Q2 book review
Forlorn River is one of Zane Grey’s great western tales. It is about a man who left his family at 16 and lives on Clear Lake by himself. It is a tale of courage and determination. Ben Ide is the main character and is a cowboy who has always loved horses; especially California Red a mystical horse who always gets away from Ben when he tries to catch him.
Ben Ide is a struggling horse ranger. He has a few opportunities to catch some horses but passes them up because he loves them so much. His father thinks he is a failure and his old girlfriend does not trust him anymore. So Ben and his friend Modoc and Nevada have to rescue California Red from bens dad who wants to give the horse to Bens little sister. A fight ends up breaking put between these two groups of people.
Zane Grey writes with a lot of passion and very fluent, understandable style. It is kind of old English but still very easy to read. I enjoy reading all of his works and will try to look for this book’s sequel “Nevada”.
“The golden sunlight receded from the wooded cape and the little cabin across the lake where Ben Ide lived; and to Ina there seemed to be a similarity between that passing and her mood of the moment. She changed everyday, every hour; she was going toward something- perhaps a great sadness.
After reading this book I have become a fan of western stories. I really liked how passionate he wrote about his topics. Also he incorporated action into what was a romance/ western novel. This book sent me the message that you should never give up on your dreams for anyone.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Value Essay
Values of an I-pod on the First chair
As citizens of America we have many things that we could possibly value. Actually thousands, most of them are not priceless. But for the few that are priceless how do they compare to those activities or items that are? Playing a game of fetch with your dog may not have as much glory as getting 25 kills in a game of call of duty, but which is of higher value? We need to think what items are of real value.
* * *
I plug in the headphones and turn the volume all the way up. All of a sudden all other sound is gone, and so am I. Lost in the music during the car ride I am taken by surprise when people start hollering that we are there.
Listening to my I-pod actually starts the day before on my computer. First I have to update it and create some new play lists that suit what I want to listen to at that moment. Then I have to charge it all night by leaving it plugged in to my computer. Roughly I have 300 songs on my I-pod each coming in at $.99 each. So keeping my I-pod up-to-date is harder than it seems. Making play lists is also very time consuming, but very worth it once I am able to tune out to there amazing sounds.
Buying songs to fit my new play lists also takes time. I need to find out what kind of play list I feel like making. Then I buy some songs if I don’t already have them. After I buy the songs and create the play list then it’s ready for the next day. But before the job is done I plug the I-pod into my I-home and play it on a low volume when I am sleeping, on the I-home it stays charged while it’s playing. Now the job is done and I can relax with the sounds of my choice playing in the background.
* * *
In the morning when I wake up I have 1 hour to get ready before I leave. I stretch and crack my back after a good night sleep. Next I get my I-pod and plug it into the headphones. I benignly place it on the counter where it will rest until I have to go. I get my snow pants, jacket and, boots. I dress for the 25-degree weather. I put on my base layer then a fleece hoodie. For pants I have a tight fitting base layer and I wear pajamas over those. It takes me 15 minutes to find my snowboarding socks. Once I find them I put on my snow pants and boots so I can get out of the car throw on my jacket and start riding. On my way out the door I grab my I-pod which is essential to my peace in the car and when I’m riding. As we pull out of the driveway I turn on my I-pod and start to zone out.
As we arrive I whip open the door and run to the trunk throw it up and grab my board. As my Capita Stairmaster 156cm with union data pinstripe bindings and I jog to the lift I think about what the brand new park will be like. I get to the lift strap one foot in the bindings and wait with my friends to get on the lift. The anticipation of the new park is killing me as I ride up the lift. Once I come to the second to last pole from the top I throw up the lift guard.
Finally the chairlift ride that felt like forever is over when I glide off and wait for the rest of my group. I can see them and I start getting antsy as I think about the glades and beautiful new park. The rest of them hop off the lift and we start cruising on the green circle that leads to the terrain park. We go the first chairlift ride of the whole season and there are only a couple of other people on the mountain. The group I’m in comes to the park entrance and sits on the top of the drop in for a minute and gaze at the beauty that is all ours, for now at least.
Taking the first carves up to the first set of boxes feels like the first time I went swimming. But at least I have my I-pod with me blocking out the sounds around me that could possibly distract me. In a sense it’s exactly like going in the deep end for the first time, I don’t’ know how much speed to bring as I come off the top of the jump and 50-50 the boxes. It wasn’t the hardest trick to do but for the first run through a park this season its fine with me.
* * *
Both my I-pod and the feeling of the first run on a deserted mountain are of very high value to me. My I-pod is an item of financial worth and its value is probably $350. It is my second most expensive possession besides my snowboard. It allows me to drown out my surroundings and focus on the task at hand. It is three generations of I-pod nano old now but I still like it. My nano is about 3 inches tall and holds 1,000 songs. It is silver gray color and is not at all glamorous. That is another reason I like it because it gets the job done perfectly fine without looking like a showoff.
