11.11.2012 - Entry #17: Northline in the Neighborhood - 236 North Virginia Street

Route from Cal Neva to 236 North Virginia Street

"All the old places from that era are disappearing. I guess nothing stays the same...Most people think this is an ugly town. I mean, that Harold's Club sign and the Nevada Club sign, they're beautiful to me. I don't know, but I really think they are." - Northline, Pg. 191

It's an open plaza now, the spot where Harold's Club stood. It's really just a place for people to loiter now, with no signs of the casino that used to be there. I choose this spot as my final destination because I wanted to get an understanding of what was going through Dan Mahony's mind. Reading that passage, I felt a sense of loss. The loss that comes with the changing of one's home- from what I understand, Harold's was a defining part of this city for many locals. It was a place that had withstood the test of time for many decades. And yet, as our society demands, the old must eventually make way for the new.

Harold's Club was demolished in 1999, over a decade ago. There are people alive today, including some of my peers, who remember its presence. For those that can remember, either fond memories or disdain are associated with it. Memories of either walks taken by it or food eaten within its walls, or disdain for its outdated appearance and hinderance upon the progress of the city.

For those of us who have never seen Harold's Club however, a sense of mystery overwhelms us. What was it like? Was it worth tearing down? Looking at that open plaza, I wondered what it would be like if it still existed. But more importantly, I wondered what it would've been like if I had been there when it was demolished. To see a building that you've known for your whole life be torn down in front of you would make someone feel incredibly old I imagine.

11.11.2012 - Entry #16: Northline in the Neighborhood - Cal Neva

Route from Eldorado Casino to Cal Neva

"The Cal Neva Top Deck restaurant re-hired her and when they did, she asked to be put on graveyard shift...The drunks were there, but a security guard and a manager walked the floor and together they made sure the customers stayed in line." - Northline, Pg. 90

I used to frequent the Terrible's Casino and Hotel back home with my family, especially whenever my grandparents came to visit. It'd be the same thing every time- we'd enter, walk through the somewhat occupied casino floor, go up the escalators, and get brunch at their buffet there or the cafe across from it where we were always served the same kind of food. It was comforting somewhat, despite the fact that I didn't particularly like my grandparents. It was the same thing with Grand Cafe at Sunset Station; at least once a week, twice a week this past summer, my family and I would drive head there around 2AM every night when my dad got off work from his other job at MGM for their late night steak & eggs special. We'd always sit at the same table, have the same waitress, and would generally order the same food.

That's the impression I have of the Cal Neva Top Deck Restaurant as described within Northline. Allison's descriptions of her regulars and her daily routine is resonates with my own experiences. The appearance of the casino fits well with the somewhat cheesy themes I'm familiar with. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the time to frequent the actual restaurant, but the outside appearance is enough to give me the impression of a place of a different kind of comfort food, familiar only to Nevadans and their casinos.

11.11.2012 - Entry #15: Northline in the Neighborhood - Eldorado Casino

Route from UNR to Eldorado Casino

"It was past nine and the two women left the Curt Vacuum office and walked towards the Eldorado Casino and its dessert buffet...The streets were nearly empty and they walked in silence." - Northline, Pg. 153

The first time I went through the Eldorado casino was when my friend and I parked in its parking garage during our visit to the Little Nugget Casino. As I went through it, I was reminded of the casinos downtown on Fremont Street back in Vegas. A place frequented by regulars instead of a crowd of new faces, its greatest appeal came from the rich food it advertised at low prices.

Tonight, as we drove by it on our route to view the Cal Neva casino and the location of the now demolished Harold's Club, the streets around it were just as empty as the night Allison and Penny walked it. The entire downtown area always seems to be this way though, this late at night. Reno's a city where people sleep at a reasonable hour, and the only people out in the streets past 9PM are usually only cops or people looking for a bit of trouble.

