The Variety Show

I stepped up to the stage. Sweat poured down me like a waterfall as I gazed over the what now seemed like millions of people in the crowd.
“Please don’t mess up, please don’t mess up,” I recited in my head as I struck the first note. The lights dimmed and my variety show performance began.
I decided to try out for the variety show when my friend told me that I was good at guitar and that we should play as a band in the variety show. I was skeptical at first, as anyone would be, about how we would pull this off. Two people does not make a band (unless you’re The Proclaimers). My friend and I already had the guitar and vocals covered but a drummer would be hard to find. Luckily my other friend who lived in my neighborhood had picked up drums about a year ago and was actually pretty good. We recruited him and were all set to go.
Of course this was 9 months before variety show tryouts even began so you’d think we’d be well practiced and ready right? Wrong. In the 9 months before the tryouts we practiced maybe once or twice. The whole thing seemed a mess to me and I almost quit halfway through. Luckily I was persuaded not to and rejoined the group.
About two weeks before tryouts we buckled down and really started practicing hard. However, we found ourselves in quite a predicament. We realized that we needed a bass player to make our performance sound good. I searched high and low but couldn’t find one anywhere. Bass just didn’t seem to be a popular instrument.
Exactly a week before tryouts my friend managed to find a bass player and ,although we were barely ready, we tried out not long after.
When we were accepted into the variety show I was as giddy as a schoolgirl. My head buzzed with thoughts of huge stadiums and all of my classmates looking up to me. WE practiced and practiced with the other variety show acts until we were near perfect. Finally the moment came when I got to step onto the stage with my band and play my heart out.
The whole experience of being on stage was nerve racking of course, but well worth it. When I heard the applause at the end of our act I felt great about myself and everything around me. And finally without even a single boo, my band left the stage and the curtain set on the variety show.

Swine Flu

When you think of the beginning of the school year colds you usually think of maybe a runny nose or at worst strep throat. This won’t be the case for much longer. With the swine flu epidemic spreading across the United States and other countries like wild fire Many schools in the western and southern parts of the U.S. are closing their doors. Yes it’s true the outbreak has begun.
The problem with swine flu is that it can “turn from mild to critical extremely rapidly,” (McMaster 1). This means that most of the people who get the H1N1 virus will need it treated very soon if they wish to keep it under control. What will hospitals do once they can provide no more room or treatment to those who have the swine flu but haven’t received any medical help? This could potentially in the same ballpark as the 1918 flu pandemic that killed millions. Another striking similarity that the swine flu bears to the 1918 flu is that it targets those who are not young or old but healthy and usually unaffected y most common diseases.
Were everyone to get a dose of the vaccine this problem may be solved. However, those unaware of where to get the vaccine or those who blow it off as just another seasonal cold may help make it more widespread than it already is. If the vaccine were distributed more better than perhaps the U.S. would have a chance of averting this crisis. But t seems like the government or media hasn’t made it well known where to get one.
One way to combat this issue would be t quarantine anyone who got it. I don’t mean a harsh or cruel quarantine, not like prison camps or anything, but anyone who does have the virus should definitely be kept alone with very minimal physical contact with other humans. Maybe a bubble or something like that would work.
Swine flu is spreading and won’t stop unless someone stands up against it and tries to combat it’s deadly blows against the U.S. If allowed to spread the disease could cause the entire infrastructure to collapse around us.
The worlds strongest and most powerful leaders need to discuss what to do about the swine flu and take action instead of just shrugging it off as another small problem. It won’t be worth having any health care reform if no one is around to take advantage of it.



http://www.newser.com/story/71497/swine-flu-turns-critical-with-deadly-speed-taxing-icus.html