While my I-pod lets me escape into music my snowboard lets me escape in a different way which is why I value it. My snowboard is 156cm tall and is a capita stairmaster. It gives me a ton of pop and control in park and jumps and in powder. My snowboard allows me to get the first run of the day. Getting the first run is amazing; all the trails are nice and groomed whit fresh corduroy. I value this because it is really nice to ride on.
I value this item and this experience for similar reasons. The main reason I value them is that they let me escape. My snowboard lets me escape into a world of riding and serious concentration. But my I-pod lets me go into a completely different world of music and bass. That is why I value these things.
As citizens of America we have many things that we could possibly value. Actually thousands, most of them are not priceless. But for the few that are priceless how do they compare to those activities or items that are? Playing a game of fetch with your dog may not have as much glory as getting 25 kills in a game of call of duty, but which is of higher value? We need to think what items are of real value.
* * *
I plug in the headphones and turn the volume all the way up. All of a sudden all other sound is gone, and so am I. Lost in the music during the car ride I am taken by surprise when people start hollering that we are there.
Listening to my I-pod actually starts the day before on my computer. First I have to update it and create some new play lists that suit what I want to listen to at that moment. Then I have to charge it all night by leaving it plugged in to my computer. Roughly I have 300 songs on my I-pod each coming in at $.99 each. So keeping my I-pod up-to-date is harder than it seems. Making play lists is also very time consuming, but very worth it once I am able to tune out to there amazing sounds.
Buying songs to fit my new play lists also takes time. I need to find out what kind of play list I feel like making. Then I buy some songs if I don’t already have them. After I buy the songs and create the play list then it’s ready for the next day. But before the job is done I plug the I-pod into my I-home and play it on a low volume when I am sleeping, on the I-home it stays charged while it’s playing. Now the job is done and I can relax with the sounds of my choice playing in the background.
* * *
In the morning when I wake up I have 1 hour to get ready before I leave. I stretch and crack my back after a good night sleep. Next I get my I-pod and plug it into the headphones. I benignly place it on the counter where it will rest until I have to go. I get my snow pants, jacket and, boots. I dress for the 25-degree weather. I put on my base layer then a fleece hoodie. For pants I have a tight fitting base layer and I wear pajamas over those. It takes me 15 minutes to find my snowboarding socks. Once I find them I put on my snow pants and boots so I can get out of the car throw on my jacket and start riding. On my way out the door I grab my I-pod which is essential to my peace in the car and when I’m riding. As we pull out of the driveway I turn on my I-pod and start to zone out.
As we arrive I whip open the door and run to the trunk throw it up and grab my board. As my Capita Stairmaster 156cm with union data pinstripe bindings and I jog to the lift I think about what the brand new park will be like. I get to the lift strap one foot in the bindings and wait with my friends to get on the lift. The anticipation of the new park is killing me as I ride up the lift. Once I come to the second to last pole from the top I throw up the lift guard.
Finally the chairlift ride that felt like forever is over when I glide off and wait for the rest of my group. I can see them and I start getting antsy as I think about the glades and beautiful new park. The rest of them hop off the lift and we start cruising on the green circle that leads to the terrain park. We go the first chairlift ride of the whole season and there are only a couple of other people on the mountain. The group I’m in comes to the park entrance and sits on the top of the drop in for a minute and gaze at the beauty that is all ours, for now at least.
Taking the first carves up to the first set of boxes feels like the first time I went swimming. But at least I have my I-pod with me blocking out the sounds around me that could possibly distract me. In a sense it’s exactly like going in the deep end for the first time, I don’t’ know how much speed to bring as I come off the top of the jump and 50-50 the boxes. It wasn’t the hardest trick to do but for the first run through a park this season its fine with me.
* * *
Both my I-pod and the feeling of the first run on a deserted mountain are of very high value to me. My I-pod is an item of financial worth and its value is probably $350. It is my second most expensive possession besides my snowboard. It allows me to drown out my surroundings and focus on the task at hand. It is three generations of I-pod nano old now but I still like it. My nano is about 3 inches tall and holds 1,000 songs. It is silver gray color and is not at all glamorous. That is another reason I like it because it gets the job done perfectly fine without looking like a showoff.
While my I-pod lets me escape into music my snowboard lets me escape in a different way which is why I value it. My snowboard is 156cm tall and is a capita stairmaster. It gives me a ton of pop and control in park and jumps and in powder. My snowboard allows me to get the first run of the day. Getting the first run is amazing; all the trails are nice and groomed whit fresh corduroy. I value this because it is really nice to ride on.
I value this item and this experience for similar reasons. The main reason I value them is that they let me escape. My snowboard lets me escape into a world of riding and serious concentration. But my I-pod lets me go into a completely different world of music and bass. That is why I value these things.
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