My impression of the Eldorado from Northline matches well with my impression of the Eldorado I've witnessed in real life. The area within it and around it are mostly barren, occupied with people with stories filled with more lows than I've experienced and shadowed with pasts shadier than what most would've liked. There's a reason why people are advised not to walk around downtown by themselves; it's easy for something bad to happen around there.

11.08.2012 - Entry #14: Northline in the Neighborhood - Little Nugget Casino

Route from UNR to Little Nugget Casino

"The one on Virginia, just down the street. The little Nugget. They have a diner in the back that has the greatest burgers, it's cheap, too. The home of the Awful Awful burger." - Northline, Pg. 120

The Awful Awful is a burger who's fans, both real and fictional, rave about. To many Reno newcomers, the Awful Awful is just one of those items that ends up on your, "Things To Do In Reno" list. While you can find it at the Wolf's Den near the University of Nevada, Reno, many locals to whom I've talked to will insist that the Awful Awful is best enjoyed from its original birthplace, the Little Nugget Casino.

First, true to its name, the Little Nugget Casino is indeed little. However, it wasn't as empty as described within Northline; in fact, it was pretty busy. Nor was it as hidden as it seemed; in fact, as evidenced by the many signs posted throughout the diner proclaiming its participation in "Food Wars" or "Burger Wars" its reputation seems to have expanded beyond local lore and is now a frequent destination for tourists. However, there's still a certain charm to it, a charm that only a place frozen in time can give off. The Little Nugget isn't like the big casinos of today, mutli-storied and filled with many modern accommodations. Nor does it fit with the sleek, modern style of recent casinos such as the Aria on the Las Vegas Strip. Its carpeting is old, arcade games outdated, and most importantly, it's cash only.

The burger is as cheap (for the amount of food given) and delicious as described however. Again, it's from a time that's separate from our current culture of quick, preservative-laden food. It's good food, made right when you order it not just reheated in a microwave and kept warm 'till someone wanders in and buys it. It's a burger that anyone who's spent time in Reno can be happy to have tried and proud to have consumed it completely.

10.23.2012 - Entry #13: Parks in the Neighborhood

University Ridge Park

Life Before: Emails Galore!

     I'm a little late with this blog post, but oh well. I'd rather write it now when I'm more collected and focused on what I want to say than to have written this Sunday evening emotionally confused and physically stressed. The picture to the left shows the view I saw while I was at University Ridge Park this past Saturday. While I was there, I contemplated my new home and life in Reno as I overlooked the entire city. My life now is quite a bit different than how it was this time last year; I don't have a dozen emails to reply to every 6 hours or so, meetings to attend on the other side of town, and I don't have a job to head off to once classes are done. In many ways, I have a lot more freedom than I did as a senior, freedom that I enjoy having.
     And yet, I find myself stuck in a bout of nostalgia lately. The more I explore the Reno-Sparks area, the more I experience an exhilaration for the prospects of new adventures, but also a longing for the familiar. This longing came to a culmination after I left the park and found a Filipino marketplace, Manila Hong Kong, and spent over $40 on various Filipino foods. It's been over 2 months since I had Pan de Ube and I will say that I was more than a bit ecstatic after finally having some.
     I know why I'm here at the University of Nevada, Reno. I came here because I knew that staying home for my undergraduate career was not the best way for me to grow and develop as a person and as a scholar. I know that I made the right decision leaving home because I'm gaining an education here that extends outside of the classroom. However, I did not anticipate this new appreciation I now have of Vegas; of my house, my neighborhood, my friends and family. I don't tend to have weekends like this past weekend; I've been adjusting better to this new lifestyle of college than other first years it seems like. I did get bouts of homesickness before this weekend, but having developed a wide circle of friends, both new and old, as well as involving myself with my classes and organizations such as RHA and Circle K, helped stave off those feelings. But overlooking the entire city of Reno from the park, and seeing something entirely different than the Las Vegas Valley that I'm used to seeing...it was pretty rough.

