What a Blast (By Guest Blogger Charlie Sheridan)

Yesterday my mom told me I ought to write something for the internet. She is always saying that she wants me to express myself. I told her that I did not have anything to write about but she said that I ought to just say whatever comes to mind. She told me I need to double check my spelling. So anyhow, I hope I do not mess up too much.

Charlie Sheridan

My name is Charlie Sheridan. I’m 11 ½. I’m not exactly old but there are a few things I've learned. I found out that all the fun stuff is bad for you. I guess that’s why grown-ups don't let us kids do them, or at least that’s why they try to stop us from doing them.

I like candy more than just about anything in the world. My favorite is Reese’s Cups but I like just about any kind of candy. Snickers, Baby Ruths, even Lifesavers are all pretty darn good. I once ate a whole ten dollars’ worth of Butterfingers and it didn't bother me one bit.

Yep, candy sure is great. But there is one thing I like more than candy and that’s firecrackers. A few weeks ago I cut a neighbor’s lawn and with the $9 I earned I bought a sack of firecrackers from this kid, Teddy Paninski. Teddy gets them from his big brother who lives far away. I got all kinds of firecrackers.

Okay, let me tell you about firecrackers. The fireworks that sparkle or the ones that create a lot of smoke aren't real firecrackers. They’re for sissies. I suppose a smoke bomb can be fun if you do something with it, like throw it in the door of a porta-potty when someone is sitting in there, but usually I wouldn't waste my time with a smoke bomb. Firecrackers explode. Exploding is what they’re all about and that’s what makes them fun. But just setting-off firecrackers by themselves can be boring. You got to blow stuff up. Personally, I like exploding model airplanes and cars. There’s nothing cooler than putting a firecracker in the back seat of a model car and lighting the fuse. The car blows up just like a real car would if it got hit by a bazooka.

One cool thing to do is to put one or two unlit firecrackers in a model car, squirt some lighter fluid into the car, and then throw in a lit match. The car will erupt in flame and then a few second later the firecrackers will blow up sending burning plastic everywhere. It’s just so neat.

One time me and Billy Evans went to a toy store and bought this little balsa wood glider. It cost about $2. I paid $1 and Billy paid $1. I taped a firecracker to the airplane, lit the fuse, and then Billy threw the airplane off a bridge. The plane was floating along through the air as nice as could be when all of the sudden: POW!; the firecracker exploded and the airplane turned into splinters that fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. How neat is that!? 

One thing I know for sure; when I grow up I’m going to eat a lot of candy and blow-up a whole bunch of stuff with firecrackers. And oh yeah, there won’t be any dumb girls around to bother me.