For my Senior Project I'm researching the history and advancement of Fly Fishing. So far I have only gathered my supplies needed for field work on the river which includes my fly rod, wading overalls, fly reel, fishing vest, and of course the fly lures. I know that I'm going to have fun with this project, I mean what can be more fun then being on an open river fishing for hours on end for trophy rainbow trout! I'm hoping to go to McCloud CA, and fish on the McCloud on the upper falls area. That is the first place where i first really became in love with fishing. It was on a summer vacation where I limited out five times (25 fish) on the upper falls and I had a blast. My father and I have made McCloud an annual trip every summer since. After I'm done fishing for trout on the McCloud I plan on going to Trinity River where I'll fish for bigger game in Salmon. Fishing for Chinook Salmon is a bit tricky. They are usually very nice sized fish with your average going about 20-30lbs on a nice open stream. The hard part is trying to get them to bite. They aren't feeding once they are in the river because they are in spawn mode and will die off anyway so what you have to do is try and annoy them with your lure that are usually very big ugly looking bugs that will eat the eggs then they will strike. All i reallt need to focus on is getting my mentor interview in but I'm all set up with the guy and should be able to get it by Tuesday next week!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Into the Wild Final Discussion
Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild tells the tragedy of Chris McCandless and his "Great Alaskan Odyssey". Chris was a young man with great ambition and persistence who's ideals ultimately got him killed. His journey into the wilderness of Alaska was one that people were calling suicidal and even saying that Chris himself was mentally ill doing it. I don't think its fair to make those accusations without properly understanding the circumstances. For example, Chris and his sister were born due to his father's infidelity with his prior wife, this making Chris and his sister 'bastard children'. After finding this out, Chris was forever changed. He couldn't understand why people were so mean to each other and trying to find the answer to this question, Chris took it to the extreme and cut his family off, changed his name, and journeyed half way across the nation meeting new people while having a profound effect on each of them.
Do I think Chris was suicidal? No. He was a very stubborn, arrogant, and lucky man but he didn't want to kill himself. He wanted to go to Alaska not to die, but try to live life to the fullest with extreme simplicity. I believe that Chris did this to gain a greater perspective on society and the world he lives in. He did this by creating bonds with people, and traveling around hitchhiking while having a lot of time to think about life.
Was Chris mentally ill? Once again, no. Chris's Odyssey was very extreme to the average person and was pretty much based off of his extreme idealism. This however does not make him crazy. The only think that he did that was mentally ill was the way he prepared himself for the Alaskan tundra, not having nearly enough food for the length in which he wanted to stay, an outdated map, poor planning on shelter (but ended up being very lucky he found the bus), not a big enough gun, and not enough experience in the harsh conditions of Alaska it's crazy because he did it on purpose. Simplicity.
I believe if Chris and his father had a better more open relationship, we wouldn't have this story but instead a man that would still be alive today and would probably be successful. Chris had good intentions with his Odyssey but too much overconfidence and stubbornness got him killed, he never wanted to die nor was he insane. He was a man who had a dream and went after it.
Do I think Chris was suicidal? No. He was a very stubborn, arrogant, and lucky man but he didn't want to kill himself. He wanted to go to Alaska not to die, but try to live life to the fullest with extreme simplicity. I believe that Chris did this to gain a greater perspective on society and the world he lives in. He did this by creating bonds with people, and traveling around hitchhiking while having a lot of time to think about life.
Was Chris mentally ill? Once again, no. Chris's Odyssey was very extreme to the average person and was pretty much based off of his extreme idealism. This however does not make him crazy. The only think that he did that was mentally ill was the way he prepared himself for the Alaskan tundra, not having nearly enough food for the length in which he wanted to stay, an outdated map, poor planning on shelter (but ended up being very lucky he found the bus), not a big enough gun, and not enough experience in the harsh conditions of Alaska it's crazy because he did it on purpose. Simplicity.
