WORK

My Weekend?! Oh it was full of lattes, caramel macchiatos and frappuccinos! I heard things like, " What?! Your out of venti hot lids?" and "Can I order another one of those (conveniently this was said at the window with five cars behind them)." If you can't tell I worked friday, saturday sunday and monday! I guess I make it sound more awful than it actually is. To be perfectly honest, work is the one place I feel like I fit because I know what the hell I'm doing. It is my controlled space. Besides the constant speed walking between the back room to get product or the front cafe' to bag a pastry, the 8 hours on your feet and occasional horrible people that forget your there to make their day better, its pretty great. The work is filled with laughs, singing and hilarious spills that give us another thing to clean up. Work has really become my second home. I;eve worked there for almost a year and a half and I have gained a huge family. I must mention my Starbucks mommy. Everyone has that one person that taught them everything they know and pulled them under their wing. Although my Starbucks mommy probably wasn't intending to do this she was the first person to make me feel like i fit in and also helped me lose the feeling of being in the way. I think that is part of finding a home. It has to fit and it has to feel like yours, insteadof feeling like your burdening someone elses space. I never realized how a simple idea like your work place could demonstrate this idea but it really does. At the risk of going on and on about customers and how I wish work always ran smoothly I think my blog post will end here. I know my goal as I grow into an adult is to find not just a secondary home but a primary one that gives me purpose.

It's a Blur...

people, neighbors, homes, houses, neighborhoods, towns, cities, states, countries, THE WORLD!!! Honestly, I hoped my thoughts on all of these would be easier to express. There are many views and I just don't know which is mine. I figure things like that will come with age and time (almost the same thing ha!), but also will find a place in you when YOU becomes you. I know it sounds deep and maybe it doesn't even make sense. Anyway, as a kid it seems we are fed pictures. I don't mean this to sound cynical because I, personally, liked these pictures. The ones of city life, college life, work life, love life, home life, fun life and even family life. These all sound seperate but in reality they can all coexist. Ok you might be asking, why is she stating the obvious? It's a thought process and my goal is too find a solution to the confusion...eventually. (Although part of me is wondering whether or not there is a solution).

Neighborhoods aren't like the movies thats for sure. I must admit the Suburbs of the early 60's were tempting. The houses close together, your best friend next door and the cute boy down the street were the highlights of being a kid back then. I think the focus of the Suburbs were on the people. Suburbs were a good intention although maybe not perfect. Relating to some of the works we have read I would like to choose the more positive side. As Americans, we are always searching for a way to make things better. We discussed the "American Dream" in class and decided it was determined by the person and what they wanted most. I agree with this to a certain extent. I believe everyone dreams of a home. It can be with several people, one other person or by themselves. It can be a five story mansion, or a four bedroom house, or a country cottage, or a city apartment, or a city condo what is so great about a HOME is that it could even be on the road. I associate happiness with the word Home. In my case, home also involves the people in my life. To move on, I believe the focus needs to be more on the people. What I noticed most about Guterson's research and analysis of Green Valley was the nine-year old who he spoke to. I'm a firm believer in listening to kids. They seem to notice what we don't see or don't want to see. We also discussed Home Owner's Associations and how they control neighborhoods. I understand that a house found in one of those neighborhoods is supposedly good for your child because its controlled, sheltered, and safe. But I have to say, if the kid isn't happy then you have a problem. I saw this in the little boy Guterson talked about. He chose to find fun somewhere other than his home and when he went home there were no friends. I'm not saying you should stay away from Home Owner's Associations and kids know the best homes. Instead, I'm sending out the warning that when kids are over protected and live in a place where everything is the same and they are held back from other environments, they rebel and find excitement other places. The best example I give can is around my home. A well known community similar to Green Valley, in many ways, is Spring Valley Lake. When I was younger, it was a place I always wanted to live because it had nice, big homes and it seemed like a happy place. Now, a lot of people know (well at least the people my age) that the kids from Spring Valley Lake aren't very good kids morals wise. Again, I'm only sharing what I know and I do not apply this to every person or neighborhood. It is obviously circumstantial. This is only a small portion of what we are discussing in this class and I hope to explore all of it. Hopefully, this wasn't too long and boring....

My Town

Apple Valley. The opinions of most around here are nothing but negative. The homes are usually only one story and although the backyards of some homes can be considered large they most likely consist of dirt. The people with money have nice landscaped yards and pools but not around my street. Taking a walk down the road, although peaceful, always reminds you of the fast paced lives everyone lives. Thirty-five miles an hour?...Yeah right, more like fifty down my street but as long as the cops dont catch it who cares, right? Believe it or not the large fields of dirt and bushes and weeds can look pretty serene in the morning light or the glow of the sunset. Even better are the shadows created on the mountains. That is the one characteristic of my town that cannot be hidden by buildings. The mountains are always around us reminding us there is life beyond those mountains and our home consists of what is inside them. Apple Valley, although not the coolest place to hang out because there isn't much to do, has really grown over my nineteen years here. The most populated corner, building wise, would have to be where Bear Valley Rd and Apple Valley Rd meet. Coincidently that is where my work is located (Starbucks!) The corner was once two dirt lots, a Target and a Nikis Cafe. Now, Home Depot and Lowes reside on seperate sides of the street, a brand new shopping center (in which minimal amounts of people populate at once), and a large quantity of fast food places. Knowing my town, I notice the new styles of buildings that pop up. They are trying. The shopping centers are beginning to resemble the outdoor malls and city streets of more urban places. The best part is the night view. Coming down the hill on Bear Valley Rd, the lights are amazing. I must add that like almost any place, Apple Valley is beautiful in the snow. We don't see this much but when it happens there is always a picture that needs to be taken. Although I do not live in the south or in the country where nature is prominent, every yard has some sort of tree. The best example has to be the Pine Tree. It is large in size and therefore providing the best shade. Possibly the greatest sound of my home is the wind through those pine needles. Once you get past the horns of cars the bumping of steroes and chattering of kids walking home from school there is always the sound of the wind through my pine tree.