Reading Reaction #4 "The War Within"

On the day Botti describes, he is haying goodbye to people, a place, and a new life he had barley begun. Describe a significant time in your life when you said goodbye. You may have been leaving a place, ending a relationship, giving up a dream, or breaking a dangerous addiction.

When I read this reading reaction it immediately reminded me of moving to Chico and acquiring a job as a wild land firefighter. I moved to Chico from Santa Rosa in March of 2002 into my friend Josh's house. In Santa Rosa I became idle with my life. Many issues arose at once, so I attempted to deal with them to the best of my ability. At this time I stayed in contact with my friend Josh. Keeping in contact with Josh allowed me to filter through a few options that were presented to me. One option was to stay in Santa Rosa and attempt to fix all the problems that surrounded me, but at the time it seemed unrealistic for me. The second option was for me to move up to Chico after I sorted through my issues, deal with my priorities then move to Chico. The third option was to forget about moving, and keep working, stay in the same situation and make the best of things. After talking with Josh, Casey( now my wife), my mom and dad I decided to move up to Chico. Josh allowed me to live with him for a month for free, which enabled me to find a steady source of income. At first I worked for a temporary employment agency for a month. This line of work allowed me to make enough money to pay Josh for room and board. Around the beginning of April I was offered a job by a former co-worker of Josh's. This person was involved in the wild land firefighting industry. I found out how much the pay rate was, how much I could make if I worked hard, and some of the incentives that the company offered. After passing a drug test, physical fitness test, and receiving training, I started my employment with Firestorm. For a few months I would work around the town assisting co-workers with fuel reduction treatment. I started to feel apart of the community, by making friends at work, having some family around if things went south, and having a great friend around that opened his home to me. Sometime in June I received my first fire call. It was around 10:00p.m. I was distraught, not to mention stressed out. I did not know what to expect fighting a fire in the forest. When I read this reading reaction, I instantly thought of this experience. I made a move in my life at 21 years old, so the impact of the move as well as the impact of the experiences in my life at the time really threw me for a loop. When I received that first call I contacted many people to figure out how to deal with the emotions that I felt at the time. After the first experience I knew that this industry was something that I could become passionate about. Oh yeah the money was good also.

Reading Reaction # 3 "One Man's Kids"

If you are working or have ever worked with children, write a paragraph describing the good (or bad) aspects of the job. You can first describe the job and its responsibilities and then write about its good (or bad) points.

When I am at home, sometimes our neighbors need my wife or myself to babysit their four year old named Cassie and their two year old named Aden. Our neighbors live very active lives, they have four children total. Cassie and Aden are the two younger children out of the group. At times our neighbors will run errands during Cassie and Aden's nap time. When this occurs myself or my wife (Casey), will make our way over to the house and supervise the house when the kids are sleeping. Usually when one of us babysit, the duties include feeding the children when they wake up, reading or watching T.V. until they are finished with their snack, and finally taking them outside to play. Spending time with Cassie and Aden has its perks. Interacting with the children is the best aspect of babysitting. Taking care of Cassie and Aden has both good and challenging points, which comes with supervising other adults kids. When it comes to Aden, he wakes up from his nap, asks for a drink, shares a banana, then gets ready to go outside and play with whatever sports equipment he has. If he doesn't want to play any sports, then he asks to be pushed on the swing. This afternoon ritual is fairly easy, with the exception of the communication factor. Since Aden is only two years old, there is a lot of guessing that is involved with the communication. Aden starts to become irritated after the third time explaining what he wants to do. This is the only downside with babysitting, sometimes the child's body language is the easiest way to determine what a child is asking for. Cassie's ritual is a little different. She wakes up crying, which is common for her, then eats and drinks while watching a movie. Once the movie is on, usually the crying stops. After Cassie finishes her snack, the T.V. gets turned off. She heads outside and starts to participate in whatever the rest of us are doing. There is some confrontation at first, mainly due to Cassie trying to take over the game that is already in progress. After she finds out that she can not dictate the activity at hand, she behaves and starts to participate in the activity. By now the parents usually come home and start to engage in the activity with us. During this time we exchange stories about errands and babysitting, which turns out to last for an hour or so. After we are finished we hug Cassie and Aden good bye, Aden and I have a handshake as well, then it is off to our home. Some of the benefits of babysitting is the interaction that we have with the children. This teaches us how to deal with multiple situations, so in the future we know how to take care of our own children. Another benefit is developing a relationship with both kids. Personally I enjoy seeing the children learn how to share and cooperate with each other. Some other benefits are helping the kids develop their motor skills, hand and eye coordination as well as the willingness to have fun in what ever they do.

