys. We really need to get to work.” He then spoke softly to Amber, “Amber, have a seat. I’m sure Stephen will be here soon.”
Will looked down at his science textbook and notes and made a smug face. Everyone saw including Amber. Amber glared at him but he never looked up from his notes. Amber took a seat next Cindy. Eric led the discussion.
“Cindy, what are the four branches of Earth Science?’ Eric said.
Cindy replied, “Oh that’s easy. Astronomy, Oceanography, Meteorology, and Geology.” She paused for a moment and then turned to Amber. “Amber, which branch of Earth Science is the study of atmospheric phenomenon and weather?”
Amber replies, all of a sudden chipper, “Oh another easy one. It’s meteorology. Will, which system of measurement is commonly used in the field of science?”
“The metric system,” Will said without enthusiasm. Amber looked at him, annoyed at the fact he was being difficult. Will continued, “Eric, How do you find the volume for an irregular shaped object?”
Eric answered without hesitation, “Place the object into a known volume of water and subtract the volumes.”
Cindy was impressed, “Nice job, Eric!”
“Oh, thanks,” Eric responded modestly and continued, “Amber, which variable is the one that causes the change in the experiment?”
“Oh, I always get these two mixed up. Is it the dependent?”
“Judges?” Eric said to the rest of the group.
Cindy and Will both put their thumbs down and made the sound, “Annnnnt.”
“Oh darn.” Amber was disappointed with herself. “I can’t seem to get those straight.”
“Here is the way I look at it,” Eric said. “The independent is what the experimenter changes. They want to see what happens as a result of changing the independent variable. The dependent variable is what happens or the results.”
Amber thought about it. “Hmmmm. That does make sense. Alright Cindy, what is the name given to the variables in an experiment that should remain the same for all levels of the independent variable?”
Cindy thought for a moment, “Constants.”
“Yep, you got it!” Amber said excitedly and clapped her hands to together. Will rolled his eyes and Amber saw. Amber glared at him, “What is your problem, Will?”
“No problem here,” he said dejectedly.
“Stop being such a jerk, Will!” Amber said angrily. “Just because you're mad at Stephen doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me.”
“I’m not mad at Stephen. I’m mad that you won’t shut up about him,” Will barked back.
Amber became tearful, “Well, I’m sorry that I care about him. I miss him. He’s never around anymore.”
Will went on, “Well, talking about him isn’t going to make him come around.”
Eric interjected, “Alright guys, that’s enough. I think we all feel the same. We all miss Stephen. We all know what Stephen has been through. We have to give him credit for doing as well as he is.”
Amber jumped in, “He never talks to us anymore. How can we be there for him if he won’t even talk to us?” Tears rolled down her face.
Eric responded, “Amber, everyone grieves differently. The only thing we can do is be there for him when he does need us.” Amber slumped in her chair. She had nothing to say that hadn’t been said already. Eric got up from his seat and walked over to Amber. He put his hand on her shoulder and then crouched down next to her so he could look into her eyes. “Listen, I know it’s hard but you have to know that Stephen still cares about us, especially you, his girlfriend. What you’re feeling now can’t even be close to what Stephen felt when he found out his parents had been killed in the car accident.” Amber put her hands up to her face and began to sob. Tears began to fall from Cindy’s cheeks. Will’s lip began to quiver and he scrunched his eyes trying to hold back the tears. A single tear drop fell onto to Will’s cheek.
Amber choked back her tears and tried to speak. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Poised and steadfast Eric continued, “I suggest we just keep waiting for Stephen. Eventually, he’s going to come around and when he does we’ll accept him into our lives and help him in any way we can.”
Amber didn’t like the answer, “So I just have to sit here and wait for him.”
Eric continued, “I think the only thing we can do is to keep waiting for Stephen.”
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. I had to wait for my mom to get home from work so I could take the car,” Amber said almost out of breath.
“It’s cool, Amber. We’re still waiting for Stephen,” replied Eric without expression.
“He’s not here yet?” Amber said with a combination of surprise and disappointment.
“No.” Cindy replied with a slight somber tone.
Amber let out a simple sigh. “Did anyone talk to him today?”
“I called him this morning but he didn’t answer,” Will shrugged off the answer.
Amber questioned the group, “He did know that we were meeting today, right?”
“We told him a thousand times, Amber,” Will spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone while almost rolling his eyes.
Amber’s faced dropped with disappointment.
Eric interjected, “Alright guys. We really need to get to work.” He then spoke softly to Amber, “Amber, have a seat. I’m sure Stephen will be here soon.”
Will looked down at his science textbook and notes and made a smug face. Everyone saw including Amber. Amber glared at him but he never looked up from his notes. Amber took a seat next Cindy. Eric led the discussion.
“Cindy, what are the four branches of Earth Science?’ Eric said.
Cindy replied, “Oh that’s easy. Astronomy, Oceanography, Meteorology, and Geology.” She paused for a moment and then turned to Amber. “Amber, which branch of Earth Science is the study of atmospheric phenomenon and weather?”
Amber replies, all of a sudden chipper, “Oh another easy one. It’s meteorology. Will, which system of measurement is commonly used in the field of science?”
“The metric system,” Will said without enthusiasm. Amber looked at him, annoyed at the fact he was being difficult. Will continued, “Eric, How do you find the volume for an irregular shaped object?”
Eric answered without hesitation, “Place the object into a known volume of water and subtract the volumes.”
Cindy was impressed, “Nice job, Eric!”
“Oh, thanks,” Eric responded modestly and continued, “Amber, which variable is the one that causes the change in the experiment?”
“Oh, I always get these two mixed up. Is it the dependent?”
“Judges?” Eric said to the rest of the group.
Cindy and Will both put their thumbs down and made the sound, “Annnnnt.”
“Oh darn.” Amber was disappointed with herself. “I can’t seem to get those straight.”
“Here is the way I look at it,” Eric said. “The independent is what the experimenter changes. They want to see what happens as a result of changing the independent variable. The dependent variable is what happens or the results.”
Amber thought about it. “Hmmmm. That does make sense. Alright Cindy, what is the name given to the variables in an experiment that should remain the same for all levels of the independent variable?”
Cindy thought for a moment, “Constants.”
“Yep, you got it!” Amber said excitedly and clapped her hands to together. Will rolled his eyes and Amber saw. Amber glared at him, “What is your problem, Will?”
“No problem here,” he said dejectedly.
“Stop being such a jerk, Will!” Amber said angrily. “Just because you're mad at Stephen doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me.”
“I’m not mad at Stephen. I’m mad that you won’t shut up about him,” Will barked back.
Amber became tearful, “Well, I’m sorry that I care about him. I miss him. He’s never around anymore.”
Will went on, “Well, talking about him isn’t going to make him come around.”
Eric interjected, “Alright guys, that’s enough. I think we all feel the same. We all miss Stephen. We all know what Stephen has been through. We have to give him credit for doing as well as he is.”
Amber jumped in, “He never talks to us anymore. How can we be there for him if he won’t even talk to us?” Tears rolled down her face.
Eric responded, “Amber, everyone grieves differently. The only thing we can do is be there for him when he does need us.” Amber slumped in her chair. She had nothing to say that hadn’t been said already. Eric got up from his seat and walked over to Amber. He put his hand on her shoulder and then crouched down next to her so he could look into her eyes. “Listen, I know it’s hard but you have to know that Stephen still cares about us, especially you, his girlfriend. What you’re feeling now can’t even be close to what Stephen felt when he found out his parents had been killed in the car accident.” Amber put her hands up to her face and began to sob. Tears began to fall from Cindy’s cheeks. Will’s lip began to quiver and he scrunched his eyes trying to hold back the tears. A single tear drop fell onto to Will’s cheek.
Amber choked back her tears and tried to speak. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Poised and steadfast Eric continued, “I suggest we just keep waiting for Stephen. Eventually, he’s going to come around and when he does we’ll accept him into our lives and help him in any way we can.”
Amber didn’t like the answer, “So I just have to sit here and wait for him.”
Eric continued, “I think the only thing we can do is to keep waiting for Stephen.”
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Who is God?
