Blogging (Blog 16)

Blogging was something completely new to me. I’ve always heard of blogs but didn’t really know much about them. I always thought it was just people complaining about something so I never got into it. I didn’t mind the blogs where we had open range on. The topic of fast food really burnt me out. Didn’t make me want to eat it any less, just wanted to stop talking about it. I dreaded blogs when we have tons of other work we had to do the same night. Those times I would just write anything just to get it done. When we had less work, I put more thought into my blogs. I don’t think I will keep in going with my blog because if I have something to say to people, I will just write something on Facebook. I enjoyed several other blogs. There are many people that are able to write very well. For fellow classmates, I say great job with your blogs. Many of you have some really talent.

TED Video (Blog 15)

In the TED video, I learned that “cow farts” are more dangerous than CO2. To me that stood out because I wasn’t expecting it. Now for the facts I gathered from the speech was that the greenhouse gases that come from the cows is the 2nd most dangerous gas for the planet. Another fact that was interesting was the US slaughters 10 billion animals every year for us to eat and if you put them together, the animals could go from earth to the moon 5 times. That is crazy! The last interesting fact is that 30% of the worlds land is for the animals that we eat. What impressed me was how well he was able to compare something we don’t think is that dangerous like the cow to something we all know is very bad like the atomic bomb. Nothing in the video really depressed me. Wasn’t a sad story but rather interesting. The video was good speech but not one I would watch again. I might be able to use the video for my paper but not too many facts because it wasn’t really about what I’m researching.

3 Important People (Blog 14)

The first person I would like to talk about is my mom. Let me tell you a little bit about her. She had me when she was 29 going on 30. My mom grew up in a tight family without much but all seemed to help each other out when they could. What makes her so special is she is always willing to put her family first even over herself. She anytime someone in the family needed a car ride, a few dollars for gas, or someone to take care of them when they were sick, my mom was always right there. She is one that gets along with everyone even if they don’t get along with each other. She is important to me because of how much she cares for her family.
The next person I would like to talk about is my dad. My dad was born and raised in Ohio/West Virginia. He joined the Seabees back in the late 70’s. In 1986 he had his forth child, me. My dad is one that doesn’t take much from anybody. He likes to tell people up front the way he feels about them and likes when people do the same. What makes him so important to me is the way he raised me when it comes to standing up for myself when the time calls for it. He also has taught me a lot about working on things, making stuff, and use common sense.
The last person I would like to talk about is a former teacher. His name is Mr. Hodge and he teaches a couple fire technology which I have taken. He is one of the most unusual teachers I have ever had. He will spend the first hour of class taking role and telling jokes. In each of his classes he just teaches what will be on his midterm and final and nothing else. Why this teacher is so important to me is Mr. Hodge is the reason I am furthering my education and going for my BS degree. I was planning on just getting my AS but with his encouragement, I am almost done with my BS degree. He is also for helping students with money by selling old books for them in following semesters. Thanks to him, I was able to sell two old books I never used.

Harleys are too Expensive

What I would like to review is motorcycles. More specifically Harley Davidson motorcycles and the amount of money it takes to fix any part on one. See a few years back my dad and I picked up a Harley that was in a million pieces for $1,500. That wasn’t a bad price at all. The only things missing were nuts and bolts but the rest of the parts were there. So as we put the bike together, we had to go back and forth to the Harley shop to pick up those pieces as needed. We kept each recite so we could add up how much it cost us to get it going again. When it was all said and done it ended up costing $1,000 just for nuts and bolts. That might not seem like much but $1,000 for nuts and bolt? Come on! I have build non Harley bikes before that needed way more part like carburetors and gas tanks that didn’t cost near $1,000. Why were they so expensive you might ask? Because it says Harley on each and every one of those parts. There were after market places out there but it was so hard to find the exact items we needed. Just a couple weeks ago my dad broke a part of his brake system on his Harley and it ended up costing around $50 for a little tiny piece of metal. Now I’m not saying the bikes are bad but they cost so much to buy, fix, or customize. The up side of having one is they keep their value for a long time unlike the other brands. Also they have tons of torque which is nice but no speed at all. My bike will only do 125 mph, that’s it. That speed is fun but kind of gets boring after a while. If I would suggest a bike for someone I would say any brand but Harley because they cost too much, they have no speed, and also they get stolen more than any other brand of motorcycle.

Overview of FFN

This book was not what I thought it was going to be about. I was thinking it was going to be more like the movie Super-Size Me. I’m glad it wasn’t, not because that wasn’t a good movie but reading a whole book about how bad McDonalds is didn’t sound like good reading. But this book was about all aspects of the fast food industry. From the start of a few fast food chains; to where fast food chains get their potatoes and meat. The whole book was interesting to me. I enjoyed the parts where the author drove around and got the information from the workers, farmers, and civilians first hand. He did a great job in explain how the environments were when he was there. It really hasn’t affected me personally too much. I don’t believe I am going to stop eating fast food but it is not like I eat it a lot anyways. Some of the information surprised me like the guy that fell into the tub of lard and the company never shut off the machine. The just continued and sold the stuff with the guy in it. The issues it made me think of is just how much the fast food industries especially McDonalds doesn’t care how unhealthy their food is. But it is their food and nobody is forcing anybody to eat it.

The Semester in Review (Blog 11)

So first of all, lets answer my “5 Lies and 1 Truth” blog last week. Several of you got it correct than I DO have my A.S. degree. I finished that up in 2009 for Fire Technology. Everything else would be true if I tweaked a word or two.
This week’s blog topic seems to be a result from a blog I posted a few weeks ago about too much homework. Because I posted my feelings about the work load from this semester last week, I will answer the other questions. So what do I like about this semester? There are actually several good things about this semester. The new friends I have made are great. In most of the general education classes I take, I don’t talk to many people because we don’t seem to have the same interests so it’s hard to keep talking to them. The English class seems like one big family of friends. Everyone seems to talk to everyone which is nice. My other classes seem to be too anti social for my taste. Another good thing is my public speaking skills have improved a lot because of my speech class.
So what is bugging me about this semester besides the work load? I would have to say teachers that cancel class without telling us or sending an email to the students saying there won’t be class 30 minutes before class begins. Then the next day they say, “Well I sent an email. You need to check you email.” I am coming from Simi Valley so I don’t have time to check my email before school. I get up, get ready, and come to class. A 24-hour notice would be nice. It makes me want to punch those teachers in the face when they say things like that. Anyways, that’s the other thing that is bothering me a lot this semester.
So what keeps me motivated even though this is a tough semester? I would have to say that I keep telling myself it’s my last here at OC. I also think of each day that ends, is one more day done of this semester. We are basically at the start of the home stretch. Finals use to bother me but now I look forward to them because it’s the end of that class for good. I know once I walk out after the final I am done. After this semester I am either going through the fire academy or looking for a bigger and better EMT job in Los Angeles.
So that is what I like about this semester, what bothers me about it, and what keeps me motivated. If people think we still have a longs ways to go, think of it this way, we are 11 weeks down and have 6 left including finals.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN

5 Lies & 1 Truth (blog 10)

1. I already have my AS degree.
2. I am an only child.
3. I was born and raised in Oxnard.
4. I have a son.
5. I have been in a minor place crash.
6. I own 2 cars.