We made no hesitation about grabbing our belongings and leaving. In the lobby Bimba was checking us out and Nimalah was taking our bags and loading them into the back of the vehicle. Bimba approached and said that we owed 8 Yuan for the water we drank in the room. Holly and I felt that after the fiasco that we just went through with the door the hotel should be willing to waive the fee and we told Bimba that. I mean think about it. The hotel management wasn’t able to get our bags back. Without Bimba’s brave shenanigans our bags would still be locked inside the room. Why should we pay for water when they couldn’t even unlock our door?
We walked with Bimba to the front desk and he explained, we hoped, in Tibetan, what we had just conveyed to him. After a spitter-spatter of words that we couldn’t understand from Bimba there was a slight pause and following was a line of staff all saying ‘sorry.’
Our faces lit up. Apparently, it was that easy. No arguing. No second-guessing. The hotel staff apologized and we were on our way to the airport. Another guide joined us on the journey to the airport. Nimalah was picking up another group at the airport so the guide that he would be working with came along.
At the airport Bimba and Nimalah helped us with our baggage and got us checked in. Then we said our goodbyes and passed over our tip money for them, 500 Yuan (about $75) for Nimalah and 600 for Bimba. Bimba got a little extra because he dangled on the side of the hotel four floors above the ground.
We spent some uneventful time at the airport and then flew to Chengdu where we had an hour layover before flying to Beijing. By the time we reached Beijing it was after 11:00 at night. We were hoping to see some indication that a shuttle was waiting to take us to our hotel but no such luck. Holly had emailed our Beijing hotel while in Tibet and asked them if they would pick us up but we didn’t receive a response in time. Regretfully, we would take a taxi and furthermore, we would be waiting in line for awhile before getting one.
When it was finally our turn we hopped into a taxi and showed him the address. He looked confused, he called the number on the paper, he showed the paper to another man, he called again, he put his flashers on, got out of the car, and showed the paper to someone else. Putting these events together we concluded that our driver had no idea where our hotel was. Another taxi cab driver approached our vehicle that could speak English. He told us that he would bring us because he knew where the hotel was. We were a little nervous about this. Something just didn’t feel right about it. We realized that the drivers wanted to switch patrons and we reluctantly switched. We heaved our bags out of one trunk and into another. When we sat down in the back of the next cab we checked the meter and it said 11.00. Wondering why it already said 11.00 Yuan, we asked him to reset it. After unsuccessfully trying to explain to us why the meter already said 11.00 he refused to reset it. That was enough grounds for us to leave to taxi. We told him to open the trunk. He became very agitated and an argument ensued. After some harsh words he reluctantly opened the trunk and we heaved our bags out of the trunk and walked away. The driver being very upset followed us. We walked right up to one of the airport attendants. The driver shouted and yelled at the attendant and when he was finished she looked at us very calmly and asked us in English what had happened. We explained and she said that we could get another taxi. Our former driver went on to take another patron and we heaved our bags into yet another trunk.
We gave our hotel booking slip to the driver. He looked at the address, he looked at the phone number, he called, he hung up, he called again, and he shrugged his shoulders. Based upon his body language we could tell he had no idea where to take us. So out of the taxi we went and heaved our luggage out of yet another trunk. We were very angry at this point. It was almost midnight and we had an early morning flight back to the states. All we wanted was for this night to end.
Another taxi driver saw our agitation and he said questioningly in English, “Taxi?” We rambled on about how he would be the fourth taxi and did he think he could really bring us to our hotel. After three other taxi’s we had our doubts. He assured us that he could so in our bags went into the trunk and into the back seat we went. Now, we were finally leaving the airport. We were amazed. We thought for a second we might actually make it to our hotel. Quickly, our hopes and dreams of a good night sleep came crashing down. The meter on the dashboard said 0.00. I asked him to turn on the meter and he refused. I told him to turn on the meter and he said, “No meter, 70 Yuan.” I knew that was too much so I told him we didn’t have that money and to put the meter on. What he was trying to do was make us pay more than what the ride would really cost. An argument ensued and I yelled for him to pull over and let us out. Thankfully he pulled over and now we yelled for him to open the trunk. He yelled, “You pay me!” We yelled back, “No! The meter says zero.” He angrily got out of the car and we did as well. He opened the trunk and we quickly grabbed our things. After some more harsh words, the taxi cab sped away and we were left standing on the side of the road in Beijing at midnight.
There wasn’t much we could do not to panic. There were some buses pulled over on the side of the road so we went for them. The drivers inside were trying to sleep and we tried to ask one for help but he waved his head and hands in a manner that said, ‘no.’ It was then we stopped and looked at each other. I said, “Alright let’s think about this for a moment. What are our options?” Holly had a plan. “Let’s walk back to the airport. Stay there tonight and catch our flight tomorrow morning.” I thought it was a great idea. I pretty much had no clue as to how to handle the situation. We began the walk back to the airport. We realized that a five minute drive turns out to be a long walk especially when carrying forty pounds on your back. Walking the streets of a far away country at midnight didn’t help our nerves either.
To Be Continued Next Week
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Last 24 Hours in China
It was the morning of August 10th. Holly and I had slept like rocks the night before. We had nothing planned in the morning and ended up sleeping in and simply relaxing. For fear of missing breakfast we got out of bed and headed downstairs to the dinning hall. Breakfast was pretty uneventful. After 19 days of almost the same thing for breakfast we were ready for a change.
Upon return to our room, we took showers, repacked our suitcases to insure our souvenirs were protected. We made an attempt at heading out to the markets but the moment we stepped out from the lobby we realized it was raining. With no interest in getting wet, we headed back to our room. We saw Bimba and Nimalah in the lobby. We were surprised to see them so early. It was 11o’clock and we weren’t due to see them until 12:30. When we reached our room and inserted the card into our door, the light on the doorknob turned red. After many attempts we were unsuccessful in entering our room. I know what you’re thinking we probably just weren’t using the card properly. I mean they are so finicky. We did, however, use the card to get into our room the night before multiple times without a problem and we had been at this hotel before for several nights and used the card without a problem.
The first thing that Holly thought was that the hotel discontinued access since we were checking out in an hour. We went to the lobby, inquired and they told us that the card was working. We took the elevator back up to the 4th floor and attempted our card again without any results. Getting angry at this point we marched back down to the lobby, using the elevator of course and explained to them once again that the card did not work. They told us they would send someone up.
Now, after multiple people and multiple cards and keys were attempted the door still remained locked with all of our luggage inside. I went downstairs and out to the street to go to an ATM so that I could tip our guide and driver, on my way out I saw Bimba again and I told him about the unopened door.
