The Nutcracker

The music of the nutcracker at the Michigan Opera Theatre was blaring in my ears (I was in the Orchestra Pit). I was seated in the orchestra pit of the Michigan Opera Theatre waiting for my cue. I was singing in the orchestra pit at the end of Act 1 but I was in the orchestra pit for the whole 1st act. I never knew when the symbol would CRASH!! and the bell would BONG!! Then at the end of act 1(finally), the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus (MOTCC) and I ( I was part of the MOTCC) went up to the front of the orchestra pit and started singing. Then, after that was the intermission. The MOTCC and I went up to the balcony sort of level of the 1st floor. We started singing again, but these were different songs. The lyrics were:
1 (We Gather Here Together): "We gather here together with joyful heart and mind. We raise our voices ever our distant souls to bind. To remember in this moment our friendship, love and joy, that music made together may one day heal mankind. (x2)


2 (2 French Noels): "Willie, bring your finest drum, Robin take your flute and come, play a joyful song of praise, tu-re-lu-re-lu, pat-a-pat-a-pan, play a joyful song of praise on this wondrous day of days. Noel nuve let, noel chantons ici. De vote jean, crions adieu merci. Chantons noel, por lu roi nuve let, chantons noel, por lu roi nuve let. Noel nuve let , noel chantons ici. Long ago on Christmas morn, when the holy child was born, sheapards from the fields did come, tu-re-lu-re-lu, pat-a-pat-a-pan, shepards from the fields did come, playing on their pipe and drum. Noel nuve let, noel chantons ici. De vote jean, crions adieu merci. Chantons noel, por lu roi nuve let. Chantons noel, por lu roi nuve let, noel nuve let, noel chantons ici. So tis fitting on this day that on instruments we play, like the humble shepard men, tu-re-lu-re-lu, pat-a-pa-a-pan, like the humble shepard men who were there in Bethlehem. Tu-re-lu-re-lu, Noel chantons noel. Pat-a-pat-a-pan, noel chantons noel.


3(Sleigh Ride): Lyrics to weird to show.

Rolling in the Ditch

A few days ago, when I was going to my friend Matthew Alarie's house, my mom went to the wrong house and when we were pulling out we got stuck in sort of a ditch right in front of the house. For what seemed like an hour, we were waiting in my mom's blue GMC Acadia until she finally called Mrs. Alarie to help us get out of the ditch (not the car, but me, my mom, and my sister, Ava). Then, she called my dad to help get THE CAR out of the ditch. There's STILL mud on the car from trying to "drive our way out". So, Mrs. Alarie helped us get out of OUR car and into hers. Then we got to Matthew's house and had a great time. Ava had played with Matthew's little sister, Leah.

Birthday Thanksiving

3 years ago on Thursday, November 24, I was in Vonor, Tenessee with my parents, my sister, and my grandparents. We were celebrating Thanksgiving AND my dad's birthday. First, we had the usual Thanksgiving dinner, but instead of pumpkin pie for dessert, my grandma had made this delicious penut butter frosting and the cake part was vanilla-flavored birthday cake (my dad LOVES penut butter) My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think I had 2 pieces of cake. It was THE BEST THANKSGIVING EVER!!

Combinaton Explantion

Today it had snowed for the first time since March 2014. My sister Ava was SO excited to play outside since we had this great hill for sledding. We went outside after watching Phineas and Ferb Star Wars. We were sledding for a bit. Then I saw Ava standing on her sled, which reminded me of a sport I created last winter called Sledboarding. It's a combination of Sledding and Snowboarding. I also taught Ava how to Sledboard. She fell a lot at first, but in the end, she got the hang of it. We sledboarded the rest of the time we were outside.

Thanksgiving Poem

I am thankful for my Wii U. It lets me play video games.

I am thankful for my bed. Without it, I would have to sleep on the floor.

I am thankful for my heater. Without it, I would freeze if it was any degrees below 0 (I'm usually very cold)

I am thankful for Cedar Point. Without it, there would be no amusement park near where I live.

I am thankful for Libraries. Without them, I would never be able to read books I don't have without spending money.

I am thankful for Disney World. Without it, there would never be a theme park that Disney made (other than Disneyland)

I am thankful for Ralph Baer, the inventor of home video games. He invented home video games.

I am thankful for my dad. He made it possible for my mom to give me life.

I am thankful for my mom, who gave me life. She let me be born.

I am most thankful for my mom. She gave me life. She gave birth to me.

