No time constraints, no responsibilities, no school: No problem

Hmmm, if school all of a sudden just seized to exist for me, what would I do with my time?

That’s actually a rather difficult question to answer; much more difficult than I first thought it would be.

But it’s not difficult in the sense that I have no idea what I would do. Life wouldn’t be over. The problem is that there are so many things that I would want to do.

The first thing that comes to mind is traveling. As stated in my previous column, I definitely have the travel gene and love to travel. Whether it is road trips, long trips out of the country, or even just weekend trips somewhere nearby.

So I suppose this is what I would do if I was out of school. I’d become a modern-day nomad, traveling the countryside in my car visiting various states and people I have met across the country.

It would be awesome to be able to just hop in my car and start driving. Not having any particular destination in mind, just seeing where I end up.

Another great thing about it would be having no time restraints. It would feel so free to be able to just stay somewhere for however long (or short) that I want to, and just hop back in the car and continue my traveling.

Being the sports aficionado that I am, I would definitely make a point to stop in some cities to go to some sporting events there. I would want to stop in legendary ballparks that I may never get the chance to see, or even teams or games that will be great. The thought of being able to drive and go visit parks such as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, or even Madison Square Gardens definitely attracts my attention.

On this road trip, there is no doubt about it that I would also have to bring my snowboard equipment. Snowboarding in various parts of the country such as Park City, Utah, or Steamboat Springs, Colorado would be amazing. I have only been to Colorado once, and will never forget how legendary the snow there was, as well as how large the mountains were.

Now this thought leads to my next top option that I would love to do, money permitting of course.

I would also love to be able to travel the world, and go snowboarding on every continent.

For North America, I would venture over to either of the aforementioned resort towns: Park City, Utah or Steamboat Springs, Colo. Then I would head to South America and stay with my family in Argentina, then head over to the Andes to a resort that my cousin works at in Bariloche and snowboard there.

Following Bariloche, I would fly straight over the Atlantic Ocean and try one of the numerous ski resorts in South Africa. My next two destinations to hit up the mountains would be Australia (or New Zealand, tough choice!), and then I would head up north to Japan. My final hurrah and ending place would definitely have to be the Swiss Alps. My mother has spoken so highly of skiing on them as a kid that I would definitely have to see them and experience them for myself.

Now, there definite is a problem with this snowboarding plan. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres have different ski seasons, meaning it would have to be carefully planned and there would be time restraints to some extent.

Another problem with both of my escape plans if school kicks me out: money. The solution for this problem is still to be determined.

Now the question is, do I want to get kicked out to allow me to do all of this? Nah, I only have a semester left before graduating, so I can possibly do it afterwards. Besides, it would make for some great blog entries or even a book.

The travel gene

Growing up I have had the good fortune of being able to travel to numerous places in my life, both domestically and internationally.

Much of my traveling is because of my mother, who has always been big on traveling. In fact, she named me Christopher much because of her love for traveling. Since she was born in Argentina, she is big on Latin culture and in their culture, Saint Christopher is the patron of travelers.

Domestically I have pretty much traveled to all regions of the United States, which is awesome since I have been able to see many historic places, along with many very different cultures, some of which have been quite a shock.

Internationally, I have mostly ventured into Latin American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay, and Mexico. Some of the places in Mexico I have been fortunate to visit of Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, Ixtapa, and Oaxaca.

If there is such a thing, the traveling gene seems to have definitely passed down from my mom. I always enjoy traveling, whether it is a road trip, a camping trip, or an international trip to Puerto Vallarta with some friends.

But on many, if not most, of the trips I have been on have been planned by my mom, with her getting to select the destination to travel to. But not this time, I get to make the selection for our next trip.

Ever since I begin going to college, first Cal Poly and now Sac State, my mom has held strong saying that when I graduate I will be able to pick our next destination, as long as I plan the whole trip.

I’ve never had this much pressure in our trips, I am usually just there along for the ride. There are so many places in this world that I long to go to that I haven’t been yet: Europe, Spain, Peru, Jamaica, Costa Rica, etc.

Since I graduate in May, I have been thinking about it a lot this semester and have finally come to the conclusion that I want to go to Costa Rica after graduation. I chose Costa Rica because I have always wanted to go there, ever since seeing it on TV as a little kid and seeing the beautiful rain forest, coastline, and the diverse animals.

But what this trip is really making me realize is how hard it is to plan a trip of this caliber.

Everything from the flights, to the lodging, to the activities and eating, it is quite stressful when looking at all of the decisions that need to be made.

