Into The Wild

In the summer of 1990 Alex Supertramp left his family,hitchhiked to Alaska and walked "into the wild." This book and motion picture tell the amazing story of an extremist Christopher McCandless. It is not the type of book I would usually read, but a friend recommended it, so I figured I'd give it a chance. I finished the book in two days. Jon Krakauer accurately pieced together this young mans story.
Chris graduated from Emory University and disappeared. He donated 25,000 dollars to charity, burned the rest of his money and abandoned his beloved Datsun to live freely in Alaska. On his journey Chris renamed himself Alex Supertramp, he lived off the kindness of others until he died. The book tells of his epic adventure, one that any thrill seeker would only dream of embarking on.
Many believe that Chris was simply a stubborn ignorant individual. They say it was his own fault for delving into the Alaskan unknown with no identity, no money, no map and no plans. They argue that he took a caribou for a moose which was in fact a flase accusation, he did kill a small moose for food. They say that Jack London fanatics always attempt the impossible and that the story of Alexander supertramp is not in any way unique, but the author of Into The Wild proves that the story is indeed unique.
Krakaur includes notes, journal entries and interviews with his family and those random people who for some reason decided to take him in. Alex touched may peoples lives and made may friends on his odessy. He captures the outdoors and releases it on paper, it's a tough book to put down full of peril and excitement. I would read it again in a heartbeat and recommend the book to anyone that has ever experienced "itchy feet." The tragic story grabs it's readers and pulls them in, spiraling into the disaster Alex met alone and in the wilderness. It is one of the best non fiction books I have ever read.

Probably the most comical vacation I've had yet...

At the beginning of December I vowed to relax and re-organize everything over vacation. I planned on going through my folders, reading, and cleaning my room, but of course a week into vacation and I haven't been able to do any of that. My mother was to busy this year to go out and get a Christmas tree, so on Christmas eve I went out in the cold and cut down a small tree with a broken hacksaw, then a friend of mine came over and we attempted to decorate the sad looking tree. It came out alright, the look on my mother and sisters faces were well worth the trouble,however it took up the whole day. I had to work on Christmas then of course went to visit family (for about half an hour because I do not get along with them) and friends. I spent the day after Christmas shopping, I bought a book, an mp3, and a few other things. The next day I had to work all day which wouldn't have been a problem but we were horribly understaffed. Yesterday the 28th, I also worked, well more like hindered everyone else from doing work. I was upstairs at the kennel (the mez) listening to my new mp3 as I worked, and Lisa the kennel manager came up yelling something about the washing machine (we have to wash the dog beds everyday) but I ignored her. Lisa has a tendency to overreact and get worked up over nothing. A few minuets later I saw the assistant manager Liz with a squeegee. I didn't think much of that either though, because Liz has to be in the middle of everything and she tends to micromanage. Finally I heared "EWWWW!!" I pulled my earphones out and ran over to Liz, water was pouring out from the bottom of the washing machine and it was a disgusting yellowish urin color. we pulled all the dog food away and the floor was soaked. I apologized embarrassed and worried about my job, but she said it was fine and the machine was terrible anyways. I resumed my work with only one earphone in this time thinking if anything else went wrong I would catch it. I was wrong. When someone works in the mez they have to do their dishes downstairs in the main kennel, so I threw my dog bowls into a bucket and carried them down, when I got into the kitchen, I noticed the lights were off, the floor was covered in about half an inch of water and a ceiling tile was in pieces on the floor, apparently the water had gone through the floor and poured down through the ceiling. After moving the computer, laundry basket and more dog food, we had to call the center owner, which wasn't so bad because he and I get along really well. I apologized a second time and we put a new washer in. Near the end of the night,I decided to help out up front (I had finished in the Kennel) and Liz asked "what else are you gunna break?" well, a customer brought in potato latkeys for my mother and I. They looked really good, so I decided to microwave them, I burned them, and filled the break room up with smoke. We had to open up both bathroom doors and turn the fans on to keep the fire alarms from going off. Finally today I am doing my homework and trying to get organized. We lost heat in the morning but it's back on now, and I can't find my planner which I need to schedule my on roads, but those are minor issues compared to everyhting else!

So this is Christmas...

It's Christmas time, it's snowing, houses are covered with lights and people are in cheery moods, it's "the happiest season of all" or so many think. Personally I think Christmas has been blown out of proportion. My family isn't religious at all, but we still celebrate the Christian holidays most likely because they are so advertised by retail stores television and society in general. I have no problem with the idea behind Christmas, giving to those you love spending time with the family, the core of any holiday, but the pressure placed upon one to rush to the sales to buy everyone on their list,and to send out a card to everyone they know is insane. Some will argue that you don't have to get anyone a gift but they seldom mean it, most feel bad if they "forget" someone, but how can you forget someone who is important to you?
I don't need a holiday to send out gifts to those I care, and I don't need to conform to this materialistic "love." A simple e-mail saying "hi" or a hug when someone is having a bad day means more then a pair of socks that will be stuffed into a drawer and never worn again. I still give gifts and cards around the holidays, and I decorate my tree but I do it with a heavy heart knowing that sadly very few people truly understand the holidays. The look on someones face when you surprise them with something they weren't expecting, the time spent with friends and family just acting silly, and the feeling of belonging are more important then getting a gift from your best friend because he/she has to get you something, and inviting people over because you think they might get offended if you don't (although sometimes doing this can be quite comical I've seen many fights break out around the holidays.)
A simple card from someone that means a lot to me is more important then an extravagent gift from someone who feels obligated. Some of the best items i've recieved around the holidays were, sleding at midnight across the street with a few close friends, the snowball fight we had with same strangers that same night, Sitting at Starbucks with my mom and sister just talking, and trying to get an oversized tree into the house. It's sad to think that so many wonb't be able to enjoy any of these things because they are to caught up in buying that perfect gift for everyone and making sure aunt so and so who they haven't spoken to since last year comes over.

