#cppcom300

[stephenadamson]

Dropping off the edge ...

The Infamous Corkscrew:

Located at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas California, the corkscrew is one the of the most technically difficult and infamous turns in all of racing. If you've ever played the Gran Turismo video game franchise, then you undoubtedly have struggled with this turn at one point or another.

I myself grew up in Salinas and have always been amazed by this left-to-right blind turn described as a, "dropping off the edge of the world bend with a 59-foot drop over just 450 feet of track."

Not only is the corkscrew one of the most famous turns in racing history, its humble beginnings are now just as famous. According to a 2011 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca press release, "Over the years, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and its Corkscrew have taken on an almost mythical status in the world of racing ... The track was the brainchild of a humble Salinas architect named Wallace Holm and his Equipment Operator Jerry Blair. It’s tempting to imagine the Corkscrew being the creation of a genius, but there was really no other choice, considering the terrain and the location of the oak trees that surround it. 'On the dozer, it was the only way to go, you’ve got to get down. Just look at the pictures-it’s easy to see why we drove the dozer that way and cut the track,' " said Blair in a recent interview.

In recent history, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the corkscrew play host to a multitude of racing events every year. In 2008, I attended a MotoGP race at Laguna seca and witnessed one of the greatest races in the history of both MotoGP and Laguna Seca. Riders Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner battled toe to toe for the majority of the race until Rossi made one of the gutsiest passes I have ever seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_45DbRnqPvI

This race exemplifies just one of many amazing moments that have happened in the corkscrew. So, the next time you hear that there is a race going on at Laguna Seca, make sure to stop for just a moment to take in the glory that is, 'the infamous corkscrew'.

[stephenadamson]

Tragedy Strikes ...

Hey there guys, welcome to my first blog entry of the quarter. More importantly though, this first blog entry is dedicated to my good friend, Brandon O'harrow. On Thursday evening, while riding his 2009 Kawasaki, Brandon was struck and killed by a vehicle making an illegal u-turn near the intersection of Archibald and Wilson Avenue in the city of Rancho Cucamonga (less than a mile from his parents home). Brandon, a fellow rider, best friend, and all around great person, was taken far too soon at the age of 27 years old. This is not the way I could have ever imagined starting this blog; not at all. Rest in Peace Brandon. We Love You! Many automobile drivers in the United States consider motorcyclists to be extremely dangerous; and why not? Riding a motorcycle entails placing your body on a moving vehicle without any type of protection from the outside world. When riding, there are no seat belts, no frames, and no air bags. Sounds pretty dangerous right? Well, that's because it is. But, just because the act of motorcycling is dangerous, it is not the same as saying, "motorcyclists are dangerous." I've ridden for a long time and have spoken with many seasoned riders; they all say the same thing, "It's not the rider that is dangerous, it's everyone else around them." I have heard this said so many times, that until this past week, I truly believe it lost its meaning to me. Although, when broken down, it is the absolute truth. While riding a motorcycle, the only thing the rider has to focus on is the road. While driving an automobile, focusing on the road is only one of many different tasks the driver may be engaging in. Often times, focusing on the road takes a backseat to activities such as; texting, calling, turning the radio, eating, falling asleep, and not to mention, other passengers, just to name a few. With that being said, it is not the rider who is dangerous (and yes, there are some exceptions), but indeed, it is"everyone else" around them who are dangerous. According to the National Traffic Safety Association there were 4,778 fatalities as a result of collisions involving motorcycles in the United States in 2006. This number is far too high and could help be reduced by educating not only drivers of automobiles, but also the motorcyclists themselves. The California Highway Patrol offers some great resources for both drivers and riders alike. Well, that is it for my first blog. If you've read my blog today, it is my sincerest hope that you will now become rider aware and share the road. Being rider aware means that you always look twice, especially for one headlight. So please, keep your eyes and ears open at all times! If even just one life can be saved, than this blog today has succeeded!

