Back to 1983

Today hasn't been a good day.

I've spent it pacing, sleeping, doodling. Racking my brain for things I can draw. As I draw more, the ideas become less. I try to work, but my mind doesn't process it. A few things here and there were impossible - day to day life requires their use - but otherwise, I spent my day without electronics, without electricity.

The morning was the easiest time. I woke up, as I usually do. I've no clock in my room, so there was no unplugging necessary. I made my way to the bathroom, where I used the bathroom, as I usually do. About fifteen minutes of flipping through comic books and using the bathroom later, I got up and took a shower. Did they have showers in 1983? I'm not sure, but I wasn't about to go to school without taking one.

After I showered, I dried off and got dressed. I rarely use a hair drier, so there was no real need to change that habit. (Funnily enough, this developed the last time I did an assignment like this - I gave up hair-care products as well as some other things.) My mom had made me some food, but I wasn't feeling well so I didn't really eat much of it. A few pieces of cereal and a slice of toast later, she drove me to school.

Upon arriving in school, I had to constantly tell everyone what I was doing, so I wasn't forced into working on things that I couldn't do while I was there. Lia's class was spent doing some artwork while giving advice to some of the people around me on their work. Margaret's 3rd period didn't have much going on - just a few share-outs and a survey. I was originally going to have a friend fill it out for me, but she was taking a while so I just did it on my iPod - breaking the cycle, but I tried to avoid doing it again.

Lunch was simple enough, just some food. Afterwards, I went to math, where Dave talked to us a bit and then showed up a slideshow of pictures. I guess that's breaking it? I'm not sure. Once that was done, I put my head down and tried to take a nap, though unsuccessfully. Math ended and I headed up to Margaret's for 5th period. After a bit of lazing around and nomming a muffin, I decided I was still tired and lay down on the ground. A little adjusting to a not very comfortable but still slightly comfortable position later, I somehow managed to fall asleep, waking up a bit later and pacing around in a daze before heading off to meet my dad, who would be taking me home that day.

He drove me home, and I sat at the kitchen table and drew for a little while. My Endersession mentor then came over, like we'd arranged yesterday - we chatted and discussed Endersession for a little bit, maybe half an hour, and then she asked to see my video from Margaret's. I showed it to her - break again. She did like it, though, so that ended up well. We finished our discussion and headed off- then I resumed drawing for a little while. I eventually ran out of things to draw and paced for a little while - then got an idea and drew that. Once it was done, I paced again until my mom got home - greeted her, helped a little with dinner, went on a walk and ate.

...And that was it. The day was... well, it wasn't great. I didn't have much fun at all, aside from some of the doodles I did. I was completely out of it, tired, worn down and sleepy, I wasn't feeling good and actually felt a bit sick, and I miss my online friends. I don't know what it'd be like if I lived in that time, or if I had to do it for longer. It was a bad day, and I don't think I'll ever do it again.

An Inconvenient Conversation

"There are two types of energy - Sustainable and Unsustainable."

Gas, solar, thermal, nuclear - that is, atomic - wind, methane, ethanol and electric. These are the energies that my parents were able to list off when I spoke to them. Some are sustainable - others? Not so much. Often times, those that aren't sustainable cause pollution, while the ones that don't are sustainable. However, unfortunately, the cost of these energies don't reflect this in a very positive manner. Those that pollute more often cost less, while those that pollute less often cost more. It encourages innovation to improve our energy resources - but no one is willing to put the time and effort into changing to match our needs.

But... define "need". Do we really need 64 computers and 16 flat screen televisions? My dad says we should reduce demand. By doing so, we could cut potential costs of energy immensely. Other ways to help, he says, are to find local energy sources that don't destroy the environment and be more responsible about use - find something better than what you have, maybe by changing the lights, or buying a new hybrid car for fuel efficiency.

Climate change, he goes on to say, is caused by what's known as the butterfly effect, named for the theory that when a butterfly flaps its wings, things in the world change.

"But in all seriousness," he points out, "If we knew the answer to that, we'd be just fine."

He says this because we only observe climate change - we don't know what starts it. We observe it from space, try to find the cause and effect... but we don't know enough about it to do something. Or... do we?

Because people are idiots, we don't have the will to do what's right - and if we do, we're too ignorant. The planet's survived all sorts of things before, so many people feel like it's not even a problem, and it's just part of a cycle. There's even a new theory about how global warming won't affect the globe - changes will be different in various places, and the Earth will end up just fine. Humans, though? Not so much.

