Remember You

It was just this past summer. It was hot and sunny every single day of summer. I was playing baseball for two different summer leagues and I was enjoying every minute of it. It was kind of weird playing on one of the teams because I play for Oxnard College and almost every single on the team was playing for Ventura College. I got on the team because of good friend of mine is the pitching coach for Ventura College and he was the head coach for this summer league team. At first it seemed awkward playing with guys that I was going to be playing against in the follow spring, but I got to know all of them really well and they were all pretty cool and funny guys. I enjoyed the whole summer playing with them and the most memorable game was the last one. Our home field was in the back of RDV middle school. The field was pretty decent, but compared to what it used to look like it was amazing. So it was the last game of the summer league and we were playing a double header. Our first game was at 9 in the morning. My dad and mom were watching both of my games. My dad filmed every one of my games so that I could watch my hitting mechanics and fix them. The first game I got two base hits and I got out my last at bat. The second game started around 12:30 in the afternoon. I started off the game with a homerun my first at bat. My next at bat the bases were loaded and I hit a grand slam. My last at bat I got walked. I never try to hit home runs, but when I do I love the feeling jogging around the bases. It’s an amazing feeing. The only part that I hate telling is that my dad didn’t record my last game because the battery died. It would have been nice to show everyone and later on in life look back at it. 

3 Important People

My dad is the most important person to me in my life. He’s always been there for me for all the good things I’ve done and even the bad things. He wants the best for me and wants me to succeed in everything I do. He is the reason why I would want to become a father when I’m older. He tells me he enjoys watching me play baseball so that’s why I want to keep playing for as long as I can for him. He is a very caring person and looks out for both my sisters and I. He hardly takes any days off from work because when he’s not working he’s always in his garage working on a project or something. He tries to be funny but I think because he tries so hard it makes him funny.

            My mom is very important to me as well. She is the reason why I like to joke around and make people laugh because that’s all she does. I have to admit she is the one who did all the “discipline” to us and was mean to my sisters and I, so I’ll always have a grudge against her. But I know she loves my sisters and I a lot. She’s been through so much because my dad and her got a divorce so I try to see her and help her as much as I can like she did to me when I was younger.

            My grandma from my mom side is the best. I love going to her house because there’s always food there and she likes to make sure I eat dinner. Even to this day she calls me and tells me to pick up some dinner she made just for me. My sisters and I always go to her house on all the holidays because its always fun there. She’s always in the kitchen cooking and when she’s not she is cleaning, watching novellas, or going to Chumash. She loves to go out to Chumash with her friends for a whole weekend. She loves to have a good time and so does my mom obviously and I’m glad these two wonderful women raised me. 

Jersey Mikes

I’m reviewing Jersey Mikes in this blog entry. I try not to eat out a lot and stay away from eating at fast food restaurants. After reading fast food nation, who wouldn’t? so when I do eat out I try to eat something healthy. The reason why I’m reviewing it is because I eat there sometimes four times a week for lunch. It was about 2 months ago when I tried it. I knew what Jersey Mikes was and I heard good things and bad things about it so I never really gave it a go. That was until my friend was begging me to go with him and try it. I tried it and it was a pretty good sub sandwich. From then on I started to go once a week, then twice a week and you get the picture. I started going there so much the employees already knew what I wanted right when I walked in. I get the same thing every time I go. Its called a club sub and it’s the #8 on the menu. It just has turkey, ham, Swiss cheese, bacon and whatever else you want in it lettuce, tomato, etc. I really recommend this place because I think the meat is better than subway. They cut their meat right in front of you with a meat slicer so it’s fresh. Unlike subway where their meat comes already prepackaged cut. The sub sandwiches might be a little more expensive, but I’d rather pay an extra three dollars for better meat. They also have a discount for students that go to Oxnard College where if you buy any sub you get chips and a drink for free. They have a lot subs to choose from and the employees are very friendly. If you don’t know where Jersey Mikes is its close by Oxnard College on rose across the street from the Arco gas station.

