Taking care of a Baby

                                  By Omar Oughourli

So recently I took care of a baby for human development. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. No joke. Well okay maybe a little. So anyway, the baby was actually a RealCare 3 baby, meaning it cries if it’s hungry or pooped itself, the whole works. It’s an amazing piece of technology really. The first day was hard for me because I had to get used to it crying ALL THE TIME. I truly understand how parents feel now, I mean, in the “no more free time” department. You can’t do anything like you used to. No more lounging on the couch, no more napping (which I don’t do, but you get the idea), and no more sitting on the computer all the time (which I DO do). I knew it was going to cry at the middle of the night, but I didn’t care anyway. I wanted to cry. “Please, for the love of God, LET ME SLEEP!” I said painfully.

The second day was worse. I remember when my sister had it, she had it easy. When I had it, let’s just say I don’t think babies should cry seven times in three hours to be fed 10 minutes straight EVERY TIME (that’s right, this baby is a demon, WHO THE HECK DRINKS FOR 10 MINUTES STRAIGHT!!?? I CAN”T EVEN DO THAT!!!). I mean I get the diaper changing part, but FEEDING LIKE THAT!? Nope. That’s a freakin’ world record right there. You should have seen the tiny milk bottle. Or should I say a genie milk bottle, since it had like 10 minutes worth of milk. That right there is ingenuity. Why don’t we have water bottles like that? Whatever.

The third day was the last day, and it was no different. I forgot to mention my stupidity. So in order to take care of it you had to have this bracelet that “allows” you to take care of the baby, otherwise it won’t work with anyone else. And you can’t take it off, obviously. But here’s where my stupidity comes in. So when the teacher was putting it on, she asked me if it was too tight, and I said it was “okay”. Oh lord was I wrong. See, because I was too excited about the whole thing at the time, I didn’t feel it. But after a while, the “itch” set in. The “itch” was a funny thing. You can’t touch the bracelet too much, otherwise it might look suspicious. So I did what any 17 year old boy with a promising mind would do, I touched the bracelet too much. Don’t worry, nothing bad happened, I got used to it in the end anyway. Looking back on it now, it’s clear that the worst of it was waking up at 3:00 a.m. to take care of a soulless machine for a grade, yay science. I got a 97/100 anyway. Also my sister helped A LOT, but that’s between you and me. So shush.

Control

There is an essence in each object.

This essence,

consisting of different elements,

represents different factors of life.

Taking advantage of the essence can create beautiful things.

Farming can be done faster.

Landscaping is easier than imagined.

Natural resources are at our fingertips.

Taking advantage of this life force can put man in control of nature.

Or so he thinks….

Nature has a mind of its own.

There is a delicate balance of power between man and the environment.

And if man is taking too much control of the environment,

Nature will fight back in order to restore equilibrium.

Nature will bring about a vile wave of famine,

disaster,

plague,

and mutant creatures beyond anyone’s imagination.

Today, we are at the brink of thriving or dying.

We can bring back a world of hope,

Use the essence for the positive.

Or we can continue to move forward,

abuse the essence,

and let nature take over the human population.

The choice is yours.

Justification Kills, but is Killing Justified?

It’s hard to determine the hero and villain of a story if the author doesn’t make it partially clear.  Some people could see the villain’s acts as being the right thing to do, and in some cases the hero could be doing wrong.  There are many cases where the villain of the story, as well as real life situations, where the line between right and wrong isn’t clear.

One of the most common reasons why someone does evil is out of revenge.   One example of this is one of the stories from Sherlock Holmes.  There were two men who had been murdered.  At a glance anyone would assume that the murderer is in the wrong here, but what if I said that the two men ruined the murderer’s life.  In the book there is another short story that tells the tale of John Ferrier a man who lived in western America.  Long story short, his daughter died of depression after she was forced to marry a man she didn’t love, and had to watch the one she loved die.  John had lost his daughter and a man that he was good friends with thanks to two men that have caused him trouble in the past.  John ended up chasing the two all the way to Great Britain where he killed them.  Now some may say that killing them is no way to solve an issue, and there are other ways to handle it, but there were none.  The two men had high status in this town, and couldn’t have been punished.  John took the matter into his own hands and avenged himself, his daughter, and her true love.

Now that leaves us with one question, was he really the villain?  Everybody tells you that violence isn’t the answer and there are always other ways to handle a situation, but when you take a look at history, you’ll find that we’ve been lied to.  Humans grew up on the foundation of war and violence.  History repeats itself day after day as more conflicts break out no matter how big or small.  In war, almost everyone will make the argument that their side is in the right based on where they live and their beliefs, but isn’t that a little bit biased.  People haven’t lived in the opposition’s shoes.  We fought the Revolutionary War because we wanted to be free from Great Britain, but Great Britain thought that they were doing a perfect job in governing America.  We fought the Civil War because the north saw no need for slaves while the south depended on them heavily.  There will always be two sides to a coin some just weigh one side heavier than the other, because I know I do.  I’ve always weighed heads over tails, doesn’t it just feel natural?

Equal to Evil

Before you start reading, I'd like to say that this poem is based on a true story (exaggeratedly).  Can you guess what it's about?  Anyway, I hope you enjoy/can possibly relate! :)  - Holly

Equal to Evil

by Holly Nguyen

Today, one thing gets us good salaries,

Yet it’s far from a good laugh

Its teachings require firm mastery -

A difficult, excruciating task.

Complex lessons taught in the morning,

Two -second distractions seal awful fates.

It’s hard to resist, and unbelievably boring.

But the board is already covered at such a fast rate.

Headaches plague me through the day,

But Orchestra heals my tepid soul. 

In class, I shouldn’t have dreamt away.

Or I wouldn’t encounter an eventual toll…

Printed packets of practice problems,

Penetrate my packed planner in pen.

At home, I’ll have to solve them,

And face this same cycle again.

Video tutorials prevail the teacher,

And comprehension pulls me forward.

That’s when I become eager

For what awaits me next in this order.

Days pass, and the class is silent with fear,

Mechanical pencil tip digs into my skin.

The quizzes are distributed, faces queer,

But I become certain I will win.

Under half an hour’s record,

I achieve it with confidence

And with such devoted effort

That this unit won’t make me wince.

Next lesson shortly arrives,

To me it’s somewhat tough,

But later there’s a surprise -

My quiz grade came rough.

As I juggle the old while grasping the new,

Other teachers bring heaps of more work.

Procrastination comes and accomplishes a few,

And I accuse it for being a huge jerk.

2 AM yet still awake

I review everything in dim light,

Stupid question twenty-eight

Got me stumped throughout the night.

Then the sun comes to rise with radiance,

Opposing my unsightly, sleep-deprived image. 

The alarm clock rings, and I need to sleep in

But anxiety and today’s test keep me on edge.

Shoes dragging across the school floor,

Exhaustion poisons my system.

My mind and joints become sore

Knowing this test will judge my existence.

Last-minute studying conquers the room;

Everybody seems completely ready.

But for me, it’s sleep, but time zooms

To the point where my knowledge is unsteady.

What the heck is this…?

I groggily pondered,

And I try to reminisce

Something like it, for my honor.

90 minutes for 100 points,

The clock stalls to help,

Yet the test has me annoyed,

From lack of memory, you could tell.

Finally, I finish,

No time to double-check,

Though I definitely wasn’t quickest,

That test alone was heck.

Scores release a week later,

Mine’s too brutal to even say.

But the only thing that’ll make me greater

Is future preparation for the next day.

This villain’s name is a four letter word,

With sole intentions to hurt and deceive.

Although it’s more like a four letter curse,

I think we all can admit that it’s heinous indeed.