The Chicago Experience

“Uh Mom, you might want to pull over,” I declared as my cousin’s face turned from tan to white in an instant.  I could tell that Kendra was barely keeping her breakfast in her stomach.  This was the first incident we encountered on our way to Chicago, and it would not end up being the last.

            My whole family was headed to Chicago to celebrate with my Uncle Justin as he married Katie Borchert.  We did not get to see them much because they both attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Everyone was excited to go celebrate with them and we planned a long weekend in Chicago to enjoy our time.  I was even more ecstatic because my family was going to fly to Cleveland, Ohio to see my Great Aunt Pam and Uncle George. 

            We had all piled into the vehicles early that morning and everyone was restless because of the different hours and the long drive.  We had a good trip until just before Chicago when my cousin decided that she hadn’t enjoyed her breakfast too much and it would be better if it weren’t in her stomach.  We made it through that episode and headed to the house we were staying at.  Everything was fine until that night.  Then, I went on a downhill ride into catastrophe. 

            It started with a headache, then moved on to a stomachache, and ended with strep throat.  I was not a happy camper and no one found it fun to be around me.  The worst part was that my uncle and his fiancé were due to get married the next morning, with me as their ring bearer.  Everyone was going out of their way to care for me in any way they could and I just kept feeling miserable.  I slept forever and the next morning, I woke up and headed off to the wedding.  That might have been a mistake, but there was no reason to leave me at home I guess.  We went through pictures and all that stuff and I was almost sleeping as I walked around. 

            The ceremony began and I started thinking about others for a change.  I realized that I shouldn’t let my illness upset everyone else on my uncle’s special day.  This changed my perspective quite a bit.  I put an extra bounce in my step and tried to smile as much as possible and I made it through the wedding.  I was wiped out by the time we were done and I needed a bed.  But no, I had to go to the reception and sweat it out there for a few hours.  Each minute went slower than the one before it and I began getting restless and feeling pain. 

            My parents finally decided to take me into an urgent care unit where they could put me on some meds and let me go.  The only issue was that we had to wait for about two hours before the doctor could see me.  Finally, the doctor called us in to see him and began checking me out.  Once he was finished with his examination, he announced that my strep was very bad and I would need a shot to cure it. 

            Ouch! I hated shots when I was a kid and this was no different.  As much as I was in pain, I did not want a shot.  That’s when I started thinking about others again.  If I got a shot, I would be out of pain quicker and everyone else would be able to enjoy themselves sooner.  I gave in and got the shot and I was sure glad I did.  Even though we had to cancel our trip to Ohio, we were able to enjoy ourselves a little bit more for the rest of our stay in Chicago.  Best of all, I had taken some steps towards thinking about others before myself.  I had been able to make the decision that would help others, even though it may have hurt me for a short while at the moment.  When I got back to the house, I was much happier and it put a smile on everyone else’s face because they did not have to worry about me any longer.

NFL Lockout

On March 12, 2011, the National Football League declared a lockout of its players.  For about a year now players and coaches have been discussing contract situations.  This has marked a low point in the NFL and the union was forced to get involved.

            According to the Union, players were told on March 12 that they could not return to team facilities for the 2011 season.  The Union announced its decision to place a lockout on the players.  The Union members said, “we believe that in two, five, or ten years players, coaches, and owners will look back and agree that a lockout is the best decision.”  Many fans and supporters disagreed with this decision and wanted to support their team.  This decision forced NFL players to find other activities to do during the empty season.  Some went to professional soccer, others to try boxing and other sports.  This actually could have been a good thing to bring these players back to earth.  They were discovering other ways to have fun and make money.

            As soon as the players were adapting to their new roles, a judge in Florida turned things around.  They had another hearing on April 26 and Judge Susan Nelson dropped the lockout.  This court decision puts the ruling in immediate and full force.  This does not mean that NFL will return back to its normal routine right away.  The teams are still not able to make trades other than the draft trades, but all the team members are allowed to return to their practice facilities. Also, team owners cannot refuse to work out deals with players any longer and if they do they are subject to be in contempt with the court.  This is a big step towards the playing of a regular season this year.  Also, the NFL draft began last night and that is pushing the union to try to make some sort of a collective decision between owners and players.