When I arrived back at the hotel a few minutes later Bimba and I went upstairs to check on the situation; still no progress. A man with a toolbox arrived and a locksmith was also called but Bimba decided to take matters into his own hands. There were a group of people all talking in Tibetan so we had no idea really what was going on. The management keyed into the rooms next to ours and they began to scope things out. Based on body language and a rope we realized that Bimba was going to try and exit out a window, remember now we’re on the 4th floor, and climb onto the windowsill and cross over to our room. We tried endlessly to deter Bimba from doing this but he moved fast and before we knew it he had popped in one room and out another; only he popped out the wrong room. Yes, that’s right he had gone out on to the windowsill four floors high and came back in the wrong room. Without skipping a beat he was back out on the windowsill and I watched backwards through the peephole of our room that he was entering our window from the outside. The door opened and there Bimba stood with a big grin on his face.
To Be Continued Next Week.
Upon return to our room, we took showers, repacked our suitcases to insure our souvenirs were protected. We made an attempt at heading out to the markets but the moment we stepped out from the lobby we realized it was raining. With no interest in getting wet, we headed back to our room. We saw Bimba and Nimalah in the lobby. We were surprised to see them so early. It was 11o’clock and we weren’t due to see them until 12:30. When we reached our room and inserted the card into our door, the light on the doorknob turned red. After many attempts we were unsuccessful in entering our room. I know what you’re thinking we probably just weren’t using the card properly. I mean they are so finicky. We did, however, use the card to get into our room the night before multiple times without a problem and we had been at this hotel before for several nights and used the card without a problem.
The first thing that Holly thought was that the hotel discontinued access since we were checking out in an hour. We went to the lobby, inquired and they told us that the card was working. We took the elevator back up to the 4th floor and attempted our card again without any results. Getting angry at this point we marched back down to the lobby, using the elevator of course and explained to them once again that the card did not work. They told us they would send someone up.
Now, after multiple people and multiple cards and keys were attempted the door still remained locked with all of our luggage inside. I went downstairs and out to the street to go to an ATM so that I could tip our guide and driver, on my way out I saw Bimba again and I told him about the unopened door.
When I arrived back at the hotel a few minutes later Bimba and I went upstairs to check on the situation; still no progress. A man with a toolbox arrived and a locksmith was also called but Bimba decided to take matters into his own hands. There were a group of people all talking in Tibetan so we had no idea really what was going on. The management keyed into the rooms next to ours and they began to scope things out. Based on body language and a rope we realized that Bimba was going to try and exit out a window, remember now we’re on the 4th floor, and climb onto the windowsill and cross over to our room. We tried endlessly to deter Bimba from doing this but he moved fast and before we knew it he had popped in one room and out another; only he popped out the wrong room. Yes, that’s right he had gone out on to the windowsill four floors high and came back in the wrong room. Without skipping a beat he was back out on the windowsill and I watched backwards through the peephole of our room that he was entering our window from the outside. The door opened and there Bimba stood with a big grin on his face.
To Be Continued Next Week.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Europe – Munchen, Germany
I decided I needed to chill out for a day so I went to a cigar shop and found out that they sold Cubans. I picked one up and headed for The English Gardens. At one of the entrances to the park there was a tunnel underneath the road. Water was gushing into the park from the tunnel and created a river that flowed through the park. Rapids formed right near the tunnel and people were surfing them. I sat down, smoked my cigar and watched for about an hour. Then I walked around the gardens. People were sunbathing, swimming in the river, walking, and cycling. Some people were even sunbathing in the nude. They were mostly old fat men though.
I headed back to the hostel after picking up some more Cuban cigars to bring back home. Back at the hostel I dosed off for a bit and then smoked another cigar. In the evening, my roommates and I headed out for the beer garden. Afterwards we went in search of a bar. After awhile of not finding one and getting poured on we finally found a bar which was having a Latino night. Latino night in Germany; never thought I would partake in something like that. We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
I headed back to the hostel after picking up some more Cuban cigars to bring back home. Back at the hostel I dosed off for a bit and then smoked another cigar. In the evening, my roommates and I headed out for the beer garden. Afterwards we went in search of a bar. After awhile of not finding one and getting poured on we finally found a bar which was having a Latino night. Latino night in Germany; never thought I would partake in something like that. We enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Day 1 – New Zealand
We arrived in Auckland between 5 and 6 in the morning. Since it was early and Escape camper van rentals didn’t open until 8, we decided to hang around the airport until 7. Then we took the Airbus into the city center.
It’s hard to imagine losing an entire day traveling. We left one location on July 1st and arrived at another on July 3rd. People have tried to explain how you actually lose a day but I don’t think you fully understand it until you are a part of it.
We left San Francisco around 9 P.M. on the 1st so it was just getting dark. I thought we would follow the rotation of the Earth and it would be light out while flying but I was wrong. The plane never actually catches up with the Sun. In fact the rotation happens much faster than the plane travels. As the plane travels in the shadow of darkness, the rotation of the Earth is causing the Sun to move around the Earth. Eventually, the Sun comes up behind you. We stayed in perpetual darkness while flying. When we landed it was morning and the Sun caught up to us a few hours later. It was now the morning of July 3rd. What happened to the 2nd? It was lost forever.
We arrived in Auckland center around 8. I checked a map on the bus and realized that Escape van rentals was up the road a few blocks. We found that the gate was locked and there was a sign on the side of the building. It said if the building was unoccupied to call a number. We did and apparently they didn’t open until 8:30. After waiting for a few minutes someone arrived. We placed our bags in the office and the man told us it would be “a little while” before the owner was there to finalize the paperwork. After we inquired what “a little while” was we went for breakfast up the street and came back about 45 minutes later.
The owner gave us the “insurance-extra-charge” spiel and we declined. We would take a gamble and it would be a big scary gamble since we would have to train ourselves to drive on the left hand side of the road.
We inspected the vehicle and Andrew, the owner, explained everything about the vehicle. Soon we were on our way but not without taking the emergency brake off. Oops.
It was difficult to get used to driving, first of all, because I was on the right side of the vehicle. I turned the windshield wipers on at least five times instead of the blinker. The goal was to drive straight and follow the car in front of me. It was easy to get to the highway: two lefts and straight. Then I had to get used to being in the correct part of the lane because I was positioned on the right side of the vehicle. I now had to look to my left to see in my rearview mirror and realized I had a large blind spot on the left side of the vehicle. It was definitely difficult to get used to. I developed a phrase to help me making proper turns: little left, big right. When turning left it is a small radius turn and when turning right it is a large radius turn.
We stopped for gas and that was an event in itself. We could not figure out how to use the gas pump. Some nice Kiwi asked us if we needed help and gave us some. The gas was $2.12 a liter, which basically meant $8 a gallon. $95 later our tank was full and we were back on the highway.
Our destination was only about a half hour from Auckland; a half hour of driving up hill, downhill, through neighborhoods, overlooking beaches, and a combination of windy and straight roads, all while thinking that oncoming traffic is on my right and the vehicles behind me were just to close. After a half hour of driving my head was spinning. It was way too much stimulation for whatever day it was. We parked our camper van at a camping site right in front of the beach. We couldn’t have asked for a better spot, except for the ground being wet. It was quite slippery.