10.15.2012 - Entry #12: Architecture in the Neighborhood

Sidewalks? Nope- let's have bike paths instead.
(source: www.runningscientist.blogspot.com)

Continuing on from my previous Davis post, another thing that the history of Davis as an agricultural city has shaped is its architecture. The picture in my last post of the Chase Bank on E Street is an example of how many buildings are like in Davis- small, no larger than two stories, and very earthy and natural looking. However, I believe a bigger reflection on the uniqueness of Davis as a city comes from what's around the buildings; namely, the bike paths. Like many California cities, walking and public transportation is the preferred way of getting around- however, Davis is unique in that there are bike paths literally everywhere, taking the place of sidewalks in some places such as in the photo above. During my latest trip to Davis, over half the people I saw out of the window of the car I was in were riding bikes. Not only were they riding bikes however, but they were conversing with each other and multitasking in a plethora of ways that just boggled my mind. Compared to other cities, Davis seems like the ideal place to live for the active, healthy and environmentally-aware human being. It's small enough to still be a community, but large enough that it still provides its residents with a plentiful of source of entertainment.

10.15.2012 - Entry #11: History in the Neighborhood

Just a short 6 minute walk from Crepeville...

If you're reading this post, the first thing that should have caught your eye is the picture of a Chase Bank to the left of this sentence. It's a picture of the bank that I go to whenever I need to deposit a check, which I usually have to do once a month, sometimes more. Those of you with hyper keen deductive skills should have some red flags going off in your heads right now after reading those first two sentences, because of this one simple fact:

There are no Chase Banks in Reno.

So what? Obviously I do my banking in Sparks then or another nearby city, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case- there are no Chase Banks at all in Northern Nevada. Alas, what does this mean for the loyal Chase customer?

In a nutshell, it means weekend trips to California. Specifically to 330 E St. in Davis, California, almost 150 miles away. I won't go into the logistics of how I get to Davis every month- the simple answer is Circle K- but seeing as this weekend was my monthly trip to Davis, this post will be about the history of the city of Davis. And to those of you who object to me including Davis in my neighborhood, I say why not? I've been to Davis 4 or 5 times already since my first trip back in September and I see myself going there a lot more so long as I remain a Circle K member (which I plan to do for the entirety of my undergraduate and graduate studies).

Anyways, onto the history of Davis- basically, the city of Davis was originally known as, "Davisville," and was built around a railroad depot in the 1860s. Originally, it started out as a farming community and is still well known for its agricultural contributions; the city today still maintains a very green and environmentally-friendly image, which I will talk more about in my next entry, to be posted no more than an hour after this post is published. But essentially, I still find incredibly amazing that much of the Davis from its farm days is still present today; for example, as I was walking the six minutes from Crepeville (an excellent place for crepes) down to E Street, I passed by this gigantic open area used solely for their farmers' markets. Details like this and others, such as the large amount of greenery present everywhere within the city, are a testament to the connection the city of Davis still has to its roots as an agricultural community.

10.01.2012 - Entry #10: Homes & Houses in the Neighborhood

Not all homeless are houseless and vice versa. Going back to the Riverwalk, I noticed quite a few, stereotypical houseless people. Scruffy and somewhat intimidating, they wondered the streets at every intersection, going up to drivers and usually asking for money but sometimes just outright asking for food or beer. Oftentimes, these people are ignored by society at large and so they remain, problem people isolated away from the rest of us. And yet, not all people living in the streets find this disconnect with society- many of are still involved with their community, perhaps even more so than those with a practical dwelling, for they're forced to physically live in their community- to expose themselves to all the elements of Reno. Elements ranging from the rapidly cooling weather to the seedy, corrupt underbelly that exposes itself every night on 4th Street. These houseless are not homeless- they still strive to make a home despite whatever circumstances may have landed them in their current situation today. The homeless may vary; many houseless are indeed homeless, but many more homeless have a place to live, eat, and sleep comfortably. However, they use their dwelling to seclude themselves from the community at large. Leaving only for school or work and never talking to anyone else unless absolutely necessary, they return back to their quarters and immerse themselves within a world that exists only in the walls of their two bedroom, one bathroom apartment. They make no effort to connect with few other human beings and are not bounded to their physically surroundings at all- if appropriate, they will leave to another place, so long as they have their necessities (food, water, electricity) and as such, have no attachments to their houses. Many freshmen at the University end up like this; never engaging in campus life or exploring their new city if they've ventured away from home- they spend their time in their rooms, playing video games or doing homework, just biding their time until they graduate while they fail expose themselves to the full experience of a college education.

