Another awful assignment
Boring, bothersome, bland
Can't complete correctly
Dull doesn't describe 'dis
Everyone exhorts exhaustion
Forever fearing failure
Grumbling, griping, groaning
Hating having homework
Thursday, January 28, 2010
A Room Like No Other (revised)
A Room Like No Other
I just look around,
Don’t know what to write.
I think I’ll describe,
Whatever’s in sight.
A broken old chair,
All covered in dust.
And under the seat,
It’s beginning to rust.
And above the chair,
There hangs a flag.
It’s faded and ripped,
And starting to sag.
Hanging from the ceiling,
There is an arm.
And for those who don’t go here,
It may cause some alarm.
Posters and pictures,
Are hung of all kinds.
And over the window,
There hangs some old blinds.
When silence sets in,
The heater in back,
Makes a loud humming noise,
Hear it rattle and crack.
The door in the hallway,
As teachers let it slam,
Opens with a loud creek,
And closes with a bam!
The room in itself,
Has a unique smell,
A bit musty and stuffy,
It’s F1, you can tell.
Just how many people,
Have sat in F1?
For theatre, English,
Or just having fun.
This room, I’d imagine,
Has witnessed a lot.
And take it for granted,
I surely will not.
This year I must leave here,
When the school year is done.
But I’ll cherish the memories,
I’ve made in F1.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Camp Chronicles (Part II)
To this day, when I look back on that summer I burst into laughter. I can’t even count the amount of inside jokes we created. Actually, at the end of the summer, we all made shirts and wrote all of the funniest jokes on them. I’m so glad we did because without them I probably would have forgotten most of them.
One of my favorite moments that I will never, ever forget is when our bunk was under attack by bugs. It was about 10pm, and we were all getting ready for bed. I was sitting on my bed writing in my journal when all of the sudden I heard Alana scream from across the bunk. She jumped up on Bre’s bed and yelled, “There’s a huge beetle on the floor! Oh my God, step on it!” I started laughing so hard I nearly peed myself. Bre moved quickly and swept it out the door with a broom. Not even a minute later, Aleks jumped up from her bed and ran across the bunk. There was a spider hanging down over Tipper’s bed. Tipper came running in when she heard where it was and yelled, “Ew! Get it away from my bed!” I started laughing even harder as I watched Catina attempt to squish it with a shoe. The best part came when Bre spotted another beetle on the outside of the screen window by her bed.
“What is with all of these bugs tonight?” she exclaimed as she flicked the screen in an attempt to make the beetle fall. Katie, in her pajamas, then ran down the aisle of the bunk screaming “They’re coming from the walls! They’re coming from the walls! Oh no! They’re coming from-” Just as she reached the bathroom door her pants dropped to her ankles. She stopped mid sentence and said, “-my pants fell down!” Everyone in the bunk broke out in laughter for a good five minutes.
That joke lasted the entire summer, and we all imitated Katie’s trouser dropping moment at one point or another. That wasn’t the only joke that stuck with us, though. Another great moment came when we were stuck in the bunk during a thunder storm, waiting to go eat dinner. We were all changing out of our smelly work-out clothes into some nice casual clothes to wear to dinner. Alana, however, had fallen asleep as soon as she hit her bed. We decided to let her sleep until dinner. When we heard the announcement over the loudspeaker to come to dinner, we began to gently nudge Alana awake. She was out like a light, and she wasn’t waking up. So Katie yelled, “ALANA! TIME TO GET UP FOR DINNER!” Alana shot up in bed and looked around in a panic saying, “Is it over? Is it over?” Naturally none of us had any idea what she was talking about, so we all laughed hysterically. She got so mad at us for that. Turns out she was just disoriented and didn’t know what she was talking about. But we never let her live that one down. For the rest of the summer we constantly asked Alana if “it was over”.