Who is God? Maybe a better question is ‘what is God?’ If you’ve never asked yourself a question like one of these it is something you may want to look in to. These aren’t easy question to ask yourself but it is important to see what answers you come up with. It’s quite possible that everyone would have a different answer but there would most likely be some common themes. The better question to ask is ‘who or what is God to you?’
Is God the man behind the clouds that controls all the blissful and horrible occurrences in life? Is he a man that looks down on us and cries when we cause harm toward each other and smiles at us with every polite thing we do for one another. Is God a woman? Or is God not of any gender? Maybe God just is…or isn’t.
There is only one way to find the answers to these questions and that is to listen. You might be surprised at first how the answers don’t come easily. Take a moment to listen for the answers. I mean, right now, actually take a moment and listen for the answers to our questions.
How many of you thought about what you were doing later today, perhaps the laundry list of things that you need to accomplish today? How many of you played out a conversation you had yesterday with a coworker or spouse, how about playing out a conversation that you intend to have? How many of you heard nothing at all?
For a lot of us, God’s voice is clouded by life. We often can’t hear God’s voice because our minds take control. Sometimes our minds have more power than God. To hear God’s voice we must quiet the thoughts from our brain, which may not be an easy task to do.
We have all heard God before, most of us without even realizing. Sometimes it comes as a spark of compassion for someone that we encounter one day. It comes as a difficult decision somehow made easy. God’s voice comes when we least expect it and often when we expect it, it doesn’t come. So how can we hear God’s voice more often or better yet, how can we hear God’s voice all of the time?
God’s voice comes from within each of us. More often than not it is so soft we can barely hear it, except for those times when the voice is loud enough to stop us in our tracks or awake us from a dead sleep. Usually God’s voice is drowned out by our overbearing thoughts of the mind. To hear God we must quiet our minds. The answers to our questions may not come right away. The answers only come when the time is right, only when we are ready for them.
God gives us guidance. The voice tells us how to live our lives in bliss. The root of living a blissful life stems from compassion for others. How many of us saw a parking space and quickly tried to beat another car to the spot? God’s voice was there but not heard. How many of us walked through a doorway without looking to see if anyone was there to hold the door for? God’s voice was there but not heard. How many of us have seen a neighbor struggling to shovel snow but continued to watch television? God’s voice was there but not heard.
God’s voice is there and we need to learn how to listen to it. We must quiet our minds in order to hear. When our minds our quieted important questions can be asked like ‘who or what is God?’ Let us take another moment. We’ll quiet our minds and ask the necessary questions of life. You’ll be surprised when you hear the answers. The answers were there all the time. When you finally hear them you’ll open your eyes…and you’ll be smiling. Go ahead, take a moment to ask those important questions…and really do it this time.
Is God the man behind the clouds that controls all the blissful and horrible occurrences in life? Is he a man that looks down on us and cries when we cause harm toward each other and smiles at us with every polite thing we do for one another. Is God a woman? Or is God not of any gender? Maybe God just is…or isn’t.
There is only one way to find the answers to these questions and that is to listen. You might be surprised at first how the answers don’t come easily. Take a moment to listen for the answers. I mean, right now, actually take a moment and listen for the answers to our questions.
How many of you thought about what you were doing later today, perhaps the laundry list of things that you need to accomplish today? How many of you played out a conversation you had yesterday with a coworker or spouse, how about playing out a conversation that you intend to have? How many of you heard nothing at all?
For a lot of us, God’s voice is clouded by life. We often can’t hear God’s voice because our minds take control. Sometimes our minds have more power than God. To hear God’s voice we must quiet the thoughts from our brain, which may not be an easy task to do.
We have all heard God before, most of us without even realizing. Sometimes it comes as a spark of compassion for someone that we encounter one day. It comes as a difficult decision somehow made easy. God’s voice comes when we least expect it and often when we expect it, it doesn’t come. So how can we hear God’s voice more often or better yet, how can we hear God’s voice all of the time?
God’s voice comes from within each of us. More often than not it is so soft we can barely hear it, except for those times when the voice is loud enough to stop us in our tracks or awake us from a dead sleep. Usually God’s voice is drowned out by our overbearing thoughts of the mind. To hear God we must quiet our minds. The answers to our questions may not come right away. The answers only come when the time is right, only when we are ready for them.
God gives us guidance. The voice tells us how to live our lives in bliss. The root of living a blissful life stems from compassion for others. How many of us saw a parking space and quickly tried to beat another car to the spot? God’s voice was there but not heard. How many of us walked through a doorway without looking to see if anyone was there to hold the door for? God’s voice was there but not heard. How many of us have seen a neighbor struggling to shovel snow but continued to watch television? God’s voice was there but not heard.
God’s voice is there and we need to learn how to listen to it. We must quiet our minds in order to hear. When our minds our quieted important questions can be asked like ‘who or what is God?’ Let us take another moment. We’ll quiet our minds and ask the necessary questions of life. You’ll be surprised when you hear the answers. The answers were there all the time. When you finally hear them you’ll open your eyes…and you’ll be smiling. Go ahead, take a moment to ask those important questions…and really do it this time.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Europe - Interlaken, Switzerland
Once in Speiz, I took a short train ride to Interlaken. From there I had to take a bus to Iserltwald. Both towns were surrounded by lakes and mountains. This was by far the most beautiful place in Europe that I had seen. Then it began to rain.
I throw on my rain jacket and walked around the town for a little while. I saw ferry boats crossing the lake and there was a beautiful mansion on a peninsula. I stopped at a local store for some bread and fruit. I couldn't believe how beautiful this place was. And the rain got worse.
I ate my loaf of bread with honey on the balcony of the hostel where I was staying. It was delicious, homemade bread. I met my roommates and we went to the bar downstairs with some people from across the hall. After a few drinks and conversation I went back upstairs to hit the sack. The thunder cracked and light flashed.
The most beautiful place in Europe blanketed with dark clouds and drenched in rain.
I throw on my rain jacket and walked around the town for a little while. I saw ferry boats crossing the lake and there was a beautiful mansion on a peninsula. I stopped at a local store for some bread and fruit. I couldn't believe how beautiful this place was. And the rain got worse.
I ate my loaf of bread with honey on the balcony of the hostel where I was staying. It was delicious, homemade bread. I met my roommates and we went to the bar downstairs with some people from across the hall. After a few drinks and conversation I went back upstairs to hit the sack. The thunder cracked and light flashed.
The most beautiful place in Europe blanketed with dark clouds and drenched in rain.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Hustle Bustle
I’m finding now that this adult life can be annoying, frustrating and maddening. I keep waiting for life to slow down and just when I think it will, I find that I am in an even higher gear than before. Especially at this time of year, I force myself to stop for a few moments, take a deep breath, and spend time with family.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Home Repair Rehab
Hello, my name is T. Roy and I am addicted to home repairs. I started doing home repairs about a year ago. It was my fiancée, now wife, which got me started. We bought a house and a first I wanted nothing to do with home repairs. My wife became pushy. Do this home repair; do that home repair. I didn’t know a lot about home repairs at first. It was her father that showed me the way. Her father and I installed new ceiling drywall, refinished floors, and moved a wall. My head was spinning and I felt sick to my stomach. They both pushed me to do more even though I knew I was in over my head. I couldn’t handle the fast pace of home repair life and I told my wife. Many an argument ensued. Against my best efforts, the home repairs continued. Sanding, painting, and ceiling fans, my health spiraled downward.
Finally, when it was all over, I was mad and sick of all the home repairs that I had done. Then something against all my imagination happened. I missed the home repairs. I didn’t know what to do without the home repairs. I started secretively working on home repairs behind my wife’s back. I sanded and painted the walls and replaced the fixtures in the bathroom. I was spending an exorbitant amount of money. I kept going. I went on to bigger and better home repairs. I built an entire shed by myself. A year earlier I could barely hang a shelf. I was using a nail gun and a table saw like they were kitchen utensils.