09.27.2012 - Entry #9: Casinos in the Neighborhood

Where to get good food on a college budget

I'll always feel a sense of home when I see a casino; having spent the past 14 years going to casinos for many of my recreational activities, from going bowling with friends to catching midnight premieres, a casino will forever be a place I feel comfortable in. In contrast to the riverwalk, the casino is a man-made environment solely made for the entertainment of society. Its values vary from the riverwalk in that it does not aim to provide wholesome recreational activities or provide an outlet for people to get in touch with nature; instead, it promotes some of the shadier aspects of our society. A love for gambling, the chance for excessive feeding, a place to kill your lungs with cancer sticks without being judged. Its similarities with the riverwalk ends only in their common goal of providing a good time; to whom that time is spent with depends on the person. and how they currently feel at the moment. Sometimes, I feel like going out for a hike and appreciating the beauty of nature; other times, I enjoy the feeling of immersing myself in the almost taboo nature that casinos provide. The other thing is that the existence of both of these places depends on its residents; while tourism is a nice supplement for both locations, both the riverwalk and the casinos can only be sustained in the long-term through the business and interest of the locals. This puts university students in a somewhat grey area- present for only three-fourths of the year, how much say do they really have in what goes on? Not much, especially with the casinos. Once off limited to college students, it's still prohibited in some ways, mostly due to the fact that many of the services a casino provides is available only to people above the age of twenty-one. Because of age limitations, casinos don't really hold much appeal to university students as there are many other activities to engage in within their age range.

09.25.2012 - Entry #8: Rivers in the Neighborhood

It's a new concept to get used to, the idea that I'm not as separated from nature as I once was back in Vegas. Visiting the riverwalk was an exciting and enlightening new experience for me as I was able to see firsthand the integration between the city of Reno and its natural surroundings. Honestly, I still have this child-like amazement by the fact that there's this much water flowing through and it's only a few minutes' walk away. And yet, I noticed that numerous people- even people within my own group- were all too eager to simply walk by and move on with their lives. How do people just pass through without giving in to the urge to just sit down for a bit, wet your feet, and contemplate your place in the world? The people who just continue on with their lives, without even pausing to appreciate the beauty of nature that they're privileged to possess in their own backyard, are part of the reason why the city of Reno has a reputation as a, "Mini-Vegas," or alternatively, a small town in the middle of nowhere where the only thing that new undergraduate students can do for recreation is party, party, and party. This was the image I was receiving from my friends when I first told them that I was choosing to study up here and thus, I fully expected that I was going to have to entertain myself indoors, safe from all the seedy and close-minded people. And yet, everyday I'm finding out that this is not the case- not in the slightest. Reno has so much more to offer, especially in terms of nature and the outdoors- which city officials should be advertising more if they wish to rid their city of their grossly inaccurate reputation. In this sense, the riverwalk is worth the finances spent in its construction, for it allows visitors to see for themselves a taste of what Reno can offer. The facets of nature present in the city is what every citizen, especially the students of UNR, should be pushing when talking about Reno. For myself, I know that my role in this city is to improve its image and to contribute to its economy, both as a resident and a student of the university. Civic service is an important part of being involved with my new community as well- as such, I will gladly be participating in the Truckee River Cleanup this Saturday with a large amount of members from Circle K (the collegiate version of Kiwanis International, not the gas station) picking up trash and beaver-proofing trees.

