King Tut Kicks Butt

Dear Journal,

Just recently, I went to see King Tut (Tutankhamen) at the Franklin Institute in Philly. My friend and I were really excited about seeing the ancient artifacts of the Egyptian pharaohs to have a great learning experience. Okay, we wanted to see mummies. Dead bodies. And, by the looks of things, we wouldn't be let down.

There were so many rooms, and there was a hell lot more reading. Every little artifact had a long backbone to it, my God! It was hard to get through it all, but it was still amazing to see what each item was used for. It is just shocking to me that people of that time, millenniums ago, were able to construct amazing things. The people, architects, the artistic minds were incredible back then. And I made a joke while I was there that artists did so much and were probably paid so little. I said, "Two scarabs an hour at the least!"

The disappointing part of the story is that the exhibit was like "Security Guard Land." That's right, guards left and right. Now you're probably wondering why that's so horrible? It's because I wanted to take pictures of a lot of things. I mean, this exhibit is actually only in the U.S. once every thirty years or so. I wanted memories. Every five seconds, I'd hear, "Picture-taking is strictly prohibited, son."

But it gets worse. Like I was saying before, I wanted to see Tut's tomb, his famous mask, and I knew everything was leading to that. Everyone knew. Soon, the background music in the room got dramatic, videos on the wall explained how the tomb was built, and the artifacts were getting more complex, more priceless. This was it! We all walked through a dark hall, and we saw light at the end of it. In the light, we knew where we were. Our hearts beating, we checked our surroundings and were let-down. A freaking gift shop, with novelty King Tut T-shirts, and books, and key chains, and way more crap that had nothing to do with a mummy.

And the thing that really ticked me off? The Franklin Institute had the nerve to, first not even show us King Tut's tomb, but also they showed a completely different pharaohs tomb.

Although I was mildly sad, I still had a great time. I learned a lot, and it was a phenomenal experience.

High School Musical Hits the Stage

Dear Journal,

We just finished our school production of High School Musical. It was a long and tiring experience doing it, but when you heard the audience laugh and cheer, it was all worth it.

Rehearsals ranged from a total of two to five hours a day. And it came to a point where home was only a place to sleep in, because when you'd come home, it was already at least eight 'o' clock at night, as it got closer to opening night.

From staying longer, however, the entire cast practically became a family. Everyone became closer to people they never dreamed of meeting. I made so many great friends out of the deal. Really, it was a great experience.

In the original auditions, I tried out as Ryan Evans. He is Sharpay's brother and sidekick, if you are familiar with the movie. When the cast sheet was up, figured out that I was not Ryan or any lead at all. What it said was that I was a guy named James. I thought, "James? Who the hell is James?" And through the play, I learned so much about him. James is a drama geek who thinks he is the greatest actor and singer the high school's ever seen. But he is tone-deaf and can't even play the part of a worm.

Although, at first I was incredibly disappointed with my role, I grew a passion for it. In every show people cracked up when I did my part. Whenever I was on the stage, people were laughing...for me! And when I took a bow at the end, I got an extra loud cheer. I could have sworn it was from my friends who saw the show that made up the screaming, but it was from the entire crowd.

But I'm going to sleep now. I've done four shows over the past three days, and I'm pooped. Good night.

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