FFN

I starting reading Fast Food Nation, I didn't think it would have any affect on the way i eat. This book has changed my eating habits completely. I've been eating fast food my whole life and I had no idea about what really goes on behind the scenes at fast food restaurants. This book gave me a whole new look on fast food, but its also changed the way I think about types of food. There  is so much stuff they talk about in Fast Food Nation. I couldn't believe how they breed all the cattle on the farms. I love to eat meat and hamburgers, but reading about how bad eating bad meat can affect your body and even people around made me sick. I never knew about e-coli bacteria or how it can affect a human body. It was pretty sad reading about how e-coli killed people. It got me thinking a lot about eating fast food. 

Fall Semester

I’m sorry to disappoint a lot of you, but my truth is… I am 24 years old. I know it’s hard to believe but believe it.  

This semester so far is pretty good. I’m trying to keep up with all my classes because I’m taking seven. It’s a lot of work and I’m trying to stay on top of everything. I know the later we get into the semester the workload is going to increase. I just hope I can handle all of it. On top of all the homework I still have baseball practice. We practice three times a week for about three hours each day. I really love going to practice because it gets my mind off and away from all the schoolwork and exams. One thing that is bugging me this semester is I’m dealing with a hurt shoulder. I hurt my shoulder during the end of summer playing baseball and lifting too much. I’m doing physical therapy right now, but I don’t think it’s going to get better anytime soon. Our season isn’t until January but I have a feeling I might have to play with it injured.

Sometimes I have to admit I get really burnt out from all the homework and practice that I start to get lazy. What keeps me motivated though is I want to have a successful career. I really want to become a radiologic technologist (x-ray technician). I find this type of career very interesting and if I want to become one I have to pass all my courses with good grades. The second thing that motivates me is baseball. I love playing this sport. I’ve been playing it since I was five years old and I want to keep playing at a college level. If I’m not passing my courses then I can’t play baseball. 

I always tell the truth, even when i lie.

1. I have a scholarship for baseball to UCLA

2. I have two kids

3. I'm gay

4. I'm 24 years old

5. I fantasize about Kobe Bryant

6. I met Liam Hemsworth

5 lies, 1 truth

Which one is true?

OC Baseball

Oxnard college baseball is one of the many reasons why I enjoyed going back to school. Playing baseball for oxnard college has changed me in many ways. I learned a lot from our coaches and I've made new teammates and friends. This is my last year and I'm going to miss playing here.

Change

When I was younger I was a shy guy and I wasn’t very social. I had friends, but they were mostly people I went to elementary school and junior high with. I made a lot of friends playing baseball growing up as well. When I got to high school it was pretty much the same friends. I never really tried to meet new people. It wasn’t because I thought I have friends already so why do I need more. I just didn’t really know how to meet new people. It sounds funny because a simple “Hi” is all it takes. When I would go to parties in high school I would be stuck talking to one of my friends the whole night. I’m not taking anything away from my friend, but at most parties you’re suppose to social or it’s at least good to social. The only time I would ever meet new people is if they came up to me and started a conversation. I was pretty shy, but my people skills weren’t that great. Having the same friends isn’t bad, but we lose friends all the time because of school, jobs, or we just grow apart from each other. So when all your old friends are gone, you’re going to have to meet new people.

            Today I try not to put myself in a shell around people. I try to meet new people everyday because I think its good to talk to people or just get to know someone. I’m not as shy as before, but sometimes my shyness comes out of me. I think having great people skills will help you in life. Life is way too short to know the same people your whole life. I’m not saying let everyone in your life because there is always a chance you might me some creeper. But get out and meet someone new today. 