09.23.2012 - Entry #7: Nature in the Neighborhood

Manzanita Lake - 09/21/2012

Manzanita Lake- it's a permanent fixture of the University that many of us pass by at least once a week. Dirty, kind of smelly, and continuously filled with water fowl, it is most decidedly not the place to have an enjoyable Sunday picnic brunch with your beloved. These are the impressions I usually get whenever I walk by the lake. However, this past Friday, as I was killing some time before Dean Thompson's dinner (which, to anyone else fortunate enough to be invited to at a later date, I suggest you do not miss) I decided to walk around nearly all of the lake and not just my usual path near the Jot Travis Building. On this new path, I was able to find a small, secluded area that offered a spectacular view of the lake, shown above. In this area, I was able to relax and meditate for a bit, as I observed a completely different lake, completely with some comfortably mild weather. As I watching the ducks on the lake, I pondered why I had never noticed this side of the lake before, and immediately came to the conclusion that like most of my peers, I was simply going by the lake too quickly to fully appreciate the little sliver of nature that we have right here in our own institution. Never stopping to look deeper, I had not seen the rawness and tranquility the lake had to offered, only the discolored waters and rancid green bird droppings. And yet, these characteristics are too a part of nature- unlike man-made structures, which are classified into the chic and stylish or the drab and gaudy, nature combines elements that are unappealing and breathtaking, combines it into a beauty that can only be appreciated by those who understand that life is not divided into neat little categories, but is instead an insanely complex concept that changes everyday, as a result of both our own choices and seemingly random events.

09.18.2012 - Entry #6: Evenings in the Neighborhood

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting in Sparks. It was in a Denny's restaurant that was hidden by these large, power plant-ish buildings. Heading there in the daytime was nothing special- it was simply a journey towards a predetermined destination. I stared out the window of the car like I usually do to help alleviate my motion sickness and took note of the bustling casino that we got lost in and the birds flying overhead.

Fast forward two hours later and the scenery was incredibly different; suddenly, my vision was restricted to only what the headlights of our car and the light posts revealed. No longer did the world seem opening and welcoming, waiting to be explored- but rather, unfriendly and intimidating. The world outside had become a hostile place for the lone person.

Inside the walls of the Nevada LLC however, things were changing. Students, out all day attending classes or meeting up with friends, were now congregating inside their dorms once more and socializing with one another. Of course, I had fallen asleep around 9 or so and had gotten up at 11, and ventured outside of my suite onto a floor that was mostly deserted, save for a few night owls studying in the study lounge. Normally, I'm not in the study lounge past midnight, so having now just spent the past two hours there was an enlightening experience, as I was able to reconnect with people I hadn't either met before or hadn't been able to meet up with throughout the day.

09.14.2012 - Entry #5: Getting Around in the Neighborhood

One of the many RTC buses

As a brand spanking new eighteen year old, fresh on my own way out in Northern Nevada, I find that public transportation is a key part of my life. You can't rely on friends all the time after all and walking everywhere quickly becomes tedious and bothersome. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to get around, especially if you live on campus. For example, I often take the Sierra Spirit whenever I need to head to the Post Office or when I'm volunteering at the Kiwanis Bike Program because not only does it come every 10 minutes, but it's absolutely free. And as a poor college student where anything over free is expensive, not having the obstacle of expense is a nice incentive to ride the Sierra. Unfortunately, the Sierra doesn't have a large route, and so I still do a fair amount of walking as generally, I'll the ride the Sierra as far as it'll go and then get off and walk the rest of the way. Another means of public transportation around campus that I've yet to use are the University Shuttles, which I see often enough and maybe use after I map out where all the shuttle stops are. Finally, there's the standard RTC bus, which route always passes by the University and travels much further than the Sierra or Shuttle. For any college student on a budget, it's always good to know how and when your local public transportation operates as they're usually very reliable and more affordable than owning a car and paying insurance on it. Honestly, the only way they could make public transportation better in our area would be by giving reduced fares to commuters who regularly use their services that go beyond the usual bus pass.