My Crazy Little Dog

My Dad had been walking around the PetSmart a few weeks ago and had come across a very odd sight. The animal rescue group, Beagle Buddies, was having an adoption day at the store and were adopting off puppies. My Dad decided to look around the place. Although he didn’t expect to find anything he figured it was worth a try. When he gazed into the cages his heart leapt. There in the corner of the cages lied a small very multicolored dog. White splotches splattered her frame, underlined by black and white stripes. But the biggest surprise came to my Dad when the puppy turned to look at him. He jumped and back and realized that the dog had two different colored eyes. Right then and there my Dad realized that this was the dog my family was meant to be there.
I walked into the PetSmart. A terrible aroma of kitty litter, cage bedding, and broken fish tanks hit my nose like a ton of bricks. My family and I were there to look for our soon to be new puppy, which we had decided to name Georgia. My old dog, Timber, had a tumor and would die very soon. Because of this thought it all the more better to get a new dog, to ease the pain the family would experience from the death of Timber.
Beagle Buddies was having another puppy adoption event in the store and, from a call my Mom made to the store, we knew that Georgia would be there. I hadn’t seen her yet and was as giddy as a schoolgirl to meet finally lay my eyes on my new dog. Each second seemed like an eternity as my family and I walked to the back of the store. For some reason, I realized, I was sweating like a jogger. Then suddenly I finally reached where Georgia lay. She was the nicest and most sweet dog I’d ever seen and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
My family and I had to wait for what seemed like days to finally bring her home but it was worth it. Except for when we walked in the door to our house. Immediately Georgia hopped out of my Mom’s arms and peed on the floor. I laughed at it until I was told to clean it up. That sucked. However, as bad as it was I’d just gotten a new dog and nothing could bring me down. I knew that Georgia would be a great addition to the family and as well as a great new friend.

All About the Alphabet

A- A is for Aardvarks. They're some of my favorite animals in the whole world. The only one I don't like is Arthur from the Arthur books. He's annoying. Aardvarks are one of my favorite animals because of how cute they are and also because of how nice and sweet they are. When I was three year's old I got to pet one and it licked my hand a lot. It felt like my hand had a piece of silk wrapped around it.

B- B is for bothersome. I like to bug my brother as much as possible and piss him off as much as I can. It is also fun to hurt him because it makes him cry. He's a huge baby. But don't worry it's all in good fun.

C- C is for cranky. Whenever I don't have something good to look forward to after school I always come home cranky. C is also for Cranium, which is one of my favorite board games because of how varied the challenges in it are.

D- Dogs are definitely my thing. I cannot stand cats (besides kittens). Every cat I've ever met has tried to claw me, scratch me, bite me, or harm me in some way. I like dogs because of how much affection they show and because of how loyal and obedient they are.

E- is for likes to be entertained. I can't stand being bored especially on weekends. If not for great teachers like Mr. Feilder I would be bored in school too.

F- F is for Fridays. Fridays are my favorite day of the week because I actually get to stay up past 7:30, which is my bedtime. I also like them because on them I can procrastinate and don’t have to do my homework.

G- G is for guitar. I play guitar and it’s my favorite instrument. G is also for grease, which disgusts me. Every time I eat a slice of pizza or something else greasy I have to wipe off the food so that my arteries don’t get clogged.

H- H stands for horror movies which I dislike even more than grease. I just can’t stand having things pop out at me. All things like that scare the poop out of me.

I- I am for interested in the world around me. I like to learn new things, especially things about history. I stands for IKEA too. I absolutely hate shopping there because of how long my mom spends looking for stuff.

J- Jack is my name. I think that Jack is a cool name because of all the cool people that have it. Jack Sparrow, Jack Bauer, and Samurai Jack to name a few. J also stands for jive turkey, which I think, represents me well. I’m not very cool and act kind of nerdy sometimes.

K- K is for Kalahari. Kalahari is a water park that I got to go to with my class in 7th grade. It was really cool, even though it was cold, and was one of my best experiences at middle school.

L- I think that I am a pretty lucky person. I’m lucky to have all the things that I do. L stands for loud mouth as well. While most of the time I am quiet sometimes I can go a bit overboard and blurt things out too much.

M- I absolutely hate the video game company Microsoft. They have terrible customer service and don’t treat their customers well. Their products also break after only like 6 weeks.

N- N stands for nark. When I was younger I used to tell on people a lot. But don’t worry, I got over it. N also stands for narcissist. At time I can be very narcissistic and rude.

O- O is for Oasis, one of my favorite bands. I got into them about 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since. O is for origami too. I used to be really good at it and could even at one point make a swan in under 1 min.

P- P is for parties, one of my favorite things to go too. Although I don’t get invited to a ton of them the ones I have been to I have immensely enjoyed.

Q- Q is for quadratic equations, one of y least favorite equations in math ever. I just can’t seem to understand how to do them and each time I see one on a test or quiz my heart drops like a ton of bricks.