            I believe that these players and coaches are being totally ridiculous.  They have more money circulating through those organizations than the total world population, and that is in just one club.  These organizations have around nine billion dollars to split up between fifty-three people.  I want to know what is okay about that.  These clubs need to work out some agreement so that the players can do what they do without being paid ten times as much as they work for.  There is really no reason why they shouldn’t be able to come to a reasonable conclusion on the matter and have everyone walk away happy. 

            After the suspension on Monday night, hopefully these owners will be able to find a way around the lockout.  I don’t think that a lockout is the answer, because an agreement is going to be reached one way or another and it seems like the lockout would be the hardest possibility.   

Compare and Contrast Essay

         In this day and age, the vehicle you drive is a big factor in many aspects of life.  This essay is going to reveal some of the aspects and also give information to help a buyer’s decision.  Helpful hints and facts will be presented as well. 

            I have researched the comparisons between the Chevrolet Silverado and the Toyota Tacoma.  By using facts in the research, I have broken down the positive and negative sides to both vehicles.

            I will begin with the similarities.  Each of these vehicles has a very good turning radius.  Both of these pick-ups have about the same radius, in fact.  This is interesting because the Silverado sports a broader and bigger frame.  The buyer can also find the same exact warranty on these trucks.  After reading the consumer reports, they too, seem to be very comparable.

            The Tacoma also has some positive things that a Silverado doesn’t have.  It has a smaller body and engine, which increases the miles-per-gallon.  This would be a good feature for someone who doesn’t do a lot of towing and heavy lifting.  Since it is built cheaper, it is also sold cheaper, so this makes the hit to the checkbook a little bit smaller.  Another good thing about this vehicle is that since it is cheaper, the insurance rates are less.  The last positive thing about the Tacoma is that on the newer models the buyer is able to get a factory supercharger on the engine.  That attracts the people who enjoy a daily dose of adrenaline.

            We now move on to the truck that made America.  Chevrolet is known as America’s heartbeat.  These trucks are all around tough.  They come out of the factory in a style that bleeds authority.  They have a much larger cab, which is great for hauling around your friends or your construction crew.  They are “built to last,” and are known for their great durability.  Each truck can come with a factory remote starter for the cold winter days.  These trucks have a smoother ride than any other, and are also known to have much less cab noise than the Tacoma.  Silverado is the hardest-working and longest lasting truck in America.  These pick-ups have an outstanding pulling capacity for towing your boat, skid loader, or any other toy you need moved.  This truck sports a heavy V-8 engine that anyone can drive forever.  The last important factor in this evaluation is the hybrid technology.  In the newer Silverado, you are able to get a hybrid engine that saves the declining fuel amounts.  This is a huge positive.

            After researching the similarities and differences between these two vehicles, I would strongly recommend the Silverado over the Tacoma.  It is built to last.             

Persuasive Essay

We all know the stress that school puts on our lives.  Each and every minute, hour, and day add up.  That’s why the English nine class needs a fiesta.

            This essay is being written to point out the effect that strenuous work has on kids in school.  It also will show what we can do to prevent overload. 

            Just a short while ago, a Faculty Senate voted to “strongly discourage teachers from assigning homework over academic breaks.”  The vote had a favor of 46 to 2.  Teachers have been urged to refrain from “assignments that require academic work over scheduled breaks, at least once a semester.”  Many students have busy schedules over these academic breaks and do not have adequate time to complete the homework they have been assigned.  The purpose of scheduling academic breaks is so that students will have a break from their stressful life. 

Studies have been taken by psychologists to see how effectively kids do their homework over these breaks.  The results were not very promising.  They discovered that about 5 out of 10 kids that are assigned homework over breaks do not even complete the assignments.  Another 3 out of 10 wait until the night before they are expected to return, and then do their work.  Finally, 2 out of the 10 accomplish the task in a legitimate amount of time during their break.  As I mentioned before, these results are not very good.

EPC Professor, Bruce Levitt, says, “It’s not really enforceable, but it might make professors think twice about overburdening students with work during breaks.”  He also commented, “This resolution was important for showing tremendous amount of care and concern for students stress.  I strongly agree with his statements and I think there should be more of an effort to support those points. 

