Ocean Breeze

part1.mp3part2.mp3

A Children’s Play

For Two Voices

by

D. M. Bocaz-Larson

Cast of Characters

Dude: A city loving alley cat who receives an odd visitor one rainy night.

Kim: A unicorn that leaves her home in a world of untouched nature to experience the cities of men.

Place and Time
An alley in the downtown of a large city in the present.

Scene 1

(Lights come up on an alley scene. The only
object on the set that is needed is a large box,
ULC. A garbage can, etc. can be added. DUDE, a
person made up to be a scraggly alley cat, is
resting happily upon the box. There are city
noises in the background along with the sound of a
gentle rain)

DUDE
Ah, rain.
(Smiling and stretching)
What a wonderful thing it is. So refreshing…
(Jumps down and splashes a puddle with his paw and
shakes it off)
…so fun.
(Jumps through another mud puddle)
I love puddles.
(Takes a deep breath and then coughs a little)
The smells of the city that the rain brings out are unequaled.
(Smiles and looks around)
I love the city.
(Calls out)
What would I do without you?!
(Yowls loudly. A window slams shut off R. Smiles
and chuckles)
Heh, heh. Ain’t it great?
(Suddenly, the sounds of loud honking and cars
slamming on their brakes are heard from the street
off L. DUDE is startled and hops behind his box.
He peeks out from behind it just as a unicorn,
Kim, runs into the alley and stops RC, out of
breath and very scared)

KIM
(Panicked)
Oh, why did I ever come here? This is a perfectly awful place.
(Dude moves around L of box in awe at seeing a
unicorn)
It’s smelly, rainy, and dirty. The people are so unkind. Everything is so big. I don’t understand it at all. I’m so very frightened. I wanna go home.

DUDE
(From behind her)
You’re a unicorn!

KIM
(Jumps and backs to R, scared)
Blaaah! What do you want?!

DUDE
Take it easy, sister. I’ve just never seen a unicorn before.

KIM
(Still scared and on guard)
I’ve never seen whatever you are before either.

DUDE
(Proudly)
I’m a cat. An alley cat to be exact.
(Picks up a newspaper off the ground and holds it
up)
I have the papers to prove it.
(KIM tries to smile)
They call me Dude.

KIM
Dude?

DUDE
Actually, my birth name is Sir Douglas Paramount, but all my friends nicknamed me Dude. Easier to say, I suppose. What’s your name, my fine horned friend?

KIM
Kim. Kim of the Jagged Peaks.

DUDE
Impressive. So where is this Jagged Peaks place?

KIM
Hidden in a land far away. It’s not at all like this place.

DUDE
Ah, yes. The city. You like it?

KIM
To be honest, not really.

DUDE
Then, why did you come here?

KIM
(Relaxing a little, looks around)
I’m not sure.

DUDE
I’m afraid I don’t understand.

KIM
I really didn’t want to come here, but all unicorns must when they reach a certain age.

DUDE
Why didn’t you tell them to stuff it?

KIM
I couldn’t do that.

DUDE
Why not? I do it all the time.

KIM
My parents wanted so badly for me to go. I couldn’t disappoint them.

DUDE
The old parent syndrome, huh?

KIM
What?

DUDE
Parent’s always make you feel awful whenever you do something they don’t want you to. They don’t say no, but they make you feel miserable if you don’t.

KIM
Yeah.

DUDE
My parents never did that to me. They let me have my freedom.
(Smiles and looks around)
And look where I am, now.

KIM
(Looks around in hidden disgust)
Oh.

DUDE
It may not look like much, but I’m exactly where I want to be, doing what I want, and I’m happy.

KIM
I’m glad somebody is here.

DUDE
If it makes you so unhappy, why are you staying here? I’m sure your parents won’t stop loving you if you go home.

KIM
It’s not just because of my parents that I’m here. The unicorns all come here to learn about life and nature,
(Looks around)
and see what happens if we misuse it.

DUDE
That’s depressing.

KIM
Coming here makes you appreciate your home much more and realize how wonderful it really is.
(Memories of home makes her sad)

DUDE
I know what ya’ mean. I once got lost in a park. I was so happy to get back to my alley.
(Jumps up on his box and smiles)
Some cats like it in the park, though. Can’t see why, but hey it’s a free country.

KIM
It is?

DUDE
I guess it doesn’t seem so free to you after being out in…uh…

KIM
Nature.

DUDE
(Like a game show host)
That’s the word! Those wide open spaces make me dizzy and it’s so darn quiet out there. I feel like I’ve gone deaf.

KIM
(Walks about and looks around)
Everything is so big and so close together in the city.
(Hugging herself)
I feel like I’m being crushed. And the noise…
(She shutters)

DUDE
(Going to her)
Take it easy, okay. It’s not so bad once you get used to it. That’s why those other cats go to the park; all the noise out here disturbs their sleep.
(Smiles)
I just join in.
(Yowls. A door slams)
Heh, heh. I love it.
(Sees unicorns unhappiness)
You unicorns are sorta like those park cats. If you have such a nice, quiet place to live, I have trouble seeing why you come here.