We hung out for a bit, Holly took a shower and afterwards mentioned how frighteningly cold the water was. I decided then that I would not be taking a shower. We decided to venture out in search of a supermarket. Apparently, I hadn’t had enough driving yet.
We thought we would be adventurous and get some chicken to cook up. We battled wind and rain while cooking on our propane burner. We wound up having fully cooked teriyaki chicken yet lukewarm and covered in dirt because Escape rentals never cleaned the pan. Mmmm. With rain sporadic for the rest of the evening we hung around inside of our van playing cards and making up games. We went to bed at a nice round hour of 8.
It’s hard to imagine losing an entire day traveling. We left one location on July 1st and arrived at another on July 3rd. People have tried to explain how you actually lose a day but I don’t think you fully understand it until you are a part of it.
We left San Francisco around 9 P.M. on the 1st so it was just getting dark. I thought we would follow the rotation of the Earth and it would be light out while flying but I was wrong. The plane never actually catches up with the Sun. In fact the rotation happens much faster than the plane travels. As the plane travels in the shadow of darkness, the rotation of the Earth is causing the Sun to move around the Earth. Eventually, the Sun comes up behind you. We stayed in perpetual darkness while flying. When we landed it was morning and the Sun caught up to us a few hours later. It was now the morning of July 3rd. What happened to the 2nd? It was lost forever.
We arrived in Auckland center around 8. I checked a map on the bus and realized that Escape van rentals was up the road a few blocks. We found that the gate was locked and there was a sign on the side of the building. It said if the building was unoccupied to call a number. We did and apparently they didn’t open until 8:30. After waiting for a few minutes someone arrived. We placed our bags in the office and the man told us it would be “a little while” before the owner was there to finalize the paperwork. After we inquired what “a little while” was we went for breakfast up the street and came back about 45 minutes later.
The owner gave us the “insurance-extra-charge” spiel and we declined. We would take a gamble and it would be a big scary gamble since we would have to train ourselves to drive on the left hand side of the road.
We inspected the vehicle and Andrew, the owner, explained everything about the vehicle. Soon we were on our way but not without taking the emergency brake off. Oops.
It was difficult to get used to driving, first of all, because I was on the right side of the vehicle. I turned the windshield wipers on at least five times instead of the blinker. The goal was to drive straight and follow the car in front of me. It was easy to get to the highway: two lefts and straight. Then I had to get used to being in the correct part of the lane because I was positioned on the right side of the vehicle. I now had to look to my left to see in my rearview mirror and realized I had a large blind spot on the left side of the vehicle. It was definitely difficult to get used to. I developed a phrase to help me making proper turns: little left, big right. When turning left it is a small radius turn and when turning right it is a large radius turn.
We stopped for gas and that was an event in itself. We could not figure out how to use the gas pump. Some nice Kiwi asked us if we needed help and gave us some. The gas was $2.12 a liter, which basically meant $8 a gallon. $95 later our tank was full and we were back on the highway.
Our destination was only about a half hour from Auckland; a half hour of driving up hill, downhill, through neighborhoods, overlooking beaches, and a combination of windy and straight roads, all while thinking that oncoming traffic is on my right and the vehicles behind me were just to close. After a half hour of driving my head was spinning. It was way too much stimulation for whatever day it was. We parked our camper van at a camping site right in front of the beach. We couldn’t have asked for a better spot, except for the ground being wet. It was quite slippery.
We hung out for a bit, Holly took a shower and afterwards mentioned how frighteningly cold the water was. I decided then that I would not be taking a shower. We decided to venture out in search of a supermarket. Apparently, I hadn’t had enough driving yet.
We thought we would be adventurous and get some chicken to cook up. We battled wind and rain while cooking on our propane burner. We wound up having fully cooked teriyaki chicken yet lukewarm and covered in dirt because Escape rentals never cleaned the pan. Mmmm. With rain sporadic for the rest of the evening we hung around inside of our van playing cards and making up games. We went to bed at a nice round hour of 8.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Setting Free Your Mind
Once you realize that what you really want is what you already have, you will be able set your mind at ease.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Breaking and Entering (excerpt 3)
I leaned my head back, turned my body to go back down the hallway and carefully began making my steps toward the stairwell. As I walked I thought to myself, what will I take… as a memento of this occasion? Something that will be missed but not to noticeable. I reached the top of the stairs and looked into the living room. I went to the lamp stand with the picture on it. There was one coaster on the table as well. I looked for the matching set of coasters and clear across the room there they were all stacked up nice and neatly on the other lamp stand. I bent over and picked up the single coaster and placed it in my back pocket. Perfect. Surely she would notice that a coaster was missing but she simple could get another one from the other side of the room. She might ponder about that for a moment.
Back at the top of the stairs, I slipped my way down to the basement. I was much darker down there so I had to carefully take my path from before so as to bump over one of the boxes. I approached the back door, carefully opened it without the slightest sound. I turned the knob to lock the door, passed through the door way, turned to face the door and gently closed the door shut. I checked that the door was locked. I turned and walked toward the shed. I opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind me. I smoothly placed the key back exactly where it was, slipped out the doorway and latched the door shut. I walked straight out the driveway and turned left when I hit the road. Again, not a soul around, not a light, or car, no one knew what I had just done.
Now, what I believed to be my most difficult task, getting back into my bedroom window. I just needed a boost or something to stand on. But I couldn’t leave something at the bottom of my window until morning, surely someone, probably my Dad, would notice it. I stood in the backyard staring at my bedroom. I couldn’t help but think, shit, I really should have thought about this before I jumped out of the window. All I needed was a foot maybe two to get back into my bedroom. I thought of plenty of things to use, a patio chair, my sisters plastic slide, my Mom’s gardening bucket but I couldn’t keep any of it right outside by bedroom window. Then I saw it, the garden hose. My Mom had watered the flowers yesterday afternoon and was moving the reel all around the house. No one would probably notice if the garden hose was moved so picked up the reel and moved it a few feet closer to my window. I stood on top, put my hands on the window sill and jumped up. It was just enough height to get in. I would have to come up with a better plan in the future. Once inside I closed the window partially, took off my shoes, placed them in the closet, took the coaster out of my back pocket, placed it in my desk drawer, stripped off my tight jeans and t-shirt, removed my bracelets, and moved slowly into bed. I laid atop the sheets face up with my hands behind my head. I smiled and thought to myself, what a spectacular night.
Back at the top of the stairs, I slipped my way down to the basement. I was much darker down there so I had to carefully take my path from before so as to bump over one of the boxes. I approached the back door, carefully opened it without the slightest sound. I turned the knob to lock the door, passed through the door way, turned to face the door and gently closed the door shut. I checked that the door was locked. I turned and walked toward the shed. I opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind me. I smoothly placed the key back exactly where it was, slipped out the doorway and latched the door shut. I walked straight out the driveway and turned left when I hit the road. Again, not a soul around, not a light, or car, no one knew what I had just done.
