7th Street

            I went to 7th street where Dan lived next. I don't know where on seventh street Dan lived exactly, but my experience there was really scary. I was taking photos of the street sign and a house when I saw this 40 year old looking man on the opposite side of the street. He was in a big hat and had a huge trench coat on. The kind of trench coat where I could definitely see him pulling out a huge gun and shooting up the street. It could have been an older version of Jimmie. So my observations on seventh street were cut a little short because I was pretty creeped out and wanted to get the heck out of there. Seventh street is really close to downtown and has a bunch of older style houses. I can tell that some are just being rented out since the yards are trashed. There were a couple nicer homes though. I tried to imagine Dan living in one of those houses with his dog hanging out in the yard. Then I get to thinking about the chapter where Allison comes looking for Dan on seventh street since he hasn't been into the diner in a couple weeks.

            This is a huge turn around point for Allison; it shows she actually cares about someone. All her life she never really has anything special with anyone. Her relationship with Jimmie was one that was shallow and driven by fear; Allison never really cared about him. What makes Allison reaching out for Dan such a turning point is Allison gets to see Dan in his most venerable state. He is a complete wreck and at a low point in his life. Allison knows what this is like since she seems to allows seems to be hitting low points in life herself. Dan's low point makes Allison realize that she isn't just the only person that has a difficult time with life. Allison helps Dan get back onto his feet in life again. Since Allison and Dan have both been so hurt in life they are perfect for each other.

            All in all, Seventh street is the place where Allison goes and turns her life around. She creates a relationship that is healthy. By having this she gives herself a will to live. 

The Cal Neva

            The next place I visited from Northline was the Cal Neva Casino where Allison spent a ton of time working at the Top Deck diner. I actually went here right after I ate at the Nugget so I didn't get to eat there. Getting up to the restaurant from the ground floor was fun. The elevator was the sketchiest elevator I have ever ridden in. Honestly it looked like a standard diner nothing special. To Allison it was nothing special either she worked there just to occupy her time. It was something that allowed her to get by without going insane. The most important part about the Cal Neva in the book is the fact that she meets Dan there. At first Dan seems like nothing special just like the restaurant.

            When Allison first arrives in Reno she is a wreck and by the end of the book she has some direction in life. The misdirection is obvious at first because she gets super drunk and depressed and misses work at the Cal Neva. When she gets re hired it is like life is giving her a second chance in life. It is very clear that she is hesitant in making any commitments to guys after her completely unhealthy relationship with Jimmie. Jimmie is a complete loser and probably the opposite of Dan. When Dan first makes a move on Allison he does it with a snowglobe in the Top Deck. Allison is very skeptical and has a hard time accepting the gift. Clearly, Allison is very timid about anything she does after leaving Reno especially when it comes to guys. As we see Allison's personality progress she begins to accept Dan into her life. This is a huge leap for her character because she is making changes and learning to trust people.

            All in all, the restaurant represents Allison getting back on track in life.  To me it was just a bland old place with nothing special, but sometimes something bland can turn into something really important for some people. It's all about who we meet and where we meet them. Dan just happened to go to that diner and not some other one. That is all it took.

The Little Nugget

        My adventure in mapping out locations from Northline led me to lunch at the Nugget. After going to spin class with my girlfriend Demi Cole we went to lunch at the diner. It was a pretty horrible day to walk down there because the wind was relentless. It cut through my body. It reminds me of when Allison felt the cold weather of Reno for the first time. Anyways the burger was great here is a picture of me eating it!!!

            I tried to imagine Allison and Penny eating dinner inside the Nugget on the little stools. Penny would probably almost break the stools. The burger was great and it definitely is one of the "greatest burgers" like Penny said. No one really strikes me as a Penny or Allison type in the Diner when I was there for lunch. Everyone seems like tourist going there to eat the Awful Awful burger which won some award on food network. The diner advertises the heck out of it. That burger is probably one of the main reasons the whole casino is still in business.