It wasn’t until I was finished with the shed before I realized I had a problem. I couldn’t stop building. Now, that I realize that I have an addiction, I need to find something else to do with my time and money. I owe my home repair dealer, Home Depot, a lot of money. It’s going to take me a lot of time before I can pay them off. I’d say the hardest part for me about a home repair addiction is Saturday morning. I used to get up early and work on a project, sometimes two or three, that I had going on. By five o’clock I would collapse from exhaustion. I think back to the good time before home repairs. I would go for a hike, kayak, or go for a run. I have to make these things my top priority now. It’s going to be an adjustment but I’m looking forward to living my life again.
Finally, when it was all over, I was mad and sick of all the home repairs that I had done. Then something against all my imagination happened. I missed the home repairs. I didn’t know what to do without the home repairs. I started secretively working on home repairs behind my wife’s back. I sanded and painted the walls and replaced the fixtures in the bathroom. I was spending an exorbitant amount of money. I kept going. I went on to bigger and better home repairs. I built an entire shed by myself. A year earlier I could barely hang a shelf. I was using a nail gun and a table saw like they were kitchen utensils.
It wasn’t until I was finished with the shed before I realized I had a problem. I couldn’t stop building. Now, that I realize that I have an addiction, I need to find something else to do with my time and money. I owe my home repair dealer, Home Depot, a lot of money. It’s going to take me a lot of time before I can pay them off. I’d say the hardest part for me about a home repair addiction is Saturday morning. I used to get up early and work on a project, sometimes two or three, that I had going on. By five o’clock I would collapse from exhaustion. I think back to the good time before home repairs. I would go for a hike, kayak, or go for a run. I have to make these things my top priority now. It’s going to be an adjustment but I’m looking forward to living my life again.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Backside
Being a teacher I hear a lot of excuses for not completing homework. Students often forget to turn the paper over to see that the assignment is continued on the other side of the paper. When checking homework, I approach each student and ask to see their homework. Commonly, I then turn the paper over to see an unfinished assignment.
Shock rolls over the students face, “There’s a back side!?”
I respond with, “Yep.”
“I didn’t realize there was a back side.”
My response is always, “Every piece of paper has a back side. It just matters if it has words on it.”
Then the student gets half credit for the assignment.
Shock rolls over the students face, “There’s a back side!?”
I respond with, “Yep.”
“I didn’t realize there was a back side.”
My response is always, “Every piece of paper has a back side. It just matters if it has words on it.”
Then the student gets half credit for the assignment.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Symbol Lost, Love Not
It didn’t take my fiancé and I more than 20 minutes to choose the wedding rings we would wear for the rest of our lives. It also didn’t take me more than four months to lose the symbolic promise of our marriage.
On July, 10, 2010, I pledged my promise to Holly and we sealed our marriage with the exchange of rings and of course a kiss. Less than four months later while at a Halloween party on October 30th, I happened to glance at my finger and suddenly realized the ring to symbolize my love for my wife was missing. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. A million thoughts ran through my head…When did I last have the ring? How long has the ring been missing? How could I have not realized it was missing? Where could it be? And the most important question, how am I going to tell my wife?
The sick feeling in my stomach began to build rapidly. I knew my wife would understand but I also didn’t want to disappoint her. I quickly found her in mid-conversion with someone. I immediately interrupted them and quietly told her what I had just realized. She said exactly what I needed to hear. “We’ll find it. And even though the ring is lost it doesn’t change our love for each other. Nothing will ever change that.”
We carried on the rest of the evening as best we could. We couldn’t help but think of the many places that it could have been. I had gone to my parent’s house, Holly’s parents and I even went to her brother-in-laws house. The scariest thought of all was that we had spent a good portion of the day clearing leaves from our yard and put them into a trailer that was four feet wide, eight feet long and two feet deep. We had completely filled the trailer. Could it be amidst the thousands upon thousands of fallen leaves? I dared not to think of it.
My wife and I woke up the next day and made a few phone calls to our family members to see if we could track down the ring. Holly’s brother-in-law said he had seen me wearing the ring; Holly’s mom searched her house only to find nothing and my parents were on the hunt. After an hour or two of waddling we decided it was time to go through the trailer leaf by leaf to see if we could find the ring.
I flipped open the top to the trailer. All of yesterday’s hours of hard work had to be undone in hopes of finding the ring. It was the last thing either of us wanted to do on a Sunday, but it was the last ditch effort before coming to grips that the ring was truly lost and gone forever. As we took handfuls of leaves out of the trailer we kept our eyes open for a shiny glimmering object in the pile of brown, yellow and red colors. I kept thinking, “What am I going to do if we don’t find it?” The ring wasn’t some new t-shirt with a stain on it that could have been easily replaced. It symbolized our love and was engraved with “H & T 7-10-10.” The thought of the ring being gone forever made my head spin.
My wife and I knew that we could spend hours taking the leaves out of the trailer to not discover the ring, but we had to give it a try. Holly started taking leaves out from the rear of the trailer, but soon she moved to the front end of the trailer. She said something urged her to move to the front of the trailer. We carefully filled a barrel of leaves and then dumped it on the ground. The wind whipped and began to spread color all over our green lawn once again. We continued to fill the barrel until it was full a second time. Our spirits were low. I said, “You know, this could be one of those situations where we spend days looking for it only to give up and then by chance find it years later.”
Just as I finished saying that I turned and looked into the trailer and let out a big gasp. I quickly reached into the trailer and yelled, “I found it!” I was in shock. I didn’t think we’d be able to find this one tiny object among the mounds and mounds of leaves. Not only could I not believe that we had found it but I also couldn’t believe that we only went through two barrels of leaves to find it. The sense of relief rushed over me. I felt like all was well again with the world. I told Holly to hold on to the ring because I didn’t trust myself to even hold it let alone put it back on my finger. Soon the ring will be resized and all will be well. A tremendous weight has been lifted.
On July, 10, 2010, I pledged my promise to Holly and we sealed our marriage with the exchange of rings and of course a kiss. Less than four months later while at a Halloween party on October 30th, I happened to glance at my finger and suddenly realized the ring to symbolize my love for my wife was missing. I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. A million thoughts ran through my head…When did I last have the ring? How long has the ring been missing? How could I have not realized it was missing? Where could it be? And the most important question, how am I going to tell my wife?
The sick feeling in my stomach began to build rapidly. I knew my wife would understand but I also didn’t want to disappoint her. I quickly found her in mid-conversion with someone. I immediately interrupted them and quietly told her what I had just realized. She said exactly what I needed to hear. “We’ll find it. And even though the ring is lost it doesn’t change our love for each other. Nothing will ever change that.”
We carried on the rest of the evening as best we could. We couldn’t help but think of the many places that it could have been. I had gone to my parent’s house, Holly’s parents and I even went to her brother-in-laws house. The scariest thought of all was that we had spent a good portion of the day clearing leaves from our yard and put them into a trailer that was four feet wide, eight feet long and two feet deep. We had completely filled the trailer. Could it be amidst the thousands upon thousands of fallen leaves? I dared not to think of it.
My wife and I woke up the next day and made a few phone calls to our family members to see if we could track down the ring. Holly’s brother-in-law said he had seen me wearing the ring; Holly’s mom searched her house only to find nothing and my parents were on the hunt. After an hour or two of waddling we decided it was time to go through the trailer leaf by leaf to see if we could find the ring.
I flipped open the top to the trailer. All of yesterday’s hours of hard work had to be undone in hopes of finding the ring. It was the last thing either of us wanted to do on a Sunday, but it was the last ditch effort before coming to grips that the ring was truly lost and gone forever. As we took handfuls of leaves out of the trailer we kept our eyes open for a shiny glimmering object in the pile of brown, yellow and red colors. I kept thinking, “What am I going to do if we don’t find it?” The ring wasn’t some new t-shirt with a stain on it that could have been easily replaced. It symbolized our love and was engraved with “H & T 7-10-10.” The thought of the ring being gone forever made my head spin.
My wife and I knew that we could spend hours taking the leaves out of the trailer to not discover the ring, but we had to give it a try. Holly started taking leaves out from the rear of the trailer, but soon she moved to the front end of the trailer. She said something urged her to move to the front of the trailer. We carefully filled a barrel of leaves and then dumped it on the ground. The wind whipped and began to spread color all over our green lawn once again. We continued to fill the barrel until it was full a second time. Our spirits were low. I said, “You know, this could be one of those situations where we spend days looking for it only to give up and then by chance find it years later.”