Family

I have two sisters and a half brother. Erica is my younger sister and she is twenty-two. Jamie is my older sister and she is twenty-five. Louie is my older brother and he is thirty. There has been a lot of drama in my family. My parents are divorced and I hardly know any of my relatives from my dad side. When I was growing up we always did everything with my mom’s side of the family. We celebrated birthdays, thanksgiving, Christmas, and new years all with my mom’s side. I love my family and they all mean a lot to me. Now everyone is so busy and doing their own thing it’s hard to see all of them. My younger sister got married this past year and she moved to New Mexico. I call her or text her to see how she’s doing, but I get pretty busy myself. My older sister is busy with her job and her boyfriend. She just recently got an apartment with her boyfriend. I don’t like to call my brother my half brother because I never seen him as a half brother. In reality he is though. He always lived with his dad’s side of the family, so I never really spent time with him except at celebrations of course. Even with my mom’s side of the family I hardly see my grandma or grandpa. It’s hard because of school and I’m always busy most of the time. Sometimes it feels like I don’t have a family because I hardly see any of them. I know that’s not true of course because when we need each other every one of us is there. I wish we could always be close like when we were younger, but that’s just a part of growing up I guess. We have to move on and start new lives and new families. I also wonder what it would have been like if my parents would have stayed together. Would our family be closer than it is now? All the drama that’s happened between my families I see past all of it because I love all my family no matter what. I’m never going to abandon my family because you’re always going to need family in your life. 

Essay 1

           The first time I drank alcohol I was a junior in high school at one of my sisters friend’s party and her boyfriend at the time kept handing me drinks. I just kept drinking because I didn’t know what my limits were. Towards the end of the night, a couple of people stayed and hung out inside the house. I was passed out on the couch then woke up and threw up all over myself while everyone was in the kitchen. After that I went outside to throw up even more. That night I knew what my limits were. Or did I? Throughout my junior and senior year I would go to parties and hang out with friends and drink and drive home like it was no big deal. I wouldn’t get trashed, but I would have a good time.

            After high school, it was pretty much the same thing. I had a girlfriend at the time so I didn’t go out partying as much. It wasn’t until I became single and then I quit my job when everything started to change for me. I hung out with my friends more on the weekends drinking. We would drink to get to the point where we could barely walk. We would do this pretty much every weekend. One of my buddies had gotten a DUI already. That made me the D.D.D., designated drunk driver. Why should I care that I was driving drunk? Ever since high school I’ve been driving under the influence. That was our plan every weekend. Two of my friends and I would go out Friday and Saturday and drink all night. Then it changed to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday because my other friend and I were only twenty years old at the time and there was an eighteen and up club only on Thursday nights. For me, I was having the time of my life. I was single, hanging out with my friends all the time, and I had money saved from my old job. I was partying all night then sleeping in until 12pm, and I thought I was living life. 

Things started to happen where I should have known that I was putting myself in bad situations. One time at my friend’s party these guys pulled a gun on my buddy because he asked them to leave his house and I was standing right next to him. Another time, a buddy of mine and I drove to San Diego to visit a friend of ours and party all weekend down there. Everything was going well until we ran out of beer one night. Then one of my buddies came up with an idea that he and I should do a beer run. I had never done a beer run before, but I was so drunk I didn’t care so I said, “Let’s do it.” We got some girl to drive us and another buddy of mine came along for the ride. It wasn’t until I got into the store when it hit me. I was so nervous because stealing was never a thing of mine. I told my buddy, “Get two 36 packs of Budweiser each. I’ll go first, so follow me.” We grabbed two cases each, walked to the counter and ran out the door. I just remember the guy yelling as soon as pushed that door open, “You mother fuckers! Stop right now!” There was no way I was going to stop. I was barely hanging onto the beer and it seemed like I was never going to reach the car. Finally my friend and I both got in the car and drove off with the beer. To this day I regret doing that because I’m not that type of person and I was scared out of my mind. Even though I was drunk there was no excuse for me to act like that, but that still didn’t stop me from drinking.

