A fairytale ending

Erika Godwin

4/16/2013

English 1a Essay #3

     

                                                                         A fairytale ending

          Once upon a time, in a magical place a handsome prince rescued this beautiful woman. They got married, she became his princess and they lived happily ever after. The end. Don’t you ever wonder what happens after the marriage and if they in fact lived happily ever after? Well truth is, no one lives happily ever after. Call me good old Debbie downer but I believe that by getting married, you are making a huge mistake because not only do you lose money but cause yourself a lot of inconvenience and grief. Of course everyone would love the chance to fall in love, get married and have kids. But that doesn’t mean that cannot all happen without getting married.  As a society many of us misconstrue the fact that we should get married to become happy. Starting at the first date, you start by losing money. Then it only declines from there meaning- spending excessive amounts of money to impress someone you like. Another reason why I’am not the biggest fan of marriage is because the fact that it seems to be more fighting and arguing just by signing a paper. Also the fact that not everyone can legally get married at this point in time if they are gays or lesbians. I don’t see a point in one piece of paper when its not the paper making a couple happy but their love for each other. It just seems that marriage is a mistake and is the leading cause for divorce.

                When someone is single, they tend to have extra money due to the fact that they are not constantly wasting it on someone else. Whether its taking someone out, or just buying new clothes to impress this certain someone. It is still a waste of money. As a relationship progresses things only get worse and people start being crazy and moving in with each other. Spending money just to move, then one day a man goes a picks out a really pretty but expensive ring and proposes. If she says yes, time to start planning and saving for the million dollar wedding everyone always wants. After all the wedding is done, the license fees are paid and the night is over the next decline of your bank account would of course be the honeymoon. Even though we tend to think or at least hope that it would be our only marriage, this day in age it never happens. So by thinking it will be your only marriage, you of course want to go all out and get the best of everything. Sadly, most of the marriages fail due to various reasons so I really don’t see the point in wasting hard earned money when it might not even last. You might as well just drain your bank account and throw it straight in the garbage; it would save you the head ache of many other things wrong in a marriage. Not only is the marriage pricey but the divorce is just as bad. If you work hard day in and day out for your savings then end up getting a divorce, depending on your spouse you could end up with everything gone. Then it only becomes a mess from there with divorce. Even carrying on with the marriage comes so much more expenses then if you were just boyfriend/girlfriend. For example, an average couple can spend money how and when they want. They also get some help with financial services and a break on taxes at the end of the year. But with being married, you have to add their income and don’t get much help. Like financial aid when going to school. So not just money that your loosing but if does affect your credit score since a couple is married. I know a few of my friends have credit cards and about three of their wives are the one maxing out the cards. If they do divorce it is both of their responsibility even though the husbands didn’t spend it. All because of this “marriage” thing and its really nothing more then a signed agreement stating there will be no cheating or leaving each other.

                  Then comes the whole fighting, arguing, falling outta love whole scenario. As two people meet each other, they began to go on a few dates, start kissing and becoming intimate then officially start as a couple. Well say the couple thing lasts for about two years, well then the man proposes. Still they are happy, in love and excited to get married. The girlfriend is usually all wrapped in the wedding planning, while the male saves and saves for the big day. They are very content and occupied with each other and say it will last forever. As the big day approaches, they began to get butterflies all over again like the first time they kissed. The wedding is perfect and beautiful and they go off to their honeymoon. Soon after they settle in as an official married couple they picking and bickering begins. A lot of people see it as if they are now married they are tied together till death and they can start telling each other how they really feel. “oh honey, I cannot stand the way you eat,” or “babe stop putting your socks everywhere you’re driving me crazy!” The tricky thing is, none of this came out before they were married due to the fact they didn’t want to lose the other spouse over something so little. Marriage is nothing more than another word for comfort zone. I have a friend name Derek, he is currently in Afghanistan fighting for our country and he is now married to his high school sweetheart. In high school they seemed so perfect together, walking down the halls as they hold hands tightly together. They would always get lunch for the other if one of them got out of class late and everyone knew they were meant to be. They got married because he was leaving to deploy and had a small wedding and are planning for a big wedding when he gets back. We’ll all of a sudden his wife tells him she never liked folding his clothes, the way he constantly wants to get in shape and he has no one else to impress. The wife is comfortable at her body and sees no reason to stay fit since she is married. Just right there you could tell they want different things. Im sure he doesn’t like a lot of things about her but he honestly try’s to overlook it and make it work. The married couple fights almost every day and he’s not even in the same country and her. That is just insane to me, especially since he could lose his life any day. He tells me that they were so much happier when they were just boyfriend/ girlfriend. So with that being said, just go ahead and add that to the downside of marriage.

                      Another huge reason why I don’t care about marriage and I think it’s a waste of time and money is because of equality. Gays and lesbians cannot just go anywhere and get married. But straight couples can. It makes no sense to me when we all are human beings and no one is above or below us. I see gays that have been together for ten or 15 years and are happier than ever. The one reason they would want to get married is because of insurance policies, or to have each other’s rights just in case something ever did happen to their partner. But it is so unfair and not right for some states to ban gay marriage. They are more likely to last over some man and woman that just met. It’s very ignorant of the law makers and even though I believe in the bible and god, I think that part of it is wrong. So if two people that truly, deeply love another person, I do not see anything wrong with getting married for the services they could get. Everyone is supposed to be treated equally but its definitely not that way in our country. So in that case, just ban marriage all around. There is nothing wrong with just stay an average couple forever. It will not change how you feel about one another, but only save you money and future annoyances. Now this is not to say that I hate married couples, I just despise the ones that see marriage as a hobby and do it often when someone out there never had the chance to do it once. I believe in true happiness and if a couple is content with one another, live your life. No need for crazy marriage talk.