Now, what I believed to be my most difficult task, getting back into my bedroom window. I just needed a boost or something to stand on. But I couldn’t leave something at the bottom of my window until morning, surely someone, probably my Dad, would notice it. I stood in the backyard staring at my bedroom. I couldn’t help but think, shit, I really should have thought about this before I jumped out of the window. All I needed was a foot maybe two to get back into my bedroom. I thought of plenty of things to use, a patio chair, my sisters plastic slide, my Mom’s gardening bucket but I couldn’t keep any of it right outside by bedroom window. Then I saw it, the garden hose. My Mom had watered the flowers yesterday afternoon and was moving the reel all around the house. No one would probably notice if the garden hose was moved so picked up the reel and moved it a few feet closer to my window. I stood on top, put my hands on the window sill and jumped up. It was just enough height to get in. I would have to come up with a better plan in the future. Once inside I closed the window partially, took off my shoes, placed them in the closet, took the coaster out of my back pocket, placed it in my desk drawer, stripped off my tight jeans and t-shirt, removed my bracelets, and moved slowly into bed. I laid atop the sheets face up with my hands behind my head. I smiled and thought to myself, what a spectacular night.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Breaking and Entering (excerpt 2)
This was awesome! The lights from the street provided a hint of glow throughout the house. I could make out some of the tiniest details. I could see magazines laid out on the coffee table and a remote for the television as well. I saw a picture frame standing up on the lamp stand, and a snow globe on the T.V. stand. Candles sat atop another lamp stand. I smile came over my face. This was awesome!
I continued to sit perfectly content. The couch was soft and moderately worn from years of use. I leaned back, put my hands behind my head and gently put my feet up onto the wooden coffee table. I twitched; the thought to lean forward and pick up a magazine popped into mind but the thought vanished more quickly than it had arrived. I was certain that first, the magazine wouldn’t be worth reading and second, that the dim light would not be enough to read comfortably. The sound of silence was amazing. I thrived in it. I could have stayed there all night but I felt the urge to explore more.
I slowly lifted my feet off the coffee table. Leaned forward and stood up straight. I turned and walked right toward the T.V., I turned again and walked straight for the dinning room. A tea set lay atop the table and placemats were set in front of the four seats. There was a hutch in the corner with plates neatly displayed behind glass doors.
I turned to my left and peered into the kitchen. There was a small round table with a red checker board table cloth pushed to one side of the room. There was a candle and a long thin lighter on the table. I thought about lighting the candle, not so the house would burn down. I didn’t want that to happen. What I wanted was Ann to wake up in the morning and be startled by the lit candle. I could hear her thoughts; did I leave the candle burning last night? Then she would quickly blow out the candle as to try and erase the event. But, I didn’t want to take the chance of something bad happening so I turned around to peer at the rest of the kitchen.
The curtains in the window above the sink matched the table cloth. I could see wooden cut outs of chickens nailed to the wall underneath the cabinets. The dishtowels hanging over the railing on the stove had the same matching chickens. I walked through the doorway to the kitchen and now faced the stairs. I turned right and looked straight down the hallway. The hallway seemed a mile long. I took one step, and another, and another. I continued making my quiet steps down the hallway. I passed the bathroom on the right, a bedroom on the left and suddenly there was a creak in the floor board. I stopped quickly, waited, and listened. I sensed no other disruption within the house. I noted the position of the creaky board so as to not step there again on my return. I continued and shortly approached the end of the hallway. There were two bedrooms at the end of the hall. The one on the right would be Ann’s bedroom. I stopped for a moment and listened. I could her heavy breathing indicating sleep. I leaned my head forward and eyed into her bedroom. I could barely see her amidst the sheets and blankets but I could tell that her face was turned in my direction. I smiled. All she had to do was open her eyes and she would have seen me. My smile grew larger.
I continued to sit perfectly content. The couch was soft and moderately worn from years of use. I leaned back, put my hands behind my head and gently put my feet up onto the wooden coffee table. I twitched; the thought to lean forward and pick up a magazine popped into mind but the thought vanished more quickly than it had arrived. I was certain that first, the magazine wouldn’t be worth reading and second, that the dim light would not be enough to read comfortably. The sound of silence was amazing. I thrived in it. I could have stayed there all night but I felt the urge to explore more.
I slowly lifted my feet off the coffee table. Leaned forward and stood up straight. I turned and walked right toward the T.V., I turned again and walked straight for the dinning room. A tea set lay atop the table and placemats were set in front of the four seats. There was a hutch in the corner with plates neatly displayed behind glass doors.
I turned to my left and peered into the kitchen. There was a small round table with a red checker board table cloth pushed to one side of the room. There was a candle and a long thin lighter on the table. I thought about lighting the candle, not so the house would burn down. I didn’t want that to happen. What I wanted was Ann to wake up in the morning and be startled by the lit candle. I could hear her thoughts; did I leave the candle burning last night? Then she would quickly blow out the candle as to try and erase the event. But, I didn’t want to take the chance of something bad happening so I turned around to peer at the rest of the kitchen.
The curtains in the window above the sink matched the table cloth. I could see wooden cut outs of chickens nailed to the wall underneath the cabinets. The dishtowels hanging over the railing on the stove had the same matching chickens. I walked through the doorway to the kitchen and now faced the stairs. I turned right and looked straight down the hallway. The hallway seemed a mile long. I took one step, and another, and another. I continued making my quiet steps down the hallway. I passed the bathroom on the right, a bedroom on the left and suddenly there was a creak in the floor board. I stopped quickly, waited, and listened. I sensed no other disruption within the house. I noted the position of the creaky board so as to not step there again on my return. I continued and shortly approached the end of the hallway. There were two bedrooms at the end of the hall. The one on the right would be Ann’s bedroom. I stopped for a moment and listened. I could her heavy breathing indicating sleep. I leaned my head forward and eyed into her bedroom. I could barely see her amidst the sheets and blankets but I could tell that her face was turned in my direction. I smiled. All she had to do was open her eyes and she would have seen me. My smile grew larger.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Breaking and Entering (excerpt 1)
I was sixteen years old when I broke into my first house. I don’t know where the desire came from. I come from a good home, loving parents, a good neighborhood but for some reason I was driven to break into a house. It wasn’t even about what I could possibly steal. It was the thrill of being in a house, when someone was home.
It was a small ranch just a few houses down from my own home. The woman, Ann, who lived there was a 74 year old widow. I know, I know, what a coward for breaking into an old lady’s house. Well, because I had so little experience in breaking and entering I thought it would be best to start out on an easier target. Call me a jerk, I guess.