[kaycilydeen-blog]

Finals Week

This upcoming week is finally final week!! I am so excited to be done with this quarter and to be done with this school year.  It was my first year at Cal Poly and it was pretty good.  It was quiet the adventure.  I learned so many things about life here like how to live on my own, pay rent, get groceries and having to pay to do laundry.  It was an eventful year with my new friends and classmates.  

So this week I have 3 finals.  Two on monday and one on wednesday.  Thankfully the two finals on monday are spaced out so I have time to study in between.  This will be very hectic however.  I have to work a double on tuesday which doesn't leave me a lot of time to study for my wednesday final, and I guess that will be leaving me with staying up the night before and studying.  Once wednesday afternoon comes around I will be free finally!!! However, I do have to work the rest of the week and weekend. 

One week from now I have plans to start my summer off at the river.  Relaxing, riding jet skis, drinking, and spending time with friends and family sounds like a great way to start off the summer.  My summer does have a couple adventure.  In about 7 weeks I am going to vegas with a bunch of my girl friends, it will be my first time there as a 21 year old.  I also have plans on going to vegas with my boyfriend and his family.  I was hoping to go to Texas this summer however I don't think i will have enough money to do that.  I also will be looking for and moving into a new apartment.  Apartment searching isn't all that fun but it will give me a chance to actually take the time to decorate and arrange the apartment how I want it without other roommates not liking the set up.  

My summer will be a nice relaxing break from school and I hope it will be enough before I start school in september!! Have a great break everyone!!!

[crystaliam-blog]

sickness has bad timing

When do you usually get sick? Do you have the feeling that sickness usually doesn’t come at the right time?

I’m quite a healthy person, but I always find myself getting sick by the end of the quarter/semester. Just like now, in the middle of the final weeks, I’m sick again. The worst thing about this is that I don’t recover easily.

I can’t express how much I hate getting sick: instant coughing, the dizziness that last the whole day because of the medicine, the stresses when remembering the tons of things waiting for me to finish, etc.

When I’m writing this blog, I just wasted my whole day resting because the medicine had been keeping me in bed this whole time.

I strongly feel that sickness chooses the time to make me sick. Last week, I finished the busiest week in the quarter. I was so glad I didn’t get sick during that week. I had this perfect plan of getting enough rest and meeting my friends in the long weekend, then doing my papers and studying for my finals. I shouldn’t have trusted my body to be good for at least once, I got sick again last Sunday.

Not to mention about my plan of getting enough rest, sleeping for the rest of the long weekend couldn’t make me better, the sickness just got worse and worse. I was lucky that I didn’t get a fever and were still able to go to class, especially when the last week of class always talk about the finals or it is the due date of final assignments.

Now I just hope all the finals end soon so I can stick on my bed and let my body recover.  

Well, thinking this in a positive way, I can have a healthy body to enjoy summer right after this quarter ends. This year, I hope I can recover before my birthday, which is the weekend right after finals.

[heathercorder-blog]

bucket list.

What do you want to do before you die? Well I have a few things that actually come to mind when I think of this topic. I think it is a good time to write my bucket list.  These are in no order whatsoever.    Jump out of a plane and skydive Fly a plane Run a 10k marathon I think it would be awesome to feed sharks Go deep sea diving and snorkeling in Hawaii Read the entire bible by myself Dive in a pool of caramel Travel to Germany and a third world country to help people Live in a country where I don’t know the language or people  Feed a tiger or Giraffe Ride a elephant when it’s running Go to the mall and spend money on whatever I want in any store  Engage in a high speed car chase and come out on top  Work out with my idol Lolo Jones  Do a food challenge somewhere and win  Wear my favorite color orange from head to toe all day out in public  Go on stage at a Lil Wayne concert and meet him  Make it to the olympic trials and win  Survive in the wilderness for a week with only two other people  Walk the runway at a Ralph Lauren fashion show   Paint a masterpeice and sell it for a great amount   Interview and report at a major league game and talk with the MVP   Go an entire day without talking or laughing  Run down the grocery isle and knock everything down and leave  Make it extremely awkward in an elevator  Go snowboarding and surfing in the same day  Order a party pazooki just for myself!  Own my own company  Drink at 5 brewerys in one day  Be the ice cream man for an entire day and just give out free ice cream  road trip across the country  Have a baby