People seem to think of morals as a way to work. Easier is more dominant than right in our society - do what's right until it impacts us. My family tries to be environmentally conscious, sure - but we never turn our computers off, we have a gas stove with pilot lights... things that are harder for us to change are what we just leave be, and those are the things that, if changed, would make the most difference. People's unwillingness to change for inconvenience is a huge problem, as well as what they think others think of them. My dad says that since he got his new Prius, at least ten people have asked why he would do that to himself. He doesn't care since he's being environmentally friendly - but other people don't see that as something that they'd be willing to do because of peer pressure alone.

And, of course, there's just different types of people. Some are givers, some are takers. Some are knowledgable on the affairs of the world... and some aren't.

Essay Intro thing

"Can we go and get a burrito?" my brother, Marc Atrash, asks. He is visiting from Berkley, where he goes to college, and is home for spring break. Upon being asked why he wants a burrito, he explains that they taste better here. "There's just no good Mexican food in Berkley," he says.
I ponder this thought as I look up from a bowl of rice noodles. Being sick, I think to myself, has only blocked me from a few local foods. Burgers, hot dogs, corn dogs and ice cream sundaes are the first to come to mind. After a moment, the Italian foods, pizza and pasta, come to mind, but we're easily able to replicate them. However, Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, even some European foods like steaks are still fair game - they're easy to make and something that I can have. However, I've noticed that when we go on vacation, our family constantly runs around just to find a place where I can eat without getting sick. Would living somewhere else, I wonder, affect how and what I can eat?

Annotated Bibliography

My Essay Topic: How does living in San Diego limit or expand our food options?
Possible ways to branch out - Local vs non-local, shipping costs and the like, resources in the area/state, etc

Source 1:
Reducing the Threat of Climate Change in the U.S.: A Survey of Activities, (no author listed), http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3947, accessed 2.23.2011

This article gives information about reducing the threat of climate change - climate change, in part, is caused by commuting on the roads/in the air, and from the slaughter of animals. It speaks about laws mandated to reduce climate change and what areas are taking on new restrictions, what places are trying to get a change in the way climate change is challenged, and how people are trying to stop it. It also details what certain states are doing - "California adopted legislation in 2002 that requires the California Air Resources Board to adopt emissions standards for cars and light-trucks/SUVs in California. Application of standards is to begin in 2009."
The article will help with my research because it helps give some insight onto what sorts of things that people have to go through to get food to different places. Trucks traveling across the country just to deliver blueberries to San Diego, say, pose a serious threat to the climate - so this will help give me some ground to stand on when it comes to pointing out unnecessary food mileage just to get something sweet to our city.

Seed Links

SPRING ONION-

http://www.groworganic.com/pvfs-onion-evereen-bunching.html

Cherry Tomatoes (Maglia Rosa)-

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/detailedCategoryDisplay.aspx?id=190

Three Items

ITEM ONE- Computer Activity

A frequent activity that I partake in. I play around on my laptop all the time, which means I'm constantly using electricity and thus wasting resources from the environment. I'd like to know where that electricity comes from and how its use affects the environment.

ITEM TWO- Irvine Trip

Happens once every two or three weeks, my mom and I travel up to Irvine for a doctor's appointment. The trip takes an hour and a half on the way up, and then another hour and a half down. I'd like to know how this affects the environment, what with the amount of gas it must use...

ITEM THREE- Dinner on Monday (Mac & Cheese)

Dinner this day was homemade. I'd like to know how making dinner at home compares to eating out, and how that affects the way we live and the environment, and if there's benefits or downfalls.

1 Reflection from Monday

MONDAY, 5:30 PM TO 7:00 PM - Play video games on the Wii

I have a thing for going on the computer and playing games on the TV, which is connected to the Wii. The TV and the Wii both come from the electronics store. The electronics store get their stock from the factories, which make the supplies needed to make the stock from various metals, which come from the environment. Also, both are powered by electricity, which is generated through various means (I'm not sure what), many means which use things in the environment for things they were not meant to be used for.

In other words, the Earth loses a lot of resources to produce both the systems to play the games with and the electricity needed to play those games in the first place. So playing games on the TV is draining resources faster than simply doing only one of those things, and is thus harming the environment.