People are people

People are people

I do not see black, white, or brown

I just see people

 I am blind to race, creed, and religion

I just see people

Do not expect me to judge a book by its cover

People are people

 

A Very Odd Day

     As I write this, the college I attend is on a partial lock down due to the fact that we have received a shooting threat. Why it is not on total lock down is beyond me. Now, things are going as they usually do everyday; the tutoring center is still open, the food court is still serving food, and people are still coming for classes almost acting as if there wasn't even a threat of any kind. If all of the students are hiding their fear than I applaud them because I cannot see any. Fear is like a virus, it can spread fast and easily if not contained causing more damage. If we all just stay alert I am sure things will turn out smoothly. Despite that, I personally am scared out of my wits and almost at the point of being overly paranoid. I keep on expecting to hear not so far away gunshots at any moment.
      The faculty of my school are hurrying back and forth between offices, making me feel even more uneasy about today's situation. The college's President's office is practically a fishbowl which is allowing me to see the huddled group of faculty, campus security, and cops. No doubt discussing how they should take care of the threat. I am being as alert as I can and keeping my ears and eyes open. That extra kick I put in my coffee this morning should help me out for a couple of hours.
      I never imagined an event such as this would happen in my little corner of the world. But as I read the news this morning it only confirms how naive I am about how the world can be in this day and age. An Ohio high school was reported to have an actual shooting not too long ago this morning. With five students reported to be shot, one of them now dead. I do not find this comforting at all, in fact this just amplifies my fear. I keep finding myself starring at everyone that passes by me, looking for any evidence that may lead me to believe that they are the ones who are going to eventually shoot up the place. Now, I know that I am judging like crazy today and usually I am not like this. I could care less what one looks like or what one does with one's self. But, when the safety of myself and those around me are threatened, you bet your ass I am going to be scoping people out. Well, at least until the threat has passed, then it's back to non judgmental David.

Photo Madness

So, today I thought that I would share a little bit of my photography and what it means to me.

An inlet next to a nameless beach just south of Bandon Oregon. 

     Ever since I have been able to grasp the concept of a photograph and learn how to take my own I have practically fallen in love with the world of photography. I got my first camera when I was in high school and nothing was safe from my photography madness. Now, back then the pictures I took were alright, nothing special. Mostly of the people and some moments in my life. As the years went by the cameras I owned got more advanced, my photography got better, and my main photo targets also changed. My main targets now are landscapes. I love to capture a scene of a meadow, forests, rivers, canyons, oceans, and really anything that is part of the natural world. This love for landscapes was inspired mainly by the photography of Ansel Adams (I suggest to Google him if you do not know who he is already) and the rest comes from my own love of the natural world.  With the help of my current camera (a EOS Rebel XS) and a little Photoshop magic, I have been able to capture the following landscapes and moments over the years.

A beach in Bandon Oregon.

  

  Really, I love to take photos. Even if it means walking up a beach or river in the searing summer sun to get the perfect one. These specific photos come from my very own photography portfolio full of my best work to date.

My two brothers running in an orchard of some kind.

    I think why I love taking pictures of landscapes is because they remind me of what this country was once full of before it became so industrialized. I guess you can call me a tree hugging hippie. I also love knowing that my photos will be a reference of what this earth looked like for generations to come.

     I love that with every great photo I take there is an adventure that goes along with it. May it be me traveling solo on a beach or in the woods or the siblings and I traversing uncharted (uncharted to us that is) territory risking our life and limb just for the sake of adventure. If ever I write a book it will be full of those photographic adventures of mine. Perhaps I will share a few of those on this very blog. We shall see.

The moon.

Gotta love those little moments

 


       I also love to capture not so common moments with my photography, like a full moon or a place that you know you will not visit again for some time. I love to capture those little moments that a lot of us tend to miss in this crazy world of ours.


    
       All that to say, I love to take photos and I do not see myself getting bored of it anytime soon. The world is so big that I cannot imagine how I would. To all of those who have a camera or can draw/sketch well, I encourage you to go out and capture a moment of your own to share with the world. Because those moments will only be here for a short time and the best thing we can do is preserve them so that we, as well as the rest of the world, can enjoy them for years to come.

   

A Land Before TIme

This is the account of a recent dream I had. After waking up from the dream I felt as if I had just come back from a long trip or journey. Whether that journey was through time or space or even both, I do not know. Now, some of this does not make sense so don’t worry about it. A lot of it did not make sense to me either, but I am hoping it will start to sometime soon. Anyways, here is my dream; I have tried to describe everything as well as I can while the memory of it is still fresh in my mind.