Published Piece

It was August 28, 2014. It was my 10th birthday. We were at the final Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees game of the 2014 MLB (Major League Baseball) season. It was in Comerica Park which was the Tigers home field. This was New York Yankee captain Derek Jeter's last game in Comerica Park because he was retiring this year. It was the top of the 9th and final inning of the game. The score was Tigers 2, Yankees 2. Jeter was up. At that point of the game, this was his 4th at bat, or AB. He was 0 for 3, or hasn't gotten a hit in his past 3 at bats. Phil Coke was pitching. There were 2 outs. He already had 2 strikes on the count. Coke threw the ball right towards the catcher Alex Avila's mitt. Jeter swung and missed.  If Jeter hit that ball, HOME RUN for the Yankees!And that would be his last at bat in Comerica Park. I jumped up into the air, thinking, 

"Yes! Phil Coke actually did it!”

I said to my Dad," That was AWESOME!!!! I thought Derek Jeter would hit that ball into the stands! But even if he did, we wouldn't get it. Wow! I still can't believe that the CAPTAIN of the Yankees didn't get a single hit. Now we know that Derek Jeter's career here ended HORRIBLY for him."

Later in the inning, there were men on 3rd, 2nd and 1st base (bases loaded). Alex Avila (the catcher) was up. There were 2 outs. Mariano Rivera was pitching. Avila swung. He hit the ball sky high. If Avila had missed, there would  be a 10th inning. From where I was sitting ( I was in the 3rd row right up against the net) it looked like a grand slam ( 4 run-home run) but it just bounced off the wall. So, Avila got an RBI (run batted in) double (got to 2nd base) to win the game, 3-2.  I was SO excited that I had just seen the Detroit Tigers emerge victorious against one of the best teams in the MLB! When the game was over, I was SO excited that the Yankees lost! Then again, they didn't have A-Rod. I was also really sad that Yankee #2 Derek Jeter was retiring. We could have at least traded somebody for him. I also thought,

“I am REALLY hungry.” 

So I asked Dad, “Can we get something to eat? I’m Hungry.”

So we got pizza (it was Little Caesars because the people who own Little Caesars and the Red Wings own the Tigers). Then, we got in the car and headed home. I thought,

“That was the best Detroit Tigers game that I’ve been to! And I’ve been actually on the field of Comerica Park (For the Bloomfield Baseball League) twice! And I’ve also been to the 2012 World Series against the San Francisco Giants Game 3 out of  7 (Although there were only 4 games played)!"

 I just remembered that in the 1st inning, my dad had said, 

"It's a great day for a baseball game, Kevyn." 

I thought, "It sure was." 

Just remember, even if you play on a REALLY GOOD sports team, at some point, you're going to lose.

It Came!!

On Friday, I had ordered a skylanders trap team adventure pack called the Mirror of Mystery on Amazon.
Every day since then, whenever we got back to our house, I checked the front porch to see if it came.
Today, when I got home, I looked on the front porch like I usually did, when I saw 2 boxes. I thought, "Could it be?" When we got into the house, I ran to the front door and took both boxes into my house. I told my dad excitedly, "Dad! The Mirror of Mystery is finally here!"
"I don't think so."
"I'll check the label on the smaller box. Amazon. Kenzington, KY."
I ripped the box open with only my bare hands (that's how excited I was). There it was. The Mirror of Mystery. It's 2 magic items were: Rocket Ram and  Tiki Speaky. Just as Drake (see My Friend Who's Moving, 9/30/14) said, the skylander that come with the adventure pack was Deja Vu, and the level, of course, was Mirror of Mystery.

Reflections Entry (the world would be a better place if..)

I think that the world would be a better place if there was a cure for cancer.


In my school (BCS or Birmingham Covington School), there is a 5/6 grade teacher Mrs. Fitz and she has stage 4 breast cancer. If there was a cure for cancer, there will be a better chance Mrs Fitz will live. Also, my Uncle Harvey has survived and suffered 11 years with lung cancer. His lung cancer would be gone completely if there was a cure. People around the world that had cancer would be cured if cancer had a cure.




Kevyn Roessler

The Chinese Food War

Chapter 1 How the Battle got Started

One day, General Tso Chicken was eating one of his favorite foods, which was almond boneless chicken with his very good friend, Lieutenant Almond Boneless Chicken. They were so into their conversation; they never noticed Commander Chicken Lo Mein step into the room. Then, Commander Chicken Lo Mein exclaimed, “There’s a battle between us and that rotten American food!”

“That’s funny. We haven’t fought with them in 10 years!” General Tso Chicken exclaimed. The American food was made up of hot dogs, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, and French fries. The French fries were the meanest. They were all greasy and yucky and worst of all, they were the generals. So, General Tso, Lieutenant Almond Boneless, and Commander Lo Mein went to see Detective Springroll. When they got to where he usually was, Detective Springroll was nowhere to be found!

Meanwhile, General French Fry #1 held Detective Springroll captive. Officer Chopstick was also being held as prisoner. It took a while for Springroll and Chopstick to figure out they were being rescued and for French fry to figure out his “hideout” was under attack. This started the Chinese Food vs. the American Food War.