Another academic struggle that some people are being faced with right now are the breaks during each school day.  Many researchers and psychologists have come to the conclusion that each break should be the student’s time of rest.  It is there only to take a break during the day and it helps control mental stress and emotions.  This seems to be very important for us to be aware of as well.  I think that in this case, teacher should leave an allotted amount of time to work and ask questions at the end of each class period. 

This is where my request for a fiesta is introduced.  After looking at all the records and statistics, I believe that having a fiesta would be a great way for us to get a much-needed break.  If we do this, it will help us all, including Mrs. Pollema, because she would not have to lesson plan or teach material. 

In having a fiesta, we could learn important facts about taking time out to rest when we’re all working later on in life.  This would be a great learning experience for all of us students and great fun for everyone as well.  

Book Review : The Outsiders

Imagine living in the slums of Tulsa, Oklahoma with no parents and only two older brothers.  Especially under these circumstances, a person begins to wonder about a lot of different things.  Your life is so questionable that you are forced to carry a switchblade in your back pocket at all times.  Life is dangerous, but there is no way to change it.

This is what life was like for Ponyboy Curtis.  He and his brothers live their lives this way in ­The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. 

In this story, Ponyboy is a member of a Chicago gang, which includes his brothers and their friends.  They are known as Greasers.  The book begins with a simple walk from the movie theatre to the Curtis residence.  This seems like a simple task for any normal person.  For Ponyboy, this was a bigger feat.  On his way home, he was attacked by a group of city slickers, otherwise known as Socs, from across town.  They beat him badly and left him for dead.  The rest of the gang found him shortly after, and once they found out what happened, the fight was on.

These rich folk took their girlfriends to a drive-in movie.  Ponyboy and two of his friends were sitting in the lower seating area by themselves.  The girls were getting annoyed because their boyfriends were drinking and acting dumb, so they proceeded to walk down and sit by Ponyboy and his friends.  This made the other guys jealous, and they wanted more revenge.  That night, Ponyboy went home and got in a verbal fight with his brother.  Ponyboy and his closest friend, Johnny, who was very quiet and shy, left and began walking.  This drunken group of boys followed them to a park, chased them, and then attacked them.  One of the Socs was holding Ponyboy’s head under water and he was about to drown.  Out of defense, Johnny stabbed one of the men and he reeled over and fell to the ground bleeding very badly.  The two boys knew it was bad so they fled and left the Soc lying in a pool of blood.  They went and picked up some supplies and money from another friend and fled.  They were gone for a while and stayed in an abandoned church.  They dyed Ponyboy’s dark brown hair to blond.  They then went in to town to get more supplies to live on. 

They returned to the church with their friend and found it on fire.  There was a group of children visiting the old church when they returned, and while the children were in it, it started on fire.  The boys saved the children’s lives, but Johnny was badly injured.  From there on out, every move was an adventure.

The book had very good pace and kept my attention.  Throughout the story, many of the characters were changed.  Ponyboy went from a straight “A” student to a slack off that didn’t care much about school.  In a way, this is what helped him mature, because he got a new perspective on his life.  His oldest brother seemed very harsh and controlling, but by the end, Ponyboy realized that he was just trying to be a good caregiver.  This was a good learning experience for their whole family, and it made all of their relationships better.  

This book is great for action-packed, suspense-filled, mysterious pace.  The excitement level is high from beginning to end.  Every move makes you wonder what will happen next.  The book also includes a lot of information from the 1960’s era that some people do not know about.  Life in big cities is partially revealed from a lower-class perspective that will be uncomprehensible to some people. 

I enjoyed this book very much.  As I stated earlier, this book is full of suspense.  The storyline is very consistent and holds the reader’s attention very well.  Anyone that reads this book is sure to be impacted by the testimony and reality of the life and living conditions of these boys.  It is an excellent example of a fiction story bringing out real life situations.  The book is really brought to life throughout every scene.  If you enjoy bits of history being brought out through suspense and thrill in the midst of this book, you will definitely love this book.  