I waited until 2 A.M. I was still dressed in the clothes that I had worn to school that day. I wore skinny jeans and a black Led Zeppelin t-shirt. I had six or so wrist bands on my right arm: various strings ranging in colors, black leather with metal knobs, and various colored stretchy bands. My jet black hair was neatly spiked into a short Mohawk. I slipped on my black etnies shoes, slide open my bedroom window, swung my legs out the window, and hopped out. Getting out was the easy part, getting back in usually required a boost from a friend but that wouldn’t be happening tonight. I’d figure out a way back in later.
I casually walked down the dimly lit street. There wasn’t a single light on in any of the houses I passed. Not a single car drove by. I was confident not a soul knew where I was or what I was about to do. I turned down the driveway of 16 Birch Street and calmly walked to the back of the house. The property sloped downward so the ranch had a walk out basement. I used to mow the lawn for Ann and knew there was a hidden key in the shed near the gas can. It was pitch dark so I hoped that everything in the shed was still in the same place as when I mowed the lawn for her. I quietly twisted the knob and swung the latch open. I slowly opened the shed door, stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I then crouched down so that I wouldn’t bump into anything. I moved with my hands first and moved left to the front corner of the shed. My hands felt plastic, the gas can! I slide my hand to the shed’s wood frame and…jackpot, the key. I slithered backwards to the door entrance and slipped out. I would be putting the key back later so I left the latch open after I closed the door.
I walked over to the back door, slipped the key into the hole, and quietly turned the knob. I was in, so easy. I pushed the door to close it but left it just slightly ajar. The house was dark and I had to go from my memory on how to get around the house. I walked slowly and allowed my eyes to pick out the faintest shapes within the room. The room was mostly boxes. I made out an old ironing board standing up against the wall. I made my way through the basement being careful not to bump into anything. I stepped gently over to the stairs and took each carpeted stair with care. Once on the landing I turned and looked up and could see the main floor of the house. I continued my ascension. At the top of the stairs the kitchen was straight ahead, to my left was the hallway to the three bedrooms and my right was the living room. I turned right taking each step with care. I stepped over to the couch and slowly, carefully sat down. I stopped, sat for a moment and took in my surroundings.
It was a small ranch just a few houses down from my own home. The woman, Ann, who lived there was a 74 year old widow. I know, I know, what a coward for breaking into an old lady’s house. Well, because I had so little experience in breaking and entering I thought it would be best to start out on an easier target. Call me a jerk, I guess.
I waited until 2 A.M. I was still dressed in the clothes that I had worn to school that day. I wore skinny jeans and a black Led Zeppelin t-shirt. I had six or so wrist bands on my right arm: various strings ranging in colors, black leather with metal knobs, and various colored stretchy bands. My jet black hair was neatly spiked into a short Mohawk. I slipped on my black etnies shoes, slide open my bedroom window, swung my legs out the window, and hopped out. Getting out was the easy part, getting back in usually required a boost from a friend but that wouldn’t be happening tonight. I’d figure out a way back in later.
I casually walked down the dimly lit street. There wasn’t a single light on in any of the houses I passed. Not a single car drove by. I was confident not a soul knew where I was or what I was about to do. I turned down the driveway of 16 Birch Street and calmly walked to the back of the house. The property sloped downward so the ranch had a walk out basement. I used to mow the lawn for Ann and knew there was a hidden key in the shed near the gas can. It was pitch dark so I hoped that everything in the shed was still in the same place as when I mowed the lawn for her. I quietly twisted the knob and swung the latch open. I slowly opened the shed door, stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I then crouched down so that I wouldn’t bump into anything. I moved with my hands first and moved left to the front corner of the shed. My hands felt plastic, the gas can! I slide my hand to the shed’s wood frame and…jackpot, the key. I slithered backwards to the door entrance and slipped out. I would be putting the key back later so I left the latch open after I closed the door.
I walked over to the back door, slipped the key into the hole, and quietly turned the knob. I was in, so easy. I pushed the door to close it but left it just slightly ajar. The house was dark and I had to go from my memory on how to get around the house. I walked slowly and allowed my eyes to pick out the faintest shapes within the room. The room was mostly boxes. I made out an old ironing board standing up against the wall. I made my way through the basement being careful not to bump into anything. I stepped gently over to the stairs and took each carpeted stair with care. Once on the landing I turned and looked up and could see the main floor of the house. I continued my ascension. At the top of the stairs the kitchen was straight ahead, to my left was the hallway to the three bedrooms and my right was the living room. I turned right taking each step with care. I stepped over to the couch and slowly, carefully sat down. I stopped, sat for a moment and took in my surroundings.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
An excerpt from Modern Genocide
The Second Civil War of the United States had just ended. As one might imagine tensions were still extremely high. The country was divided in two and the line was not easy to draw. The now separate countries would be called East and West America. The West was dramatically larger than the East. The line separated Georgia from Alabama, Tennessee from Arkansas, followed the Mississippi river and ultimately divided Minnesota to the West and Wisconsin to the East. The East would have control over the Great Lakes and the East Coast. The West would have the West Coast, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. The last remaining piece, Florida, was still under harsh debate, both sides wanting to have complete control over their coast line.
Texas had long been seceded from the U.S. before the Second Civil War broke out. Texas supported the West mostly due to its proximity and not necessarily due to Western viewpoints. Texas merely didn’t want to form enemies with neighboring states. Since its departure from the U.S., Texas had grown to be a military powerhouse. Never large enough to challenge the United States by itself, Texas quickly took the opportunity to form allies with the West and fight against the “Old U.S.” as the West called them. In the end, Texas power was what ultimately caused the East to stand down.
Due to their locations, Hawaii and Alaska became part of the West. Puerto Rico, which had become a state after Texas seceded, would also become part of the West, despite its extremely vulnerable location in the East.
Families were divided, some favoring the “Old U.S.” mentality, a complacent viewpoint of the nation’s position in the world, held by the East and the belief of Westerners that drastic change was necessary to become a dominating influential country within the world. The majority of Montana residents favored Eastern view points but were unfortunately completely surrounded by Western states and in no way would be able to survive within the West; without fight many Montana residents fled to the East. Proud Western citizens gladly commandeered the land of Montana. A number of California residents were forced to leave, unwilling to speak the officially Western language, Spanish. Of course there were many people living within either side that did not share the same viewpoint of their newly formed country. They either moved or kept their mouth shut.
After the lines had been drawn and migrations had commenced the ultimate decision came through to the West’s dismay, the East would take hold of Florida. Outrage poured over the West. They had won the war but now lost the crucial piece to their coast line. Some residents were even angrier now than before the war began. They gathered up their arms and were prepared to travel to the panhandle to take Florida as the entrance way to the West. However, despite the anger not much could be done at that point. Under orders of the newly established government the military would not attack and Western rebels alone would not be enough to take Florida. The residents would have to sit back and take the bitter loss of Florida. Even though the war was over, the West would not rest until Florida was theirs.