                So that beautiful princess in fact did not live happily ever after. The couple constantly fought over the rules of the kingdom, and over money. She got pregnant and had two kids so far. The princess put on extra weight from the pregnancy and never lost it so the prince lost interest. He began to sleep around and their marriage began to fall apart. Now they cannot just leave each other since they are married. Nor could they divorce because the kingdom would be frowned upon or looked down on. Stuck in her now thicker lonely body she is miserable and still has to maintain her presence around the royals. Now I would say this would be a more accurate, real life story and no fairytale involved. Now they are miserable together when before they were so happy and in love. Married couples may last a lot longer than I’m giving credit for but the majority of the ones I see never really last. Whereas you have this gay couple who everyday look in each other’s eyes and still have the sparkle they got at their first kiss. Marriage is just like a two year contract when you sign for a phone bill. The longer it goes all these charges and arguments come along and add to the daily stress of your life. If you want to get out of the marriage or two year contract, you have to pay up the wall just to be set free. Instead just get the same phone company and get a no contract, the phone will be more expensive the first day but in the long run it saves you from drama, and stress. With all this being said, I hope you all decide to head to Vegas and get married just to make my point that much stronger. Nothing lasts forever and if it does it’s because of hard work and dedication, not because a 50 thousand dollar wedding and a signed contract.

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          Works cited

 Regnerus,Mark. Divorce statistics. Patheos.com/blogs/marriageand-divorce-statistics.

 May 14, 2012 Online article.

Profits Outweigh Public Safety

Robert Casey

English 1A

April 15, 2013

Essay 3

Profits Outweigh Public Safety

     AB2433 proposes to allow restaurants, bars, and nightclubs in large cities throughout California to extend drinking hours from 2 AM to 4 AM or 6 AM depending on the facilities after hours permit. The reasoning behind the bill is two-fold: longer drinking hours will increase profits not only for serving establishments, but for service industries as well; and that California cities will have a better chance of securing additional tourist dollars through increased competition with other cities that offer extended drinking hours. New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and many international cities have a last call later than 2 AM or none at all.

     Are the economic gains by businesses serving alcohol more important than the injuries and loss of life that are caused due to intoxicated drivers? Is the morning commute going to become the next killing field? Will people actually drink less if they are not rushed to finish their drinks by 2 AM? Are California cities at a disadvantage as an international tourist destination because of our drinking laws? These are only a limited number of questions that must be answered prior to proceeding with AB2433.

     The San Francisco Late Night Coalition, SFLNC, is one of the proponents of AB 2433 and states that the restaurant industry is the largest employer in the state and tourism is the third largest employer. San Francisco can draw more Bay area residents and other in state visitors on a more frequent basis if allowed to extend drinking hours. They feel that extending late night hours for theaters, nightclubs, dance clubs, bars, restaurants, street fairs, conventions and other events will increase attendance thus increasing economic impacts. All of San Francisco’s service industries will benefit from the added attraction. SFLNC in their publication SFNLC|LEGISLATION|LAST CALL, EXTENDING LAST CALL makes the following important points:

Ø  Later last call hours will help keep San Francisco a world class city.

Ø  Later last call hours will create additional revenue for the city of San Francisco and the State of California.

Ø  San Franciscans should have the same rights as those in other major cities.

Ø  Many other cities have later last calls without the problems imagined by opponents of the legislation.

Ø  National Traffic Safety Administration data indicates that later last call hours do not increase and may actually decrease the number of alcohol related traffic fatalities.

Ø  This proposal applies only to on-site alcohol sales at restaurants, bars, or nightclubs.

Ø  This proposal does not allow alcohol sales after 2 AM in supermarkets or liquor stores. (SFLNC1)

    San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego are already huge international and national tourist destinations. Other Bay area cities, Central Valley cities, and Southern California cities are international destinations because of their proximity to National Parks such as Yosemite, Death Valley, Lassen, Kings Canyon, and Joshua Tree. Napa Valley and Lodi area vineyards are international destinations that draw wine connoisseurs from all over the world. Access to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains keep tourist dollars in the Central Valley. As for the statement that serving alcohol later in San Francisco is instrumental in keeping the city a world class city is ludicrous. Tourists will not stop visiting San Francisco if last call remains at 2 AM.

     Later last call will generate more revenue for the state, city and businesses serving alcohol. Restaurants, night clubs, and bars will undoubtedly be busier. What does the extended hours do for local neighborhoods close to those businesses? Overnight revelry will more than likely spill into those neighborhoods creating a noisy and sleepless night for residents. Crime is likely to increase with intoxicated people out for an extra four hours. Littering, loitering, public urination, and sleeping in the streets are more likely.

     How is it that San Franciscans do not have the same rights as other major cities? How many major cities allow citizens to walk around in public smoking marijuana or appear nude in public? San Francisco has some of the most liberal laws in the country.

     Many large cities do not have some of the same problems presented by opponents of AB 2433. A good example is New York City where a very small percentage of residents own motor vehicles. New York City residents enjoy a 24 hour public transportation system that reaches nearly every neighborhood, borough, and surrounding metropolitan area. They have a taxi system that is available within seconds of a hail or call. Las Vegas, Chicago, and Washington D. C. have similar transportation systems. In San Francisco try catching BART after midnight or before 4 AM and late hours on weekends and holidays. You can’t, it is closed. Catching a cab is also difficult in a timely manner anywhere in the city.

