Lue Powell | Blogger

We have three weeks and a half until summer training starts. I’m not too excited because the beginning off this week didn’t start off to good.

The cut list was posted up on Monday afternoon. As I searched the list I had come to realize that a lot of my friends did not make it. A lot of them were really talented players. I guess they didn’t quite fit the profile the coaches were looking for. Even though they were cut, they told me that they’re still determined to work hard to better themselves and tryout next year. Although people were cut, that doesn’t mean that the remaining tryout guys are safe. It just means we’ve made it through another cut.

The last cut really made the remaining players really open their eyes and more aware that the coaches are looking for, more than just talent. As the week progressed I began to realize that the absence of my fellow friends who were there with me in the beginning of the tryouts affected how I practiced. And everyone else saw it, too. I told myself to stay focused on getting better and to show progress because if I didn’t I would be cut just as my friends were.

The next day I came out strong and told myself that I do everything I could to make the team. My friend told me just because they didn’t make it that doesn’t give me any reason to slack off. So as the defense went through there one-on-one drills with the offense, every play I would push myself to do better and to get quicker and explode faster. That day we had a good practice but I felt I could do better. Sometimes I think I set goals to high for me to achieve in one day, but I expect myself to achieve those goals in that same day. At the end of practice we got a break and met up with our position coaches. Defensive line coach John Wooten believes we’re still not where we need to be. So the defense takes that into consideration and makes it their goal each day to get better and to get where we need to be and hopefully ahead of where we were suppose to be.

After the time change, the season does too and I break out with a case of spring fever. Anticipation builds for a dry weekend to take the little guy out to a park, as the weather wavers between cold rain and warm days.

My sun-starved mood was delighted  after a blanket of rain lasting a week or two finally ceased.

With his tail waggin’ and my spirits elated, Roger and I hopped in the car and set out on a new adventure for our trails.

I chose a park from the Sacramento Parks and Recreations Web site. I moved here two years ago and not knowing that El Camino truly doesn’t run 6 miles in the direction stated on the map I pulled off the internet, we were unable to find the park.

“Oh My Dog!” We searched for an hour and a half so we needed to cool off. Roger was panting a bit, I played with the AC in the car, but luckily I had a water bowl in the car fro him.

Upon deciding to head homeward, I remembered Granite Park, also on the dog park list,  was apparently off of Power Inn Road so I drove there. As we rode downhill on Ramona Avenue, I instantly felt cooled and relaxed by the vast park and pond setting. After cruising past the soccer fields and picnic fountain where geese and ducks sailed on a lake, I parked the car in the skate and dog park lot.

We  jumped out and rush towards the dog park. Roger usually stops in his tracks countless time because he follows his nose, but this time he rushed towards the water bowls, then sat on gravel probably to cool off. “OMD! Poor lil guy,” I sighed.

If you know Terriers, then you know he didn’t break for too long. He got up sniffed out the place and made friends. He ran the perameter and confidently pranced over to the other dog owners to get attention while playing the MC. Yes, he barked, rolled on his back, and sat on people’s feet. He knows how to work a crowd.

While other dogs ran around chasing balls and ran races, Roger trailed behind constantly distracted by piddle spots.

We walked around the pond after exiting the gate labeled, “Under 25 pounds.” There is also gated adjoining section for dogs over 25 pounds that spans a larger area to get in a good sprint.

Our adventure ended at home with a sandwich, kibble, and an overdue nap.

Granite Park gets a paw and thumb up. Roger and I recommend this place and it is easy to find.

External links:
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/parks/sites/granite_plan.htm

Cat Jones | Managing editor

Today I was jotting things down in my notebook about the idiosyncrasies of my workplace, as I often do. On this particular occasion, I was elaborating on the fact that every time we play The Smiths, an artsy, disheveled-looking twenty-something will materialize out of nowhere and speak more words in a row than they’ve spoken all day: “Who’s the Morrissey fan?!”

Now, the irony of this situation is that as I was writing that down, a girl of about 23 walked up and abrasively asked if we had any applications “on hand” (of course we do?) and then paused, took two steps back, looked at all of us with a sheepish smile and literally said, “Now who here likes The Smiths?”