I remember throwing my bike over the ridge. Behind me was a vast beach that went on as far as my eyes could see. I started to climb the steep ridge and when I reached the top a paradise was revealed to me. In the distance I could see a majestic mountain range lining the entire horizon. Over them a clear blue sky with a warm and loving sun just right above me, lighting all that I could see. And towards the West I saw a grand mountain leading the mountain range on one end of this horizon. This leading mountain was bigger than the rest in the range. It stood taller and prouder than any other mountain I have ever set eyes upon. Just the sight of it intimidated me. Covering the roots of the mountains was a thick forest more green and beautiful than any forest in existence today. Each tree was stronger and nobler than any tree that ever existed. I could see the trees swaying in the breeze (for my eyesight in this dream was the same as if I were wearing binoculars) inviting me to rest under their sturdy branches. I also saw a winding river flowing from the mountains into a great lake. Its waters reflected the sunlight so well that it was almost too magnificent to look at. From where I was I could see the blue clear water and I knew that I could not be wrong in thinking that that water would have been the sweetest I would ever taste. Upon seeing these sights together I started to weep, for I never imagined a place as beautiful as the one beheld to me at that moment could ever exist. I started to beckon the couple below me to witness the magnificent sight that was before me. Once they too had reached the top of the ridge they had the same reactions as I; seeing this land before time…I wish that I could go back.

Pretty Good Weekend

               Nightmares are horrible things; especially when you wake up with the same fear that you have in your dream. That is how my weekend ended and I am not ashamed to say that I fear for what may be in store for me this coming week. What makes it worse is when its meaning eludes you. I believe that vivid dreams have some sort of messege or meaning to them. Of course some dreams or just plain silly, but there are some that really do mean something. Fairly recently I had three dreams in three nights, each different from the other and each with multiple possible meanings to them. The meanings of those dreams did not occur to me until the events they foretold unfolded before my very eyes. Looking back I now realize that this has happened to me before, even if I did not see it at first.

                 

                On a lighter note, I had an extremely fun Sunday catching up with some of my good friends in Eugene as well as some exploring of said city. Also, I was introduced to a new coffee house that reminds me of the coffee house that I frequently visit here in my town. If ever I move to Eugene I now have somewhere to go (that is not Starbucks) for a Mexican Mocha and any other caffeinated drink I desire ;) I feel so blessed to have the friends that I do and I love them all with every bit of my heart. There is seldom anything that I would not do for them, especially in their time of need.

                Well, I am sorry to say, but I am going to have to cut this entry short. I still have a mountain of homework that needs to get done ASAP :P College can suck sometimes, but it always is worth it in the end. Or so I have been told. Anyway, I hope that you had a great weekend and that this week treats you well. See you next entry!

Yo Peurdo Hablar Espanol?

Recently I have thought that it would be best if I actually made an effort to learn my native tongue. And by “my native tongue” I mean Spanish. Yeah, one would think that a person of Mexican/Spaniard decent would have learned a bit of their own language over the years. But, that is not the case for me. I am the third generation of my family to be born here in America. And over the years since my great grandparents emigrated here from Mexico the importance of passing on the Spanish language to the next generation has lessened a great deal. Mainly this is due to the fact that while living here in America my family has had more of a use for English rather than Spanish and as a result taught the children English so that they may have an edge in the future, or at least that is what my grandfather on my mother’s side thought. He said that “English is the language of success”, so initially Spanish was dropped from that side of the family. The case with my father’s side is that he actually was taught Spanish by his parents (my grandparents) and perfected his Spanish speaking skills when he worked at a small market in California. He never become fluent though, he knew just enough where he could get by pretty well.

Now, by the time my siblings and I came along my parents rarely used Spanish to communicate with us or others. They knew a little bit of Spanish, but not enough to be able to teach us very effectively. Although my grandmother (on my father’s side) did attempt to teach us by saying certain phrases to us when we were little, however this was unsuccessful. So, English naturally was my/our language of choice and still is to this day. And now that I am older and actually have the brain capacity to learn a new language I think would like to give it a shot.

Currently I am being taught by a very good friend of mine who is practically fluent in the language. My friend is an excellent teacher and does a very good job of helping me understand the language as a whole. We have only had two lessons so far, but I really understand what I have been learning. I can honestly say that this is the most enthusiasm towards learning a new language that I have ever had. Something about not having a grade attached to it all just makes it so much more fun and less stressful to learn. The things that I learn on my own free will are the things I never forget. And with that I bid you all a good night and I hope that you all have a good weekend. Later!

Fork in the Road

                These past few days I have found myself actually doing the work that I am supposed to be doing for classes O_o Strange I know, but I think that this is a good habit that I need to learn. Even if I do goof off from time to time.

                At this point I am not quite sure what I really want to do as a career. The classes I am taking now are helping me get a transfer degree, but after that I am as blind as a bat. And before I continue, yes I know that bats are not blind. Anyway, I originally thought that I could/would work on becoming a history teacher. This seemed like a brilliant idea, seeing that I have a knack for all things historical as well as sharing it with others. But, as time has gone by I have realized how much is needed to be a teacher of history as well as the sucky pay and job opportunities. All that to say, I am now considering a new career path and on my list right now is viticulture (if you don't know what that is I am sure Google can help you find out), which would not be an all too bad field to be in. I actually have the opportunity to pursue viticulture at my current school. The program is quite accessible and I recently found out that most of the classes I have already taken since I have been attending here actually are required for the specific viticulture program I have been eying. Like I said though, I am still considering it.

                One last thing before I get back to my studies; I really am starting to enjoy writing these blogs. I get a great satisfaction and sense of accomplishment every time I put up a new post.  And I am so grateful that some of you are taking the time to look at it. And with that I bid you all adieu and hope that you have a wonderful day (even if it is hump day).