Alana got her fair share of teasing from us that summer, but so did everyone. Like poor Aleks. She soon gave us a reason to tease her. It was around lunch time and we were all gathered in the bunk resting before lunch. I had been upset about something that day and started writing in my journal. Katie asked me why I was writing so much and I told her it was just how I coped with problems. Well one thing lead to another and we ended up asking Aleks how she coped with her problems. Aleks, English being her second language, asked very sweetly, “What is ‘cope’?” Well of course we all laughed at her, but in a playful way. She laughed at herself. We explained what it meant, but we always laughed about that moment from then on out.
Yeah, we had some good times. A lot of laughs. A lot of joking around. But it wasn’t always fun. As summer camp tends to be, it was definitely full of drama…
One of my favorite moments that I will never, ever forget is when our bunk was under attack by bugs. It was about 10pm, and we were all getting ready for bed. I was sitting on my bed writing in my journal when all of the sudden I heard Alana scream from across the bunk. She jumped up on Bre’s bed and yelled, “There’s a huge beetle on the floor! Oh my God, step on it!” I started laughing so hard I nearly peed myself. Bre moved quickly and swept it out the door with a broom. Not even a minute later, Aleks jumped up from her bed and ran across the bunk. There was a spider hanging down over Tipper’s bed. Tipper came running in when she heard where it was and yelled, “Ew! Get it away from my bed!” I started laughing even harder as I watched Catina attempt to squish it with a shoe. The best part came when Bre spotted another beetle on the outside of the screen window by her bed.
“What is with all of these bugs tonight?” she exclaimed as she flicked the screen in an attempt to make the beetle fall. Katie, in her pajamas, then ran down the aisle of the bunk screaming “They’re coming from the walls! They’re coming from the walls! Oh no! They’re coming from-” Just as she reached the bathroom door her pants dropped to her ankles. She stopped mid sentence and said, “-my pants fell down!” Everyone in the bunk broke out in laughter for a good five minutes.
That joke lasted the entire summer, and we all imitated Katie’s trouser dropping moment at one point or another. That wasn’t the only joke that stuck with us, though. Another great moment came when we were stuck in the bunk during a thunder storm, waiting to go eat dinner. We were all changing out of our smelly work-out clothes into some nice casual clothes to wear to dinner. Alana, however, had fallen asleep as soon as she hit her bed. We decided to let her sleep until dinner. When we heard the announcement over the loudspeaker to come to dinner, we began to gently nudge Alana awake. She was out like a light, and she wasn’t waking up. So Katie yelled, “ALANA! TIME TO GET UP FOR DINNER!” Alana shot up in bed and looked around in a panic saying, “Is it over? Is it over?” Naturally none of us had any idea what she was talking about, so we all laughed hysterically. She got so mad at us for that. Turns out she was just disoriented and didn’t know what she was talking about. But we never let her live that one down. For the rest of the summer we constantly asked Alana if “it was over”.
Alana got her fair share of teasing from us that summer, but so did everyone. Like poor Aleks. She soon gave us a reason to tease her. It was around lunch time and we were all gathered in the bunk resting before lunch. I had been upset about something that day and started writing in my journal. Katie asked me why I was writing so much and I told her it was just how I coped with problems. Well one thing lead to another and we ended up asking Aleks how she coped with her problems. Aleks, English being her second language, asked very sweetly, “What is ‘cope’?” Well of course we all laughed at her, but in a playful way. She laughed at herself. We explained what it meant, but we always laughed about that moment from then on out.
Yeah, we had some good times. A lot of laughs. A lot of joking around. But it wasn’t always fun. As summer camp tends to be, it was definitely full of drama…
The Camp Chronicles (Part I)
During the summer of 2008, right before I became a junior in high school, I went to a weight loss camp in the Poconos. It was called Camp Pocono Trails, and I was there from June 28th to July 25th. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I remember the first day I got there. The air smelled so different than Jersey air. It felt thick and cold, which made me nervous. As I looked around and saw how many campers were actually there, I was shocked. As soon as my mom left, I felt completely alone.