R- R is for respected. Believe it or not I don’t think anyone genuinely hates me even though I am mean sometimes. R is also for Red Hot Chili Peppers, my favorite band by far, even more so that Oasis.

S- S stands for smart. I know it sounds like I’m bragging but I’m not trust me. I have been in smart classes all my life.

T- Tigers are my favorite animals. In fact in second grade I changed my name to Speed Tigershark. Unfortunately however the name didn’t stick and I was forced to go back to Jack.

U- U is for underpants. I genuinely dislike them and don’t find them comfortable in the slightest. I’m a boxer brief man. U is also for unintelligible. My words are sometimes slurred and or hard to understand.

V- V is for varsity band. That’s my least favorite class right now and I really wish I could switch out of it with a burning desire. The teacher is not very nice and the class is all out boring.

W- W is for West. Adam West that is. I think it’s funny how many cameos and guest appearances he does nowadays and he seems like a cool guy. W also = Wow Wow Wubzy, my least favorite show on nick jr. that my brother, for some reason, enjoys immensely.

X- X is for xylophone. It is my instrument of choice in band class. That doesn’t mean I like it. It’s just what I’m forced to play.

Y- is for Yu-Gi-Oh, my favorite card game from age 7 to 12. I really hate it now and hate the animated show even more.

Z= zoo. I love seeing all the different animals and exhibits, especially the ones at the Detroit Zoo. Although I cant help feeling bad for the animals. I know that they have a good life though so I still enjoy it.

The Chase

“I wonder if those are real?” was my first actual thought of my first day at high school. I was checking out a girl in the halls and, as a 14-year-old boy, you can infer what I was staring at.
Hey Freshmen,” said a hulking and monstrous voice. “You got a problem with my girl?” It took about 30 seconds before I finally realized that I had been staring at this gigantic upperclassmen’s girlfriend. If I was going to escape getting harassed or worse, beat up, I would have to exit the scene ASAP. On pure instinct I bolted away towards my first hour only to find that the beast student was following me.
“C’mon, c’mon just a few more feet to the door,” I thought. I was sweating as much as a fat guy after taking a jog now and knew that it would be 2, maybe 3, seconds before I was in my pursuers clutches. 3,2,1 and BANG!! I landed on my classroom floor like a sack of bricks. My seat was right in front of me and I sat down, smug with the fact that I’d beaten the upperclassmen. I still had a clear view of the door though and could see the upperclassmen mouth, “I will get you,” to me before he departed.
I was in constant fear of encountering him in the halls from then on. Thankfully, hours 1-4 went off without a hitch and I headed to lunch feeling pretty happy. Finding a seat with my friends I scanned the surrounding lunchroom for any signs of danger.
“Oh God no, please no,” I begged in my head when I saw that, two tables down was my old friend the giant upperclassmen. My back was facing the wall and so was the upperclassmen’s so as long as he didn’t recognize or see me I was safe. In the midst of this chaotic event I thought, “What if he was joking?” but disregarded the thought as rubbish. I ate my lunch in silence and fear and when he left the room it felt as if a 1000 pounds had been lifted off my shoulders.
I left for the buses that evening without encountering him at all from 5th to 6th hour. When I opened the doors to leave the school a cool breeze wafted through my hair. The buses shone yellow like 24 carrot gold and I could smell that great aroma of burning diesel fuel that lets you know it’s time to go home. I was so at peace with everything that I was sure nothing could go wrong. I stepped on to the bus and found that all of the seats were full besides one.
“No matter,” I thought. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” After sitting down my eyes gradually drifted over to see whom I was sharing a seat with. I must have bad karma or something because to my horror it was the upperclassmen I’d been avoiding all day.
The guy looked over at me. “Hey you’re that kid who was staring at my girlfriend!” he bellowed. I couldn’t speak, hear, think or anything. “So, he said. “Did it work?” My head nearly exploded. What was he talking about?
“Uh… did what work?” I timidly asked.
“Did I scare you?” “Was my act convincing?” I didn’t really think so.” He went on and on like this for a few seconds more and ended up telling me that he had been in fact joking the entire time. Dumbstruck, all I could do was stare. I’d been Punk’d.
So, basically, my first day was a disaster. I did made up with the kid though and am now no longer one of his prey. I can’t even begin to ponder what else high school has in store for me if this all happened on just the first day.