Texas had long been seceded from the U.S. before the Second Civil War broke out. Texas supported the West mostly due to its proximity and not necessarily due to Western viewpoints. Texas merely didn’t want to form enemies with neighboring states. Since its departure from the U.S., Texas had grown to be a military powerhouse. Never large enough to challenge the United States by itself, Texas quickly took the opportunity to form allies with the West and fight against the “Old U.S.” as the West called them. In the end, Texas power was what ultimately caused the East to stand down.
Due to their locations, Hawaii and Alaska became part of the West. Puerto Rico, which had become a state after Texas seceded, would also become part of the West, despite its extremely vulnerable location in the East.
Families were divided, some favoring the “Old U.S.” mentality, a complacent viewpoint of the nation’s position in the world, held by the East and the belief of Westerners that drastic change was necessary to become a dominating influential country within the world. The majority of Montana residents favored Eastern view points but were unfortunately completely surrounded by Western states and in no way would be able to survive within the West; without fight many Montana residents fled to the East. Proud Western citizens gladly commandeered the land of Montana. A number of California residents were forced to leave, unwilling to speak the officially Western language, Spanish. Of course there were many people living within either side that did not share the same viewpoint of their newly formed country. They either moved or kept their mouth shut.
After the lines had been drawn and migrations had commenced the ultimate decision came through to the West’s dismay, the East would take hold of Florida. Outrage poured over the West. They had won the war but now lost the crucial piece to their coast line. Some residents were even angrier now than before the war began. They gathered up their arms and were prepared to travel to the panhandle to take Florida as the entrance way to the West. However, despite the anger not much could be done at that point. Under orders of the newly established government the military would not attack and Western rebels alone would not be enough to take Florida. The residents would have to sit back and take the bitter loss of Florida. Even though the war was over, the West would not rest until Florida was theirs.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Best Day of the Year
The best day of the year is not the last day of school; it’s the first day of summer.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Anthony the Ant Becomes Human (except 3)
“Come here children. I want to show you something,” Kathryn said.
They all followed her to the top of the ant hill. Ants were hustling past them in and out of the opening. The children were mesmerized by the speed of the other ants.
Kathryn began to speak, “Each and every one of these ants has a job to do for the colony. There are forgers, soldiers, caretakers, diggers, and cleaners. Without any one job our colony could not exist. Each and every one of you will have a job and it’s your responsibility to do your job well for the sake of the colony.”
Butch said, “What will our jobs be?”
She replied, “That is up for the magistrate to decide.”
There were whispers among the children about what their jobs would be. Butch wanted to be a soldier and Zeke wanted to be a forger. Becca and Kelsey wanted to be in the nursery.
Kathryn said, “Now, there are a few more things you need to learn before you get jobs. I want everyone to look far out across the grass. What do you see?”
Becca spoke softly, “It’s another ant hill.”
Zeke butted in abruptly, “Sweet! Let’s go!”
Kathryn stopped him, “Hold on there Zeke. That is one place we should never go. That is a rival colony of over one million ants. If anyone from our colony goes there they will be attacked and killed. Our colony would be in jeopardy of collapse because they could then follow the scent back here and try to take over our ant hill.”
“Why would they want to do that?” Kelsey asked.
Kathryn continued, “Well, that is a colony of many queens. Our queen was once one of them before she escaped with her Serv-Ants.”
“Why did she leave?” asked Anthony.
“She was the fifth queen and wasn’t taken seriously. She was given less Serv-Ants, a small nesting area and fewer food rations. She protested many times but the other queens wouldn’t adhere to her requests. So late one evening she had her Serv-Ants carry the eggs she had just laid and they flew to this location just out of sight and scent range from her old colony.
“They flew here?” Kelsey questioned.
“Yes. Queens and Serv-Ants have wings at first but once they land they shed their wings. You’ll be able to recognize Serv-Ants by their distinct stubs on their bodies from the wings. Only male ants with wings can become the queen’s Serv-Ant.”
All the children looked over at Butch. No one had really noticed before but Butch had something unusual about him.
“Butch, you have wings!” Anthony exclaimed.
Flabbergasted and shocked Butch responded, “What? ... I do?” He tried to turn his head but couldn’t quite see. He tried to spin around but his whole body spun with his head. He ended up spinning in circle before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see them. All the children were laughing at the sight of Butch spinning in circles.
“Butch, you’ve got to feel your wings,” Kathryn said.
A little flutter came from the wings on Butch’s back. “Wow! I can’t believe it. I’ve got wings. Whaowho!” He began to jump around.
“Careful Butch, if you use your wings they will fall off,” Kathryn said.
“What?” Butch was surprised.
“Wings can only be used once.”
Butch seemed disappointed, “Really? Why? When should I use them?”
“The time will come when you will know when to use them. Just know that your job will be very important. You must protect the queen at all costs. Only Serv-Ants ever see the queen. She remains deep inside the colony in a guarded chamber. No one ever goes in and no one ever comes out except for Serv-Ants.” The children were speechless. Kathryn pointed to the other colony. “They would do anything to get revenge for her disloyalty.”
They all followed her to the top of the ant hill. Ants were hustling past them in and out of the opening. The children were mesmerized by the speed of the other ants.
Kathryn began to speak, “Each and every one of these ants has a job to do for the colony. There are forgers, soldiers, caretakers, diggers, and cleaners. Without any one job our colony could not exist. Each and every one of you will have a job and it’s your responsibility to do your job well for the sake of the colony.”
Butch said, “What will our jobs be?”
She replied, “That is up for the magistrate to decide.”
There were whispers among the children about what their jobs would be. Butch wanted to be a soldier and Zeke wanted to be a forger. Becca and Kelsey wanted to be in the nursery.
Kathryn said, “Now, there are a few more things you need to learn before you get jobs. I want everyone to look far out across the grass. What do you see?”
Becca spoke softly, “It’s another ant hill.”
Zeke butted in abruptly, “Sweet! Let’s go!”
Kathryn stopped him, “Hold on there Zeke. That is one place we should never go. That is a rival colony of over one million ants. If anyone from our colony goes there they will be attacked and killed. Our colony would be in jeopardy of collapse because they could then follow the scent back here and try to take over our ant hill.”
“Why would they want to do that?” Kelsey asked.
Kathryn continued, “Well, that is a colony of many queens. Our queen was once one of them before she escaped with her Serv-Ants.”
“Why did she leave?” asked Anthony.
“She was the fifth queen and wasn’t taken seriously. She was given less Serv-Ants, a small nesting area and fewer food rations. She protested many times but the other queens wouldn’t adhere to her requests. So late one evening she had her Serv-Ants carry the eggs she had just laid and they flew to this location just out of sight and scent range from her old colony.
“They flew here?” Kelsey questioned.
“Yes. Queens and Serv-Ants have wings at first but once they land they shed their wings. You’ll be able to recognize Serv-Ants by their distinct stubs on their bodies from the wings. Only male ants with wings can become the queen’s Serv-Ant.”