            The conversation that Penny and Allison have here is about relationships. Penny talks about here unfortunate relationship where she ends up horribly obese by the end of it. This makes it kind of ironic that they are eating the Awful Awful which is a pretty large burger. Penny hates what she has become but has just dropped into a rut of acceptance. I think that Penny acts as an example of what life can do to a person if that person doesn't fight for what they want. Penny encourages Allison to go get her GED and then go to college. To Allison college is almost unattainable. Yet Penny has no goals except to get fatter. Penny goes to food to make herself happier and cope with life while Allison goes to alcohol. It is clear that if Allison keep going to alcohol for comfort she is going to kill herself.  I can imagine Allison a super skinny girl that looks like she needs a good home and more sleep. Allison describes here awkward relationship with a video store nerd in high school. It seems unhealthy and not normal. This relationship demonstrates that Allison started dating on a bad note and was not hanging around the right guys, but it is not like her mom was a positive role model. 

Northline The Quad

            This is the first of four entries on the book Northline by Willy Vlautin. I began my journey by venturing into the quad on the campus of UNR. Although the book does not specify the quad, simply stating college grounds, I felt the quad was where Dan getting beat up would of occurred. It has the quintessential college feel making it the most appropriate for the scene. What is strange about standing in the quad during the daytime is it doesn't really seem like I would get beat up there, in fact it is inviting and a place I enjoy spending time at. The grass and trees are perfect place for a mid afternoon nap or reading a good book.

            The thing is campus is a different place at night. The shift from day to night completely changes how it feels. The quad doesn't feel as safe at night the long shadows from the trees make it menacing. I understand how Dan could of been completely terrified on that night walking home from the party. I saw a guy with long hair walking through the quad. He looked sort of like a hippy. That could have been what Dan looked like in this scene of the book. He describes himself as having long hair. To get beat nearly to death in the quad at night like Dan would make me hate that place. Honestly, I understand that these people went after Dan because he was somewhat different, but I don't see why anybody would have the reason to do that to me or anyone else on campus. Form the people I've met on campus thus far everyone has been super friendly. It is scary to think that things like this can happen and they do happen. Although not in the quad, someone working in the residence halls got stabbed a few weeks ago. College can bring out some crazy people from time to time. My friend Yuchen goes to USC and they just had a shooting on campus! That is really scary and this demonstrates that Dan getting beat up in the quad is not an unlikely event in real like and could really happen. 

What's on My Mind

        So I got to go home this weekend. It was great; I haven't been home in over a month because I've been traveling and cycling all the time. The stress of school was starting to get to me. This weekend at home was much needed. I was able to focus up and get school work done. I also got to see my parents and brother who I miss everyday. I went for a little walk around the block when I got home. I took the usual route that I used to run. 

        Have you seen the video "If Money Were No Object." If you haven't you should really watch it here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siu6JYqOZ0g . I thought about this video as I went on my walk. I contemplated the education I was pursuing at UNR. Is biochemistry really right for me. If money were no object I would go into the ski industry and pursue a film career. That's what I really love. So what am I doing here? Money must be an object for me. I want to just go and do what I want to do so badly but money has created such a barrier for me. 

        This video has an important message for everyone. Follow your dreams. The problem is people need to start doing this before anybody will actually take it seriously. I'm not helping the cause. Today I looked up film school on google. I made the first step, but will I continue to pursue my passion? Only time will tell if money is an object to me. 

Mapes Hotel

So my historical site is the old Mapes hotel. It was located on Virginia St. next to the Truckee River. Well what once was the Mapes hotel. This historic land mark struck my interest because it was featured in the book A Doubtful River by Robert Dawson, Peter Goin, and Mary Webb. The hotel's history goes way back. It was one of the first skyscrapers built after WWII in the west coast. It represents the rise of casinos Vegas style in Reno. To me this was a good thing for Reno at the time. Reno was a bumping place to be and this got the whole casino thing going.

            What now remains are the sleazy remnants of what the Mapes hotel influenced. All the casinos on Virginia Street are not classy, but rather a novelty and nothing else. The Mapes may have started out the casino scene in Reno classier, but the casino scene has since deteriorated. As I walk down Virginia Street I take it all in. What was once so grand is beginning to wear out. Things seem cheap. The whole street could use an uplift. The river does, however, provide a nicer area on Virginia Street.

            I feel as if the Mapes hotel was something that tainted the river. The river is such a bringer of life and something so unnatural and unneeded was built right next to it. The Doubtful River seems to try and get across the point that we need to think of water and the river more highly. Clearly back then we didn't care. When it was destroyed Mary Webb reported that it sent junk flying into the river. To me this symbolizes that the river has reached the point of no return and we will pay for the consequences of misuse soon.