I believe if Chris and his father had a better more open relationship, we wouldn't have this story but instead a man that would still be alive today and would probably be successful. Chris had good intentions with his Odyssey but too much overconfidence and stubbornness got him killed, he never wanted to die nor was he insane. He was a man who had a dream and went after it.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Going the Distance 2
After the 49ers went 6-10 in the 2010 season, Mike Singletary was fired. Almost all hope as lost in the 49ers franchise, nobody knew who the new coah was going to be and even with a new coach, the 49ers record would still be below .500. Then it happened. Jim Harbaugh happened. After turning around a stuggling Stanford football program into one of the powerhouses of the NCAA, Jim Harbaugh wanted to become an NFL head coach. He had already played 15 years in the NFL as a Quarterback for the Bears, and the Colts and had been somewhat successful with only a few playoff apperences but nothing special. So immidiatly teams were interested, Dolphins being one of the strongest contenders along with the 49ers. Ulimatlely the 49ers got their man in Harbaugh because he didn't have to move away from him home, the 49ers even offered him less on the contract then the Dolphins.
In the draft that followed the hiring Harbaugh made outstanding picks that would be crucial to the success of the team, the best pick by far was Aldon Smith out of Missouri selected number seven overall in the first round. In Aldon's rookie season he almost broke the rookie sack record with 14, the record being 14.5. Now back to Harbaugh. People were expecting Harbaugh to strip the team dry cut players and put in his 'own' guys, but instead Harbaugh kept virtually the same exact team only a few additions in free agency: CB Carlos Rodgers, WR Braylon Edwards, ILB Blake Costanzo, and C Johnathan Goodwin. Rogers, Costanzo, and Goodwin would prove to be valueable asstes. One of the biggest things Harbaugh did was putting faith in Alex Smith, after Smith was ridiculed for his entire career being called a 'bust' and a loser. Harbaugh was 100% behind what Alex did and Harbaugh even boasted about Smith saying that he is an elite Quarterback, and a Probowler that was probably the first time those words were mentioned in the same sentence with Alex Smith. Even 49er fans were sceptical about it, but appericiated the enthusiasm. WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE.
Week 1 of the 2011 season Harbaugh and his 49ers were in a little bit of a pickel against the Seahawks but a couple of returns for touchdowns gave Harbaugh his first win. The win, however, didn't end the speculation of the 49ers offense, specifically the wide recivers and QB Alex Smith. Alex only had 124 yards passing and the offense looked sluggish to say the least. The 49ers best WR Michael Crabtree had only one catch for 4 yards and the reciver with the most only had 27. So NFL experts deemed this win as a lucky one but still they could only see the 49ers going 7-9 at best. Harbaugh loves being the underdog.
In the draft that followed the hiring Harbaugh made outstanding picks that would be crucial to the success of the team, the best pick by far was Aldon Smith out of Missouri selected number seven overall in the first round. In Aldon's rookie season he almost broke the rookie sack record with 14, the record being 14.5. Now back to Harbaugh. People were expecting Harbaugh to strip the team dry cut players and put in his 'own' guys, but instead Harbaugh kept virtually the same exact team only a few additions in free agency: CB Carlos Rodgers, WR Braylon Edwards, ILB Blake Costanzo, and C Johnathan Goodwin. Rogers, Costanzo, and Goodwin would prove to be valueable asstes. One of the biggest things Harbaugh did was putting faith in Alex Smith, after Smith was ridiculed for his entire career being called a 'bust' and a loser. Harbaugh was 100% behind what Alex did and Harbaugh even boasted about Smith saying that he is an elite Quarterback, and a Probowler that was probably the first time those words were mentioned in the same sentence with Alex Smith. Even 49er fans were sceptical about it, but appericiated the enthusiasm. WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE.
Week 1 of the 2011 season Harbaugh and his 49ers were in a little bit of a pickel against the Seahawks but a couple of returns for touchdowns gave Harbaugh his first win. The win, however, didn't end the speculation of the 49ers offense, specifically the wide recivers and QB Alex Smith. Alex only had 124 yards passing and the offense looked sluggish to say the least. The 49ers best WR Michael Crabtree had only one catch for 4 yards and the reciver with the most only had 27. So NFL experts deemed this win as a lucky one but still they could only see the 49ers going 7-9 at best. Harbaugh loves being the underdog.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
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