If only she had done that twenty minutes prior, when I was on my knees, emphatically singing, “THE QUEEN IS DEAD, BOYS!” to my coworker.

It seems these days that everyone has an opinion about music, and I’m certainly no stranger to that. I mean, I, for one, find it impossible to not comment on the music playing anywhere I go, and my coworkers certainly always get an earful about whatever our current soundtrack is, positive or negative. In doing so, I find that I generally gravitate towards those who either A) have similar tastes, or B) have completely opposite tastes than I do, and give me a run for my money in a good argument. However, the one (and pretty much only) band my coworkers and I can all agree on is The Smiths. In all seriousness, in the past three months, we’ve had our Smiths compilation in our stereo more often than not. I believe at one point it was in for four straight weeks. Maybe more.

But what is it about The Smiths? Don’t get me wrong; I love them and I probably listen to them an amount that is dancing on the border of unhealthy, but we rarely get customers coming in saying, “Hey, who’s the Robert Plant fan?” or, “Now, which one of you listens to Depeche Mode?” or, even better: “No way, you listen to Cake? So do I!”

The Smiths have managed to transcend time and go from ultra-popular 80s band to underground indie-population-approved “hip” band of the 2000s. You’ve gotta hand it to Morrissey, because that doesn’t seem like an easy feat to me. I wonder if he knew that in 2010, people would seriously think that they were the only ones in the world who had ever heard of his music, and upon discovering that other people like them too, they would automatically determine that they need to be friends RIGHT. NOW.

I suppose it’s because they bring out the introverted, insecure kid in all of us in the most ridiculously happy way possible. They’re the lowest common denominator for the masses because every person has that deep within their heart, regardless of how hard they fight to tell you otherwise. What other band could get away with singing, “There were times that I could have murdered her/but, you know, I would hate anything to happen to her” with a poppy beat that puts a giant, stupid grin on your face? Talk about great breakup music! And who doesn’t love to call a buddy on their birthday and sing, “I called to wish you an unhappy birthday, ‘cause you’re evil and you lie!”?

So all you Smiths fans who think you’re indie and hip: You’re not. But I love you anyway, because I suppose in a way their music does tie us together. I look forward to all the times Morrissey gives you the guts to walk up to a stranger and bond over a love of the same art. In their words: “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.”

Last month ended on a really bad note for me. I rarely let bad days get to me, but it’s kind of hard to ignore a week’s worth of bad days.

Luckily, the last couple weeks have been pretty good to me; and I’ve been digging the decent weather as of late.

I took the weather as an excuse to take off on a ridiculously long walk to clear all the bad mojo out of my head, and I’m glad I did. I ran into a friend I had in high school who I haven’t seen or talked to much since then (I graduated 10 years ago; and sans the occasional Facebook message, I haven’t really talked to the people I knew in high school much). It was the second time in less than a week where I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in years.

Running into these people has me thinking a lot about where I am in life though.

Both people knew a different Terri. Tell anyone I associate with now that I was ever shy and quiet, and they’d probably call you a liar. Indeed, I was.

It’s not even so much the fact that I’ve become halfway social. My whole outlook on life has changed, and thankfully for the better. I was this confused kid who had no drive or direction in life. I wanted to avoid the concept of doing something I hated for the rest of my life, yet I had absolutely no idea what I was good at. Luckily I got my head on sort of strait, and started taking pictures again. Otherwise, I’d probably be working some desk job and hating life.

After I graduate this semester, I have no idea where I’m heading next. A small part of me is somewhat scared by that, a bigger part looks forward to it.

As per the photo part of this game, where am I? Oh, and no one tried to guess where I was last time…any takers on that?

January and February have gloomed over the Central Valley.  The blanket of clouds were relentless, the squish and tink of rain pounding on roof tops and damp earth monotonous. I’m sick of it. I think that we all are. I can’t control the weather, but I can stop stewing in house. It’s March and time for a road trip. So the next day we have some patchy sun or any day that the rain is going to hold itself back I’m heading to Muir Woods. I need a little refuge, and it’s one of my favorite places.