Architecture

As I walk through Reno's beautiful campus. Yes, beautiful. Surprisingly beautiful when compared with the rest of Reno. Reno, especially downtown ,is ugly to me. Lake Tahoe is what makes Reno worthwhile as well as the mountains. Anyways back on topic. The campus is beautiful because some of the architecture. All the old buildings down by the quad are super cool looking and have such an old flare. They give that old school east coast college feel which is a very academic yet inviting feel. The quad is by far the coolest place on campus. The vast columns and brick buildings make it have character.

            The next best architecture on campus is all the modern buildings such as the Joe, the Knowledge Center, and the Davidson Math and Science buildings. There modern flare and style reflect UNR's newer side well. They point towards the campus being scientific and researchy. Yes, I just made that word up. The university is in fact very sciencey and researchy. Also these buildings offer modern appeal that makes it look really cool to younger people.

            The worst architecture on campus is those buildings that were built in that awkward period of time like the 70's and 80's. For example the, Leifson physics building or the Cain hall. The architecture they have has once modern age, but has since lost its appeal. It's like cars. When cars are really old they are cool. When cars are really new they are cool. When cars are from the late 80's they are not cool yet. I honestly don't know if these buildings will ever become neat looking for future generations. They have this pasty off white color that is just hideous.

            Overall the universities architecture is reflective of an institution of learning. A few ugly building here and there are counter balanced by the modern flare of some buildings and old style college buildings. 

Homelessness VS. Houselessness

            When comparing the homeless with the houseless I'd definitely say Reno has a little of both. Homelessness are people who are not immersed in their community, but they may have a fine place to live and houseless who have no place to live and are not aware of their environmental factors. I need to change some of these conditions that Jim Burklo described. He says that homeless people may have a place to live and chose not to live there. I think this is a load of crap. They most likely don't have a house, and if they had a house they would most certainly live there in the winter. It gets cold in Reno in the winter. Burklo might of written this from some warmer urban areas.

            What I noticed about the people without homes in the casino district is that some of them wore things that looked like they might of been nice at one point. Perhaps they once had a good job and lost it. While they had their good job they made poor investments so when the economy crashed they were forced onto the streets. These people are qualified as houseless because they certainly understand the factors that surround them since they held some position that was considered higher in society at a certain point.

            Then I noticed the older homeless people. I start to wonder what their stories are. I feel bad that old people are homeless, but perhaps it is something they are used to and have always dealt with. A lifetime of homelessness is hard to think about. If someone's been on the streets for that long are they really homeless. Do they understand the culture and community that they are immersed in? At a certain point being on the streets has to get to a person. Surviving day to day becomes the overall focus and the community around them is lost. 

Casino District Reno

            Ok so this is an analysis of the casino district and the neighborhoods around them. I checked it out on my bike when I rode to Reno Bike Project today. Don't worry Will I rode slow so I could take everything in and I took an alternate route venturing around some areas I wouldn't necessarily go.

            The last boundary in my mind between Reno's casino district and campus is the sororities on Sierra St. Campus is pretty nice all the way up until there. The grass is green and well kept and there really not any homeless people near campus. There is such a drastic district as I cross this boundary. Things become run down and sort of dreary. The casinos leave that impression because they are kind of sleazy. They make an awful attempt to be classy, but when they are just filled with old people who are overweight and 40 year old women dressed like 20 year olds, they are in fact the opposite of classy. Buildings are run down and need a new paint job giving the streets a grim back drop. Homeless people are at every other corner. They make for amazing photographs even though they dirty up the streets. The raw emotion looks amazing from the lens of a camera. My favorite photo that I ever took was of a homeless man in Reno this summer.

            The values there seem low. Gambling is a very negative thing in my mind. The whole culture that surrounds that is scummy. I guess people who visit occasionally are ok, but if a person frequents the casinos they have a problem. Actually two problems: 1. They have a gambling problem and 2. They are contributing in a negative way to a culture that needs to be revitalized. How to revitalize it? I don't really know. I'd start by getting rid of the odor of cigarettes and cleaning up the streets.

            The fact the casino district was once off limits to students doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, it is still kind of closed off today. Students really don't go there. The college environment is in its own world, unique from any others. This is why people get sucked in and spend years in college. The real world is scary. In this case if the casino district was the real world I wouldn't blame people for staying in college. Luckily Reno has some nicer real world areas just not quite in the same proximity as the Casinos to campus. 