All the children looked over at Butch. No one had really noticed before but Butch had something unusual about him.
“Butch, you have wings!” Anthony exclaimed.
Flabbergasted and shocked Butch responded, “What? ... I do?” He tried to turn his head but couldn’t quite see. He tried to spin around but his whole body spun with his head. He ended up spinning in circle before realizing he wouldn’t be able to see them. All the children were laughing at the sight of Butch spinning in circles.
“Butch, you’ve got to feel your wings,” Kathryn said.
A little flutter came from the wings on Butch’s back. “Wow! I can’t believe it. I’ve got wings. Whaowho!” He began to jump around.
“Careful Butch, if you use your wings they will fall off,” Kathryn said.
“What?” Butch was surprised.
“Wings can only be used once.”
Butch seemed disappointed, “Really? Why? When should I use them?”
“The time will come when you will know when to use them. Just know that your job will be very important. You must protect the queen at all costs. Only Serv-Ants ever see the queen. She remains deep inside the colony in a guarded chamber. No one ever goes in and no one ever comes out except for Serv-Ants.” The children were speechless. Kathryn pointed to the other colony. “They would do anything to get revenge for her disloyalty.”
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Bill Gates, The Almighty
Why is that when you're in the middle of a huge project and you're pressed for time, the document you're working on is forced to close? Do you think Bill Gates creates these occurences and does it on purpose just to have control over us?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Solving the Hiccup Epidemic – One hiccup at a time
Tilt your head way back and look toward the ceiling or sky. Place your fingertips at the top of your neck. Run your fingertips down your neck excruciatingly slow (for 10-15 seconds). During this process you body may jolt as if a hiccup up were coming. If needed, repeat the process again. Congratulations, you no longer have hiccups. You’re Welcome.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Solving the Hiccup Epidemic
I despise hiccups. So much so that I become increasing angrier the longer they stick around. That is why I developed a fool proof plan for getting rid of them. Now sure we all have our tricks; drinking water upside down, holding our breath, having someone scare us but these tricks may work sometimes and not others. The trick that I came up with works now and always will. This isn’t one of those tricks that work once and then never works again, no; my fool proof plan works every time. Here is what you have to do.
Tune in next week to find out how to solve your hiccups.
Tune in next week to find out how to solve your hiccups.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The Acting Profession
Imagine an actor writes a screenplay, casts himself in the show, obtains all props necessary for the show, performs the show five times in one day, critics each performance, and then repeats the entire process the following day with a new show. The audience, however, is actually forced to be there for the entire theatre season and a large majority of them wish that they didn’t have to attend. The audience is required to provide a summary of each performance upon which the actor now critics to insure that the audience members fully understand each performance. Sound like a profession you know? It’s teaching.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Courtroom Teachers
An attorney only working within the courtroom is like a teacher only working within the classroom. Attorneys get paid for everything they do for a client outside the courtroom. Do teachers?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Rehabilitating Students
Teaching a student who doesn’t want to learn is like trying to rehabilitate an alcoholic who refuses to stop drinking.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Trip to the Moon
I sat perched on my black cushion, legs crossed. My wife, Holly, sat next to me on her own cushion. A few other people sat with us on their own cushions. All of our cushions lay on a hardwood floor. We sat in silent meditation.
Pierce asked us to think about traveling to the moon together. Once at the moon we realize that our transportation back to Earth doesn’t exist. Pierce asked, “What will you miss?” and he left us to ponder for a few moments.
The first thought that came to mind was nothing. I made the quick assumption that since Holly was sitting next to me that she too would be trapped on the moon with me.
I was satisfied with my answer but I continued to think about being trapped. I thought about my parents and brother. I simply wanted to tell them that I loved them and I wanted them to take good care of my fish and tortoise.
After thinking for a few more minutes I came up with one material possession that I would miss, my laptop computer. The only reason why I missed it was because of all of the stories and ideas I had ingrained into the hard drive. In my mind I asked my parents to try and get my works published. I didn’t miss anything else. What would it matter if I had material processions back on earth, I was never going to make it back there anyway.
After we all pondered for awhile, Pierce added to our visualization that now we had figured out a way to get back home. He asked the question, “How do you feel about planet earth now?”
I thought about how I should live my life like it’s my last day on earth. I shouldn’t be afraid to take risks. I shouldn’t have any regrets and I was reminded that a friend of mine once said, “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” when asked about having any regrets.
It felt wonderful to be reminded again about what is important in life and how to live life in the moment.
Pierce asked us to think about traveling to the moon together. Once at the moon we realize that our transportation back to Earth doesn’t exist. Pierce asked, “What will you miss?” and he left us to ponder for a few moments.
The first thought that came to mind was nothing. I made the quick assumption that since Holly was sitting next to me that she too would be trapped on the moon with me.
I was satisfied with my answer but I continued to think about being trapped. I thought about my parents and brother. I simply wanted to tell them that I loved them and I wanted them to take good care of my fish and tortoise.
After thinking for a few more minutes I came up with one material possession that I would miss, my laptop computer. The only reason why I missed it was because of all of the stories and ideas I had ingrained into the hard drive. In my mind I asked my parents to try and get my works published. I didn’t miss anything else. What would it matter if I had material processions back on earth, I was never going to make it back there anyway.
After we all pondered for awhile, Pierce added to our visualization that now we had figured out a way to get back home. He asked the question, “How do you feel about planet earth now?”
I thought about how I should live my life like it’s my last day on earth. I shouldn’t be afraid to take risks. I shouldn’t have any regrets and I was reminded that a friend of mine once said, “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” when asked about having any regrets.
It felt wonderful to be reminded again about what is important in life and how to live life in the moment.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Salted Love
How many of us have ever liked someone? I mean really liked someone. I think it is pretty safe to say that most of us have liked someone at some point in our lives. Well, this story is about two teenagers who really like each other and their names are Sodium and Chlorine. For those of you who haven’t heard these names before Sodium is a boy and Chlorine is a girl. Sodium and Chlorine are in high school and they’re both on the swim team. Sodium and Chlorine are both extremely passionate about swimming. The two of them are constantly at the pool working on improving their skills. The two of them are so dedicated that both have become key members of swim team. Sodium is the star freestyle swimmer and Chlorine is the star diver.
Sodium and Chlorine really like each other but… well like any relationship there obstacles to overcome. Think about it, was there ever a little something about a person that you liked that bothered you? Maybe the person has a weird laugh or they never let you finish a sentence. I’m sure that’s true for most of us. You see, Sodium has this little, tiny problem with Chlorine. Now think about it, where is Chlorine used? We all know that chlorine is commonly used in swimming pools. Well, anytime Chlorine gets to close to anyone she tends to kill them with her poisonous gas…a minor problem for Sodium. Needless to say Sodium is a little nervous about getting too close to Chlorine.