Just as I finished saying that I turned and looked into the trailer and let out a big gasp. I quickly reached into the trailer and yelled, “I found it!” I was in shock. I didn’t think we’d be able to find this one tiny object among the mounds and mounds of leaves. Not only could I not believe that we had found it but I also couldn’t believe that we only went through two barrels of leaves to find it. The sense of relief rushed over me. I felt like all was well again with the world. I told Holly to hold on to the ring because I didn’t trust myself to even hold it let alone put it back on my finger. Soon the ring will be resized and all will be well. A tremendous weight has been lifted.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Derailing Trains
I stood there steadfast and true on the railroad tracks of life. We met face to face two trains about to collide. She could have mowed, plowed or ran me over but I didn’t care. It didn’t matter, I had nothing to lose. I stood there with determination. Her train was barreling through life. She was never prepared for what lay ahead. When we meet this time she derailed instantly. She had no idea how to pick up the pieces let alone put them together. At that point I realized I was no longer a mere mortal. I had stopped a train. I felt alive for the first time in my life.
“Do you hate me?” She staggered and stammered through the conversation.
I had been grinning since our eyes meet, “No.”
She made excuses for her actions, things that should have been left unsaid. The excuses didn’t matter to me, the past didn’t matter. I hoped for a better future but her body language told me there was someone else. Her conversation stumbled. She couldn’t look at me for very long before looking away. I stood there relaxed yet poised, ever smiling. She knew how I felt and I could now know how she felt. I hadn’t known before this moment. It had previously been left unfinished. I needed closure. I needed to know for sure that there was nothing else I could do. I had made it very clear how I felt.
“I’m surprised you’re here.”
“I wanted to come.”
She directed the conversation. I felt no responsibility in that. I was holding out my heart and she knew that. The words that I spoke meant nothing. I was speaking a different language. I was hoping that she would respond in kind but didn’t.
“Who are you here with?”
“Some friends,” I described their relationships to me. Who I was with didn’t matter. Would she join us later that evening? That is what I wanted to know.
“Are you going to be here for awhile?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll stop by your table in a little while.”
The ball was in her court and it was her choice if she wanted to hit it back. I was proud of myself as I turned and walked away. The stone had been scribed. The connection that was there the last time we meet wasn’t there. She struggled to make the connection and fell short. My bridge had crossed the river and she failed to even swim half way. She was scrambling to try and cross the bridge but the road blocks had been already put into place. Before she knew it the river had gotten wider and the bridge that I had built no longer reached the other side. Her bridge was destroyed before it was ever created. She looked across the river wondering if she had made a mistake. The thought quickly passed. On with her life she went and never thought twice.
“Do you hate me?” She staggered and stammered through the conversation.
I had been grinning since our eyes meet, “No.”
She made excuses for her actions, things that should have been left unsaid. The excuses didn’t matter to me, the past didn’t matter. I hoped for a better future but her body language told me there was someone else. Her conversation stumbled. She couldn’t look at me for very long before looking away. I stood there relaxed yet poised, ever smiling. She knew how I felt and I could now know how she felt. I hadn’t known before this moment. It had previously been left unfinished. I needed closure. I needed to know for sure that there was nothing else I could do. I had made it very clear how I felt.
“I’m surprised you’re here.”
“I wanted to come.”
She directed the conversation. I felt no responsibility in that. I was holding out my heart and she knew that. The words that I spoke meant nothing. I was speaking a different language. I was hoping that she would respond in kind but didn’t.
“Who are you here with?”
“Some friends,” I described their relationships to me. Who I was with didn’t matter. Would she join us later that evening? That is what I wanted to know.
“Are you going to be here for awhile?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll stop by your table in a little while.”
The ball was in her court and it was her choice if she wanted to hit it back. I was proud of myself as I turned and walked away. The stone had been scribed. The connection that was there the last time we meet wasn’t there. She struggled to make the connection and fell short. My bridge had crossed the river and she failed to even swim half way. She was scrambling to try and cross the bridge but the road blocks had been already put into place. Before she knew it the river had gotten wider and the bridge that I had built no longer reached the other side. Her bridge was destroyed before it was ever created. She looked across the river wondering if she had made a mistake. The thought quickly passed. On with her life she went and never thought twice.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Election Day
Voting for a politician is like choosing between two devils, you are just not quite sure which is slightly less evil.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Toothpaste Theory
Ahhh, a brand new tube of toothpaste. There is so much toothpaste in the tube, plenty of toothpaste to go around. You apply a generous application of toothpaste to your toothbrush without a care in the world. For months you enjoy generous helpings of toothpaste but after some time goes by, the amount of toothpaste in the tube begins to dwindle. The tube becomes harder and harder to squeeze. Your toothbrush gets less and less toothpaste each time you brush. Then the day comes when you squeeze so hard that your fingers hurt just to get a dribble smear onto the toothbrush before your throw the tube away.
Fossil fuels are a tube of toothpaste. At first large quantities of oil were found but as time goes by we are finding less and less oil. Pretty soon we’ll be squeezing the end of the tube hoping to get just a little bit more before the tube is empty. The fossil fuel tube is going to hurt more than just our fingers. It’s time for us to start thinking about switching to a different brand of toothpaste, one with a much larger tube.
Fossil fuels are a tube of toothpaste. At first large quantities of oil were found but as time goes by we are finding less and less oil. Pretty soon we’ll be squeezing the end of the tube hoping to get just a little bit more before the tube is empty. The fossil fuel tube is going to hurt more than just our fingers. It’s time for us to start thinking about switching to a different brand of toothpaste, one with a much larger tube.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Being a Teacher
Being a teacher is like being a waiter at a restaurant where the customers keep coming back for forty-five minutes every week day even though they hate the food and the service. Finally, after about nine months of complaining they stop coming to the restaurant. After a couple of months the customers come back to the restaurant and they get a new waiter. In the meantime, the original waiter gets a whole new set of customers who also hate the food and the service and the entire process continues on for many years.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Anthony the Ant Becomes Human (except 2)
Anthony and the other ants marched their way back to the pantry. Anthony couldn’t help but have an eerie feeling. He didn’t realize until now how dangerous it was stealing from the humans. When Anthony got to the pantry he became extremely nervous. He felt like at any moment the door would fly open and he would be the next to be squashed.
The box that they had been taking food from was gone. The recon team had tapped into another box and the ants started taking food from there.
There was also this black disk structure with a dome over it. Anthony saw a couple of ants go inside and when they came out they whispered, “Hey. There’s food in here.”
One of the members of the recon team came down from his post to check the quality of the food. Before the recon team member got there a few more ants went inside the dome. When the recon member saw that the ants had chunks of blue material his eyes got wide.
“Drop the food,” he said firmly. The ants that had gone inside looked at each other in amazement. The recon member went on, “Drop the food. Do it now. It’s poison!”
The ants quickly dropped the blue substance and they all got extremely scared.
“Oh my gosh,” one ant said.
“What’s going to happen,” another ant questioned.
“Are we going to die,” one ant said as he began to panic.
The recon member motioned to the rest of the recon team to come down. In the mean time he pointed at the rest of the ants. “You ants, outta here,” and he pointed to the crack in the wall.
Anthony and the other ants left and waited on the other side of the wall. One recon member came and guarded the entrance so no other ants could get in or out. Anthony wondered what was going on inside the pantry. Were those ants going to die? After a few minutes of waiting the recon guard told the ants what was going on.
“Alright everyone, listen up. The ants were taken to a quarantined area. It will be a little while before we know their prognosis. The area is now safe to return to. Be advised: Stay far away from black domes and blue food. It typically means poison.”
The ants were allowed back in but tensions were high. This was two days in a row with casualties and injuries. Anthony was truly getting terrified now.
The box that they had been taking food from was gone. The recon team had tapped into another box and the ants started taking food from there.
