Month: October 2014

The Secret

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The Secret

There’s only thirty more seconds left. Why does time have to go so fast? A movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention. It’s Tommy shooting a basket with a balled up piece of paper. “Hey, Kate! You see that? Only one try!”

I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of my reaction, so I just roll my eyes and continue my staring contest with the clock. Three… Two… One… The annoyingly loud bell screeches into everyone’s ears. Whooping and hollering is taking place in the already crowded hallways. I slowly pack up my school books, papers, and pencil, delaying the inevitable without being too obvious. I quickly glance around the room to find the teacher looking at me. Oh, no. I attempt getting out of the classroom before he tries to talk to me, but fail.

“How are you doing, Kate? You seemed a little sad today.” I want to say terrible, awful, depressing, but as usual, I say the socially acceptable thing.

“I’m fine, Mr. Moore! Just a little tired! Have good day!” My fake happiness is expertly plastered all over my face.

“Okay. You too,” he replies with delight in his voice. I sprint out the door, hugging my textbooks, with my head down. The crowd is moving like a school of fish towards the front entrance. I hate Fridays. People get way too happy about the weekend and the stupid Friday-night football games. The games are just another excuse to exaggerate the social class difference between the upper-class, jocks and cheerleaders, and the lower-class, me.

After what seems like one minute, I find myself getting off the bus. I start taking slug-like steps in the direction of my house. Even when walking the slowest speed humanly possible, I still reach my house in only eight minutes. Not long enough. I wish time could stand still, even if only for a little while. I silently insert the key into the door lock and turn it to the right. The front door noisily creaks open, making my heartbeat skyrocket. I walk through the doorway and head towards the stairs. As I’m creeping quietly through the house, I catch a glimpse of my mom who has passed out on the couch again. I routinely walk over and check her pulse. It’s still beating away, so I pick up the bottles of alcohol littering the room. I carefully place the bottles in a trash bag, to be thrown out later. Even her faint breath can be heard in the silence of the house. It’s kind of funny how such a damaged home can be unbelievably loud at one point and silent the next.

A Joyous Day

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A Joyous Day

Chirp, chirp. Bright and early in the morning the birds started to sing. Their beautiful song filling the air like a fluffy cloud in the light blue sky. It was eight o’clock on a Saturday and Lisette was getting ready to attend her cousin Courtney’s sweet sixteen. She got up, washed her face and shrugged into her aqua green dress. The dress fit Lisette perfectly around her waist. It was a birthday gift from her aunt and she had been asked to wear it during the party. Even though the party didn’t start until seven o’clock at night, she couldn’t wait to try it on just once.

Lisette ran down the steps to the kitchen. Her parents and older brother had already eaten their breakfast at the table and were cleaning up. 

“Good morning everyone.” Lisette announced happily. 

“Good morning Lisette,” Her mom and dad replied in unison. Her brother Clark just nodded his head as a hello. As they got up, Lisette sat down. Clark exited the kitchen to his room, her mom was getting started on the dishes, and her dad was reading the newspaper. She had a huge grin on her face. She couldn’t wait to go to Courtney’s party. She’s never been to one as a matter of fact. Her friends all just turned fifteen and she was still waiting for her turn in July. 

“So are you excited to go to Courtney’s party?” her mother asked. 

“Definitely,” she replied. “You  know the aqua green dress Aunt Becky got me for my birthday?”
Her mother nodded. 

“Well, I really want to wear it for the first time at her party,” Lisette said. “You know, since it’s the first time I’ll be going to one.”

“Of course you can sweetie,” her mom said. “I’m just worried you’ll spill something on it and stain it. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Lisette promised. She helped her mom with the dishes, and then put them away. She ran up to her room and started reading and drawing, counting the hours till the party. She even fell asleep for two hours!

“Lisette!” her mom called out. “It’s time to go!”

“Coming!” Lisette replied while going down the steps with caution. She really didn’t want anything to happen to her new dress. She had others she liked, but this one had to be her favorite.

It was seven o’clock and the sun was setting. Its colors were fading away slowly, as if it was the last time you would ever see it. Lisette and her family walked outside greeted with a cool breeze hitting their faces. The lights from their house raided with moths, causing their shadows to dance in the dark.

