4b Reflection of My California

1. I chose to compare and contrast my ideas and thoughts with Katherine. We both read the same stories and had either similarities are differences in opinion. In the (4th) paragraph Katherine talks about home being " a home away from home". Sometimes you live in such a beautiful place you can almost escape reality and believe you are somewhere else. Katherine and I both seemed to believe that this was the main point the writer was trying to make. Places in your own backyard can become beautiful if you let them. Also, like Katherine, I was really surprised to discover all the different ethnicity and cultures that make Sacramento so diverse. 75,000 Russians live in Sacramento? My father commutes there every day and I was never aware of that fact until now.


2. Elisabeth Laxton wrote about the story by Tobar. This was different than the stories I had read because the writer had a fascination with something oddly strange - California freeways. Most of the stories I read were filled with descriptions of rivers, canyons, vineyards, farms. But strangely this writer was much more intrigured by man made, mechanical things. The writer appreciated the roads in CA because after traveling abroad, realized other countries freeway systems had no etiquette or proper rules. The next story Liz presented was by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck seems to believe that there are "myths" within California, the myth of nostalgia. It seems as if everyone has this dream or belief about what California is, and many are disappointed when they actually see what it's like. Lastly, Liz discussed Humes story. Humes lived and described Seal Beach, located in Souther California. I found it interested that apparently the city and area is slowly transforming into commercial development, due to money issues.


3. I chose to find something interesting about the stories that Lori read. Dumas wrote a piece about moving for the 8th time - this in itself, was different from the stories I read. The writers I had had grown up in the area, and described it as they knew it like the palm of their hand. This account was different - everything was new to the writer. Rules for everything? That doesn't sound like a fun way to live. It is apparent that this lifestyle was very different from those being described by others in the book. Major's story and Lori's description of the story sent me into sensory overload with reminders of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It sounds like we had similar memories of the games, rides, and funhouses. The last story by Chabon describes Berkeley, which was very interesting to me because I myself have never been there. I've always wanted to visit, even now more intrigued by the writers desciption of "And all of the things that drive me crazy are the very things that make this town worth knowing, worth putting up with, worth loving and working to preserve." Very intersesting.