There was also this black disk structure with a dome over it. Anthony saw a couple of ants go inside and when they came out they whispered, “Hey. There’s food in here.”
One of the members of the recon team came down from his post to check the quality of the food. Before the recon team member got there a few more ants went inside the dome. When the recon member saw that the ants had chunks of blue material his eyes got wide.
“Drop the food,” he said firmly. The ants that had gone inside looked at each other in amazement. The recon member went on, “Drop the food. Do it now. It’s poison!”
The ants quickly dropped the blue substance and they all got extremely scared.
“Oh my gosh,” one ant said.
“What’s going to happen,” another ant questioned.
“Are we going to die,” one ant said as he began to panic.
The recon member motioned to the rest of the recon team to come down. In the mean time he pointed at the rest of the ants. “You ants, outta here,” and he pointed to the crack in the wall.
Anthony and the other ants left and waited on the other side of the wall. One recon member came and guarded the entrance so no other ants could get in or out. Anthony wondered what was going on inside the pantry. Were those ants going to die? After a few minutes of waiting the recon guard told the ants what was going on.
“Alright everyone, listen up. The ants were taken to a quarantined area. It will be a little while before we know their prognosis. The area is now safe to return to. Be advised: Stay far away from black domes and blue food. It typically means poison.”
The ants were allowed back in but tensions were high. This was two days in a row with casualties and injuries. Anthony was truly getting terrified now.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Jose and Amanda's Wedding
Jose and Amanda were married on June 20th and by June 21st they were already in the process of getting a divorce. Jose was caught with a half naked waitress in a janitor’s closet at the wedding reception before the sun even went down. Amanda had always thought that Jose’s flirting with other women was harmless. Come to find out it wasn’t and Jose was marring her simply because he thought with her he could get away with the infidelity. Apparently in previous relationships he wasn’t that good at being discrete.
Needless to say Amanda was a bit naive. Jose’s late nights with the guys really weren’t with the guys. Jose was with a variety of women while he was with Amanda. There was Rebecca who was a nurse for his grandmother when she was on her death bed. Cindy was a woman he meet while servicing her internet. Jose is a technician for Comcast. Bethany was Jose’s massage therapist. Emily was a bartender just a half mile from where Jose and Amanda lived.
Jose had a fearless attitude toward cheating. He really felt no guilt at all. To him it was a challenge. He thrived off of it. The day after the wedding Amanda, her family and close friends were throwing everything of Jose’s out into the street from the second floor apartment that was once theirs. Jose stood out on the street next to his 2004 Honda Accord. Jose had a zero expression on his face as his stuff flew down from the balcony. Jose would casually pick up the various personal items that had been strewn about the lawn. He was careful to look out for things coming from the balcony so he wouldn’t get hit. At one point while placing his items in the trunk of his car, his fifty inch plasma television flew out and smashed onto the ground. There was a small flinch and slight ‘oh’ face when it hit the ground. That was about the only tidbit of regret he felt.
Amanda came out to the balcony every once in awhile to scream, “Asshole,” or “Bastard!” Jose never responded.
After an hour or so the personal items stopped coming and Jose felt it was about time to be on his way. There was a woman he met at the supermarket when she was buying prime rib for her husband birthday. April and Jose had plans to meet later that evening.
The worst part of all this wasn’t Jose’s infidelity; it was that Jose was killing probably hundreds of people by this point. You see, Jose was HIV positive. He had contracted the virus about a year and a half ago. He had slept with dozens of women since then and those women had slept with other people afterwards. It was a horrible vicious domino effect that was bound to go on for some time before anyone would find out. If only Jose knew what how much physical and emotional pain he would be causing to all those people. If he knew he would definitely stop these horrible acts and finally show emotion for the pain and suffering that he caused. The shear magnitude he would never realize, only fathom. If only he would realize before it gets any worse.
Needless to say Amanda was a bit naive. Jose’s late nights with the guys really weren’t with the guys. Jose was with a variety of women while he was with Amanda. There was Rebecca who was a nurse for his grandmother when she was on her death bed. Cindy was a woman he meet while servicing her internet. Jose is a technician for Comcast. Bethany was Jose’s massage therapist. Emily was a bartender just a half mile from where Jose and Amanda lived.
Jose had a fearless attitude toward cheating. He really felt no guilt at all. To him it was a challenge. He thrived off of it. The day after the wedding Amanda, her family and close friends were throwing everything of Jose’s out into the street from the second floor apartment that was once theirs. Jose stood out on the street next to his 2004 Honda Accord. Jose had a zero expression on his face as his stuff flew down from the balcony. Jose would casually pick up the various personal items that had been strewn about the lawn. He was careful to look out for things coming from the balcony so he wouldn’t get hit. At one point while placing his items in the trunk of his car, his fifty inch plasma television flew out and smashed onto the ground. There was a small flinch and slight ‘oh’ face when it hit the ground. That was about the only tidbit of regret he felt.
Amanda came out to the balcony every once in awhile to scream, “Asshole,” or “Bastard!” Jose never responded.
After an hour or so the personal items stopped coming and Jose felt it was about time to be on his way. There was a woman he met at the supermarket when she was buying prime rib for her husband birthday. April and Jose had plans to meet later that evening.
The worst part of all this wasn’t Jose’s infidelity; it was that Jose was killing probably hundreds of people by this point. You see, Jose was HIV positive. He had contracted the virus about a year and a half ago. He had slept with dozens of women since then and those women had slept with other people afterwards. It was a horrible vicious domino effect that was bound to go on for some time before anyone would find out. If only Jose knew what how much physical and emotional pain he would be causing to all those people. If he knew he would definitely stop these horrible acts and finally show emotion for the pain and suffering that he caused. The shear magnitude he would never realize, only fathom. If only he would realize before it gets any worse.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Derek's Lincoln Logs
The first thing everyone notices about Derek is his large smile, a smile so big that it makes his eyes squint. There is a gap in his front baby teeth that remind you of every 1st grader who ever lost a front tooth. Nothing makes Derek happier than building with his Lincoln Logs. Watching him build a house out of the logs with his prize winning smile, as it stretches from ear to ear would cause anyone to smile.
He carefully stacks the logs on top of one another slowly creating a house with windows, doors, a garage, and a roof. He even goes as far as putting matchbox cars inside the garage and trees in the yard. Derek will dump out the entire Lincoln Logs container just to find the right size log for his masterpiece. Derek is definitely short for his age which can plainly be seen when he stands up next to the large cylinder container in which the Lincoln logs came from. The container is half his height. His brown hair is so perfectly combed to one side resembling the classic little boy haircut with ears jutting out to each side. He wears a Yankees Derek Jeter shirt with grey shorts and dirty red Crocs that look like they have walked several thousand miles. Each Croc has 3 Jibbitz representing a race car, school bus and of course the Yankees emblem.
Derek’s uniqueness shines through his glistening big brown eyes. What Derek lacks in size he makes up in heart. He can give you a hug that only a 6 foot man could give. Whenever I see him no matter what he is doing or where he is, he will freeze and race up to me and give me this overpowering bear hug. That’s right; he’ll even stop building with his logs for a few moments just to give me a hug. He is such a kind, gentle and mature soul at just the young age of six.
He carefully stacks the logs on top of one another slowly creating a house with windows, doors, a garage, and a roof. He even goes as far as putting matchbox cars inside the garage and trees in the yard. Derek will dump out the entire Lincoln Logs container just to find the right size log for his masterpiece. Derek is definitely short for his age which can plainly be seen when he stands up next to the large cylinder container in which the Lincoln logs came from. The container is half his height. His brown hair is so perfectly combed to one side resembling the classic little boy haircut with ears jutting out to each side. He wears a Yankees Derek Jeter shirt with grey shorts and dirty red Crocs that look like they have walked several thousand miles. Each Croc has 3 Jibbitz representing a race car, school bus and of course the Yankees emblem.