Chlorine on the other hand, is a little nervous about Sodium. What do we know about Sodium? Sodium is a metal that reacts violently with water, so anytime he gets into the pool he burns everything around him. Let’s just say whenever he’s competing against someone from another team, he always burns the competition. Well the two of them decide that they really, really like each other so much that they are going to try and put aside their differences.
Of course no relationship comes without its share of ups and downs. Typically after practice Sodium would walk Chlorine home. They walked hand in hand all the way to Chlorine’s house. Walking home, Sodium was so choked up he could barely breath. Only after Chlorine entered her house would Sodium suddenly feel better. Sodium thought it was because he really liked her. He didn’t realize that he was getting choked up because of her poisonous gases.
Then came the day of their first kiss, which was unlike any other first kiss. One day after walking Chlorine to her house, despite being choked up, Sodium leaned in for a kiss. The moisture on Chlorine’s lips caused Sodium to react and Chlorine felt a sharp burning sensation on her lips. Chlorine slapped him and stormed off.
The next day at practice Sodium apologized profusely to Chlorine. He said that he hadn’t intended to hurt her. Chlorine knew that he didn’t mean it and she quickly forgave him. She learned to keep her lips dry so she wouldn’t get burned so easily.
In college their relationship had begun to affect others. There was one time when Chlorine and Sodium had an argument over the phone. Sodium was stressed out so he decided to go for a swim to try and relieve some of the tension. There were a few people in the pool and one girl was sitting on the side of the pool. Sodium dove into the pool hastily and began swimming. The water splashed and bubbled and when Sodium came up for air he caught a glimpse of the other people jumping out of the pool. He stopped to get a better look as to what was going on. They all had burn marks on their bodies and were glaring at Sodium. Sodium had completely forgotten about the fact that he burns people every time he gets in the pool. Sodium apologized profusely but they all stormed off. He felt bad but at least now he had the pool to himself.
On that very same day when Chlorine got off the phone with Sodium she went headed down to the pool to practice some of her dives. After diving for a few hours the other people began to complain about their eyes, nose and throat burning. Chlorine knew, unfortunately, at that point that it was time to go before she killed someone. Sodium and Chlorine worked through their differences throughout college and once college was over they decide that it was time for them to get married.
There they are on their wedding day. Chlorine is dressed in a beautiful white gown and Sodium is decked out in his tuxedo. Sodium is standing up at the alter as Chlorine walks down the aisle. When the time is right Sodium gives a ring or what he calls an electron to Chlorine. From that very moment they are bonded through holy matrimony. What ends up happening when they bond is they become something completely different. Sodium no longer burns anything when he goes swimming and Chlorine no longer kills people with her poisonous gas. They put aside their differences and become something brand new and much less harmful. That’s right when Sodium and Chlorine bond they become, Salt. How many of us have ever eaten salt? I’m sure once again that all of us have. Was anyone every killed by poisonous gases while eating salt? No, of course not. Has salt ever literally burned your mouth? I think not. So because these two bonded they now have a new set of characteristics and the original characteristics no longer exist. The Salt couple lived happily ever after.
Sodium and Chlorine really like each other but… well like any relationship there obstacles to overcome. Think about it, was there ever a little something about a person that you liked that bothered you? Maybe the person has a weird laugh or they never let you finish a sentence. I’m sure that’s true for most of us. You see, Sodium has this little, tiny problem with Chlorine. Now think about it, where is Chlorine used? We all know that chlorine is commonly used in swimming pools. Well, anytime Chlorine gets to close to anyone she tends to kill them with her poisonous gas…a minor problem for Sodium. Needless to say Sodium is a little nervous about getting too close to Chlorine.
Chlorine on the other hand, is a little nervous about Sodium. What do we know about Sodium? Sodium is a metal that reacts violently with water, so anytime he gets into the pool he burns everything around him. Let’s just say whenever he’s competing against someone from another team, he always burns the competition. Well the two of them decide that they really, really like each other so much that they are going to try and put aside their differences.
Of course no relationship comes without its share of ups and downs. Typically after practice Sodium would walk Chlorine home. They walked hand in hand all the way to Chlorine’s house. Walking home, Sodium was so choked up he could barely breath. Only after Chlorine entered her house would Sodium suddenly feel better. Sodium thought it was because he really liked her. He didn’t realize that he was getting choked up because of her poisonous gases.
Then came the day of their first kiss, which was unlike any other first kiss. One day after walking Chlorine to her house, despite being choked up, Sodium leaned in for a kiss. The moisture on Chlorine’s lips caused Sodium to react and Chlorine felt a sharp burning sensation on her lips. Chlorine slapped him and stormed off.
The next day at practice Sodium apologized profusely to Chlorine. He said that he hadn’t intended to hurt her. Chlorine knew that he didn’t mean it and she quickly forgave him. She learned to keep her lips dry so she wouldn’t get burned so easily.
In college their relationship had begun to affect others. There was one time when Chlorine and Sodium had an argument over the phone. Sodium was stressed out so he decided to go for a swim to try and relieve some of the tension. There were a few people in the pool and one girl was sitting on the side of the pool. Sodium dove into the pool hastily and began swimming. The water splashed and bubbled and when Sodium came up for air he caught a glimpse of the other people jumping out of the pool. He stopped to get a better look as to what was going on. They all had burn marks on their bodies and were glaring at Sodium. Sodium had completely forgotten about the fact that he burns people every time he gets in the pool. Sodium apologized profusely but they all stormed off. He felt bad but at least now he had the pool to himself.
On that very same day when Chlorine got off the phone with Sodium she went headed down to the pool to practice some of her dives. After diving for a few hours the other people began to complain about their eyes, nose and throat burning. Chlorine knew, unfortunately, at that point that it was time to go before she killed someone. Sodium and Chlorine worked through their differences throughout college and once college was over they decide that it was time for them to get married.
There they are on their wedding day. Chlorine is dressed in a beautiful white gown and Sodium is decked out in his tuxedo. Sodium is standing up at the alter as Chlorine walks down the aisle. When the time is right Sodium gives a ring or what he calls an electron to Chlorine. From that very moment they are bonded through holy matrimony. What ends up happening when they bond is they become something completely different. Sodium no longer burns anything when he goes swimming and Chlorine no longer kills people with her poisonous gas. They put aside their differences and become something brand new and much less harmful. That’s right when Sodium and Chlorine bond they become, Salt. How many of us have ever eaten salt? I’m sure once again that all of us have. Was anyone every killed by poisonous gases while eating salt? No, of course not. Has salt ever literally burned your mouth? I think not. So because these two bonded they now have a new set of characteristics and the original characteristics no longer exist. The Salt couple lived happily ever after.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
God Tests Us
Sometimes God throws us a variable that we don’t expect. We begin to question whether or not to go against our established norms. In some cases it is just a test to see if we stay on the same path resisting temptation. In other cases the variable is brought to our attention to lead us in different direction. The battle is deciding what is truly meant for us.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Dancing is All That Matters
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!
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!
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
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