An hour late they arrived. There was light shining through all the large windows in the house. Lisette knew the party had already started. She took a deep breath. They all walked toward the front door and were greeted by a middle aged woman with her hair in a bun. 

“Hello Jane, Andrew, Clark, Lisette,” aunt Becky said looking at all of us. “Come in it’s cold outside. Come in.”

Lisette walked inside and started looking around at all the decorations hung up on the walls. “Whoa,” she said in awe. She stood near her parents and in an instant they disappeared, but she didn’t care. She knew her aunt’s house inside and out. 

“Lisette!” Courtney yelled. Lisette turned around and looked at Courtney across the room with a smile a mile wide. She walked towards Courtney with a swing in her step. This is going to be fun, she thought. 

Backpack

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Backpack
Backpack,
you hurt my shoulders,
and my back,
also my arms,
 what would I do without you.
Backpack,
you carry all my books,
binders, and lunchboxes,
sometimes even my shoes,
what would I do without you.
Backpack,
you make me late to school,
trying to cram things into you,
you tear and rip,
 what would I do without you.
Backpack,
you can make my life miserable,
but also gleeful,
what would I do,
without you.
Backpack,
you hurt my shoulders,
and my back,
also my arms,
 what would I do without you.
Keshav Bhakta 
Block-4

Hope in the Dark

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Hope in the Dark
This nightmare that we live in,
What a terror it is.
Not knowing what’s fake and what’s real,
But knowing we will survive this.
Darkness is everywhere,
Surrounding us like a cloud covered sky.
Coming out of nowhere, 
With a blink of an eye.
The darkness is pulling us in,
With memories that are scattered.
Never good enough,
And all our hearts are torn and tattered.
But say what you will,
This life is supreme. 
Keep walking towards your goal,
And someday you’ll wake up from this dream.

Tick Tock

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Tick Tock



Tick tock, went the clock,
Twelve people alive,
One the source of it all,
But only eleven shall die.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes one,
The man with the black hair tied back shall die,
A man of providing.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes two,
The man with the white scarf shall die,
A man most feared.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes three,
The man with the rose shall die,
A man wanting to be loved.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes four,
The man with red eyes shall die,
A man who was once lost.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes five,
The man with the black cross shall die,
A man who was a commander.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes six,
The man with the wise mind shall die,
A man who was an elder.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes seven,
The man with the sorcery shall die,
A man who was the father of all.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes eight,
The man who wears glasses shall die,
A man who was a hero.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes nine,
The man with the polar bear shall die,
A man who wasn’t noticed.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes ten,
The man who was generous shall die,
A man who was poor.

Tick tock, went the clock,
One dying each hour,
When the clock strikes eleven,
The man who was always angry shall die,
A man who was a brother.

Tick tock, went the clock,
All eleven are dead,
But when the clock stroke twelve,
The twelfth with the curl was weeping,
And wished the eleven didn’t protect him,
A man who wanted to protect.

The Cycles of the Seasons

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 The Cycles of the Seasons
Winter’s snow brings cold
Raging blizzards, storms of hailing ice
And yet beautiful.
Spring is a rebirth
From the barren and icy grounds
Of the long gone winter.
Summer introduces us
To the feelings of freedom
And joys of old friends.
Autumn is subtle
Changing slowly, unnoticed
Until winter storms forth.

Lifeproof Business Letter

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September 25, 2014

Brian Thomas
209 S Meldrum
Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

 Dear Mr. Brian Thomas:

I am writing this letter to notify you that customer service has yet to address the problem I am having with my I phone 4s Life Proof case.

I am dissatisfied with the product I bought from your company. Within the first week of using my brand new case my phone was damaged due to being brought in the water one time. I had all the parts on the case and didn’t bring the case in water deeper than three feet and according to the Life Proof guarantees the phone will be protected.

I understand that the Life Proof liability does not cover any devices damaged while using the Life Proof case. Since my problem still remains unsolved, I am requesting that you fully refund me for the I phone 4s Life Proof case.

Please contact me within 5-7 business days to confirm that you will honor my request. If not I will file a complaint once more to customer service for further investigation.