Looking at just the regions of Costa Rica alone become overwhelming when trying to figure out where we should go. Each region offers many different pros and cons to its visitors. Finally, after long lists of the pros and cons, I decided on the Osa Peninsula just last week. But this is the only decision I have been able to come up with, and have many more to make.

Since the Osa Peninsula is a rather remote part of Costa Rica in the rain forest, I have to make a decision on whether or not to fly in a small plane, or take the bus there. If we fly, it is only about an hour, but my mom hates small planes. If we take the bus, it is an eight hour drive. So, do I please the mother who has taken me around the world? Or do I just take the short flight without thinking about it?

Another stressful decision yet to be made is the lodging situation. Since the whole family is going, this means that we need a place to stay to fit five. I am still yet to figure this out, but have narrowed it down to many eco-lodges on the peninsula.

This has been a very eye-opening experience as I didn’t realize how stressful it could be to plan a trip of this caliber. Perhaps that is why my mom wanted me to do the planning, to see just another part of growing up after graduation.

Be sure to check back in late-June to July for a column on how the trip went!

A taste of Southwestern Food

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have long looked for a Mexican restaurant, or a burrito shop, that has similar food to that of the many restaurants in the Mission District of San Francisco. Unfortunately, Dos Coyotes Border Cafe is not it.

Now this does not mean that the food was bad, but it just is not the same as the Mission burritos I am used to.

When you walk in to Dos Coyotes, which is located on 6450 Folsom Blvd., you order your food first and then sit down at a table. There are a wide variety of tables offered, both inside and outside on a nice patio if you care for some fresh air. The ability to eat outside on a nice day goes a long way for me.

On the inside, the colorful decor pleases the eyes with a variety of Mexican-style decorations such a tin coyotes and solid wooden chairs.

Browsing the menu, I noticed that Dos Coyotes offers a wide variety of items on the menu for their patrons, everything from burritos to quesadillas to salads and a variety of southwest plates.

Finally I decided on the Santa Fe Nachos with chicken. Dos Coyotes offers two different kinds of nachos, the Santa Fe Nachos ($10) and Navajo Nachos. The main difference between the two is that the Santa Fe Nachos come with blue corn tortillas, along with a chipotle chile sauce.

I was pleased to see a wide-variety of salsa for many different palates.

The nachos were brought to my table and I was amazed at the pile of chips, cheese, beans, and chicken stacked high, topped off with a fresh glob of sour cream and guacamole.

All of the ingredients tasted very fresh. The guacamole tasted as if it was freshly made in the back, with the perfect amount of lime juice, tomatoes and spice. The chicken was very moist and tender, did not taste like it had been sitting around at all. The cheese was freshly melted, allowing it to be “stringy” and making it easy for chips to break apart from others.

I was really pleased with ordering the Santa Fe Nachos as opposed to the Navajo Nachos, mainly because of the chipotle chile sauce. I felt like the chipotle chile sauce really helped make the nachos, bringing all of the components together with with sweet and spicy, tangy chipotle sauce.

If the weather is nice outside, I recommend sitting outside on the patio to eat as I noticed that the dining room can get rather loud with all of the bustling patrons and waiters, or waitresses, bringing food out.

Dos Coyotes offers a variety of options on their menu making it a very friendly place to take someone to eat as they shouldn’t have a problem finding something they can eat. They can make almost any dish vegetarian, and are very kind to substitutions, although an additional charge may be required. You can also call in any order and pick it up to-go if you would rather eat at home.

Dos Coyotes also offers a variety of locations for their customers to go to. The chain actually started in nearby Davis, and then spread to Sacramento and now offers seven restaurants in the Sacramento region. Each of these restaurants have the same menus, but carry a different set of specials to offer.

If you are looking for some good southwestern food, I recommend you give Dos Coyotes a try.

The sweet sounds of New Orleans Jazz

The Home Box Office channel, or HBO, is largely known as a movie channel for viewers but they have been growing in the market for television shows. This growth has largely been made possible by popular series such as “The Sopranos” and “The Wire.”

In 2010, HBO brought its viewers another entertaining and powerful television series, “Treme.”

The term “Treme” refers to one of the oldest neighborhoods of New Orleans, which is prominently African-American and rich in culture and New Orleans jazz music.

“Treme” takes place in a post-Katrina New Orleans, approximately just three months after the hurricane when Season One begins. The show focuses on the struggles of the residents of New Orleans who were brought to a state of disaster when the levees broke from Hurrican Katrina, causing massive flooding and massive damage to a city where the majority of citizens don’t have much money.