Derek’s uniqueness shines through his glistening big brown eyes. What Derek lacks in size he makes up in heart. He can give you a hug that only a 6 foot man could give. Whenever I see him no matter what he is doing or where he is, he will freeze and race up to me and give me this overpowering bear hug. That’s right; he’ll even stop building with his logs for a few moments just to give me a hug. He is such a kind, gentle and mature soul at just the young age of six.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Adult Trap
You know you’re an adult when you ask for a wheel barrel for your birthday and for Christmas, a six foot ladder. I can remember the days of buying a 12 pack and being perfectly content on a Saturday. Now, I’m going to the store to buy an extension cord so I can trim the hedges. I recall the days of going out to the bar at 10 P.M. and getting to be bed sometime after 2 A.M. Now, I am in bed by 10 P.M. and up at 6 A.M. ready to mow the lawn and organize the basement. To top it all off I’m not even 30.
I see adolescents wishing they could at least be a little older than they are – but not quite as old as I am. And by golly gee, if I could somehow convince them to stop, to take every moment in and not have responsibilities, I would. But I guess it is just that natural tendency for adolescents to push to get older, push for freedom. But I’ll tell you I have never been freer than when I was a kid.
We get tricked into adulthood. Somewhere along our way from adolescence we go from wanting an electric guitar to adulthood when we now somehow want a snow blower. And we hope that this snow blower will make our lives easier but somehow the damn thing always breaks and makes more work for us.
And even though this sudden realization that adult life has arrived can be a little bit of a downer, it is still calming to know that I am thankful for all the years that I have lived and enjoyed. And even though the dizzying blurred whirlwind of my twenties is rapidly dwindling, I have learned now more than ever to pause whenever possible to soak up the wonderful experiences throughout my life and hold them for times when the maddening adulthood side of life like the work week takes hold. I keep in the back of my mind that life is a mixture of joy and pain. We can even go as far as saying that life can’t have joy without pain. And if that’s the case, bring on the pain. I will grin and bear it until the tables turn to bliss.
Life is a journey. Each step is uncharted territory and I am going to enjoy each step as it comes.
I see adolescents wishing they could at least be a little older than they are – but not quite as old as I am. And by golly gee, if I could somehow convince them to stop, to take every moment in and not have responsibilities, I would. But I guess it is just that natural tendency for adolescents to push to get older, push for freedom. But I’ll tell you I have never been freer than when I was a kid.
We get tricked into adulthood. Somewhere along our way from adolescence we go from wanting an electric guitar to adulthood when we now somehow want a snow blower. And we hope that this snow blower will make our lives easier but somehow the damn thing always breaks and makes more work for us.
And even though this sudden realization that adult life has arrived can be a little bit of a downer, it is still calming to know that I am thankful for all the years that I have lived and enjoyed. And even though the dizzying blurred whirlwind of my twenties is rapidly dwindling, I have learned now more than ever to pause whenever possible to soak up the wonderful experiences throughout my life and hold them for times when the maddening adulthood side of life like the work week takes hold. I keep in the back of my mind that life is a mixture of joy and pain. We can even go as far as saying that life can’t have joy without pain. And if that’s the case, bring on the pain. I will grin and bear it until the tables turn to bliss.
Life is a journey. Each step is uncharted territory and I am going to enjoy each step as it comes.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Eliot (Ellie) the Russian Tortoise gets Parasites
(Written from my wife's point of view)
You would think that it would be easy having a Russian tortoise as a pet. Sure it has been easy for my husband and I over the past six years that we have had our tortoise. Our tortoise, Eliot is confined to a large Rubbermaid container, approximately four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet tall, with four inches of dirt and wood chips. The container is right in front of a window, providing some natural light and ultra-violet radiation. The container rests on top of a stand that my husband made.
We have a 100 watt heat lamp which also provides the ultra-violet radiation that Eliot needs to stay health and strong. We also have a small 15 watt bulb on the other side of the container to provide a little extra light but also provide a cool area to escape the heat.
Eliot has a home which consists of a hollowed out log that is cut in half. I know that sounds complicated to make but it was easy to buy at the store. There is also a food dish and a water dish inside the Rubbermaid container. The water dish isn’t really for drinking, it’s more for soaking. Tortoises obtain the water they need by absorbing it through their skin and in the food they eat. Their diets are simple, broad leaf plants like romaine lettuce and dandelion greens. Occasionally, we sprinkle a little multi-vitamin dust on the food to insure Eliot gets the necessary vitamins.
Every once in awhile, we take Eliot into the backyard where we let him get some exercise by wondering around. We have to be careful that he doesn’t eat the grass because our lawn has fertilizers on it which can harm him. Of course, he is a tortoise and he doesn’t move very fast so my husband always has to make the same lame joke, “We have a Russian tortoise… but he’s not rushin’ anywhere.” The joke is usually accompanied by a big smile a hand jester which consists of a fist swinging across the front of his body. Most people respond by laughing but it’s at his own expense. He still thinks people are laughing at the joke.
This past summer my husband brought Eliot to the vet where he found out two things about Eliot; that Eliot was not a he but a she and that Eliot, now Ellie, has parasites. My husband was more distraught over the fact that his little buddy, his little boy, was now a girl! You would have thought that my husband was the one with the gender confusion. I can recall him calling one his friends and telling the story about how his tortoise is now a girl, and oh, by the way, now has parasites.
Solving the problem of the gender confusion was easy for Ellie. I’m sure she didn’t know the difference. Solving the parasite problem on the other hand took some persuading. Ellie had to receive three shots of medicine orally. Luckily, the first shot was given at the vet, which my husband said took three people, a spatula, and ten minutes to get into Ellie’s mouth.
The second shot was given a week later. My husband and I made an attempt that lasted about an hour before we gave up. My husband then drove forty-five minutes to the vet where it took them, once again, ten minutes to give Ellie the medicine and upon completion he then had to drive forty-five more minutes back home.
A week later my husband was so absolutely determined not to drive an hour and a half for the vet to spend ten minutes giving Ellie the medicine. After an hour of us holding her shell, keeping her legs back, keeping her head from scrunching back into her shell, and wedging a spatula in her tiny mouth, we were able to squirt the tiny bit of medicine in her mouth. Who ever thought that a tiny animal six inches in diameter could be so darn strong and stubborn? Maybe we need to cut back on the ultra-violet radiation.
You would think that it would be easy having a Russian tortoise as a pet. Sure it has been easy for my husband and I over the past six years that we have had our tortoise. Our tortoise, Eliot is confined to a large Rubbermaid container, approximately four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet tall, with four inches of dirt and wood chips. The container is right in front of a window, providing some natural light and ultra-violet radiation. The container rests on top of a stand that my husband made.
We have a 100 watt heat lamp which also provides the ultra-violet radiation that Eliot needs to stay health and strong. We also have a small 15 watt bulb on the other side of the container to provide a little extra light but also provide a cool area to escape the heat.
Eliot has a home which consists of a hollowed out log that is cut in half. I know that sounds complicated to make but it was easy to buy at the store. There is also a food dish and a water dish inside the Rubbermaid container. The water dish isn’t really for drinking, it’s more for soaking. Tortoises obtain the water they need by absorbing it through their skin and in the food they eat. Their diets are simple, broad leaf plants like romaine lettuce and dandelion greens. Occasionally, we sprinkle a little multi-vitamin dust on the food to insure Eliot gets the necessary vitamins.
Every once in awhile, we take Eliot into the backyard where we let him get some exercise by wondering around. We have to be careful that he doesn’t eat the grass because our lawn has fertilizers on it which can harm him. Of course, he is a tortoise and he doesn’t move very fast so my husband always has to make the same lame joke, “We have a Russian tortoise… but he’s not rushin’ anywhere.” The joke is usually accompanied by a big smile a hand jester which consists of a fist swinging across the front of his body. Most people respond by laughing but it’s at his own expense. He still thinks people are laughing at the joke.
This past summer my husband brought Eliot to the vet where he found out two things about Eliot; that Eliot was not a he but a she and that Eliot, now Ellie, has parasites. My husband was more distraught over the fact that his little buddy, his little boy, was now a girl! You would have thought that my husband was the one with the gender confusion. I can recall him calling one his friends and telling the story about how his tortoise is now a girl, and oh, by the way, now has parasites.