     National Traffic Safety Administration data does indicate that later last call hours do not increase alcohol related fatalities in a very select few cities. New York and Chicago have very large 24 hour public transportation systems. The data for other large cities does not indicate an even or reduced incident of alcohol related traffic fatalities and accidents. Law enforcement in areas surrounding San Francisco are worried that morning commuters will encounter increased incidents involving drunk drivers. A large percentage of drivers outside San Francisco use park and ride stations just outside the city and this will increase the likelihood of encounters with intoxicated drivers leaving the stations at peak rush hour. Most cities are not prepared to take on the added risk to the motoring public and the resources are unavailable for additional traffic monitoring. Accidents tie up many additional resources like fire and rescue and put many additional lives in danger for extended periods of time.

     This bill only applies to on-site sale establishments such as bars, restaurants, nightclubs, dance clubs, and other late night venues at this time. As profits and tax revenues increase the likely outcome is to expand the program as other types of businesses want their share of these increasing profits.

     Neighborhood leaders that voiced concerns were largely ignored at the San Francisco City Services Committee meeting. Committee members unanimously voted to present the proposal to the entire city council. The city council voted 8 to 3 in favor of putting city support behind the bill in the legislature. Council members supporting the bill said that while they understand the concerns of law enforcement and neighborhood leaders, stimulating the economy of San Francisco takes precedence.

     A review of the reasons behind the proposed changes in the current alcohol serving laws is comical at best. Putting on blinders and culling partial facts from other major cities to justify a position on the proposed law change that has such a large impact on citizens of San Francisco and surrounding cities is dangerous and concerning. Putting business profits and tax revenues above public safety is ill conceived and shameful. The power of the dollar is once again influencing public policy in favor of special interests at the detriment of the overall public.

     It is next to impossible to change the influence of big money in our law making system when only thirty five percent of the registered voters actually vote. Those who do not vote are just as responsible as the politicians they complain about. If we are to make a difference and change the way our public officials make policy, we must educate ourselves on the issues and be proactive in demanding that those we put in office follow the will of the people. Allowing people to drink for longer periods in the public areas invites disaster. A conscious effort against this proposed change is warranted and necessary to protect public safety. To influence this decision let your feelings be known to your friends, family, city, county, and state representatives.

Works Cited

Terrance Allen. “Extending Last Call.” SFLNC|LEGISLATION|LAST CALL. Web. www.sfnlc.org/lastcall/html. 13 March 2013

Just a Drink or Two

                                                             Just a Drink or Two  

                     Friday couldn’t come sooner every week for many of the younger, working crowd and/or even college students. After a long work/school week comes good ‘ol Friday and Saturday nights. This means it’s time to get dolled up as beautiful woman, and all handsome as men then hit up all the downtown bars and clubs. Doing so is a great way to have a few drinks, get some liquid courage and dance all that stress away. As a young college student a mother myself, I could always use a little stress reliever. An ideal bar to start my night would be at R15 in Downtown, Sacramento. I think it has many positive factors that make it a fun, exciting place for my age group that enjoys the night life. As I critic places to see if I’ll be coming a second time a few things I look at are: the overall appearance of the place, the location and who or what kind of crowd will be there. If all those things pass my better judgment then I will definitely return the favor by showing my presence time and time again.

                 Spending a couple hours to make sure my make-up is perfect, my hair is curled just right, and my heels go well with my outfit before heading out for the night requires a large amount of energy. Lotion up my arms and legs then brush and floss my teeth so I’ll look great. The very last thing I do is spray a couple squirts of the floral, sweet smelling, Paris Hilton perfume I have so that I’ll smell amazing while I’m enjoying myself. Is all this work really worth it though? While yes, yes it is if you’re going to start at R15. When you arrive at the bar, you automatically notice the lovely night life setting. As you walk through the huge, medal and glass doors you see a pretty red lighting. Then you see the round bar with lots of people surrounding it while the bartender is busy at work making all the drinks. If you look to the left there are two, big rectangular, wooden tables with stools for groups to enjoy each other’s company. R15 bar has about three major rooms that are very big and could fit a lot of people in each one.

 This bar smells of strong perfumes, colognes and even all the alcohol being consumed. Another major thing I look for in a good place is the bathrooms. I look very closely at this particular thing because the bathrooms must be very sanitary and clean for me to use the facilities. R15 usually always has nice, clean smelling bathrooms. The counter and sinks look clean and dry. Plus the garbage’s always look about half full which is an indicator they get taken out a couple times a night. The total appearance of this bar is a nine out of ten so of course I would recommend it to others trying to have a good time.

                   Sex on the beach is a classic, well-made drink at R15. It is one of my favorite because the bartenders make it so amazingly tasty that you could barely taste the alcohol it contains. It’s about twelve bucks which isn’t too pricey considering all bars are expensive. Another drink I like specially at R15 is called a gladiator. It contains a glass of juice then a shot glass of alcohol you drop in the juice and chug it down. It is very good from R15 and only about eight bucks. A couple of each drink and you’ll be dancing all over the place to the hip music they play. This bar plays various genres of music including hip-hop, pop and rock. All of the new, popular music out to keep the night vibe going just right. So as you’re dancing to great tunes or chatting it up with some friends, the attractive bartenders are quick to make your drinks that taste perfect, to ensure you’re going to come back for a second time.