 

Chapter 2: the Battle Begins

 

“Get ready for a war, Commissioner Hot Dog!” General French Fry 1 exclaimed, “I will get Hamburger and Chicken Nugget ready for the war. You get Ice Cream, A&W, and Root Beer Float ready.”

Back at the Chinese Food hideout, Commissioner Won Ton was waiting for General Tso Chicken, Lieutenant Almond Boneless Chicken, Commander Chicken  Lo Mein, Officer Chopstick, and Detective Springroll to come back for 30 minutes, and when it was about to be thirty-two  minutes, they came back! It was such a relief to see them all thought Won Ton, “Hi, Won Ton! How’s the base doing? Any destruction?” General Tso said,” No destruction. The base is doing fine, thanks for asking. I’ll radio Fleet Pilot Fortune Cookie and see how he’s doing.”     

Won Ton replied. Unexpectedly, General French Fry 29 and his gang of criminals broke in. Normally, they wait to attack the Chinese Food military, but this time, they wanted to attack early, “Soldiers, ATTACK!”

“Fleet Pilot Fortune Cookie! Do you copy? This is General Tso Chicken! The war is about to take to the seas! Get to base #39, the only safe base! Then we’ll reveal the plan to you. Get to safety quick! We’ll meet at base #39! ”

When he got the message, Fleet Pilot Fortune Cookie was inside of base # 38.He knew he should go to base 39 and wait for the general. All he had to do was take the secret passage to base 39.The secret passage was an underground passage that connected all of the bases, 1 through 100. There were 88 General French Fries in the universe of food military. It only took 1 minute for Fortune Cookie to get through the passage and it took everybody else 38 minutes to get into base 39, “What took you so long?” asked Fortune Cookie, “We were in base 1 and you were in base 38. Okay, here’s the plan. We’re radioing the French food to help us in battle. How are we going, you ask? We’re going by battleship. That is the reason I radioed you. You‘re the only one that can steer our ships. That is why we are in this meeting. To make our first move. To show the American food that they are useless.”Then, they took the PORTal to reach the port faster (the only other way of transportation was walking). The battleship was waiting for them. Once they got on the battleship, enemy   battleships started to attack.

 

Chapter 3: The Overwater Battle        

 “Fire the missiles! Aim first! Don’t miss! We’ve got to hit all 30 battleships!” General Tso Chicken was shouting out commands on battleship M. Fortune Cookie was piloting, and everybody else was ether a gunner, a fighter in case any American food came on board, or a distracter. The gunners made sure that no enemy battleships got near battleship M, and the distracters went on enemy battleships to distract the General French Fry on that battleship. Then, battleship M would get near and the distracter would hop onto battleship 1 Million and the gunners would shoot the battleship and battleship 1 Million would sail away and the other battleship would sink. Battleship 30 was another problem. The distracters couldn’t get near the ship so they couldn’t distract General French Fry 12.The gunners were able to hit the battleship’s weak spot and Battleship Thirty is going down! There was a lot of commotion on the gun deck celebrating their victory. Meanwhile, guess who stowed away on battleship 1 million? It was Lieutenant Hot Dog! Hot Dog was even meaner than any of the remaining 58 General French Fries and EVEN meaner than Officer A&W. So when the Chinese Food got to France, Hot Dog could report to General French Fry #88.

 

Chapter 4 … France!

In France, General Baguette was expecting 1 army, not 2, “Join forces with us.” General French Fry #88 said to Baguette. He replied, “My army’s already on a side in this war, and it’s NOT yours. I’ve heard terrible things about you from my old friend, General Tso Chicken. Have you heard of him FRENCH FRY 88!” Now the Chinese Food vs. the American Food war has moved from China to France. Even now, with the French Food on their side, the Chinese Food’s army was too small to fight the American Food’s army. So, the Chinese Food, along with their new member, Sergeant Bamboo, got on to battleship 1 million, and fled to Mexico, ”Ha! Go ahead, flee and be a little chicken!” Officer A&W yelled at them. The response from the Chinese Food was a cannonball.

Chapter 5 … Time for Mexico!

“General Guacamole! This is General Tso Chicken! I need you to help us beat the American food like a drum! Over and out.”On the Battleship 1,000,000, Lieutenant Crepe was talking to Lieutenant Almond Boneless Chicken, “This will be over soon, oui?” General Baguette complained. General Tso Chicken replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak French.”” Does oui mean yes, General?” He asked, “Oui.” Baguette replied. Just then, the ship crashed into Mexico, “WHOA!”Everybody shouted. When everybody got off, they got a warm welcome to Mexico by General Guacamole, Lieutenant Salsa, Commissioner Taco, Commander Tortilla Chip, Sergeant Burrito, Detective Chili, and Officer Enchilada. There was NO way that the American Food + their new recruits, The Japanese Food could sabotage them in Mexico. Not! General Guacamole said, “Could they be a little quieter when they’re making they’re grand entrance! It sounds like they cut the cheese! And it smells like it, too!””That’s because someone did, Guacamole.You aren’t really the brightest avocado on the tree.” General Tso Chicken told him,” That remark is very offensive!” Guacamole replied.