Thank you for your assistance in resolving my problem. Please contact me at erinflaherty5@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Erin Flaherty

Star-Crossed Lovers in a Senseless Society

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Star-Crossed Lovers in a Senseless Society

“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

This quote comes from Rainbow Rowell’s book Eleanor and Park, a romance novel revolving around a sarcastic, red-haired girl and an introverted half-Korean boy. At the beginning, the chemistry between these two misfits is very sweet, and I enjoyed every breath of it. However, the book goes downhill when the lovers become serious with their relationship, especially since the story takes place over a year. Many flaws in this book have confirmed that this novel wasn’t my favorite, but it was definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

The biggest and most disconcerting obstacle in Eleanor and Park was its constant use of profanity. Upon reading the first five pages, I found about twelve nasty words scribbled hastily in dialogue before flipping to the next chapter. Though the setting takes place primarily in a high school in the 1980’s, I feel like the author is making an unfortunate excuse to press her anger into each of the pages, screaming the f-word repetitively through her characters’ thoughts. She may think that it seems more realistic this way, but personally I think it makes the characters less enjoyable to be around. Therefore the vulgar language was completely superfluous, and I think that this book would have been more satisfying if it weren’t for the author being as tempered as a toddler, flicking the f-word all over the place.

Another flaw that made me uncomfortable was the author’s tendency to be racist towards Asians. Park is part of one of the only Asian families in his neighborhood, making him a minor target for being different from the rest. I agree that racism is still a problem in today’s world, and I understand that Rowell wants to address this problem to her audience. But rather than resolving the situation herself, she simply mocks the Asian accent and expresses feelings that should have stuck to her rough draft. Her constant reminder of Park’s mom pronouncing Eleanor’s name as “El-la-no” frustrates me, as if she didn’t need to remind me twenty times to get the gist of how differently Park’s mom spoke from the rest. Also, at the start and end of the book, Eleanor regards Park as a “stupid Asian kid”. Whether Rowell means this and her other open thoughts playfully or seriously, it doesn’t improve the plot any further from its original state.

Thirdly, the book had a few plot holes that I was really unsatisfied with. What happened to Eleanor’s family after Eleanor ran away? Richie is the only one who seems to live in the house after the incident, and there are no signs of Eleanor’s siblings or her mom after the fight. I was anxious to know where they had gone, or if they had met Eleanor in the future, but unfortunately I was never given the answer to what will forever be a vague ending. Also, if Richie wrote vulgar insults in Eleanor’s books, how did he get to her locker in the first place? Eleanor told Park that the insults appeared after her Gym class, and it seems very unlikely that Richie would suddenly barge into the school and somehow locate the girls’ locker room deliberately. How did Richie get in and cram Eleanor’s new clothes in the toilet? Since he is Eleanor’s stepdad, it makes completely no sense and desperately needs a logical revision.

The main idea of romance captivated me early into the story, but as the plot progressed, there seemed to be something off about it that made me change my mind. The timing was unreasonably hastened, and even though Park is awkward, wouldn’t he have chosen a more appropriate time to confess his love for Eleanor? At the time their relationship was only starting to bloom, and I believe that Park went a little overboard. The author may attempt to sound realistic in this aspect of the story as well, but I think that it would have been more reasonable if Park was a little more careful about what he said, since this is after all his “first love”.

In addition, there were many imbalances in the story. Sloppy, disproportioned transitions between Park and Eleanor were made frequently throughout the story, and it was hard to keep up since some viewpoints lasted 3 pages and others lasted a few sentences. The author tries too hard to sound simple, because it makes readers juggle a deep pile of thoughts and fluctuating perspectives. Although Eleanor and Park had a steady relationship throughout the book, it saddened me to see that Eleanor never truly admitted that she loved Park, because Park had told her multiple times that he loved her to soothe her insecurities.

Lastly, the parents of both families failed to be good role models in the story. All of the fathers in the story either use vulgar language, drink, or provide too much freedom excessively. The mothers are calmer and wiser, but there are no major spotlights for them in the book other than restricting the lovers from doing what they want. An example of unreasonable parenting is Park’s dad. He allows Park to drive Eleanor to Minnesota in the middle of the night, but he restricts Park from wearing eyeliner? Park’s dad probably wanted to prevent Park from wearing eyeliner to avoid attention at school, but if Park’s dad provides that much freedom for Park and his girlfriend, then he should definitely be more easygoing about something as simple as eyeliner.