My cabin was smaller than most others. Once you went up the creaky old steps to the porch and opened the worn down screen door, there was a long isle with four beds on either side. Next to each bed there was a large cubby with a bar to hang your clothes on, and shelves above that. At the very end of the aisle, in the back of the cabin, was a bathroom. When you walked through the doorway there was a sink to the left and what looked like a protruding closet with a toilet in it. To the right there was a curtain concealing a double shower. I chose the bed right against the wall with the shower on the other side because I love to fall asleep to the sound of a shower running. It’s very soothing to me.
Anyway, two councilors were also bunking with us, and they slept closest to the door. They were both short, skinny sorority girls. They both greeted me as I settled in. Bre had blonde hair and a squeaky, mouse-like voice. Catina had brown hair and appeared very feminine and timid. I looked around to see that two other beds had already been claimed, but the girls were nowhere to be found.
As I began to unpack, one of the girls entered the bunk. She was a short, chubby girl with shoulder length scrunched hair. She introduced herself as Katie. At first I didn’t get the best vibe from her, so I steered clear. Shortly after, another girl entered. She was a bit shorter than me and had thick black glasses. Her hair was brown and pin straight. When she spoke, she revealed her braces and somewhat nasally voice. Her name, as I came to find out, was Alana. She had a unique style. Sort of a feminine, punk look. She was very quiet for the most part but seemed to have a bit of an attitude.
I continued to unpack, as did the other girls. I could feel the busyness around me. Outside the bunk, parents walked their kids to their bunks, friends rejoiced in their reuniting, and counselors tried desperately to get a hold of things. Another girl came in, short and thing with an exotic-looking face. She was definitely Russian. Sure enough, her parents followed and spoke with Russian accents. Her parents seemed to linger for a long time, but eventually left. The girl’s name was Aleks. We spent a long time discussing the spelling of her name, believe me. She had a strong accent, and she could speak fluent Russian. She seemed very shy, so I didn’t really make conversation with her.
The next girl that entered was Kelsey. I later found out I should have locked the door when she got there. Kelsey was chubby and had greasy blonde hair. Her voice sounded like a 10-year-old and her clothes looked like something out of the children’s section in Walmart. Of course she picked the bed right next to me, and she would not stop talking as soon as she got there. This helped me to quickly realize she had ADHD and was apparently a little slow. Mentally, she was at the level of a 10-year-old. I could not stand her, and I let her know right off the bat. Some think it cruel to be snotty to someone like Kelsey, but you wouldn’t understand unless you met this girl yourself.
All of the beds were full now except the one across the aisle from me. We went to dinner and I had my first taste of what the food would be like at this camp. Not bad. Not good, but not bad. We all wondered who the sixth girl in our bunk was. Later that night we all sat in the bunk playing truth-or-dare and other clique summer camp games. Finally, at around 8pm, Tipper arrived. She was a little taller than me, with brown hair and an oversized, navy blue t-shirt on. She was a lot heavier than me, and her style seemed to be a little, shall we say, “gangster”. She was very friendly right off the bat. She told us she was from Florida and that her flight had been delayed this morning. That’s why she was so late. She joined in the games and our bunk immediately started bonding.
The five of us, excluding Kelsey, became very close, very fast. I got to know Katie and learned that there was no cause for alarm. She was a very nice person. And Alana’s attitude seemed to turn into a sick sense of humor. She could sure make me laugh. We all shared secrets and protected each other from the vicious girls in the bunk next to us. I could tell it would be a great summer.
My cabin was smaller than most others. Once you went up the creaky old steps to the porch and opened the worn down screen door, there was a long isle with four beds on either side. Next to each bed there was a large cubby with a bar to hang your clothes on, and shelves above that. At the very end of the aisle, in the back of the cabin, was a bathroom. When you walked through the doorway there was a sink to the left and what looked like a protruding closet with a toilet in it. To the right there was a curtain concealing a double shower. I chose the bed right against the wall with the shower on the other side because I love to fall asleep to the sound of a shower running. It’s very soothing to me.