Thank You

When I walked into school, all I could think about is how I would fit in there.  My name is Eddie Smith and I had just transferred to East High. I had already entered my first class when I saw him; tan, burly, and “mean” etched in his face.

           

Even from my first, quick glance I could tell he was going to give me trouble.  Upon arriving, I was introduced by the teacher and sent to sit in the back of the room, right next to “Freight Train.”  I discovered that this was what they called this burly beast of a man.  I quietly descended towards my seat and was rewarded with the opening act of Freight Train’s bag of tricks.

            I felt the chair slide from under me as gravity took control and I toppled to the ground.  Everyone burst into laughter except a small, bold, blond haired girl who was sitting in the front row.  She marched to the back, helped me regain my footing, and afflicted “Mr. Joe Snee” with the loudest and most confident lecture I had ever heard.  This girl was my hero.  She picked up my books and apologized for Joe’s rude behavior.  I thanked her and sat in awe for the rest of the class period.

            Once first hour was finished, I found out my rescuer’s name.  She was called Grace Felton.  I knew right away why she was named Grace.  She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the next class.  As I scanned my class schedule, I noticed that Grace and Freight Train were both in all of the same classes that I was in.  This frightened me because freight train had continued to pick on me ever since the moment he layed eyes on me.  I suppose in those days I would have been classified as a nerd, and that’s why I was teased.

That whole day began the most bitter sweet time in my life.  I fell in love with Grace Felton.  We did all we could to be together.  She had always cared about me, even when she knew nothing about me.  I knew I loved her, so I finally asked her out in the tenth grade.  She said, “Yes, of course Eddie.”  That was when it all began for me.

              Freight Train, along with every other guy in the school, was jealous of me.  They constantly made fun of me and pulled pranks.  This hurt me a lot because it made me feel worthless.  They never understood why an amazing girl like her would ever choose me over them.  They were all athletic men that held positions like captain of the baseball team.  These guys all bullied me, so I prayed for them, namely Freight Train.

My title was captain of the Knowledge bowl and Debate teams.  I worked hard in school even though I didn’t have to.  Freight Train scared me to death because he was the captain of the football team and I could barely bench 90 pounds in Physical Education class.  He out did me at everything except one thing--that was being a stewardly young Christian who cared for others. 

I went to church with Grace every Sunday and I even converted my parents to Christianity.  My father owned a huge law firm in Detroit and we lived in a close-by suburban city.  I was able to get experiences at the law firm at an early age and knew that I wanted to take over the family business one day.  Grace and I began talking about the future more and more as the time passed.  We both were accepted at Harvard University before the beginning of our senior year in High School.  By the end of our senior year, Freight Train had begun to bully me more.  He knew that he would never have as good of a chance at life as me, so he resorted to bullying.  When we graduated, Freight Train found out that he had not earned his high school diploma and would have to return.  He was very upset and attempted suicide just three short hours after the ceremony.  Everyone was shocked.  This tough guy that seemed to have it all together had failed his senior year and attempted to end his life.  My heart went out to him. 

Twenty years later, I was sitting in my office at Smith and Smith Incorporated Law Firm.  I saw a burly man walk by the door.  He looked like he had had a very tough life that involved drugs and alcohol.  That was when I looked at his nametag.  “Joe” is what was written on it.  He looked so familiar to me that I had to find out who he was.  I asked the secretary to get me the current staff list.  As I was scanning the list, my eyes dropped to “Joe Snee.”  My jaw dropped as I realized that I was currently employing the man that had bullied me for four horrible years. 

I had married Grace and we have four beautiful children together.  I decided that we should talk about Joe and find out if there was anyway to help him.  We decided that I should approach him and ask if he needed help.  As I walked up to him the next day and began to say “Hello Joe, is ther…,” He stopped me and with tears in his eyes said, “Thank you Eddie, thank you so much.”

Rainy Day

The processed darkness
is woven into unpeeled twilight
as the filtered liquid intensifies.

The playful sun practiced
peek-a-boo on the horizon
while electric droplets danced
on the window.

Steaming puddles ripple
when disturbed by wayward steps.
Now, frozen sidewalks melt
with each impact.