It’s a beautiful drive at under just two hours. In the link I’ve included use CA-37 to get from Hwy 80 to the 101 South. It adds three minutes to the drive time (if you don’t pull over for pictures), but going through the San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge is well worth it. You won’t regret the time as you cruise along the water’s edge and watch teams of diving ducks and circling hawks span the sky. The spellbinding flatness of the wetlands and mud marshes pull you into a place time overlooked, where land and sky spread out against each other without urban encroachment.  Let your eyes absorb the even surfaces, it will make the next leg of the trip that much more amazing.

From the 101 to Highway 1, you will traverse rolling hills that take you up beautiful peeks and drop into nail biting sharp pin turns. Go slow, you are almost there. You will see signs, and after about fifteen minutes of cussing at the road and dingbat drivers, you will see the parking lot.  It doesn’t look like much, but the magic begins after you pay the $5 fee and walk in to a wonderland of towering trees. Branches and leaves of the old growth forest twine together and the sky becomes an emerald canopy that folds over you. Tanoak, sequoia and 1,000-year-old redwood trees dwarf people and problems so only awe for the raw landscape remains. It’s humbling and amazing to feel like a banana slug trudging along paths and a perfect day trip from Sacramento.

Tips, Tricks and Facts

1. Bring your own food and water, a small bag of chips will set you back eight dollars.
2. Always pack a sweater even in the summer–it gets chilly.
3. Have lots of water on hand.
4. Don’t forget your camera, and have lots of free storage space for photos.
5. Fee is $5 per adult while kids ages 15 and under are free.
6. Consult your complementary map. There are many trails from flat, paved walkways to steep paths where you pull yourself for have friends pull you over due to fallen trees.
7. In March, early wild flowers are in bloom; salmon and trout are running.
8. Visit the Redwoods National Monument Web site at https://pwrcms.nps.gov/muwo/

Lue Powell | Blogger

City College look out. Your 2010 Panther football team is looking good. I can tell you this because I’ve been training with your 2009 Laney College Bowl champs. Not for fun, but because I’m hoping to become part of the City College football club.

That’s right: I’m trying out. In the beginning, I didn’t think I was going to last. Running 110’s and stadiums sound easy, but believe me it’s not. It’s not suppose to be. You can’t better yourself doing something that’s easy. Our team’s main focus is to get better. Not individually but as a team together. Here are just some of the drills us tryout guys do with the team to get better.

The 110’s involve sprinting full speed for 110 yards as many times as we’re directed to do so. So far the most we’ve done is eight. It sounds easy doesn’t it? Think again. Next we have stadiums. Each set of stairs has it own drill. First sets skip a stair. Second sets skip two. Third set both feet on each stair. Fourth set shuffles facing east. Then the fifth set is shuffles facing west. There’s probably some that I left out but those are the basics.

I know I sound a bit negative about it. Honestly I think it’s very positive. It gives us a chance to get in shape and stay fit. And not all are drills focus on physical toughness. About 50 per cent of our training is based on mental toughness as well. That’s where heart and determination comes into hand. When you’re able to push yourself that extra mile when your body wants you to give up, its’ up to you to tell yourself that you aren’t going to quit and that you’re not going to give up. If you know those things, then you’re already mentally tough; although saying it is one thing and doing it is another. Then comes time to put your mind where your body is. The way we do that is the weight room. Thirty minutes of absolute intense workouts. So if you say you’re mentally tough, then this is where you want to be to test that statement. You have two options: either fight through it, or let the weights kick your butt. You choose.

Each week it gets tougher. We go through several phases. I’m not sure exactly how many phases there are, but what I do know is each phase gets more intense. I’ve made it through phase one and through the middle of phase two. Like a true Panther I’m still going strong with my head held high. Wish your tryout guys luck. Phase three here we come.