09.14.2012 - Entry #4: Ads in the Neighborhood

"KIWANIS BIKE PROGRAM"

It's a simple sign for an advertisement, and yet it means quite a lot to me. As a Key Club member for the past 4 years, it's comforting to me when I see that the organization which has become like a second family to me is present even here in my new home in Reno. As a member of the Kiwanis Family, when I first saw this sign I knew that I had to immediately follow up on it. Coincidentally, the Kiwanis Clubs of Northern Nevada was on my approved list of organizations that could be use to fulfill my service learning requirement for my HON 200B class, and so last week I started volunteering with the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Sparks at their warehouse for their Kiwanis Bike Program, which was conveniently located just a block away from the university campus. Before coming here to Reno, I wasn't sure if I was going to be as involved with the Kiwanis organization as I was in high school as I didn't know how active Kiwanis Clubs were up here- however, after seeing this sign, I'm glad that I've decided to get involved with this organization and community service again. Already, I've joined my local Circle K Club- the collegiate version of Kiwanis- and I'm making arrangements  to visit the Kiwanians during their club meetings and whenever they go to visit their Key Clubs. Because of this sign, I feel a lot more at home now knowing that just around the corner, there's a group of people who have the same commitment towards community service and the Kiwanis organization as I do.

09.11.2012 - Entry #3: People in the Neighborhood

My neighborhood seems to be a few crayons short of a full box, if you know what I mean. I'm not too sure exactly what the racial demographics are here at UNR, but if I had to guess, it'd be something like this:

• Caucasians: ~85%
• Asians: ~10%
• Other: ~5%

I'm living in an environment that's almost completely devoid of color; an environment where rice isn't a staple at every meal, Qdoba is considered good Mexican food, and the tannest person here is whoever forgot to put on sunblock before going outside. Being Filipino and coming from a high school which was over 55% Latino, one may think that I'd be experiencing a bit of culture shock.

One would be wrong of course. Look at this picture below from my senior year of high school:

My usual lunch bunch, aka the "Nerd Herd"

Like high school, many of the people I associate with are white. This has been the trend for most of my life. A large part of this happens to be because of my academic success- from G.A.T.E to AP classes, my education has always been a large and important part of who I am. And according to research which states that Latinos and African-Americans are significantly less likely to do well in school, this has resulted in many of my classmates consisting of races which do emphasize an importance in education: namely Caucasians and Asians. And considering that Caucasians far outnumber Asians in Nevada, this has led to a predominantly Caucasian learning environment, one that has followed me even to college as an Honors Student.

What does this mean for me? A lot of confusion for one- while I am Asian, I'm really white-washed. I can't speak Tagalog like my parents and my favorite food is lasagna. For the most part, I'm completely comfortable with that- I've made no plans to learn Tagalog and I could eat lasagna for a good few weeks. There are times however, especially now that I've moved up to Reno, that I yearn to hear the Filipino language or when I crave a plate of adobo.

I keep those yearnings to myself though, simply because there's nothing anyone here can do about them. There are no Filipino restaurants in Reno and there's only 1 other Filipino that I know here. Instead, I've decided to continue doing what I've been doing and adapting- learning more about my surroundings and the individuals within them so that I connect with the people around me.

This is not a difficult task either- consider the picture below:

Doing homework in the LLC

Not many people- females especially- would be shirtless while doing homework in a public study lounge. The fact that these guys (and me) did so is because they've gotten to the point where they feel comfortable enough with each other for reasons outside of the fact that they share the same skin tone. One must remember that race is only one of many different factors in how well one can fit in with a particular group of people; many other factors are involved, such as interests, personalities, hometowns, common experiences, and more.