The River

First off I would like to say my legs were pretty shot from a weekend of mountain bike racing so walking downtown actually kind of hurt. My main observation about the river walk is that it is nicer overall than anywhere else in downtown Reno. The nicer looking restaurant are along the river, the nicer stores, and the nicer movie theater. The pathway is nice and the river cool. As I walked with my roommate Tom the cool air radiated off the river reminding me that fall is fast approaching. Side note I'm stoked for fall because that means that winter is almost here. Homeless people are frequent as well as average joes.

            The river walk is well worth the money. It offers a nicer area of Reno to relax and take a family. In fact I saw a couple of families out there, but there is still a decent amount of hobos that hang out near the river. I don't blame them it's a place to score a free bath. I can tell that there has been some detail work put in to the river and it really makes a difference in the vibe. The only issue I have is when I go a few blocks off the ricer it's straight back to trashier Reno. Reno has created something nice by the river and now they must try and elevate the rest of downtown to that level.

            The river is a symbol of life and I think that this makes it a focus for a project such as the river walk. People are drawn there because it is peaceful. A mixture of social classes from rich to homeless. It creates a commonality amongst people. A man was sat there fishing it is really cool to see something like this. Something that is so natural in the middle of a city. 

Nature from the Car

So I wasn't exactly in my neighborhood this weekend. I drove down to Parkfield, CA with the UNR mountain bike team to race so I can reflect on this weekend as related to the blog. I did quite of bit of walking and I was camping so being right in nature really made observations easy.

Making the drive through California was something that really opens your eyes to nature. I saw everything from the mountains to the fields. In the mountains nature is more pristine than anything else. Perhaps having the large trees on either side gives a falsifying sense of nature. In reality I’m still zipping along 80 unable to truly observe everything around me. I’m a passenger being swept through. I have a destination there is no time to walk.

How can I relate this to my local environment? 80 Goes through Reno. How often are people simply just swept through Reno with no time to truly observe what they are around? I bet that this happens all the time just as I was swept through California. As I come home to Nevada I see rivers that are lined with concrete in California. This just seems so unnatural and wrong. This prompt wanted me to talk local but if from Reno to the bay area are so linked this is almost local. Rivers give life to a region. So the life force of our region is a concrete lined piece of shit.

I don’t know what river that was exactly but I do notice that the Truckee River isn’t exactly natural itself. So the major life force of Reno is also semi screwed. Well this is great. If nature is connected with the region then cycling is connected with nature. You can see that cycling is connected with nature. There is nothing more satisfying then a crisp morning ride. It feels natural and it feels right.

I'll post some pics later. 

The further from bed the less comfortable

            One of the many places I walk during the day is to the Joe. By the end of the day the fact that it is uphill from my dorm room in Argenta really starts to get old. I always go across the bridge and then cut by Nye and walk by the gym volleyball plays in on my left then by the Education building on my right then I make my way to the Joe passing by the Knowledge center.

            The differences at night and day are in the vibe. The only similarity that I can think of is the fact that it is still uphill and that pisses me off a little but sometimes. During the day there are so many more people walking by. I always people watch when I go to class during mid day but at night it is completely different.  People are spaced out with stretches where there is nobody. The people that are out travel together. That's smart Reno really isn't the safest place to walk around at night. Got to watch out for people lurking around corners and in bushes. It's amazing how light shapes what we see. The only light that beats down at night dimly glows from street lamps with black in between. Humans don't like the dark. It's unknown. The unknown is scary. I stick to the route most everyone takes which is closest to the street lamps where I can see and the scary thing in the dark can't get me.

            This sets a much creepier vibe than the daytime vibe that I'm used to. It's a little weird. The shadows covering people's faces distance them from you. There are no long boarders flying recklessly through campus and no bikes. Once I cross the bridge back over Virginia the vibe gets better. Being closer to the dorms brings me closer to home. More people are out. Laughter fills the air with groups of people hanging out. A couple bros play football in the grass courtyard between Nye and Canada. I draw this conclusion about night time travel. The further from bed the less comfortable I get. 

From Point to Point

            As I walked through my neighborhood at the University of Nevada I observed the ads all about. Two different types of ads were noticeable. One being the kind that invite me to be a consumer and spend my money on things that really aren't necessary and one that tries to get me to be a better citizen by student participation. We are engulfed in a world of consumerism.