                This bar is located on the corner of Rst and 15^th in downtown, Sacramento. Not too hard to remember hence the name “R15”. It is next to another bar called Ace of Spades that often puts on many concerts. Ace of Spades also pulls more business to R15 since its right next to it. But another reason why R15 is a great bar to start before bar hopping is because of its location in the center of downtown. From there you can easily take a taxi that is always conveniently outside waiting, to many other, smaller, surrounding bars. R15 is among one of the larger, more lively, bars in the downtown area. Even if you just wanted to stay at this bar all night, you certainly could do so and stay entertained the whole time. On Fridays and Saturdays there is always a full crowd of younger, most of the time good looking people that you could get to know and strike up a conversation with. It is filled with lots of beautiful women, dressed up in heels and men that don’t look or act creepy. There’s nothing more I cant stand than gross, older, perverted creeps that stare at you like you’re a piece of meat. Luckily this bar doesn’t have too many of those type. Maybe they have an invisible sign saying “No weirdoes’” or something but whatever it is; it works. If you get bored of talking to people, the bar has three pool tables to keep you busy while you destroy your liver and gulp down those drinks. Then right next to the pool tables are four personal rooms that have small couches and TVs in case you meet a special someone. If none of those things catch your attention and you like cancer sticks then this certainly will. Outside is a designated smoking are with long tables and tall lights with small heaters on them. It is perfect for staying warm while outside the bar on a cold night. Plus it is in front of the bar where the guards check I.D,’s at entrance, so don’t worry ladies you won’t get kidnapped while waiting for your friends to finish smoking.

                     Since I personally do not work right now, after a long week of school and homework my sister and I always, yes always start at the bar R15. We know exactly what drinks to get, how they will taste and what type of people will be there. I’ve never been there and not had a fun, exciting time. Even on a Sunday when it usually is half empty. I know what to expect and know I’ll be able to pee in the bathrooms since I won’t be all grossed out by the mess other females tend to make when drunk. Maybe this bar isn’t much fun the next time I go, least it has the luxury of taxis out front to take me home or to another close by bar. Next time you decide to go out for a night of fun and you have the movies or miniature golf in mind just remember, bars do not have annoying youngsters under the age of twenty-one in them. I’m not saying that drunks aren’t annoying but at least they are age appropriate. I certainly do not want to be around teens or immature goof balls after I just got done working my ass off in school all week long. So ladies and gents get all cute and ready and head out to R15, if not stay home and miss out.

Delizioso!

Delizioso!

When was the last time you left a restaurant completely satisfied? I’m sure it took you a couple of seconds or even minutes to answer my question, or, maybe, you’re still trying to remember when the last time was. Well, that’s most likely because you have never been to Olive Garden. Olive Garden is the best Italian restaurant in our area with excellent customer service and with a great variety of delicious Italian dishes at affordable prices. Don’t miss out on the good stuff; try it for yourself and leave the restaurant completely satisfied and with a big smile on your face.

Not long ago, I was a different person; I wouldn’t eat at just any random restaurant because of some bad past experiences with food and restaurants in particular. Some of the worst experiences I have ever had with restaurants include having to wait for more than two hours to get a table at a restaurant in which the food was not as good as people had told me, getting long, nasty hairs in my foods—so disgusting that it even makes my skin shiver by just thinking about it—and, as usual, the bad, inexperienced or moody and racist hostess. These and some other bad past experience kept me from tasting new foods and trying new restaurants for years until the day I walked in to the Olive Garden restaurant located in  1780 Challenge Way, across the Arden Mall in Sacramento, California.

All the qualities that define a good restaurant are met by Olive Garden; not only because its foods taste delicious, but also because the restaurant is very clean, it has an excellent customer service at fair prices, and it has a somewhat close feeling to home.  From the moment you walk in to Olive Garden, the hostess greets you in very friendly way and treats you nicely to make you feel very comfortable and give you that home welcoming feeling that we all want. The music playing in the background is so relaxing that it even makes a person want to fall to sleep, except that the food smell keeps them awake. As soon as you take a seat, someone comes to take your drinks order; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are incredible tasty. Not to forget to point out that the initial salad and the breadsticks are the most delicious I have ever had. The breadsticks have just the right amount of ingredients that gives them a little taste of garlic, but it’s not too strong so it can be eatable to not so much garlic lovers like me.  Then, the waitresses take orders, and in less than what is expected, the food is on the table, hot and ready to eat. Also, the restaurant is very clean which means that the food is being processed in clean areas. The overall experience at Olive Garden is excellent.

Last weekend, my sister and I wanted to spend some time together, so we went shopping early in the morning. We were really hungry by 10:30 a.m. because we hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, so we decided to go to the Olive Garden across from the Arden Mall in Sacramento. At 11:00 a.m., they opened the restaurant, and we both started walking towards the door. One of the employees opened the door for us and greeted us very friendly; we knew right away that it was going to be a good day at Olive Garden. The hostess asked us if we wanted a table for two, but my sister right away said she wanted to sit at the bar, so he handed us the menus, and led us to the bar. Since the restaurant had barely opened, the place was really quiet, very clean, and the music on the background instantly created a mood of relaxation for both of us.

As soon as we sat, the bartender asked us if we wanted anything to drink while scanning through the menus. I asked for a peach-mango smoothie which is a frozen blend of fruit and creamy non-fat yogurt, and my sister had a frozen strawberry-mango margarita made with Sauza Gold tequila and fresh fruits—as a professional and responsible bartender, he asked my sister for her identification before serving her drink. While trying to decide what to order, the bartender brought to us some salad and the breadsticks. Even though I have never liked salad, I must say that this is the best salad I have ever had. It is very healthy and it has tomatoes, olives, onions, croutons, chilli peppers, and the dressing which adds the great flavor to it. Not to forget the unlimited freshly baked breadsticks; I could have just eaten the salad and the breadsticks there, and ask for my food to go.  After deciding what we were going to order, the bartender took the orders; since there was no one else sitting in the bar, the food was quickly brought to us. My sister ordered the Seafood Alfredo which is made with shrimp and scallops tossed with creamy fettuccine alfredo, a parmesan cream sauce with a hint of garlic served over fettuccine. And I ordered the lightly breaded and fried shrimp, tossed with garlic and spicy cherry pepper known as the Shrimp Scampi Fritta. The food was delicious, the customer service was great, and the overall experience at Olive Garden was excellent!