In conclusion, while I am once more one of the few Asian people in a land that is predominantly white, I don't foresee any problems with me fitting in with my fellow Honors students. After all, there's so much more that brings us together independent of the amount of melanin in our bodies.  

ENG 102: Master Blogspot Post

For everyone in Will's ENG 102 class- here's a list of everyone's blogs!

Alaina: http://alainagibbonswalkingjournalfall2012.blogspot.com/
Aldrin: http://aldrinwalks.blogspot.com
Andrea: http://andreasanford.blogspot.com/
Anita: http://anitaalbanese.blogspot.com/
Brian: http://briangoga.blogspot.com/
Cheyenne: http://cheychey577.blogspot.com/
Courtney: http://cmateraenglish102walkingblog.blogspot.com/
Diana: http://theadventuresofagirlinreno.blogspot.com
Emily: http://emilyweissgerber-english102.blogspot.com/
Jessica: http://jrobertswalkblog.blogspot.com/
Ken: http://kjbhood.blogspot.com/
Lucia: http://lasanchezwalkingjournals.blogspot.com/
Miles: http://mileswalkingblog.blogspot.com/
Neema: http://neema144.blogspot.com/
Tamzin: http://tamdoesenglish.blogspot.com/
Tanner: http://tdegiovanni.blogspot.com/
Tazia: http://walkingreno.blogspot.com/

Also, for people asking for help on how to subscribe to each other's blogs, here's a short tutorial:

Step 1: Open Firefox. While you may use any browser, Firefox seems to have the fewest compatibility issues.

Step 2: Sign onto your Google account.

Step 3: Click one of the above URLs that you haven't subscribed to yet.

Step 4: Scroll all the way down. You should see the words, "Subscribe to," followed by a hyperlink - click the hyperlink.

Step 5: Subscribe to this feed using Google, then click the "Subscribe Now" button.

Step 6: Click "Add to Google Reader."

Step 7: Scroll down and find the newly added blog; click the black arrow.

Step 8: Click "Blogs" - You are now subscribed to this blog.

Step 9: Repeat until you have added all blogs.

Step 10: Return to Google Reader at anytime by going to the Google homepage and selecting, "Reader," under the "More" tab.

Comic #1:

Saw this comic on Tumblr- felt like it fit well with the idea of valuing the complexity of every issue:

09.10.2012 - Entry #2: Elections in the Neighborhood

"VOTE ALDRIN SANTAMARIA FOR LLC RHA EVENTS REPRESENTATIVE!"

For those of you reading this post that reside in the Nevada Living Learning Community, expect to see or hear that phrase, or a variation of it, within the next few days. In this post, I'll be focusing on two very specific places in my neighborhood, namely the hall in which I live in and the University Catholic Community Our Lady of Wisdom.

First, my hall- the wonderful Nevada LLC. The new building on the block, the LLC recently had their Presidential Elections for our hall's Leadership Council, an election in which I participated in and lost. While somewhat sadden, I was not surprised at my loss in the slightest, for I knew that the biggest weakness to my campaign was my lack of movement within our Community. Before that night, not many people knew who I was outside of my suitemates and the regular walk-ins that came into my suite. My inability to reach out to the residents of the LLC in a timely manner was probably the primary reason for my loss- if I had taken the time to socialize more, meet the other residents of my floor and learn the names of the people with whom I would be living with for the next 8 months, I probably would have had a better chance at winning.

In the end though, while I may have lost, I was at least able to make a lasting impression and open up to the rest of the community through my speech and personality; people who I had seen all the time but never talked to came up to me afterwards and commented on how excellent my speech had been. Hopefully, I will be able to utilize the impression I made that day to my advantage as I run again this Wednesday as the LLC's RHA Events Representative- a position that I believe I will thoroughly enjoy as it will allow me to not only move around the different residence halls within the University of Nevada, Reno, but to also plan and coordinate events specifically designed to get the students of UNR moving and participating within their collegiate community.