Solving the problem of the gender confusion was easy for Ellie. I’m sure she didn’t know the difference. Solving the parasite problem on the other hand took some persuading. Ellie had to receive three shots of medicine orally. Luckily, the first shot was given at the vet, which my husband said took three people, a spatula, and ten minutes to get into Ellie’s mouth.
The second shot was given a week later. My husband and I made an attempt that lasted about an hour before we gave up. My husband then drove forty-five minutes to the vet where it took them, once again, ten minutes to give Ellie the medicine and upon completion he then had to drive forty-five more minutes back home.
A week later my husband was so absolutely determined not to drive an hour and a half for the vet to spend ten minutes giving Ellie the medicine. After an hour of us holding her shell, keeping her legs back, keeping her head from scrunching back into her shell, and wedging a spatula in her tiny mouth, we were able to squirt the tiny bit of medicine in her mouth. Who ever thought that a tiny animal six inches in diameter could be so darn strong and stubborn? Maybe we need to cut back on the ultra-violet radiation.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Ashes
Tail is wagging
Mouth is grinning
Collar is red
Hair is whiter
............Many black spots
Hips are thinning
Trouble walking
Trouble sitting
Can’t get comfy
............She is fourteen
Heart is racing
Breath is heavy
Can't fall asleep
Bones protruding
............She’s not eating
Nose is wetter
Eyes are cloudy
Time is coming
Sooner than late
............Tears fill my eyes
Mouth is grinning
Collar is red
Hair is whiter
............Many black spots
Hips are thinning
Trouble walking
Trouble sitting
Can’t get comfy
............She is fourteen
Heart is racing
Breath is heavy
Can't fall asleep
Bones protruding
............She’s not eating
Nose is wetter
Eyes are cloudy
Time is coming
Sooner than late
............Tears fill my eyes
Ashes - Part 2
The call came in
The time had come
Emergency
We’ll wait for you
............Lump in my throat
Tail still wagging
Mouth still grinning
Trouble breathing
Carry her in
............Spirit alive
Tail stops wagging
She is nervous
Wants to get out
She won’t sit down
............Can’t get comfy
Pink injection
She fell asleep
Burst out crying
No more Ashes
............We will miss her
The time had come
Emergency
We’ll wait for you
............Lump in my throat
Tail still wagging
Mouth still grinning
Trouble breathing
Carry her in
............Spirit alive
Tail stops wagging
She is nervous
Wants to get out
She won’t sit down
............Can’t get comfy
Pink injection
She fell asleep
Burst out crying
No more Ashes
............We will miss her
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Passwords
Does anybody else think that computer passwords have gotten a little out of hand? About a year a go I decided to do all of my banking online. I signed up for online statements with banks, credit cards, student loans and my cell phone. Now, each one of these accounts has a different log-in name and password. I would have loved to use one log-in name and password so it would be easy to remember. That is not the case. Each company had a specific requirement for the log-in name and password and I’m taking about requirements way beyond adding a number at the end or a capital letter in the beginning.
No, some of these companies wanted special characters, while other companies wouldn’t allow them. The number of characters varied as well, some companies required no more than 7, while others required 6-10. Not to mention the companies that require a user to change the password every 30 days, and other companies that require a change every three months. It seems like every time I log on, I have to change the password for some account. At one point in time I counted 16 different companies, 11 different log-in names, and 10 different passwords and the list keeps growing.
Just the other day I was ordering pictures online through Walmart and I had to create a username and password. This very blog requires a username and password. It seems like I can’t do anything online without having to create a log-in name and password.
It got to the point where I would have log-in failures because I couldn’t remember my log-in name or password. How bad is that? I can’t even access my own account. I guess that is just really good security?
Trying to remember passwords and usernames got so bad that a few months ago I created a word document with all the companies, log-in names and passwords just so I wouldn’t have to try and remember it all. Think about it. I couldn’t remember my passwords so I had to put them down in writing. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a password? Now, if anyone saw this document with all the company names, passwords and such, they could have the account information of every single account that I have. How scary is that? What good is a password if I can’t even remember it?
No, some of these companies wanted special characters, while other companies wouldn’t allow them. The number of characters varied as well, some companies required no more than 7, while others required 6-10. Not to mention the companies that require a user to change the password every 30 days, and other companies that require a change every three months. It seems like every time I log on, I have to change the password for some account. At one point in time I counted 16 different companies, 11 different log-in names, and 10 different passwords and the list keeps growing.
Just the other day I was ordering pictures online through Walmart and I had to create a username and password. This very blog requires a username and password. It seems like I can’t do anything online without having to create a log-in name and password.
It got to the point where I would have log-in failures because I couldn’t remember my log-in name or password. How bad is that? I can’t even access my own account. I guess that is just really good security?
Trying to remember passwords and usernames got so bad that a few months ago I created a word document with all the companies, log-in names and passwords just so I wouldn’t have to try and remember it all. Think about it. I couldn’t remember my passwords so I had to put them down in writing. Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a password? Now, if anyone saw this document with all the company names, passwords and such, they could have the account information of every single account that I have. How scary is that? What good is a password if I can’t even remember it?
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Leaving Late at Night
It seems like every time we have people leaving our house after dark they flip the light switch up and down in an attempt to turn on the lights outside. This act actually makes the lights not work because, little do they know, the lights are on a motion sensor. For them I write this:
When leaving late at night
And in need of light
Just walk right out
And you’ll see about
When leaving late at night
And in need of light
Just walk right out
And you’ll see about
Sunday, August 15, 2010
An excerpt from: Anthony The Ant Becomes Human
At 5 A.M. the army horn sounded. Everyone woke and stood at attention except for Anthony. Anthony laid there sleeping while his comrades stood waiting for their orders. Trevor stood next to Anthony and nudged him trying to wake him. Anthony suddenly realized what was going on and he began to stand up. All of the army ants could see what was happening including one of the generals. The general approached Anthony and proceeded to scream at him.
“What is your problem solider?” The general screamed.
Anthony’s head was pounding and he could barely keep his eyes open. Anthony said quietly, “I don’t feel very good.”
“What did you say solider?” the general screamed.
Anthony spoke up, “I don’t feel very good, sir.
“You don’t feel very good?” the general yelled. “You don’t feel very good?” he repeated. “This is war solider. We don’t stop because we don’t feel very good. Report to me after today’s announcement.”
“Yes, sir.” Anthony responded.
The army ants all standing at attention were silent. They didn’t dare say a word or even look in the general’s direction. The commander-in-chief gave his morning speech:
“Attention soldiers. We have 250 troops arriving later today. We will continue to enlarge our base and continue to stock our food supply. Over the next two days we should have an army of 1,000 ants. We will then set up a base inside enemy territory. Once established we will begin our sneak attack on the humans food supply. Soldiers, move out!”
All the ants moved fast. As Trevor was leaving he leaned over to Anthony and said, “Sorry, Ant.” Anthony stood straight ahead and wondered what was in store for him. Once everyone had left the chamber the general approached him.
“Soldier, can you tell me why you don’t feel very good?” the general said with a stern voice.
“Sir, I drank honey last night.” Anthony said sheepishly.
The general became angry, “YOU DID WHAT!? Do you understand that honey is strictly forbidden inside the military?”
“I do now, sir.” said Anthony.
“Where did you get the honey from, soldier?” the general said with a disgusted tone.
Anthony thought for a moment. If he told the general where he got it from then the other ants would get in trouble and he didn’t want that to happen. “Soldier, I asked you a question!” the general shouted.
Anthony came up with a lie, “I found it hidden in the food supply.”
The general didn’t like Anthony’s answer. “Hidden in the food supply? You had better be telling the truth. If I find out you’re lying, you soldier, will be court-martialed.” Anthony trembled at the thought of being court-martialed. That meant he would be kicked out of the army, he would lose his trust with the colony, and have to do the worst job in the entire colony; he would have to remove…ant waste from the toilet chambers.
The general continued, “Now for your punishment. You will be attending boot camp today. I’m sure all the physical activity will make you feel much better. Do you understand, soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” Anthony said quietly.
The general shouted louder than ever, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU, SOLIDER! I SAID, ‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND!’”
Anthony mustered up his strength and yelled as loud as he could, “YES, SIR!”