“Treme” chronicles a variety of characters when documenting the struggles of post-Katrina residents. The variety of characters includes musicians, chefs, bar-owners, government officials and even police chiefs.

“Treme” is brought to you by David Simon, the same writer that wrote the popular HBO Series “The Wire” and “Generation Kill,” along with Eric Overmyer, who is the writer and producer of “Law and Order” and “Homicide.”

Much like Simon did with “The Wire,” he does an amazing job of developing the characters of the show, and how they interact with each other. The show focuses on a group of characters, but the characters don’t all know each other, but since they are all experiencing similar situations, they tend to cross paths often without knowing each other.

If you liked the actors in “The Wire,” then you’ll love the ones in “Treme.” Simon has chosen to use many of the same actors, but in very different roles. This is great to see since it’s always nice to see familiar actors, but this time in a completely different role which shows just how capable they are.

One of my favorite characters in the show is Antoine Batiste, who is played by Wendell Pierce. Pierce was “Bunk Moreland,” in “The Wire,” an alcoholic detective in the city of Baltimore. In “Treme,” Pierce plays Antoine Batiste, a struggling musician who is getting pressure from his girlfriend to drop his trumpet and get a real job. But Batiste is getting pressure from the other side to continue playing music as his family has always been a group of musicians, plus he loves being a Jazz musician.

Many of the characters are musicians since the neighborhood of Treme is huge on culture and Jazz. This allows the show to provide a lot of music and demonstrations of their culture throughout the show, giving the viewer great insight into the culture of New Orleans.

Many scenes of the show feature musicians performing a show in a local bar, having a great time despite the damage that Hurricane Katrina has caused, which demonstrates the mentality of the neighborhood. The characters seem to use their music and culture as a form of coping with the disaster.

The show always keeps me wanting to see more episodes, which becomes a problem with “Treme.” They tend to have short, eight-episode seasons which are topped off with a powerful hour and a half season finale that always leaves you wanting to see more.

“Treme” provides a powerful insight into not only the horrific situations of a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, but also the amazing culture that the historical city contains. If you are looking for a good show that provides drama, music, historical context, and good acting, I recommend you check out “Treme” on HBO.

The premier date for Season Three has yet to be announced, but until then you can watch the first two seasons on HBO Go if you have HBO, or rent them from Netflix or a local movie store.

NCAA athletes given the cold shoulder once again

College football and basketball players across the nation finally took action in their own hands to confront the NCAA in regards to revenue that their respective universities are making from their play on the field or court.

This week, a petition traveled around various universities and was signed by over 300 college football players and eventually sent to the NCAA. This petition is intended to show their belief that they are inclined to a piece of the television revenue that universities make while televising the games each week.

Now I have already gone into the college football industry and how much it is broken so I will spare you of listening to that rant again. But this petition is a very reasonable one, and I fully back the players’ beliefs on this one.

The fact is that the universities are making a boat-load of money from televising these games each week. Lets first take a look at a new deal which will be used as a precedent for future deals.

Earlier this year, ESPN announced that it would be starting a new channel, The Longhorn Network, which was dedicated solely to covering the University of Texas athletics. For the ability to cover their athletics 24/7/365, the University of Texas is “receiving $11 million annually plus another $4 million to their marketing agency IMG,” according to a USA Today report.

This means the University of Texas is getting $15 million a year just for allowing ESPN to televise their games and their coverage. Because the deal is a 20-year deal, the University of Texas will have made $300 million dollars by the time the deal expires. And not one penny of that money will have gone to the athletes, which are the stars of the Longhorn Network.

The same kind of money can be found in the college basketball industry.

Just recently the NCAA signed a new contract with CBS and Turner Broadcasting to televise the March Madness Tournament, which decides the NCAA Basketball Champion every year.

Here are the logistics of the new massive deal: The deal reportedly runs from 2011 to 2024 and the NCAA will earn $10.8 BILLION, or $770 million a year.

So, this entity is making $770 million a year by allowing the televising of a MONTH-long tournament, and none of this money is going to the athletes that are the stars of the tournament.

Without these athletes and the high play on the football field or basketball court, the universities and NCAA wouldn’t have the opportunity to make this kind of money.

It is perfectly reasonable for the players to be seeking at least a portion of this TV revenue since the universities are making so much off of their play. The recently signed petition is an attempt to just receive a portion of TV revenue, and they aren’t even going after any of the ticket revenue or jersey sales or any other revenue.