Home is where the heart is so Roger, my fur and haired companion, and I start our ventures here. We are fortunate to have landed a rental in this tree-lined, dog friendly, gated community in East Sacramento. It was built in the 1970s and bursting with pines, cherry trees, oaks, ponds, pools and above all has a dog park.

“So just what kind of dog does a bleach blonde nomadic but ambitious, romantic magazine editor-in-chief have?” The kind dog that suits my personality of course. Roger. He showed up at my house in East Los Angeles, shaved, scared and flea-ridden but looking for a home, and found me—a reluctant person who did not want a dog. He squeezed between my feet in fear after I walked in the gate after a long day at work and driving in 90 degree summer traffic.

Just weeks after we met, he comforted me when I watched the television on 9/11.

We bonded. Our adventures started then, from southern California to Washington state. We’ve been up the coast and drove I-5 a few times. We moved from L.A. to Humboldt to Seattle and then to Sacramento.

He is a Jack Russell, terrier mix. And if you know Jack’s you know his bark, stance, energy level and that crazy smile—so you know Roger.

He charades as a calm, quiet walker but loudly MC’s any social event involving more than one person or canine.

Our Waggin’ Trail began in East L.A. but our blog begins here as part of City College.

I’m basically a human pinball. The idea of relaxing by hanging out on the couch reading something sounds good in theory, but as much as I’d love to finish reading one of the dozen or so books I’ve started reading and have yet to finish, I’m just not wired like that. I need to be moving around to relax.

Thus, I grab my camera stuff and I wander. I’ve been noticing lately, I wander the same paths a lot. So, my goal with this is to mix things up a little…and to find out how observant people are of their surroundings.

This is how it works: I wander around half way aimlessly, post a photo, and you have to guess where I’ve been. First one to get it right gets mention in the next entry (we’re low budget here at Mainline, sorry if you wanted a prize).

So, where am I?

If you know where this is, answer in the comment section. Answer as much as you want.

Cat Jones | Managing Editor

Okay, so I’ve worked at an independent art supply store for nearly four years now, and let me tell you, as anyone working in retail for that long will: I have seen some of the craziest, most illogical and downright comically stupid people I ever thought imaginable.

Over the past year and a half or so, I have kept an ever-growing list of pet peeves in my work apron (yes, really), and I have decided to start this blog by sharing some of my favorites with the world. Enjoy.

Pet Peeve #1: People who won’t get off of their cell phones, especially while I’m trying to ring them up.

I don’t know when living in 2010 started to equate to “I don’t have manners,” but talking on your phone, regardless of the fact that it’s hands-free, is incredibly rude to do while trying to get me to help you. There are many questions I might have to ask you, and if I can’t get a word in edgewise, you’re not going to make me happy. And you’re holding up the line. In turn, I will not end up giving you good customer service, and it will all be your fault. Also, our store is relatively small, so if I can hear your stupid conversation about how your kid’s bake sale went, I’m probably not going to go out of my way to help you.

I should also add that if you’re walking around the store talking on your Bluetooth device and I can’t see it, I will probably avoid you anyway because I will deduce that you have split-personality disorder.

Pet Peeve #2: People who return things within an hour of buying them.

Are you that indecisive? Did you really buy ten different-colored mats so that you could take them all home and see which looked best on the stick figure drawing your artist child prodigy made at school today? Did you decide that you really wanted a silver frame, even though I spent fifteen minutes explaining to you why that would look horrible? Okay, I’ll take the nails and glass out of your frame that I painstakingly put together, so that I can put it back out on the floor with holes in it for the next customer.

Oh, what did you say? You paid for your $5 purchase with a debit card? Great. I’ll return it onto the same card so that the credit card company can charge us twice when you’re not actually paying us anything. Awesome! The local economy thanks you.

Pet Peeve #3: People who inform me of the price of something rather than letting me scan it.

“Oh, this? It’s $27.95.” Bar codes are there for a reason. Why do you think I’m standing there holding a scanner? Inventory will be completely wrong if I take your word for it. Yes, I really do have to scan every single one of your colored pencils, even though they’re all the same price. Am I making you late for something? I don’t care. Maybe you should have bought the boxed set. And no, getting impatient isn’t going to speed up the process.