Regarding Grades

Report cards finally came out, and I am proud to announce that I received A's in every class but honors chemistry, in which I was given a B. Now I'm not one to complain about good grades, however I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get straight A's. I would be so excited to open up a report card with A's all the way down that little column. But regardless, I have come to realize a few things. I absolutely love school and learning, however I think the most rewarding class I will ever take is my shop, Automotive Technology affectionately hidden in the back of the school, with two "mean" teachers. It's difficult for me to explain the feeling I get every morning walking into class with my uniform on.
I wake up knowing I am about to be challenged more then ever before. I know I must be on my toes all day to shoot back a comment at who ever I'm working with, to make sure I put an oil sticker on that car, and to be able to answer any questions thrown at me. I am currently the only female in the shop, which believe it or not doesn't make much of a difference, but as a fellow student decided to point out the other day, I do enjoy the attention I get for it.
As a freshman three years ago now, I was petrified of Auto Tech. I came to Assabet for Machine shop, I had a 100 in there and the teachers seemed to like me. I had heard terrible things about the cruel Automotive Technology teachers, and the incredibly difficult exploratory program, and lucky me was in there for two weeks because it was my last shop. I knew absolutely nothing about vehicles when I entered the shop, but by the end of my first day I realized I could tell anyone the four strokes of and internal combustion engine, what the difference between a crankshaft and camshaft is and how to begin disassembling an engine. I began to develop a love for the shop and the juniors in it. Finally one day I confronted Mr. Morin (the freshman and sophomore instructor) and he told me his story. He chose Machine shop his freshman yea at Assabet, got bored and switched out into Auto Tech, and like me he had no previous knowledge.
Chris Mathews the shop foreman at the time told me I could do well in the shop and that he would help me with anything. I spent two years working on his 1981 El Camino, we took it racing over the summer and somehow I pulled off A's in my shop. My teachers are tough, they are more strict then most but I strive on the hard work and rules the force us to follow. I embrace the challenges I have to face everyday. When I walk into my shop I know I will learn something and I can not wait to start the day.
Mr. Morin and Mr. Airoldi are two of the best teachers I have ever had, they have never lied to me, and they always challenge me. When one of them says I did a good job (although I usually argue with them pointing out my own flaws) my week is made. Their approval is better then any grade on paper, it has more meaning to it and is much harder to acquire. I look up to them both and can only hope to be half as good a person, and technician someday. I know I have a long way to go, and I'm willing to work hard everyday to get to where I want to be. Leaving the Maynard schooling system and choosing Assabet was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

The Monsters of the 19th Century

“The industrialists of the last quarter of the 19th century were visionaries rather than 'robber barons'." This statement could not be any further from the truth; in fact it is the polar opposite. The industrialists were money hungry, condescending, manipulative monsters. They were terrible people with no morals.
A perfect example of the terrible robber barons is John D. Rockefeller. He was in the oil refining business, and believed that it was disorganized because of competition among the thousands of small producers and refiners. Rockefeller decided to gain control of more then 90 percent of the nation’s refining business; he practically had a monopoly on oil. He used the rebate to his advantage, his company promised to allow certain railroads to do all their shipping if the railroads agreed to charge him 25 to 50 percent less then they charged everyone else. He also asked railroads to give him information about his competitors (when and where their shipments were going.) This gave him a huge but completely unfair advantage over the few small companies that remained, he was able to ship his oil before the others. Standard oil (Rockefeller’s firm) used horizontal and vertical integration by allying with the strongest companies in the industry. He combined 40 companies under a single management and he took control of the oil fields providing Standard Oil their own supply of natural gas, he eliminated the competition leaving only profit for himself, because everyone had to buy from Standard Oil. He forced so many people into unemployment; Rockefeller had too much money and power, a bad combination. Because of his shrewd business tactics Rockefeller became “one of the most hated men in America” (American History The Modern Era Since 1865 page 279.)
Andrew Carnige was equally as evil. He pushed many small iron and steel manufacturers out of business by using the Bessemer and open-hearth process (two ways of making steel.) These new methods of creating the alloy required large amounts of coke and ore to keep them going. In just 20 short years Carnegie was the greatest steel maker in the world. He surrounded himself with smart men who discovered by-products could be used, got low grade ores and could determine how much it would cost to produce a ton of steel. He said he “was smart enough to surround himself with men far cleverer then himself.” The knowledge these men provided him with allowed Carnegie to sell his product at lower prices then his competitors and still make a profit. He also used vertical integration to his advantage he combined everything that had to do with making steel (Iron ore deposits, steel mills, blast furnaces and fleets of ships to transport the ore) into one. These are only two of the many economic terrorists from the 19th century. They were engaged in many practices that would be considered illegal by today’s standards. They had unsafe work environments, shut down labor unions, allowed child labor, evaded taxes, devastated the environment and owned monopolies. These crooks were not visionaries but terrible men with no self-control; they only cared about the money and power not those they hurt. While these wealthy families lived in their elegant homes hard working families were out on the streets, begging and wondering how they were going to support themselves. Although some say Rockefeller and Carnegie lived the American dream, in a way they killed it. By gaining so much power over industry they destroyed the chances of smaller business “making it big.” Without competition there was no room for improvement. Their business’s crashed when their tactics were exposed. They became hated men and remain a symbol of what greed, money and power can do to a person, how it can strip a man of his morals, his compassion for others and his reasoning, how it can make people so blind that they only see their profit and not the suffering of others.