There were so many parties, so many people, and endless weekends of getting drunk, until it all finally caught up to me. My friend and I were at a party and everything was going great. Everyone was drinking and having a good time and my ex-girlfriend and I were hooking up. The night was coming to an end and she wanted to come over and spend the night. I still had to drive my friend home to Ventura too. We left the party and we got something to eat on the way home. As we’re leaving the drive-thru there were about ten guys standing in the parking lot. My ex-girlfriend, who was sitting in the passenger seat, sticks her head out the window and says, “Hey! You guys want to fight!” I stopped my truck and asked her, “Why would you say something dumb like that?” She didn’t know why she said it because she was drunk, but I wasn’t trying to fight ten guys so I kept driving. As I turned out of the parking lot, I was waiting at the signal light to turn green. The guys from the parking lot kept yelling and flashing their high beams at me. All of my attention was on them because I wanted to make sure they didn’t throw anything at my truck. The light turned green and I started to drive away. As I was turning I looked at my side mirror and I saw the worse thing anyone can imagine, a CHP. Right then and there I knew I was in for a long night. It didn’t take the cops more than five seconds to hit the lights on me. I pulled over and gave him all my information. “Step out of the car,” he told me. He smelled the alcohol on my breath, so he gave me a Breathalyzer test. Of course I failed it and I was being arrested for driving under the influence. When I was riding in the back of the cop car, in hand cuffs to the police station, I was trying to figure out why this happened to me. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me and I was really wondering what my dad was going to say. I had to spend the night in the jail for twelve hours and they finally let me go. I called my dad to tell him what happened and he already knew. My dad picked me up from the courthouse and he didn’t say one word to me. He was so disappointed in me. It was the worse feeling because he always told me not to drink and drive. I just brushed it off not caring because I was having the time of my life. Then all the fines came, a three-month alcohol program, three years on probation, and I lost my license for a year. Finally reality was hitting me right in the face.

            After all this happened, I realized that partying every weekend wasn’t for me anymore. I had to get a job to pay for all the fines, and I had to ride a bike three miles to work since I couldn’t drive. It was hard for me to deal with everything but I had no choice. It took awhile for me to get things back on track. I stopped going out and drinking every weekend even when I got my license back. Then one of my buddies told me to try out for the Oxnard College Baseball team. I figured why not, I would be going back to school, playing ball, and staying out of trouble. When I got to Oxnard College I found out that baseball wasn’t all I wanted to do. I wanted to find a career so I can have a good paying job and I can get my life back to where it needs to be.

After I got a DUI, it changed everything for me. It hurt me and helped me at the same time. It made me responsible and made me realize how dangerous drinking and driving is. 

Text me.

          One of the most popular ways of communication is texting. I’m not going to lie I text a lot and it’s pretty much my way of communicating. I like texting because sometimes when you can’t talk on the phone you can just text. Or if you don’t feel like talking because your watching your favorite TV show then texting is the way to go. There are a couple things I don’t like about texting though. I hate when you send a text message and the other person doesn’t receive it, or that’s what they say at least. Another is if I’m trying to get a hold of someone calling them would probably be much easier. I’m against texting and driving all the way. I’ve done it many times and I’m glad nothing has happen to me but seeing all the commercials about texting and driving made me stop. Texting is taking over I know this because even my dad texts me and he’s old school. My dad got an iphone maybe 2 years ago for work and he had no idea how to use it. Once he figured out how to text there was no stopping him. I don’t mind texting but it would be nice to hear and talk to a person once in awhile. 

Reality Television

  

         Reality shows are all fake to me. I used to watch them a lot, but as of right now I hardly watch any reality show or keep up with the seasons. Its fun to watch how people pretend to act or how they act in a certain scenario, but it doesn’t really grab my attention anymore. If I’m really bored and there isn’t anything on TV then I might tune in and watch a reality show. One that I like is “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. The only reason why I like watching that is because I think Kim is amazingly hot. Another one use to be of course “Jersey Shore”. When I first I watched it I was really into it. It was just all the drama and partying they did that kept me watching. After awhile I just got tired of seeing the same thing over and over. I never really thought about reality shows being real or fake. I just used to watch them for entertainment. What I can’t stand is when people base their life on these reality shows. I think that’s the bad part of reality shows. Especially if some of the viewers that are young and they see these people partying in clubs every weekend and having sex in the “smoosh room”, which has bad news all over it. The good part is that its entertainment. Who wouldn’t want to watch people argue or fighting over something ridiculous. Some shows might have real scenes, but I think that having the producers setting up a scene and putting people in it and recording how they react is fake. There might be some real tears here and there because if they were that good at acting a crying scene then they wouldn’t be on any reality show. Overall reality shows are for some people, but not for everyone. I might find it just for entertainment and you might find it for reality. Either way it’s always going to have viewers and be here forever.

