Where Chemistry Comes in Handy

My little brother's birthday was today, was the only thing on my mind as I had gotten dressed and ready for class. After an early morning bathroom trip I sent my mom a text message saying happy birthday to my little brother Butter (Jamie Butler, Jr.) Then I added that if he acts well I might have something for him. She confirmed my message with a response of will do. After I got dressed I went straight to breakfast at the commons, where I thought about what to get my brother for his birthday. In reality I kind of knew what I wanted to get him, but I kind of felt guilty about getting him something and not my other siblings. Then I got over it and said it's his birthday and he's turning six. When I finished eating my waffles, eggs, bacon, I wrote my brother a postcard that should touch his heart and keep him on a good path for a while in his life. After I sent off the card I went to class where we made our own breathalyzers out of sulfuric acid, cotton balls, and small glass tubes.

First we put small pieces of cotton balls in the bottom of the tube, then we carefully poured the acid in the tube, followed by another small piece of cotton. We made five of these tubes so we could have different substances tested in each tube. The substances were rubbing alcohol, mouth wash, nonalcoholic mouthwash, and air. We put each substance in a different blown up balloon, then put the balloon on the tube's opening upside down. This allowed the acid to react to the substances fumes. If the acid turned blue from its original yellow state, this means the substance had an alcohol level of more than .08. The mouthwash and rubbing alcohol each had a major impact, while the other two substances went unchanged. 

After we cleaned our chemical messes up, the class went upstairs so we could be lectured by another inventor. This inventor created replicas of brains and used lasers to scan and create layered images of the brain. 

We then ran out of time, and went straight to lunch where I had pizza and strawberry shortcake. After lunch we went back to class to do some brain power (Chemistry.) The second part of the day involved chemistry, which I had not taken yet, but apparently it was required for the class. Well, I took chemistry, but only for two weeks. I took chemistry for only two weeks, because it didn't fit my schedule and I didn't have an English class yet. So in order to get English, which has four years required in order to graduate I had to drop chemistry. I'm not sure if they didn't care, if Ivy League just has that good of a connection, or if they read my transcript wrong. I'm in the class now anyway, so it was my job to at least try and learn the equations and codes. The teacher helped me all she could as I completed two problems, before we reviewed the other four in class. After seeing that I got those two problems right my brain was pooped. So instead of doing another complex project we decided to build something. This something was a body replica, made to have microscopic surgery performed on it. In order to simulate microscopic surgery we took shoe boxes and cut two small holes in them where our handmade utensils will operate from. From that spot we would have to use the utensils to tie a piece of string like a vein or artery. The hard part about this project is that when we tie the string we have to look at a camera as we operate. 

Just as my group made some finishing touches on our project, the teacher informed us that it was time to go. 

We went to our dorms so we could relax before the class performances. My hour was spent checking up on my childhood team -- the Oakland Raiders -- and relaxing my feet. When my hour was up I felt ready to dance as I went downstairs for my last practice before the show. The practice went great as there were really no mess ups. With this said we went up to the building ready to dance. We got there and watched all the groups perform as we waited to be called at the eighth spot. I cheered on Kim, Thomas, and Loan as they all literally kicked butt as they demonstrated self-defense, but Kim was a little distracted and broke out in laughter as she was trying to choke her partner. After their act my group was called, and we performed the Waltz. As I walked up on stage I could hear people yelling my name, but I sort of tuned them out as I was trying to remember the steps to my dance. After my dance went without any mishaps the show went on. After everyone got together for dinner I heard it from my roommates as they joked about how serious I looked. I told them the reason I looked so serious was because I couldn't dance the way I wanted to. If I had it would have messed up my partners step count, and I didn't want to do that so I concentrated on counting put my steps.

After dinner we did camp activities, where I had a blast with my friends and classmates as I played, well attempted to play volleyball in the sand. After everything today I took a hot shower that washed all the sand and dirt off my body as I prepare for a busy day tomorrow without chemistry.