            The ads I see around campus are for the commercial companies that have been brought to campus. I'll focus on Starbucks in this case. The symbol of the mermaid thing on the cup is so embedded in our brains. We immediately know what it stands for and what it means. Is this good or bad? While having brand identification is good in some ways because it create easy ways to identify a product by consumer desire, it has it down side as well. It is as if the brand and the company have got us on a leash to pour money into a giant corporation that will most likely never do anything for us but provide that product.     

            There are other signs on compass that encourage citizenship and involvement. There are banners on how the university is a top tier research university. These are trying to get us to evoke a feeling of pride for our university. If care for our school more, do well, and graduate. We will spread good word of the school and give it a good reputation. From this more students will attend the school to create a larger learning institution increasing the quality of education and the quality of citizens that will emerge from that institution.

            The thing is I can pass all these ads by when I am on campus because of who I am on campus. I am a student who is engulfed in my own work. I don't have time for the consumer ads to suck me in.. 

You should really check out the Reno Bike Project they are a great organization made of a lot of cool young dudes that are genuinely motivated to get people biking.

http://www.renobikeproject.com/

Consumers and Citizens

            As I walked through my neighborhood at the University of Nevada I observed the ads all about. Two different types of ads were noticeable. One being the kind that invite me to be a consumer and spend my money on things that really aren't necessary and one that tries to get me to be a better citizen by student participation. We are engulfed in a world of consumerism.

            The ads I see around campus are for the commercial companies that have been brought to campus. I'll focus on Starbucks in this case. The symbol of the mermaid thing on the cup is so embedded in our brains. We immediately know what it stands for and what it means. Is this good or bad? While having brand identification is good in some ways because it create easy ways to identify a product by consumer desire, it has it down side as well. It is as if the brand and the company have got us on a leash to pour money into a giant corporation that will most likely never do anything for us but provide that product.     

            There are other signs on compass that encourage citizenship and involvement. There are banners on how the university is a top tier research university. These are trying to get us to evoke a feeling of pride for our university. If care for our school more, do well, and graduate. We will spread good word of the school and give it a good reputation. From this more students will attend the school to create a larger learning institution increasing the quality of education and the quality of citizens that will emerge from that institution.

            The thing is I can pass all these ads by when I am on campus because of who I am on campus. I am a student who is engulfed in my own work. I don't have time for the consumer ads to suck me in.. 

Going deeper: a race and gender analysis

            Go deeper. Think about race and gender as far as boundaries of my neighborhood goes. As I walked around I realize that race is something hard for me to analyze. I'm from a small town where it is dominated by white people and the only minorities are Hispanics. We had about 7 black kids at my high school. When I walked around campus I did see that black people tend to hang out with other black people and race does become this boundary that separates us. It is a social way of identification. Race connects people. When I see people hanging out and there are a mixture of races it is new for me to see, and to be honest pretty strange. If I would of grown up in a bigger city maybe I would be used to seeing it.

            As far as gender goes it is a definite boundary between people. I know for a fact that when I see guys with girls together on campus that the guy is socializing in a different way than we would socialize with other males. Now I can only speak for myself because I'm a guy not a girl. I can tell a girls room by the outside of the dorm room. If they have a whiteboard with cute little hand writing I know that is a girl's room. Guy's rooms are distinctly less packed in the dorms. I think it's because we don't try and bring a whole wardrobe. I also think it shows that guys need less to feel comfortable in our environment.  I walked by some guys playing Frisbee. All these guys need for entertainment is a simple disc. Not saying girls never play Frisbee, but I see guys doing this kind of thing way more often. Girls need more. Simple enough haha. I know that I might take some crap for that comment. I can only asses one side of this because I am not a girl, and I don't know how girls behave socially together when guys aren't there. I can only imagine what they do and I often come back to the stereotypical view of cute girls having pillow fights and giggling when they hang out, that or doing makeup. I guess the girls will have to let me know what they really do.            

My Involvement

            How am I a part of the environment around me? As I walk by the dining hall I think about the food shed and everything that surrounds it. After reading Coming into the Food Shed by Jack Kloppenburg, I think about how I eat there regularly and the negative impacts that imported foods can have on the environment. By eating there it is almost as if I am against the local food shed because I am almost 100% positive that the food there does not come from local sources. I want to say that I am pro-local food shed, but if simply say that, but I never reach out to try and make a difference then am I all talk and no walk? I get caught in the rut of the social norm where the easier path is the one I take. I take the faster route on my walk to the Joe rather than taking the scenic longer way by Manzanita Lake. Since it is easier for me to get food from the cafeteria on campus and I have a meal plan I do. I never go out and search for a local farmer's market.

