Good Day

I have many stories to tell, but one that I will truly never forget is the time I landed my first kickflip on my skateboard. I was only 10 at the time and doing tricks on my skateboard was all something new to me. Usually I would just Ollie up curbs, or even shimmy my way up them. So adding difficulty to something I was already a little familiar with made for a great time.

            My friend Joe was with me and we were both interested in doing tricks on our skateboards. Numerous tries later, Joe decided to take a break from trying. More like gave up out of frustration. I was determined to at least get the rotation of the board accomplished and maybe call it quits for the day. Attempt after attempt, I was getting closer each time to catching the trick. By this time it was already mid-afternoon and we had started around noon. I had gone at least three hours of trial and error before I even got the pop and rotation done.

            Finally the time came. I was being drained from the constant up and down motion from my errors. But the time came. I lowered myself to the ground and put my feet into position. I popped my back foot and flicked my front foot out towards the left. The board spun almost perfectly. I caught myself gazing at the image of the underside of my board which happened to be a cartoon-like grim reaper character. Quickly I snapped out of the trance and saw the grip tape coming back over. Instantly I put my front foot out to catch it and I did successfully. Al that was left was my back foot. This was the easy part. I did it flawlessly as if I had done it before.

            My friend Joe was so amazed at the progress I had made by just repeating the same motion over and over. Ever since that day I have been able to that trick effortlessly. It’s second nature to me. This day was a really great day just because I learned something for something I like to do. 

Important People

Each person meets so many people throughout their lives. Only some stick in their memories because they have done something that really reached to the person. For me, I had a friend that had been my best friend all the way from elementary school to high school that decided to part their ways from me. Of course, there was a story behind that but that’s not the point. My friend had long dark hair most of the time, with brown eyes that sometimes looked like beads from a distance. He was very important in my life because all the stuff we did and affiliated with. We became musically talented at the same time; as well as skateboarding. He was very similar overall to me by being quiet in public places, being out of the ordinary, and sharing interests in the same field. Not only did we share some the best memories but also he taught me that I was really a genuine being compared to the rest of humanity. I learned this through our last conversation we had had. At least I know I ended up being content with the mutual agreement.

                The second person that has been truly an important person in my life is one of my teachers from high school. His name is Mr. Magoon, an slender elderly man with big rounded glasses that were probably the style in the late sixties.  He showed me that with a strong effort anything can be accomplished. I was struggling with math at the time and he told me over and over the same thing. Not only did he help me by telling me something, he helped me by showing me exactly what steps need to be taken. Numerous times this man has helped me with more than math, he truly is one of the greatest examples of a good high school teacher.

                Lastly, I would like to briefly explain the last person who has been an important person in my life. My lead worker, but more of a friend now, Paul. He taught me most of what I know about pruning a tree and other maintenance work. Many times from the beginning he has shown me how to correctly do something and with great detail. He is the one making this job a career possibility for me. I just wish others would take notes from him. He is another older man in his fifties, very small, and very fit. He has the endurance of a twenty year old and literally is hard to keep up with during work. He is also one of the most down to earth people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He and I are the only ones in our company that can have a long-going conversation about whatever it might be. He is well educated in lots of subjects and very good with history. A matter of fact I’ve learned more from him than I did in the four years of history I took in high school. Again, he is great example of role model and has become an important person in my life. 

Gojira "L'Enfant Sauvage"

Gojira, one of my favorite bands released a new CD not too long ago. This new album is a bit different from their previous albums. L’Enfant Sauvage (French), or the English translation, The Wild Child, contains crushing riffs and thick vocals throughout. Gojira, being a French band decided to change things up for their usual norm.

The quality of the sound is the first that had caught my attention while hearing the preview track. Meaning the one song they put out before the actual album release to catch the listeners attention. Instantly after hearing the album song, L’Enfant Sauvage, I knew that this album was going to be a complete killer. Every song on the album contains extraordinary originality, which is next to impossible to do in the metal genre these days since standards for music is so low now.

While other Gojira fans may argue that this album was not their best, it was definitely a step from their routine. Honestly, this album gives me even more hope for more albums to come from them.

In addition, Gojira is an environmentalist band, which is heavily influential to their music and usually their songs contain world-like meaning. This album is exactly why I said the album was a step out of their usual.  While in their previous albums such as Flying Whales containing environmental meaning, and The Way of All Flesh containing mostly spiritual meaning. L’Enfant Sauvage combines the lyrical meaning of both the previous albums listed and creates a new atmosphere for the listener.

Gojira, isn’t the average metal band, every member has a great amount of talent and all of their previous work proves it. This new album is just a masterpiece for them to have under their belts. I would recommend this new album to any metal-head or anyone who is simply looking for taste of something new. It’s not too heavy, but definitely has a kick to it. My personal favorite song off the album is “The Gift of Guilt.” Don’t be scared, give them a try!

Fast Food Nation

            Fast Food Nation is definitely a book worth reading. I knew a lot of the stuff that is said in the book that was going on. The only difference between my ideas and Schlosser’s sayings is he first handedly experienced what it is like to walk through a slaughterhouse and see how the slaughter is truly performed. Also he saw the working conditions and heard stories from employees. Luckily, Schlosser publicized the issues and cruelty that happen throughout the meat packing industries and overall fast food corporations. Still, it may not seem like Schlosser has influenced the population with his information, but he surely has changed peoples’ minds about what they might be ordering when they are at the register choosing what they want. I know for a fact I have been passing more often on going to lunch with co-workers when they say they are going to (insert fast food restaurant).

            Any one who actually read the book will agree that it has somehow connected to their personal life. As I have said before, this book is a worth the read. It wasn’t too lengthy, especially since the reading was so spread out over a couple of months. Also, there is plenty of information to the read that much more interesting along with employees personal experiences of being affected by the fast food industry. Overall a good book.

School

I would like to start this blog off with the answer to last week’s truth and lies blog. The truth was “I went on a cruise to Hawaii for ten days.” Crazy right?

            School has been a big nuisance to me the past year, I am trying to get my life going and I look at myself and say I need school. But this past year I went from being in high school to being a full time employee a less than a month after graduation. It has been quite a journey so far. I have taken college classes at Ventura College throughout my years in high school, and now I am taking classes at Oxnard College due to overcrowding in Ventura. This semester has been a bit more stressful due to the amount of amount work needed in the classes and the fact I just transferred to Oxnard, but maybe that will ease up next semester.

            To say the least, I really do think that earning a degree will make all the difference in my future years to come. It will show that I can be committed to finish something and more importantly show that I may even be smarter than the average bear. Right now school seems like repetitive nonsense, but like I said, in the end it will pay off. I guess that’s what someone could say about what keeps me motivated, the pay off. It really is not that far away either. The credits I earned high school were a good boost and now it is all about taking it one class at a time. I hope everyone else is motivated about the pay off earning a degree has. I know many people from my past classes have plenty of potential to complete and succeed in what they started. I know I will be right there with them.