How may i take your order?

            Growing up around age ten I don’t remember eating fast food a lot. My mom would cook breakfast and dinner for us. Sometimes we would go to my grandma’s house to eat. I’m sure once in a while we would go out for some fast food. Not until I got into high school fast food became weekly food for me. I remember my parents getting divorced when I was fourteen. My dad hardly cooked so we always ate out. Then he remarried and my step mom’s cooking wasn’t all that great. Lets just say my dad was a better cook than her. So when she would make dinner I would go get Carls Jr. After high school I started working and making my own money so that made it that much easier to just go get food instead of asking my dad for money every time. I would go to pretty much every fast food restaurant there is, mostly Carls Jr and In-N-Out. I spent more money in a month on fast food than I did on my truck payment and my phone bill put together. Around that time I had girlfriend too so I would spend double the amount almost every time I would eat because she would be with me. I didn’t realize how much I was eating fast food, I never got fat, and I never ran out of money, I never got tired of it.

            It wasn’t until I started to work out about two years ago I changed my habits with fast food. I paid more attention to my online banking account and actually added up all the food I was eating in a month that made me realize as well. I was trying to bulk up for baseball because I was going to be trying out for the Oxnard college baseball team. I was still eating a lot of fast food, not as much as before, and I notice I was getting somewhat stronger, but not the results I wanted. The more I worked out I would learn new things about exercises, protein shakes, etc., I was doing all of that except one thing, I wasn’t eating right. When I would go to In-N-Out I would get two double cheeseburgers, fries, and a drink. Sometimes I would even order a shake on the side if I was really hungry. For me I thought to get bigger you just have to eat so many calories and work out so much which is true, but the food you eat has to be healthy. I learned more about eating right by looking online at websites and videos. So now I completely changed my diet. I make myself breakfast and lunch almost every morning. Dinner is harder because I come home tired from school, baseball, and the gym so my sister will make dinner sometimes or I will go to my grandma’s house to eat, which is the best food in the world. The taste of fast food now isn’t the same anymore because I know it’s not healthy for me. I’ll admit I still get an urge to get fast food just because it’s so much easier than cooking and faster, but I don’t give in.

Past, Present, and Future

Looking back on my past I feel like I know I could have done better. Growing up with two sisters, one older and one younger, was great. I’ve been playing baseball since I was six years old. I went to Rio Mesa high and graduated 2006. High school was fun but I didn’t do well because I was lazy and I didn’t care. Right after high school I started working because I didn’t want to go to college and no one really gave me any reason to go.  I worked a lot of hours and I was getting paid pretty decent so I was happy at the time. I still played baseball on Sundays, but I missed playing everyday. I got tired of working and I felt I could do better so I decided to go back to school.

So now I just turned 24 and I’m attending Oxnard College. I play baseball for OC and its great.  I don’t work; I’m just a full time student.  I want to major in kinesiology. I find the human body very interesting especially the muscles because I enjoy working out as well. I like to watch baseball or pretty much any sport. Going to the beach and surfing is another thing I love to do. My dad is very supportive of me. I love him, sounds weird but whatever. He’s always been there for everything I’ve done right and wrong. I’m glad I have a father like him and I wish to grow up to be just like him.

I’m hoping on transferring and continuing my schooling and maybe just settling down and starting a family.  I like living in Oxnard, but I want to move out of the county or even the state and start a new life somewhere else. I have some ways to go in school, but id like to land a job in physical therapy. I’ve change my ways in the past so I see myself doing well in the future.