Everything has its ups and downs, and due to its popularity, Olive Garden is a busy restaurant and the waiting for a table can be somewhat annoying at times. I prefer going in when the restaurant is barely opening, and it is almost empty because everyone's attention goes towards you, and of course, you don’t have to wait at all to get a table. If I would recommend anything to anyone, Olive Garden would be it because it can be defined as one of the best restaurants in our area where orders are taken in a timely manner and food comes quickly. A restaurant in which the customer service is great and the food is delicious!

The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Kristin Clark-Webb

English 1A

3/19/13

Essay 2

The Experience that will last a Lifetime

Confidence, responsibility, teamwork and determination are just a few of the many valuable assets that are gained by youth who show livestock in the 4-H program. Youth ages 5-19 are gaining the life skills they will need to grow up to be a successful and productive member of society. These kinds will get the scholarships to go to college; will have the interview skills to get the job, the determination and responsibility to keep it, the social skills to enjoy life and hobbies and the time management skills to do all of it at once. And all of this can be gained through raising livestock, big or small through the 4-H program. I believe that the 4-H livestock projects are the best activity for youth to get involved in because of all of the life skills that are gained that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

            4-H is an after school youth program that provides an environment for youth ages 5-19, (or one year after high school) where they can develop life skills and leadership abilities to become successful and productive members of society. 4-H does this by providing local 4-H clubs within most counties across the country. For example in Solano County, there is at least one club in every city. Vacaville has the Vaca Valley Club and Elmira Club, Dixon has the Roving Clovers club, Dixon Ridge Club, Wolf Skill Club and Maine Prairie Club, Fairfield/Suisun has the Suisun Valley Club, Vallejo has the Sherwood Forest Club and Rio Vista has the Rio Vista Club. All of these clubs make it possible for kids who live anywhere in the county to join a club close to them.

            Within each club, there are adults, usually parents or past 4-H members, who lead various projects. There are a countless amount of projects in each club some of the most common are; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies, Alpacas, Vet Science, Sewing, Photography, Food Preservation, Cooking, Archery, Shooting Sports (Rifle & Shotgun), Taxidermy, Rocketry, Guide Dogs, Dog Training, Orphan Kitten Project, Record Keeping, and Leadership. The list could go on and on. Each 4-H club has a set of youth officers; President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Reporter, Historian, Attendance, Hospitality and Recreation. There are also opportunities to become involved at the county level in a leadership level as a youth are representative at the county 4-H council as well as a county Youth Ambassador.

            The most beneficial 4-H projects are the livestock projects which include; Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats, Dairy Goats, Equine, Poultry/Game Birds, Rabbits, Cavies and Alpacas.  This is because the animals that 4-H members raise are almost like having a child or multiple children of our own. They are living things that require being fed multiple times a day with a well-balanced diet, constant access to clean water, they have to have protection for predators as well as harsh weather, they have to be bathed so that they stay clean and healthy, the get vaccinated to ensure that they are free of diseases, occasionally they require medical attention if they get an injury or need some sort of treatment beyond what I can provide for them, and they have to get exercise and get let out of their pen so that they can be taught how to behave properly so that they can be shown at the fair. There is always a constant demand that never goes away for as long as you have the animal. That often means that on Friday night when friends want to go to the movies and hang out, 4-H members with livestock projects have to make sure all of their responsibilities are taken care of before they can go anywhere and if they aren’t taken care of then they don’t get to go. You have the responsibility of taking care of a life that depends on you to live and if you don’t fulfill that responsibility that life could die or become seriously hurt.

4-H has had a huge impact on my life as well as many others. For many of us we have a set daily routine to follow and to this day I can still hear my mother’s voice telling me, “Not until you finish your homework!” after my continuous asking to go out to the barn and play with my goats. You see, I’ve always loved my livestock and ever since I could walk I was always getting into trouble carrying around the baby goats or feeding the does random fruits from around the ranch. Then, Kindergarten came around, homework started being assigned and I joined the most important youth organization that would change my life forever.

            I started in beginning 4-H. Our first meeting was quite a challenge for me and my mom. I was so scared to be away from my mom, I held onto her leg for dear life! After much reassuring I sat down at a table with the other kids and eventually this is where I built confidence in myself and learned how to speak in front of a small group of people.

When I was old enough to enroll in the other 4-H projects I signed up for the meat goat project and even in my 11^th year in the 4-H program, I am still enrolled in the project. I started out as just a member of the project and then realized my passion for raising meat goats. My first year I raised two, bottle fed, market wethers for the Dixon May Fair and Solano County Fair. Now my passion has led me to currently owning 14 meat goats; 7 breeding does that I show and breed and from their offspring I have 4 doelings and 3 wethers. I am also the Teen Leader for the Vaca Valley 4-H Club’s Meat Goat Project for the 6^th consecutive year, Vacaville Youth Area Representative for the Solano County 4-H Leaders Council, Vaca Valley 4-H Club President, and a Solano County 4-H All Star Ambassador. The daily routine that I followed from the first time I was able to go play with the goats on my ranch is what enabled me to become the person that I am today and it is the sole reason that I was so successful in 4-H and through my teenage years.