Do you like music? Why? What kinds of music do you listen to?

I enjoy listening to music, some types more so than others. The types of music that I listen to regularly are; hip-hop, rap, and R & B. Sometimes I will listen to classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, alternative rock, oldies, soul and funk as well as jazz, Spanish guitar, and classical, on occasion. Over the last few days I have started to listen to Japanese music. Even though I don't understand the lyrics at all, it still intrigues me by hearing the melody, tempo, and rhythm.

On a daily basis I listen to hip-hop. By being a part of the M.T.V. generation and growing up in a working-to-lower class neighborhood, the hip-hop culture appeals to me. This type of music is very easy for me to relate to the struggle of everyday life. My parents did their best to make ends meet, until they parted and went their own ways. Many of the friends that I associated with in my neighborhood shared similar experiences growing up. Every time I found myself struggling in life I realized that I would surround myself with the hip-hop culture, which would inspire me to set goals and achieve them. Over the span of my adolescence I would jump between two types of music, hip-hop and classic rock. My parents would listen to classic rock religiously, I would listen to hip-hop. This music was my escape from the everyday stress that surrounded my parents.
Over the years I came to find out that the hip-hop culture that I identified with rooted from various types of music. These types include rap, R & B, jazz, funk, and soul. I became educated by various artists in the hip-hop culture about various genres of music as well as artists from diverse styles. The artists that I idolized were shaped by artists before them, so I became interested in the singers and songwriters that they would praise on their songs.
Rock is an entirely different story for me. I started out by listening to classic rock(not by choice), in the mid 1980s. As the years passed the radio station would begin to play various styles of rock. These styles included hard rock, heavy metal, and alternative rock. As hard rock became more popular; I started to enjoy the energy that it brought me. This type of rock music is energized with the fast guitar riffs, drum beats and singing(borderline screaming).
I would find myself listening to different types of music depending on the mood or emotions that I encountered, by labeling my moods with different types of music. As I grew and matured I found myself being attracted to other types of music such as Spanish guitar and classical music.
I found a different kind of relation with the various types of music that I would listen to. The more instrumental music would play during studying or stress-free times. I would revert back to hip-hop when I felt discouraged or when I needed to be inspired. Types of rock would motivate me before sporting events, mainly due to the high energy this type of music provided.

What are your summer plans?

My plans for summer this year are to work, play soccer, camp once or twice, visit family, and celebrate my birthday.
I am looking to get a job that will help me pay for my next semester at Butte College. So far my father-in-law offered me a job assisting my wife in a distribution business that they are working side-by-side. The job duties include taking orders from customers nation wide, going to the shipping area, and sending out products related to price marking. The other job I was considering was construction. I have experience in construction, which entails concrete work, carpentry, and painting. Construction will allow me to work outdoors, but the heat may become an issue in the summer. After weighing out my options I think I will take my father-in-law up on the job offer. This will get me involved with a family business that is small but profitable and will allow me to spend time with my wonderful wife, Casey.
The second plan that I have for summer is playing soccer. Since I have lived in Chico, I have not had the privilege to spend a full summer here. I have always been away in the mountains where the temperature is fifteen to twenty degrees cooler. I enjoy playing soccer, but my main focus will be staying hydrated, for me this will be the key in order to survive a season of summertime soccer.
Another plan that I have for summer is to go camping with some old high school and childhood friends. I am looking forward to this, because I have rarely seen my friends since I moved into the Chico area. I am from Santa Rosa, so Chico is not very far away, but at times it becomes difficult to visit friends. We are going to Lake Mendocino for the first weekend in June. There will be fishing, boating, sports, and relaxing. This is my idea of a relaxing weekend.
The final event that I am looking forward to is seeing my family and having my birthday in the middle of July. During the month of July, my family puts on a huge reunion that includes a band, food, drinks and fun for all ages.

Are environmental issues important to you? Why? What do you do to protect the environment?