“What is your problem solider?” The general screamed.
Anthony’s head was pounding and he could barely keep his eyes open. Anthony said quietly, “I don’t feel very good.”
“What did you say solider?” the general screamed.
Anthony spoke up, “I don’t feel very good, sir.
“You don’t feel very good?” the general yelled. “You don’t feel very good?” he repeated. “This is war solider. We don’t stop because we don’t feel very good. Report to me after today’s announcement.”
“Yes, sir.” Anthony responded.
The army ants all standing at attention were silent. They didn’t dare say a word or even look in the general’s direction. The commander-in-chief gave his morning speech:
“Attention soldiers. We have 250 troops arriving later today. We will continue to enlarge our base and continue to stock our food supply. Over the next two days we should have an army of 1,000 ants. We will then set up a base inside enemy territory. Once established we will begin our sneak attack on the humans food supply. Soldiers, move out!”
All the ants moved fast. As Trevor was leaving he leaned over to Anthony and said, “Sorry, Ant.” Anthony stood straight ahead and wondered what was in store for him. Once everyone had left the chamber the general approached him.
“Soldier, can you tell me why you don’t feel very good?” the general said with a stern voice.
“Sir, I drank honey last night.” Anthony said sheepishly.
The general became angry, “YOU DID WHAT!? Do you understand that honey is strictly forbidden inside the military?”
“I do now, sir.” said Anthony.
“Where did you get the honey from, soldier?” the general said with a disgusted tone.
Anthony thought for a moment. If he told the general where he got it from then the other ants would get in trouble and he didn’t want that to happen. “Soldier, I asked you a question!” the general shouted.
Anthony came up with a lie, “I found it hidden in the food supply.”
The general didn’t like Anthony’s answer. “Hidden in the food supply? You had better be telling the truth. If I find out you’re lying, you soldier, will be court-martialed.” Anthony trembled at the thought of being court-martialed. That meant he would be kicked out of the army, he would lose his trust with the colony, and have to do the worst job in the entire colony; he would have to remove…ant waste from the toilet chambers.
The general continued, “Now for your punishment. You will be attending boot camp today. I’m sure all the physical activity will make you feel much better. Do you understand, soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” Anthony said quietly.
The general shouted louder than ever, “I CAN’T HEAR YOU, SOLIDER! I SAID, ‘DO YOU UNDERSTAND!’”
Anthony mustered up his strength and yelled as loud as he could, “YES, SIR!”
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Oh, Those Many Have To Dos
Oh, those many have to dos make me frown
My Mom drags me all over town
First, for groceries at a supermarket store
And it was already a quarter to four
Then she made me get a haircut
All the way home I continued to moan
I ran to my room to use the phone
Mom said, “Set the table first.” I replied, “But…”
She nodded her head and refused to listen
I now had to wash the table until it would glisten
Finally, to my room I would go
But soon after, the dinner bell would blow
I quickly called Mike
Who had just finished a hike
But before I knew it
It was time to eat
Yuk, we were having a loaf of meat
During dinner all Mom wanted to know
“How was school today?”
And “What did you learn?”
I hoped the conversation would turn
Or I could eat in my room for just one day
Hopefully, the lawn didn’t need a mow
After dinner was what I would dread
Washing dishes and cleaning the table
Tomorrow in class we had to read a fable
Man, I had a scrambled head
Now it was homework time
I was board out of my mind
All these math facts I couldn’t find
Writing poems with words I couldn’t rhyme
Not even a minute break
And it was almost time for bed
Now I had to shower and brush teeth
Tomorrow morning a bed to make
And dishes to wash after I was fed
I want to fly high with the world beneath
Another school day
Thank goodness it was Friday
Oh darn, a writing test
Oh, how I would contest
Another new math fact
I felt like my head was already compact
How I wished for summer to come
When all I have to do is be a bum
Somehow I made it to recess
The end of school was an hour or less
Running, jumping and twirling, oh yes!
Look at that mess
A girl with ketchup on her dress
While counting down until the end of school
A test was passed back with an “A” on top
I was so shocked that my eyes did a pop
I guess I can write with this pencil tool
As I left that day
My teacher just had to say
My hard work will definitely pay
So keep up the good work
I hoped no one would call me a dork
I walked slowly out of the classroom
Just as the girl with the ketchup dress
Walked out of the girls bathroom
She said, “I must confess
I really like your haircut”
All I could mutter was “uht”
She smiled and skipped away
I think her name is May
She was kind of cute
And my heart gave a little toot
When I got home my head was spinning
I told my Mom about the test and the girl
She was happy and gave me more good news
We would go to the beach at my Aunt Sue’s
I dropped my bag and started to twirl
All I had to do was finish my room cleaning
Because of all the hard work I had done
We could spend the weekend there
I could bring a friend too to have fun
I gave her a big hug like a bear
It turns out hard work does pay
It just may not seem like it at the time
All day on the beach I would lay
And all the jetties I would climb
But I couldn’t help but think
About the cute girl named May
Ketchup stain or not
I wondered what I would say
So nervous my stomach would sink
It’s amazing how an annoying haircut
And a girl would make me such a nut
I guess haircuts aren’t so bad
And getting good grades makes me glad
Something I never thought I would say
I can’t wait for Monday
Just so I could see May
My Mom drags me all over town
First, for groceries at a supermarket store
And it was already a quarter to four
Then she made me get a haircut
All the way home I continued to moan
I ran to my room to use the phone
Mom said, “Set the table first.” I replied, “But…”
She nodded her head and refused to listen
I now had to wash the table until it would glisten
Finally, to my room I would go
But soon after, the dinner bell would blow
I quickly called Mike
Who had just finished a hike
But before I knew it
It was time to eat
Yuk, we were having a loaf of meat
During dinner all Mom wanted to know
“How was school today?”
And “What did you learn?”
I hoped the conversation would turn
Or I could eat in my room for just one day
Hopefully, the lawn didn’t need a mow
After dinner was what I would dread
Washing dishes and cleaning the table
Tomorrow in class we had to read a fable
Man, I had a scrambled head
Now it was homework time
I was board out of my mind
All these math facts I couldn’t find
Writing poems with words I couldn’t rhyme
Not even a minute break
And it was almost time for bed
Now I had to shower and brush teeth
Tomorrow morning a bed to make
And dishes to wash after I was fed
I want to fly high with the world beneath
Another school day
Thank goodness it was Friday
Oh darn, a writing test
Oh, how I would contest
Another new math fact
I felt like my head was already compact
How I wished for summer to come
When all I have to do is be a bum
Somehow I made it to recess
The end of school was an hour or less
Running, jumping and twirling, oh yes!
Look at that mess
A girl with ketchup on her dress
While counting down until the end of school
A test was passed back with an “A” on top
I was so shocked that my eyes did a pop
I guess I can write with this pencil tool
As I left that day
My teacher just had to say
My hard work will definitely pay
So keep up the good work
I hoped no one would call me a dork
I walked slowly out of the classroom
Just as the girl with the ketchup dress
Walked out of the girls bathroom
She said, “I must confess
I really like your haircut”
All I could mutter was “uht”
She smiled and skipped away
I think her name is May
She was kind of cute
And my heart gave a little toot
When I got home my head was spinning
I told my Mom about the test and the girl
She was happy and gave me more good news
We would go to the beach at my Aunt Sue’s
I dropped my bag and started to twirl
All I had to do was finish my room cleaning
Because of all the hard work I had done
We could spend the weekend there
I could bring a friend too to have fun
I gave her a big hug like a bear
It turns out hard work does pay
It just may not seem like it at the time
All day on the beach I would lay
And all the jetties I would climb
But I couldn’t help but think
About the cute girl named May
Ketchup stain or not
I wondered what I would say
So nervous my stomach would sink
It’s amazing how an annoying haircut
And a girl would make me such a nut
I guess haircuts aren’t so bad
And getting good grades makes me glad
Something I never thought I would say
I can’t wait for Monday
Just so I could see May
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Writing Words
Just about everyone who has written words in English has written what I have written. The only difference between me and everyone else is the order of the words.
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