By being an active 4-H member and participating in 4-H livestock projects youth will gain countless leadership and life skills. Planning and organization skills from planning the majority of the meetings, goal setting by establishing goals for themselves and working hard to achieve them, communication skills by learning how to communicate with others if you’re having trouble or need help, patients form working with animals and teaching fellow members of all different skill levels and learning styles, teamwork by working with my leaders and fellow members to accomplish tasks, public speaking from participating in speaking events as well as teaching youth and the public at the local library, fairs, and Ag days about livestock, confidence by learning that everyone makes mistakes and we have to have faith in ourselves to accomplish our goals, compassion for animals as well as others, time management by balancing family, friends, school, 4-H meetings, and livestock projects, determination by having a goal and not giving up until you reach it, independence by learning and having the confidence to do tasks on your own, financial responsibility by having a budget and keeping track of expenses and income and most importantly responsibility and to follow through with commitments. All of these skills will help a child or teenager transition into life as a young adult and help them to be successful.

4-H members need a place where they can show off all of their hard work and be rewarded for it. This is where fairs and shows come in. All of the training and preparation is shown on the day that the member and the animal walk into the show ring to be judged. The quality of the showman and the animal are judged and in the end there is a winner. All year long you strive to be the Champion and show day is when you find out if what you have been doing is good as well as what you need to improve on. You can’t always be the winner and here we go yet again with another life skill. Being a good winner and looser with dignity and having good sportsmanship. In the end everyone wins, some with fancy belt buckles, ribbons and trophies and others win in the sense that they have learned so much from the experience.

4-H members who show livestock walk away in the end with more than just ribbons and fun memories. They walk away with lifelong friendships, a foundation of knowledge to build upon later in life, and an endless fountain of life skills that will get them as far as they want to go in life. All they have to do is remember what 4-H and raising livestock taught them and they can achieve even their wildest dreams.

Waist of a Saturday Night

Dylan Morgan   

English 1A

03/12/2013        

Waist of a Saturday Night

                Over the weekend my friends and I decided we all wanted to go out and just have fun. A new hookah lounge has recently opened up near Consumes River College called Hookaholics. Hookaholics had another location near United Artist in Elk Grove, CA, and business was doing so well that they decided to open another one just a few miles away. My friends go out to hookah bars almost every weekend. I am normally not one to join because I do not see the point in paying to smoke flavored tobacco and also it always gives me a headache after. I decided this time it’s a new bar, new location, and I haven’t been to a hookah bar in a while, so why not? I did not like my experience at the new Hookaholics due to the prices of the hookah, and how jam packed the bar was.

We walk up to the new hookah lounge and stand in a line, there is only about ten people waiting to get in. As we reach the door a lady that is standing and holding their door open  checking I.Ds, tells us “I.Ds out and ten dollars for overhead”, this made no sense to me seeing as how no other hookah lounge charged this fee for overhead. I asked what that is for and the lady replied “the bar gets busy on weekends so we charge everyone ten dollars to get in”. After paying the ten dollars we walk through the door and go to the front to order which flavors we wanted, we ordered white peach, pineapple, and strawberry kiwi, also we ordered all of those flavors with ice tips which makes it feel cold when you inhale the smoke. After we ordered the guy working the cash register said it going to be fifty -four dollars. Fifty- Four is not cheap for hookah that lasts only about two hours at max. So the three of us split the 54 dollars and are led to a small booth of in the corner.        

                The hookah was actually tasting good and wasn’t giving me a headache, which usually happens after about ten minutes of smoking it. I did not want to give up the strawberry kiwi because it tasted so good. But then after about twenty minutes of smoking the flavored tobacco we realize we can’t even hear the music, and have to yell at each other to hear one another, because of how loud everybody is talking and how many people are in the lounge. I look around and realize the whole entire bar is full of people, every booth is full and people that couldn’t get a booth are sitting in the middle with little tables holding their hookah. Every group of friends is talking louder than the one next to them because they can’t hear each other, making it impossible for anyone to hear the music, and making it impossible for me and my friends to communicate without losing our voices. The only reason I ever decide to go to hookah with my friends is to hang out with them, and listen to the music playing. Both of those were not happening, making it not fun, just sitting there and smoking the hookah. After about an hour and a half the hookah started to get really harsh and the noise kept getting louder and louder, so we decided it was time to it a night and go home.

                When you go into something with a negative mindset of it you are most likely going to hate it and keep that mindset, but sometimes you will change that mindset around and be glad that you tried it again and turn out to love it. Well that was definitely not me; I kept the negative connotation I had towards hookah. This experience actually made me dislike hookah even more, even though the hookah tasted good or at least the strawberry kiwi flavor did, this experience still made me not want to go back to a hookah bar. Even if that was my first time going to a hookah bar, I would have realized between the price for everything and how crowded it was, it is not worth it to go out and smoke hookah, go buy a hookah and invite some friends over to your house it would be a lot more fun than going to a loud crowded hookah bar.