In spite of all of the book’s imperfections, only a few portions have truly contented me. The plot, despite its adult-like tone, was engrossing, and I had finished this book over two days’ time. Some peaks in the story included the semi-creative flirting between Eleanor and Park, but clichés such as “I can’t live without you,” and “I can’t breathe without you,” were little things that made me cringe. However, the fact that they avoided the “it’s not good-bye” cliché was unexpectedly impressive. The most stunning part overall was that this book captured real-life situations that people are still facing today, like family pressure and bullying, overlapping the romance just before it became too boring and mushy to handle.

Lakes Can Be Amazing

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Lakes Can Be Amazing


After weeks of preparation and logistics, as well as hours of travel, my father and I, along with 7 other members in our Boy Scout troop, arrived at the Charles L. Sommers canoe base in Ely, Minnesota for a 7-day canoe trip in the boundary waters between Canada and the United states. This base is part of the Northern Tier High Adventure Program. We had watched the movies, and seen the wallpapers, but now it was time to experience nature for real. Charles L. Sommers was in the middle of nowhere; there was nothing but crisp pine trees and lakes for miles around. After we checked in, the staff members handed us our gear, gave us a short orientation, and showed us our cabins for the night. We would leave early in the morning.

My dad said the packs we were taking were heavy, but I never thought how heavy. Each crew of 9 people get around 6 large packs to carry all the personal gear, food, supplies, and cooking utensils needed for the trip. Everything was carried with you, including the canoes. This worried me a lot, especially since the 90-pound burden almost made me fall over immediately. By the time we launched our canoes into the lake, our whole crews’ backs were already aching. We would be experiencing that feeling a lot throughout our trip.

Paddling on a crystal clear lake is probably one of the most peaceful things to do on the Earth. The water stretches for miles, and the only sound you can hear is your paddle dipping in, then out. Bald eagles skim the surface of the lake, hunting for the large fish swimming in the shallows. However, the land approaches as the water ends, and the weak of heart go back to the canoe base. Our crew had other ideas…

There is an opening in the evergreen forest, with a narrow, rough trail lying inside it. If we wanted to get the miles on this trip, it all started at this portage. Taking up our packs, and lifting the canoes over our heads, we trekked past the point of no return and struggled to the next lake. I came to dread these “portages”, carrying all our heavy gear and canoes on land, but it was necessary to get to the places we wanted to go to. Step by step, I carried my pack down halfway through the trail before I stumbled, slipped on a rock and fell backwards. Dazed, yet determined, I used all my strength to get back on my feet and continue onwards. The only driving motivation in a portage is the water you can see at the other side.

Since these lakes are hard to reach, and isolated, the fishing there was probably the best you can get this side of the Western Hemisphere. We caught 20-30 inch Pike, Bass, and Lake Trout as easily as those fishing toy games. On the second day, my friend Seth had a 31-inch Northern Pike on the line as soon as he had reeled in another fish! I was surprised, because the lakes are so vast and deep you would think the fish would be spread out far and few in between. There were no complaints, though, as fried fish was the best remedy for an aching body.

The third day was one of the longest and hardest days of the trip, especially for my dad. While doing a rough, steep portage, my dad, who was carrying the canoe, stumbles and shouts in pain. He had torn one of his upper groin muscles! This didn’t injure him to the point of calling off the trip, but he had to take ibuprofen every day after. It would take a good month after the incident for him to fully recover.

On reaching our fourth day of the trip, we paddled to Lake MacIntyre, the halfway point in our canoe route. By then, our crew had travelled over 40 miles and portaged around 13 times. To make it back to the canoe base in time, we took a route around one of the large lakes and started heading home. The weather was perfect for five days straight, until a huge storm hit us early in the morning. As soon as the first drop fell, I woke up my tent mates and rushed to put the rainfly over our shelter. Lightning flashed over the lake at around 100 times a minute. It was like someone was shining a strobe light over the whole world! Not to mention the pouring rain and screaming wind. None of us slept well that night.

Finally, we found our way back to the lake where we started and I reflected on everything I accomplished throughout the trip. Our crew travelled over 75 miles by canoe, caught countless fish, and bonded well together in only 7 days. We woke up every one of those days and paddled, rain or shine, and really experienced what it’s like to be with nature. Not only that, I got to test my limits and see my potential. After this trip, I went home and knew how hard work and effort really do pay off.