 

Chapter 6… ATTACK!!!!!!

 

When they stopped arguing, General Tso Chicken took command of the 3 armies combined. We can’t lose now, the general thought. This was the biggest battle of Chinese Food army+ the French Food army+ the Mexican Food army vs. the American Food army+ the Japanese Food army (Their catchphrase is,” I’m going to make you sneeze!/Trademark of Japanese Food Army)= Big battle. The American Food was first to speak, “ATTACK!” French Fry commanded.

Why are Stories Powerful?

I think stories are powerful because it can change the world. This is just about writing in general. It can change the world because it makes you think.

Awesome Math Zoo Book 1: Astronomical Ape's Rescue

Perry the Puzzled Platypus was working on correcting his math homework AGAIN. He looked on question 4 which was 12 x 12. He had written 149 but the math teacher said that this was wrong. So, he wrote a letter to his friend Melvin the Amazing Monkey Mathmagician saying, " Melvin, I put on my math homework (yes, I'm doing corrections AGAIN) for 12 x 12 equals 149. but the teacher said it was wrong. Can you help me?      Your friend, Perry the Puzzled Platypus". Melvin wrote back almost immedeatly after he sent the letter by Spencer the Speedy Snail who said, "The answer is 144. Melvin can't do this type of  problem." Melvin said in HIS letter, " Pery, sory butt eye cant helpp yu. Eye cann onle geht thi anser rite bye duing thi asociative properti. Can yu PLESE helpp mi in language artts? Eye'm failing!     Your friend, Melvin, the Amazing Monkey Mathmagician." 

Meanwhile, on the planet Neptune ( 30.1 AU a.k.a. Astronomical Units), the Astronomical Ape was being held captive by his and all the other zoo animals ( Perry, Melvin, Spencer, Quentin) nemeses, the Evil King of Mathland. Will they save their friend Aaron the Astronomical Ape?

Perry is usually in the enclosure next to Aaron, but since he's missing (Perry doesn't know yet), there is an empty enclosure next to Perry's. But, he did suddenly hear NO talk about Astronomical Units (A.K.A. AU, A.K.A. 93,000,000) at all so he knew (finally!) that Aaron the Astronomical Ape was missing. So he found his Z. O. W. C. A. (Zoo Organization Without a Cool Anagram) Platypus Replica  and went into the UNDERGROUND ENCLOSURE. There he found the Zookeeper and waited for his next mission.

The Zookeeper told every agent that was in the zoo (Perry, Melvin, Quentin the Quick Quail, and Spencer) that, "I can't find our friend Aaron the Astronomical Ape and I suspect that the Evil King of Mathland was behind this. We have also uncovered that the Evil King of Mathland has built a Hypnotize-Inator ( just like Agent P's nemisis in the Tri-State Area, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz)

Meanwhile, on Neptune, the Evil King of Mathland was just about to fire his Hypnotize-Inator. Aaron was just about to get hit when he wrote on his arm: LIVE THGIF I or I FIGHT EVIL if you look in a mirror. Then, he started to fall asleep..........................

The Z.O.W.C.A. animals burst right through the surface of Neptune right by the Evil King of Mathland's hideout. They had also written on their arms LIVE THGIF I just in case they were hypnotized. "How are we going to get into the hideout?" Quuentin said, "I don't know. I'm as puzzled as you." said Perry, "Maybe we could build a trebuchet and launch ourselves into the hideout." Melvin said. So, they built a trebuchet and everybody lauched themselves by Melvin's magic trebuchet launcher (how did he come prepared?)

When they got to in there, they noticed that the King was not alone. They didn't realize it at first, but then the Z.O.W.C.A. animals heard a voice saying, "what is 5/6 x 5/6?" "Severus the Stealthy Snake. How nice to see you." "I ssssssssee your ssssssssssssarcasssssssssm, Melvin." "Oooooooh, ooooh! Aaaaah, aaaaaaaah!" "Aaron!" Melvin exclaimed, holding up a mirror. Aaron scratched his head and put his bowler hat (the hat of Z.O.W.C.A. like the fedora of O.W.C.A.) While they are together, THEY (BEING THE ZOWCA) KICK BUTT!!

Aaron and Spencer swooped in and kicked the king's butt (literally) while everybody else was smacking Severus' head and tail on the ground. It was an amazing sight but it didn't last. Severus slipped away and the King used his rocket to get away.