Pet Peeve #4: People who hand me a debit card and insist on running it as credit.

The concept of a debit card seems to be lost on a lot of people, especially in the older generations. Yes, this is shaped like a credit card, but your money is still going to come out of your checking account regardless of what way I run it. It may take a couple more days, but it’s coming from the same place. Get it? You forgot your PIN? Jesus, don’t you ever need to go to the ATM? It’s 2010. You’re a fool. And no, we don’t charge you. We will, however, get charged more if we run it as credit, so unless that’s the only way you’re going to get your frequent flier miles, don’t be so lazy.

Pet Peeve #5: People who ask me where something is and then look in the opposite direction of where I’m pointing.

I don’t really think this needs much explaining. This happens almost every day and makes me lose faith in humanity once again every time. Don’t go through the trouble of asking me a question if you’re not even going to look at me when I respond. I’m surprised you’ve gotten this far in life.

Pet Peeve #6: People who come in without shoes.

I realize we don’t have a “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” sign on our door, but really, isn’t that kind of implied? I’m not even going to go into the fact that we’re a somewhat upscale store. It’s just logical. We sell frames. This means we have glass everywhere. If I had a dollar for every time I cut myself on glass at work, I’d be ridiculously rich, and quite frankly, I don’t want our store to deal with a lawsuit just because you were too stupid to wear shoes. You look like an idiot anyway.

Pet Peeve #7: Hippies and their patchouli oil obsession.

This actually goes hand-in-hand with pet peeve #6. I’m only going to say this once, so listen up, kids: patchouli oil does not smell good. It is not a substitution for deodorant. It isn’t going to cover up the fact that you haven’t showered in a week. It isn’t going to make your repulsive dreadlocks stop reeking. And frankly, it makes me want to vomit. As if those aren’t enough reasons to convince you, it makes the store smell like you for a half an hour after you leave. I get it, though. You’re making a statement. You want us all to know that you don’t want to pollute your body with cancer-causing chemicals. Well I don’t want you polluting my nose with your stench, so please go away.

Pet Peeve #8: People who walk in with a list of things they need and ask me to get them before trying to find them all themselves.

I understand that you may not know where we keep the artist chamois or the number-two pencils, but the least you could do is walk around the store, find what you can, and then enlist my assistance. It’s my job to help you, but treating me like your waitress isn’t going to make me very happy. And sitting there on your cell phone while I carry a basket around the store, picking out all of the 47,534,854 things you need is pretty rude. Fake it if you have to; I don’t care.

Pet Peeve #9: This conversation:

Customer: “How much is this?”
Me: “Oh, there should be a poster next to it with a list of prices.”
Customer: “Oh. Can you just scan it?”

If there is one thing that retail has taught me above most other things, it is the fact that people rarely read anything that is put in front of them. Aside from the fact that it makes me worried for the fate of mankind, I wonder why I wasted so much time putting that sign together.

What is everyone always in such a hurry for? Should I be jealous?

Pet Peeve #10: People who don’t take off their bike helmets when entering public establishments.

Above all, I think this is just distracting for me because I want to laugh at how dorky you look, and the entire time I’m working with you, I’m secretly dying to ask you if you received a message from the future that we’re about to have an earthquake. If you have, by all means, tell me! I’d like to live, and we have many breakable things.

Retail is awesome! Really though, I love my job.

Veronica A. Catlin | Associate Editor

When I first heard the saying “history always repeats itself” I didn’t know that quote was aimed towards the fashion world also.

Styles that originated in the ‘50s and ‘60s are ironically now the hottest 2010 trends. What am I talking about? Retro.

Top fashion designers and outlets are now catering to the frenzy. Not only that but our very own City College seems to have adopted the trend. Our campus is filled with skinny ties, retro sunglasses, purple skinny jeans, bright tops, etc. Many students have labeled retro fashion as being fun and creative, though the style seems to be preferred more on females rather than males.

Is retro fashion here to stay? Trends come and go, but from the looks of things, retro will definitely be here a while longer.