More Than a Game

Eduardo Lievanos Medina
English 1A
March 16, 2013

                                                                 More Than a Game



Playing basketball gives you the most exuberant feeling that can not be matched by any other sport in the world.  The feeling you get as you walk out onto the court is indescribable.  The pole lights lighting up the court, friends shooting balls simultaneously just feels like freedom you can not find anywhere else.  You can never go wrong with a small game of basketball because it gets competitive, it is a stress reliever, and there is no interruptions.
Imagine going out to the court feeling the fresh air hit your face and seeing the sun setting in the evening sky.  Who does not like that feeling?  That is exactly what happened when I was just getting ready to play a game of basketball downtown with a few friends.  There is countless reasons why you can not go wrong with a small game of basketball.    One of the many reasons is it gets really competitive.  It is a good thing because competitiveness makes the game that much more exciting.  Everybody wants to win and winning in a basketball game is even better.  It is a sport that requires very small teams so it will get really competitive, unlike other sports where teams are really big so it gets really boring.  As I ran back and forth across the court from basket to basket I felt everybody was focused. As I’m calling out for the ball every time we go on offense, every time it comes to me it gives me a feeling of power which everybody likes to feel.  One of my close friends guarding me, I see sweat dripping down his face as he is staring right into my eyes determined to steal the ball from me.  Knowing I have the ball makes me feel I have the possession and the game is in my hands, it gives you a feeling of responsibility as if the fate of humanity is in your hands.  While in the end there is a winner and a loser it is still worthwhile because everybody had fun.  Playing the game competitively will erase everything else in your mind,
If you are stressed out or having a bad week, all you have to do is play basketball outside and get everything off your mind.  While playing basketball, the game is so fast there is no time to think about other things.  It is a stress reliever unlike other sports that are going on too slow and there is pauses.  For example, in football there is a pause almost every eight seconds so it doesn’t really relieve stress and it also makes the game boring.  The same example can be used for baseball.  In contrast, as I’m playing basketball I’m running back and forth the whole time, maybe there will be pauses from time to time but not as much.  When there is pauses I use it to catch my breath to be ready to continue when the game resumes.  Playing in the evening seeing the sun set, the sky slowly turning red, and fresh air blowing down my back is just the feeling of calmness that makes you forget everything going on in your life.  Even seeing the ball go through the basket and swish through the net gives you such a feeling of serenity you can not describe.  It is a perfect way to clear your mind.  The best part is we continue playing until we can not go any more and there is never any interruptions.
Finally, playing basketball feels great because there are never any interruptions.  It’s a basketball court that no one uses but us so there is never anyone telling us to leave.  There is no obstacles like kids running around getting in the way or other people trying to play at the same time as us.  Also there is never any inconveniences such as something happening to the ball or  basket.  In baseball you can always have the ball go too far after batting it, in football you can have a wet field making it almost impossible to play.  In basketball you don’t have to worry about something happening to the ball or something being wrong with the court, as long as you have both of those things  you can play all day.  So if you are looking to do something where you will not have any inconveniences I recommend basketball.
There are many things you can do to have fun, but if you want to have a great time, spend absolutely no money, and make it worth the time then a small game of basketball will do.  The fact that it gets really competitive makes it fun and exciting.  It will give you  a feeling of calmness and serenity that will take things off your mind for a while.  Also when there is no interruptions during a game will allow the game to flow smoothly therefore making it fun.  This is why it can not be compared to playing any other sport and these are the reasons why playing basketball is the best activity you can do that will give you the exhilarating feeling you wont find anywhere else, it is worth it.

Road Trip

Kristina Lopez

English 1A

16 March 2013

Essay 2

Road Trip

            Have you ever been to a restaurant that is so bad that you say you will never eat there again? I have, the restaurant is called Road Trip Bar and Grill. Its ten minutes from where I live in Esparto, CA and it’s a convenient place to go eat as a last minute meal. When it first opened a couple years ago it was a good little restaurant. It was very convenient for locals, casino traffic and the food was good; but now, it has gone downhill. Road trip is a bad restaurant now because they have bad service, bad food, inconvenient business hours, and are way too expensive. They stay in business because the owner is a tribal member and has a lot of money. Customers try to talk to the owner and tell her their problems but she never fixes them. I wish she would fix the problems but as of now she has lost my business.

            Every time I went to Road Trip I had bad service. We would wait forever for someone to come and just take our drink order, and if you wanted a refill you might as well forget it. After a while people just started getting their own refills at the soda machine. After thirty minutes or so the waitress would show up and take your order. Then when they do come and take your order they seldom get orders right so you always get the wrong food. When you get the wrong food, an hour has gone by and your food is cold. I was there with a large group of people before and half the table was done with their food by the time the other half even got their food. The waitress spilt ranch dressing all over my boyfriend’s sister and didn’t even apologize. If you needed more napkins or anything else good luck, you wouldn’t see the waitress until it was time to collect the money. Even if you are the only person in the restaurant, you still get the same bad service if they were busy. My brother got up and left one time because he waited forever and nobody showed up to take his order. All the workers there were very rude and were horrible at customer service. Because of the horrible service, it’s hard to enjoy the food.

It’s sad because when the restaurant first opened the food was very good. The food was only good because of the head chef. He was a local guy and had a lot of followers when he started cooking at the restaurant. When the owners got rid of the chef the food was horrible and they lost a lot of customers. The food didn’t taste anything like it did before they go rid of the chef. After the chef left the food was cold when you finally received it and it didn’t taste good. If you call and get a to-go order you get half the size. For example, I got the Big Fricken Cobb Salad from there and the to-go order is half the size so they can make it fit in the to-go container, but the price is the same. It’s a total rip off.

            If you wanted to go for dinner on a Thursday night you better make sure you call ahead to make sure they are open. They close down if they have no customers and don’t stay open until the sign says. You never know when they will be open, how late they will be open, or anything. They are much unorganized. It’s really frustrating when you don’t have plans for dinner and you decide to go there. But once you get all the way there, you find out they are closed. When people find out they are closed, they just drive up to the casino to eat. Because of their early closing, they have lost a lot of business to the casino.

            Since they opened the price of the food has been expensive. In the beginning people didn’t mind paying so much because the food was worth it. Now people don’t want to pay $10 for a salad. They started to have dollar burger night on Wednesday nights: a night where burgers, fries, and drinks were a $1. In the beginning the burgers were big and you got a lot of fries for a dollar each. Now they charge more than a $1 and you get less food. The burger is half of what it used to be and you get a small handful of fries. If you want anything extra with your meal, it cost extra. For example, on my BLT I ask for avocados and they charged me $2 for them. If you want extra dressing, they charge extra as well.

