The band cell

The band cell RoseDennis
10/1/08
B block

Ever wish that you could be a billionaire and own a mansion with a pool and many cars? Well only an extremely tiny fraction of the people in the world are billionaires and it's very hard to become one so good luck succeding. Even though we can't buy a great amount of things that are really valuable and expensive, we still have the things that have much value to us. This might be a stuffed animal, a poster, or even something really old that will crumple if anyone touches it. These are the poeple who can't be filthy rich valuables. Now you might be asking yourself right now, “What's the most valuable thing to me?”
My most valuable thing that I could buy is my cell phone that I just got for 8th grade graduation. It's very special to me because it's my first one and it's a new level of responsibility that I have to take on. My mom picked it out for me but I did give her hints. My parents tried to keep it a secret but I could tell something was up. It's a green Rumor that slides upwards to reveal a keyboard. My mom got me an awesome plan that has unlimited texting and good minutes. I charge my phone every night when I go to bed and keep it off until the next day when school is over. I text a lot of people everyday and call someone at least 5 times a week. There is a website where you can see how many texts you have so far in the month. Last month I had 1,546 texts! I have already figured out all the gadgets and gizmos on it. I know how to use the camera really well and I can even play demos of games(mostly tetris) that they want me to buy.
I pick up the lime green rectangle and throw it up in the air and... whoops! I missed. It only has a microscopic sratch so no one will notice. I do this repeatedly waiting for someone to answer. Finally someone texts back and I know it's Marissa because her ring tone is blasting from the speaker. I put it on level 5 for the volume because I was playing my drum set downstairs. I have just asked her if she's going to band and she said yes. For me, one conversation with her usually uses up about 20 of my texts. I'm not aloud to text during dinner so I find time for it usually before dinner. When I'm done with my conversation with Marissa I start to play Tetris. Tetris is a game on my phone that I don't really have so I can't play forever but I do have the demo. I get 14 pieces until my demo is over and then I usually press the exit button and start a new game of it. I have other games on there but Tetris is more fun than poker, pac man, tornado mania, and pool.
I can also use the phone for family reasons such as calling my mom to pick me up after practice. I even taught my mom how to text. She has gotten pretty good but I'm still much faster than her. I also use the calendar in it so I won't forget any of my relative's birthdays. I take my phone every where I go including band competitions. After we have performed and the judges announced the scores, I text my mom and tell her how we did. On the bus, I call my parents to let them know when I'll be back in the high school parking lot. My phone is very valuable to me because I can use it anytime I want except at school. It also connects me to the most valuable thing that I can experience which are my band competitions.

Our South Hadley marching band travels to different schools in New England almost every weekend to compete against other bands. Each year our show has a theme and this year it's witches and warlocks. So far we have won every competition! I play the marimba, vibraphone, bells, and chimes in the pit. We don't have to march but we do have to make sure that everything we need is in the Penske Pit Truck before we leave and we have to memorize all our music.
Band competitions are really fun because you get to play all your songs and hang out with your friends. After I perform I load the pit truck, with the three other people in pit, so it can take all the equipment back to the high school. Then we catch up with the rest of the band who are in the stands. Every place we go, they have food and beverages that we buy. One place even invented a food that's called the walking taco. It is fritos, chili, and cheese in a fritos bag. It's really good. We bring our band jackets because it's usually cold at night because we perform in October and November.
I love all the tension in the air when the judges are about to announce our division and what place we got. The last three competitions we got first, best percussion, guard, music, and visual effect. The pit doesn't have shakos(hats) that the marchers wear so people on the bus french braid our hair to make us look nice.
Both my cell phone and the band competitions are suspenseful to me because with each one you are waiting for someone to say something. When I'm texting I wait for someone to text back and at the band competitions I'm waiting to hear what we got from the judges. They are also very different because one I can hold and one I can only capture the moment when it happens. My cell phone has a price for it and it's the most expensive thing that I own but the competition is priceless to me. My cell phone helps me communicate with others. I value both things a lot and it would be hard for me to live without any one of them. As you can see, I have two valuable things that I can't live without. What's the most valuable thing to you?