[sandra-martin-blog]

The celebration begins! Although finals are not over I'm definitely starting the celebration early. Tonight I will finally have some much needed fun. It's one of my best friend's birthdays so tonight we are celebrating in downtown LA which much needed drinks and music. All of us have been so busy with school and work that it is our first night out in a while. Being the procrastinators that we are, we waited until the last minute to put everything together. After an hour in line we finally made it in. The music, drinks and weather couldn't be better. Nothing says summer nights more than bottle service at the patio, overseeing our beautiful city. So cheers to the end of spring quarter, the beginning of summer and a new set of memories.

[christinesharp-blog]

It is week 10 of my Trader Joe’s wine blog.

So, this is technically the last blog I need to write for my class, but who knows. God knows I am going to be drinking wine in the summer, might as well keep writing…

So, given that this is my last mandatory blog, I wanted to choose a good wine…I always want to choose a good wine, but I really wanted a good one this time around.

I was wandering around in the Burbank TJ’s when I saw a customer asking for a case of a wine that was on a side stack in an aisle.

I, looking for some inspiration had to ask her what this was all about.

She said that this was a Rosé that her friend on the west side [of LA] was telling her about.

She said that Trader Joe’s was selling it for $2.99 a bottle, but the brand’s wines generally sell for over $9.99 and so the two were going to split a case.

This little bit of information sold me, I was quite curious.

This week’s featured wine is called Bonterra, a Mendocino County 2009 Rosé crafted from certified organically grown grapes.

Bonterra believes that organic grapes make better wine, so the company has been producing organically grown grapes since 1993.

The wine is a dry, crisp complex and refreshing Rosé. In comparison to the syrups I have tasted before, I must say this is probably the first Rosé I could actually enjoy.

You know how sometimes we can be guilty of buying a wine with the intent that it will look pretty in a glass [this could be just me]? Anyways, this wine is just so pretty and pink in a wine glass, that you cannot help but admire the color of it.

I chilled my bottle as soon as I got home, and tasted some fruity flavors in the lingering finish.

Like I said, this bottle is being offered at a whopping $2.99, and from what I hear, it is a hustle buy [when the TJ’s warehouse runs out, you will never see it again].

I would recommend this wine so long as it lasts on the shelves. The wine has disappeared from the West Side, so get hunting!

Next week, I may or may not be posting…but check up on me anyway =]

Til then, have some wine and relax, the weekend is here.

[josephineegan-blog]

Reality Blurred

Reality television can be defined as a genre of television shows that portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality. As defined by me, the genre can be classified as worthless nonsense. Now, it is highly rare to catch me gazing into a television screen. I simply do not have the time for this, and choose to spend my time doing more active and productive activities. As a child and a teenager, I spent a good amount of time watching TV. Now that I have grown older, I have developed a feeling of extreme aversion toward TV, and toward the content that dominates it today. I have pretty much separated myself from television, and only occasionally enjoy a documentary or the science channel. 

Earlier today I had the very unfortunate experience of being exposed to a current reality show. I did not sit down like a zombie to zone out into the show. I was cleaning my neighbor's home, who had the show playing. This gave me no option but to listen to the foolishness coming from the screen. I believe it was some spin off of The Real Housewives, who knows. I assume that's what it was from all the faked tanned,bleached blondes with breast implants, that were complaining about how long their flight to Costa Rica was. I wanted to laugh, but could not due to the pure absurdity, when the climax of one episode was a woman revealing what she looked like without her wigs. I was totally appalled by the haughty,disdainful dialogue blaring from the screen. These woman were arrogant, unintelligent and insanely materialistic. Lets just say my mind came close to exploding being in the presence of all this so called reality ridiculousness. 

Having been exposed to this inanity today only re-affirmed my detest toward television, and specifically toward reality TV. The genre reflects a culture that worships vanity and wealth over virtue and humility. This reality TV crud is dangerous for society. It is creating a community full of materialistic morons who don't blink twice about women complaining, fighting, and mocking others and getting paid a cool million for doing so.