            I recently went back to Road Trip Bar and Grill and hoped the memories I had of the place were not true anymore. But unfortunately, nothing had changed. The service still sucked, the food was bad, and the prices hadn’t changed. The restaurant needs to start all over. They need to hire different employees or just train the previous ones to have better customer service skills. If they changed their menu and made better food, it would help their business tremendously. They also need to lower their prices and have set business hours. If they would make these changes, then they would be a good restaurant. 

Death Sentence

Claudia Olivares

March 11, 2013

English 1A

K. Rogers

Death Sentence

The love a parent has for their child is endless. Many parents can agree that they would do anything to protect their child from someone. In the movie Death Sentence, Kevin Bacon plays the act of a father whose son was murdered by a man who did it in order to be in a gang. He went after the man and killed him himself. Since he killed one of the members of the gang it was as if he declared a war with all them. This would not be over until Bacon’s family was all dead. What makes Death Sentence a movie worth watching is the emotional connection, the role of the father, the music throughout the movie, and it is not a cheesy action movie. Death Sentence is definitely a movie worth watching.

The movie starts out with their eldest son Brendon, being the star hockey player of his high school. After his championship hockey game they had to stop at a gas station on their way home. The son gets off the car to go inside and buy a Slurpee meanwhile the dad is pumping gas. When out of nowhere two cars pull up with five guys masked all carrying guns and a machete. After shooting the cashier they walk up to the son and tell one of the men to kill him. He slices the son’s throat with a machete and runs out as fast as they can out the store. The father tackles the man who sliced his son’s throat and pulls off his mask. He gets a good look at the guys face and runs inside to help his son who was choking on his blood trying to survive. The father rushes to the hospital and as soon as his wife and son arrive, the doctor lets them know that his son didn’t make it. The father goes to the police station to identify who the guy and when they go to court the attorneys tell him that he will get a minimum sentence because the gas station had no cameras and there were no witnesses. This infuriates the father and when in the court room in front of the judge he tells her that he isn’t sure that he was the one who murdered his son Brendon.  This is when Kevin Bacon plans to kill the man who killed his son. He follows him to his house and when he has the chance to have him alone he stabs him. The other members of the gang want to find out who killed him because he was the sibling of the leader of the gang. When things couldn’t get any worse the gang goes to their house to go after his family. They kill his wife instantly and the son is alive through life support. This doesn’t stop Bacon at all. He leaves the hospital, cashes out all his savings, and goes after everyone. At the end Bacon is bruised and shot and he kills the whole gang. He knows that he won’t live so he goes to his house and plays a family video and sits on the couch watching it until he takes his last breath.

What makes this movie definitely worth watching is it is a movie where people can put themselves in the father’s shoes and only want to react the same way. It’s upsetting because what could only be proven in court is what determined the sentence. As clear as it was that the man murdered Brendon in order to be in a gang, it was not enough to have him put in for the time he deserved to be. Bacon did not want him walking out free after a few years in prison. He wanted the maximum sentence. So as a parent he did what he thought was only fair for this prick that killed his son. As the father and being there with his son the night he was killed, Bacon felt that he failed his wife and lost his family. Although there wasn’t much he could have done he blamed himself for his son’s death. You don’t really have to be a parent necessarily to put yourself in the father’s shoes; I get heated even thinking if it were my brother or one of my sisters.

Kevin Bacon plays the role of the father so well. Right when they leave the court house Bacon is waiting in the car and he sees the two cars from the night Brendon was killed, pull up. They are all clapping and cheering when they see that he was released and got away with the murder. Seeing him so aggravated and furious builds the adrenaline when he goes after the guy. He follows him to his apartment and waits in the car for a couple hours. He goes home and is going through his tool shed and finds a sharp knife. He then returns to the apartment complexes to wait for him to come out. The intense moment when he is face to face with him alone in the laundry room always has my heart racing. He is just staring at him speechless but very heated. The guy was young like twenty two years old; all he did was smile at him. All that did was piss off Bacon and he just attacks him. After the guy punched him Bacon just stabs him in the stomach. The look on Bacon’s face when he realizes what he has done, shows that he was at the mental state where he was so mad that he panics knowing he killed the guy.

What really contributed to this movie that made it add more suspense is the music that plays throughout the gloomy scenes. I cry every time I watch this movie because I couldn’t help but think of ever having to go through something like that. The music plays is more of a symphony and shows drastic sadness. It’s as if you cannot help but feel the pain and sadness of the family. Losing their son tore them apart and killed a piece of each and every one of them. When the youngest son walks in his brother Brendon’s room and just starts crying it gives me chills. I never thought I would think so negative or gruesome to hurt someone but this movie really made me realize how I would want the same if it were my child or even one of my siblings.

It is not a cheesy movie where the dad becomes this badass fighter who no one ever thought could fight. He struggles to fight off these guys and gets beat up pretty bad. He dies from being shot twice, his wife dies, and his son is only living because he is on life support. This isn’t a movie where everyone is happy in the end. His son is in critical condition fighting for his life, his son was murdered and so was his wife. He knew there was a great chance he wasn’t going to live, but he didn’t stop he did it for his family and couldn’t live with the fact that those guys “won”.

Hence, Death Sentence is definitely a movie worth watching because anyone could imagine wanting to react the same way. It is not a movie where you will be saying “when the hell will anyone go through this? Only Hollywood comes up with shit like this.” If anything you start to realize that many cases cannot be solved because there isn’t as much evidence. It is a movie that is realistic, and shows the love a parent has for their child and what extremes they would go to for the sake of their family.