KIM
Some unicorns used to like it here long ago…

DUDE
(Surprised)
You’re kidding, right?

KIM
Many came here before humans started leaving nature.
(Looking around)
But when humans started building stuff like this…
(Her mind wonders)

DUDE
They all went home. They don’t know what they’re missing.

KIM
Yes, they do. That’s why they make us all come, to see what it’s like.

DUDE
I don’t see why they go back after seeing all this.

KIM
Some do stay. But not many.

DUDE
I haven’t seen any.

KIM
They don’t live in the city if they don’t go home. They hide themselves in the mountains, out of the sight of humans.

DUDE
That doesn’t make any sense. Aren’t our mountains the same as yours?

KIM
No, but close. I think they stay to get away from the same old ordinary things that happen back home. They’re the adventure seekers, always looking for something new. I’m not. I like the calmness of home.

DUDE
Sorry, but I’d be bored.

KIM
Nature is for creatures who are gentle and love those around them.

DUDE
The city is for those who like adventure.
(Hops on his box and leaps off)

KIM
Home is so peaceful.

DUDE
The city is exciting.

KIM
(Looking fearfully at the street off L)
I don’t like exciting.

DUDE
(Kindly)
Then, go home.

KIM
I can’t. I must stay awhile. But, it seems like forever.

DUDE
What would happen if you go back, now?

KIM
Nothing. But I feel that I have to stay for my parents and for myself. If I went home, I would feel like I had been defeated, like I’d failed.
(Looks down in defeat)

Part 2 on Jacqueline’s blog

I think that there are both many positive and many negative results of having cell phones and ipods in class. I agree that cell phones should be banned from classes but not from the entire school. When students bring cell phones into classes it creates many distractions for other students and for the owner of the phone. Though I think cell phones should be banned I do think that ipods should be allowed in the classroom.

When a cell phone is brought to class it allows the student to cheat on exams, text, or play games. When someone is on their phone they are not listening or working to their fullest potential harming their grades and the grades of people around them. Cell phones have also gone off in class distracting not only themselves but also every other person in the classroom. Cheating on exams has also become a huge problem with cell phones in class. Kids have found so many ways to cheat using the cell phone and do it so discreatly that teachers don’t notice. Click here to read about problems with cheating on exams.

The key problems teachers have with unsanctioned cell phone use in schools include:
• Sending friends text messages during class time.
• Sending or receiving test answers.
• Bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging.
• Taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students.

On the other hand banning cell phones from school I disagree with. I feel that in the hallways in between classes when you are not learning or being taught it is fine. Cell phones are also wonderful for trips to and after school giving teenagers away to communicate if they are in trouble or need to contact someone.

I do not agree that ipods should be banned from school. Ipods give kids a way to get away from the noises around them and work with full focus. Music helps teenagers concentrate on the work they are doing. When it comes to exams I do agree that teachers should take them just until the end of the exam. Other then exams I feel that teachers to welcome ipods. They also give teachers quiet in the classroom because all the students are working efficently while listening to their music. This creates less distractions in classroom because everyone is doing their own work.

Officials at the Glenbrook schools — which, like most, still prohibit cell phone use during the school day — said they have been pleasantly surprised at how well students are handling their newfound freedom. Besides a happier student body, they found a few other unexpected perks, such as quieter libraries and study halls, where teens do homework while listening to their favorite songs.

There are definetly many pros and many cons for both cell phones and ipods being in the classroom or even the schoo. I will definetly always feel that cell phones should be banned from the classroom and ipods should not.

Canada has so many amazing and beautiful creations. So many people go visit different countries to see beautiful sights and creatures but they fail to realize that all of that is in Canada.

Canada has mountains, oceans, lakes, cities, countryside and so much more Phenomenal veiws. Nature surounds Canada and it is such a peaceful place to live. I thank God everyday that I was born here and get to see all the peaceful veiws and creatures that exist in this country.

People take advantage of what we have in Canada and don’t take enough time just to look at what we have. I really hope that people will look at these pictures and agree with me that we live is the most beautiful country in the world.

[slideshare id=31031&doc=canadas-beauty-11896&w=425]

im-already-there-cut.mp3
I think this is a very powerful song because it is written for the men fighting in the Middle East. This song has people’s families talking on it about how it affects them as a family to have their husbands, fathers, and brothers gone.

I’m Already There makes me think about how thankful I am to not have to worry about anyone fighting in the war. I don’t have to worry about my family members life being at risk everyday and not knowing if I’ll ever see them again.

This song is so powerful and so sad that people have to deal with war everyday. I will pray that all the families of the men at war will see them again.