Now for the second place- today, I made it a point to attend church as custom of my Catholic upbringing as well as for the fact that my birthday is this Tuesday (9/11) which meant that I had to go to church for a blessing and a little bit of birthday luck. I went with a good friend of mine from Vegas, Andre, and together we had an excellent time. For me, it was particularly helpful as I was able to relax and feel at home again. Although I believe I'm adjusting well to Reno, recently I felt a little homesick- going to church and practicing the same prayers and movements as back home was a welcome comfort. The fact that Andre was willing to go with me, despite his Agnostic views, was also appreciated. Now that I know where the church is and their mass times, I hope to attend on a regular basis with a new friend every week, particularly those with whom I have just befriended.

Quote #1:

"All we see of someone at any moment is a snapshot of their life, there in riches or poverty, in joy or despair. Snapshots don't show the million decisions that led to that moment." - Richard Back (Running from Safety)

09.03.2012 - Entry #1: Welcome to the Neighborhood

This is why I don't drive...

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a neighborhood is defined as, "a section lived in by neighbors and usually having distinguishing characteristics." While somewhat vague, this definition provides the necessary framework required to etch out my personal meaning of a neighborhood.

As a young teenager on the precipice of adulthood, my own neighborhood has been hard to define, due to the increasing sense of wanderlust I've been experiencing- the same sense that was partially responsible for my move to Reno- and the multiple times I've had to change addresses and move to a new location, such as my move from San Francisco, CA to Las Vegas, NV. Usually, every 3-4 years I've had to move into a new home, leading me to become very familiar with multiple neighborhoods, but ones that I never seem to have any lasting attachments to.

The current neighborhood I reside in is very different from the ones I've lived in in the past. For the past 13 years, I've bounced between different suburbs in the arid Las Vegas area- now, I find myself about 8 hours away in the meteorologically mild Reno, NV. Besides the change in weather, there's also a change in the people I interact with on a day-to-day basis; as a resident of the Nevada Living Learning Community, there's a sense of scholarship that binds together those in the Nevada LLC and the students of UNR as a whole. As college students striving for degrees and future success, no longer are we mocked if we choose to spend a weekend in our rooms, catching up on readings or typing up English papers. Paradoxically however, there's also a unique brand of immaturity associated with college students which lessens as one ages, but never seems to go away entirely. This immaturity ranges from the excessive partying that goes on every weekend, to the replaying of nostalgic shows and games such as Pokemon. The neighborhood I live in now, namely the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno has provided me with a plethora of interesting new experiences in the week and a half since I've moved in.

Some of these experiences come from my first few walks through my new neighborhood. A few days ago, I walked down Virginia St. towards the Post Office to rent a PO Box. A somewhat long walk, I was intrigued by the Planetarium that the University had to offer, as well as the Nevada Historical Society which had a building just a little further up from the Planetarium. The presence of these two buildings further supported the image of my new neighborhood being a place of academia. Of course, the screaming lady at the bus stop as I was walking back killed that image somewhat and reinforced the idea of Reno being a "sketchy" place that numerous friends and family members tried to impart upon me as I left Vegas.

My second walk through this route was much more humorous however. I had walked a friend down to the School of Medicine and as I was walking back, I managed to see the image posted above. That picture says so much about the collegiate culture I find myself immersed in now; a culture that will ask me to sacrifice much- perhaps not an arm or leg, but definitely a lot of time and money- but is also colored with the sarcastic  laughter that comes about in poking fun at our hefty debts and our diminishing job prospects in today's economic climate.

In short, the impression I've gained about my new neighborhood and my future for the next four years is that they're both bound to be ones stereotypical of the average college student- in that there will be a healthy amount of learning and education occurring, but will also be spattered with random and often amusing anecdotes that one can't quite predict.