The issues of the environment are very important to me. Some of my reasons are personal and others are directed towards the balance of the planet. In my life I have seen beautiful places in North America. Traveling as far east as Louisiana to Montana, and as far south as Mexico, there are many other places I would love to see. These different landscapes have their own unique beauty about them. Someday I hope that my children and grandchildren are able to enjoy such sights as I have.
A specific memory pops into my mind when I think about the environmental issues at hand. One day I was in Yosemite National Park working when a car passed with a bumper sticker that said, "Daddy what is a forest?" Now this might be a little extreme for some people, but with the way land is being purchased, timber being harvested, and houses being built, I think that this quote is becoming more realistic as the days pass.
My point is that in the future urban areas will cover the landscapes that we are able to enjoy now. Our children and the generations beyond theirs will not have the same outlook on the planet as my generation and the generations past. This frustrates me, mainly because of the damage to the planet we inflict on it. The industrial and technological industries have played a huge part in the decay of the planet.
In my mind, some of the ways I protect the environment was fighting fires for over 4 years. To me firefighting is a double edge sword when it comes to protecting the environment. Plants and animals are saved from mortality, but on the other hand fire is natures way of cleaning up. Insect invasion on forest leave trees dead or weaken, same with the impact that winter has on a forest. When trees become diseased or dead, fire will consume the dried fuels, and in the process stimulates roots and pine cones that use the heat in order to start the germinating process of some trees. Some of the other methods I use to protect the environment are recycling, I also drive a car that has great gas mileage, I smog my car so the the pollutants omitted into the atmosphere are minimal. My house is an energy efficient house by P.G.and E standards. I am looking into installing solar panels on my house so that I do not have to rely on natural gases as much, this will also allow me to conserve more energy in the long run. I am always looking for new and innovative ways to become more energy efficient, as well educating others on the different ways to become more efficient.

If you could have any animal for a pet, what animal would you have? Why?

If I could have any animal in the world I would like to have a Peregrine Falcon. The Peregrine Falcon is a bird of prey, which means that it hunts other birds as well as small rodents, and fish. Falcons amaze me with the speed that they posses when they attack their prey. Since I was a child I have always been fond of falcons, eagles, and hawks. I did a report on the Peregrine Falcon, and found out that this bird was on the endangered species list at one point in time. It still might be on the endangered species for all I know. I have always wanted to own, or create a sanctuary for these birds. The sanctuary that I want to create will be in the natural habitat of the Peregrine Falcon. I would like to invite people to observe this bird in its natural habitat, so that they can witness the amazing speed that this bird has. Another feature that this bird has that intrigues me is the coloring. The white spotted under belly, topped with brown wings and feathers make for a gorgeous looking bird. It is very unfortunate that the agriculture industry was a huge factor in placing this bird on the endangered species list. This happened by having farmers spray their crops with D.D.T. The falcon would eat the food the farmers grew, which made the shell of the eggs so thin that they would crack under the weight of the parents. Between the U.S. and Canada there are less the 2,000 Peregrine Falcons left. I hope that these majestic birds will be able to leave the endangered species list in the future.

What 3 things would you bring with you to a deserted island? Why?

For me the three things that I would bring to a deserted island would be a flint, knife, and water container. I think that these three tools are very important, for me these tools will prolong the life expectancy on an island with limited resources.

The first item is a flint. The flint is a very useful survival tool in a remote area. In many ways this small tool can be beneficial when used properly. The main purpose of a flint is that, when struck by a rock or knife, it provides a spark that can ignite fine fuels, which in turn will create a fire. In this kind of setting a fire is a very powerful tool to use, for many people fire will provide a means of cooking food, sterilizing water, radiating heat, as well as repelling off predators. A fire will produce smoke when adding green foliage, this will hopefully attract attention, which will result in a possible rescue situation.

The second item I would bring with me is a knife. It does not necessarily have to be a survival knife, but a pocket knife will be adequate enough in order to survive on a deserted island. With a knife I could possibly catch food, make a simple shelter to live in, fend of any predators or set up traps for protection. Some simple tools that I could create with a knife are spears for hunting, which could double as a skewer when the food is prepared. With the assistance of a rock; I can use the knife to cut down small diameter trees, by cutting down trees I can build a simple frame out of the base of the trees and then use the foliage to cover the frame. I can layer the foliage in a way that if the weather gets wet the shelter will not leak.

The third item that I have is a water container. A person can not survive very long without water. Since this takes place on an island there is plenty of water, but the water is not potable. In order to live off the water it needs to be boiled. Boiling the water will sterilize it, which will make it drinkable. If I chose to scout out the island for possible food or shelter sources I would like to bring water with me. This allows me to search for longer peroids of time. By scouting out the surrounding area, I can find an ideal area to set up a shelter if need be. These three items are very useful in this kind of situation.