            I look at people surrounded by their friends. I'm not with my friends right now. I don't have as much time as I used to for them. Time is the most valuable thing on Earth. I pack my days trying to fit in all the time I can get to work and hang out with friends. Time is precious. It is the currency of the world and everything revolves around it. Look at the parking passes on campus for example. Those with more money can buy more expensive passes so they can park closer and get places quicker. People without money have to take more time. Time is valuable because life is a onetime deal.

            I purchase a smoothie at the Joe. Sometimes I feel like consumer and a leach. What do I give back to society? I still have my whole life to give back. I'm in training to give back to society right now. After all that is what university study is. They want us to be well crafted citizens to enter the workforce. Once in a worker and a greater contributor to society then I can understand the politics of society that I am in better.. Until then i feel a little helpless and overwhelmed by how complex the politics and mobility of society are.

A walk through my neighborhood.

This is the first of my blog entries for my English 102 class at the University of Nevada, Reno. To my classmates: I'm simply writing what I feel I'll try to throw in some pictures in my entries since I am into photography a little bit.

To my professor: I sure hope this is what I'm supposed to do.

To all others: I don't know how you ended up here but you might as well read a few entries if you have time.

I'm at home for Labor day weekend and it feels great. Never thought I'd miss this place so much. This is my neighborhood. It's a small quiet one. Gardnerville is in a high desert so sagebrush is abundant with tumbleweeds here and there. For my classmates not local to the area Gardnerville is an hour south of Reno. Reno is the valley on the other side of Northlake Tahoe. Gardnerville is the valley on the other side of Southlake Tahoe. It's like Reno but much prettier and a lot smaller. In downtown Gardnerville  there are tall trees; our trees aren't very tall. My neighborhood is still new and on the edge of town with many years to come I can tell by the short trees. I always look at how big the trees are to know how old an area is in Gardnerville. It's not a traditional neighborhood. The houses are spaced apart on 2 acre lots creating empty spaces. The space is noticeable because the neighborhood is not as close in terms of friendliness. We don't have big block parties our anything like that. We rarely visit each other's houses It's not that anyone is really mean. I guess the one guy down the street on the left side with his big ugly white fence is mean, but he is the only one. It's strange how he is mean and his big ugly, white plastic fence is there. It is almost as if he is trying to separate himself because he doesn't like people. His fence matches his character. Ha what character! He has none just like his big ugly white fence. None of the houses are old so none of them have a lot of character. I think that old houses are the only ones with character. New houses are nice but they are just not the same. I feel safe in my neighborhood. I always have ever since I moved into my house in the 2nd grade. I came from Phoenix, AZ so moving to the little town of G-ville was a complete 180 turn for me. Since we are off the main drag I used to always ride my bikes around the streets with my buddies Taylor and Kevin. Taylor lives on my right and Kevin lives on my left. We used to be best friends all the way through about middle school. I never thought I wouldn't be friends with them. It's strange how people just grow apart. There is no tension or anything like that it just happens naturally. In high school I went through my neighborhood to get into town and hang out with friends. I always move though my neighborhood to get somewhere else. Usually to the mountains to ski or mountain bike or on school days I almost always took the same way out. The other ways were too long. I guess time was an important thing in determining my route. The main boundaries of my home are the mountains all around. Nevada is the most mountainous state. That was a quick fact for all of you who don't know that. The mountains on the west stand large and tall and are snowcapped for half the year and the smaller pinenuts are on my east. Job's Peak is the defining peak. Whenever you see pictures of Gardnerville you see that peak. Here is a photo I took from out near my house.This puts me in a valley. My safe little valley where it feels as if nothing can harm me and everything will always be the same ,but I know this just isn't true. They are building a Wal-Mart here so things are already changing. My impressions of the street are full of emotion. I love my neighborhood so much it will be difficult for me to leave and go up to Reno on Monday. It truly feels like a home. I actually really feel like this video I made for the high school talent show fits this topic perfectly. It's entitled From Point A to Point B and  documents how my friends and I always managed to get to the mountains from point A, our homes, to point B ,the mountains. If you want to watch it here it is.

https://vimeo.com/33429691

The Carson Valley Job's peak on far left