Anyway, two councilors were also bunking with us, and they slept closest to the door. They were both short, skinny sorority girls. They both greeted me as I settled in. Bre had blonde hair and a squeaky, mouse-like voice. Catina had brown hair and appeared very feminine and timid. I looked around to see that two other beds had already been claimed, but the girls were nowhere to be found.
As I began to unpack, one of the girls entered the bunk. She was a short, chubby girl with shoulder length scrunched hair. She introduced herself as Katie. At first I didn’t get the best vibe from her, so I steered clear. Shortly after, another girl entered. She was a bit shorter than me and had thick black glasses. Her hair was brown and pin straight. When she spoke, she revealed her braces and somewhat nasally voice. Her name, as I came to find out, was Alana. She had a unique style. Sort of a feminine, punk look. She was very quiet for the most part but seemed to have a bit of an attitude.
I continued to unpack, as did the other girls. I could feel the busyness around me. Outside the bunk, parents walked their kids to their bunks, friends rejoiced in their reuniting, and counselors tried desperately to get a hold of things. Another girl came in, short and thing with an exotic-looking face. She was definitely Russian. Sure enough, her parents followed and spoke with Russian accents. Her parents seemed to linger for a long time, but eventually left. The girl’s name was Aleks. We spent a long time discussing the spelling of her name, believe me. She had a strong accent, and she could speak fluent Russian. She seemed very shy, so I didn’t really make conversation with her.
The next girl that entered was Kelsey. I later found out I should have locked the door when she got there. Kelsey was chubby and had greasy blonde hair. Her voice sounded like a 10-year-old and her clothes looked like something out of the children’s section in Walmart. Of course she picked the bed right next to me, and she would not stop talking as soon as she got there. This helped me to quickly realize she had ADHD and was apparently a little slow. Mentally, she was at the level of a 10-year-old. I could not stand her, and I let her know right off the bat. Some think it cruel to be snotty to someone like Kelsey, but you wouldn’t understand unless you met this girl yourself.
All of the beds were full now except the one across the aisle from me. We went to dinner and I had my first taste of what the food would be like at this camp. Not bad. Not good, but not bad. We all wondered who the sixth girl in our bunk was. Later that night we all sat in the bunk playing truth-or-dare and other clique summer camp games. Finally, at around 8pm, Tipper arrived. She was a little taller than me, with brown hair and an oversized, navy blue t-shirt on. She was a lot heavier than me, and her style seemed to be a little, shall we say, “gangster”. She was very friendly right off the bat. She told us she was from Florida and that her flight had been delayed this morning. That’s why she was so late. She joined in the games and our bunk immediately started bonding.
The five of us, excluding Kelsey, became very close, very fast. I got to know Katie and learned that there was no cause for alarm. She was a very nice person. And Alana’s attitude seemed to turn into a sick sense of humor. She could sure make me laugh. We all shared secrets and protected each other from the vicious girls in the bunk next to us. I could tell it would be a great summer.
Apology Poem
Okay I admit,
It was not a big deal,
It was only my makeup,
You decided to steal.
When I asked for it back,
It was too big a request,
You were comfortable sleeping,
You needed your rest.
Even though I was rushing,
Already late for school,
No need to say sorry,
It’s alright, it’s cool.
I really must apologize,
Your snow globes looked neat,
But now they’re all broken,
And smashed at your feet.
It was not a big deal,
It was only my makeup,
You decided to steal.
When I asked for it back,
It was too big a request,
You were comfortable sleeping,
You needed your rest.
Even though I was rushing,
Already late for school,
No need to say sorry,
It’s alright, it’s cool.
I really must apologize,
Your snow globes looked neat,
But now they’re all broken,
And smashed at your feet.
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