But the NCAA clearly does not see that the system is broken. Instead of taking a look at the petition and realizing that it supports the idea of a broken system, the NCAA’s board of directors has said that they won’t discuss the idea of distributing a piece of the TV revenue.

What is the reason for this? It's simple: People are inherently greedy and "money makes the world go round."

The NCAA needs to realize that without these athletes on the court or the football field, they would have none of these monster deals worth so much. They are the stars of the games, or “episodes” if you may.

The televising of these games is no different then the televising of a sit-com, a drama, or any other TV show, and in the world of television, the actors and actresses get paid for their work. In the world of college athletics, the athletes are the “actors and actresses”.

Never say never

The saying “Never say never” has long been thrown around in our society implying that anything can be achieved if given the appropriate circumstances. This is especially the case within the sports world.

Throughout the history of sports, athletes, coaches and even owners have decided to ignore the saying and continue to loosely use the word “never.” The great Michael Jordan came out of retirement after he hung up the sneakers; every NFL off season we now have to wonder if quarterback Brett Favre is going to return to the football field because he came out of retirement once; and now, we have an NFL trade that occurred after Mike Brown, the Cincinnati Bengals owner and general manager, said he would never trade Carson Palmer.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was traded to the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday after plenty of controversy and bickering between him and Brown.

To understand the situation some more, it helps to know the history between Palmer and the Bengals organization. After an illustrious college career at the University of Southern California that included winning the Heisman Trophy, the Bengals selected Palmer first overall in the 2003 NFL draft. Palmer was expected to be the savior of the franchise that finished 2-14 the previous season.

During his nine-year tenure on the Bengals, Palmer led them to two playoff appearances but zero wins in the postseason. After the 2010 season, Palmer met with ownership and requested he be traded to another team and if they didn’t trade him, he would retire and not play for the Bengals.

Palmer became upset and unhappy with his stay in Cincinnati towards the end of last year and requested a trade to another team. In response, Brown decided that he would not give in the Palmer’s request and that if he was going to play in the NFL, it would have to be for the Bengals where he still had four years left on his contract. If he didn’t want to do that, he would have to retire at the age of 31.

This standoff lasted for the entire off season and six weeks into this year’s NFL season before it ended on Tuesday. Palmer remained retired working out on the side without the Bengals, while the Bengals drafted a new QB along with starting the season 4-2. But all the while Brown maintained that he was more willing to let Palmer suffer and the Bengals get nothing for him than to let him get his way and get a trade.

That is until the Raiders made Brown an offer that he could not turn down. The Raiders offered Brown two 1st round draft picks, plenty to force Brown to reconsider his options. Brown took the offer and finally gave Palmer what he wanted by trading him to the Raiders. With this action, Brown contributed to the strengthening of the phrase, “Never say never.”

Brown’s actions furthered the idea that there are always certain factors that will cause you to go back on saying you’d “never” do something; like a price for the action.

This is also the case with the NFL. General managers can always say they won’t trade someone, but in the end, the NFL is a business and there is a price that if reached will change the general manager’s decision.

In the end, sports will always be an industry that is ruled by money and power. It has long been the case in the NFL with numerous players holding out because they want a bigger contract, or to be traded. But in the end, there is always a price or a contract that can be offered that will get them back on the playing field. But don’t just think it is the players, the same can be said for the owners. The owners’ decisions can easily be swayed for the right price, just as Mr. Brown has shown with his handling of Carson Palmer.

Occupy Wall Street protesters are on to something

Since the beginning of this country movements and revolutions have long been present, in fact, this country was formed by a revolution against the British control of the colonies. There have been the Boston Tea Party, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War protests, etc, and now we have the Occupy Wall Street protest that has spread across the country.

When Occupy Wall Street started I just assumed it would be yet another small protest that would only matter on the east coast. I figured it would be similar to our protests of an increased tuition. I didn’t even bother to read about it in the news since I figured it wasn’t pertinent to the distant state of California. Wow, I was wrong.

The Occupy Wall Street Movement has spread though out the country, with protests in about 300 cities, some major, and some minor. Some of the prominent cities in California include San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco, and the capital of Sacramento.

The main focus of these protests is to bring awareness to economic inequality throughout America, and to find a way to fix it. Protesters are furious with the fact that corporations are getting bailed out by the government while we are in a recession that is seeing a current unemployment rate of 9.1 percent.

While the middle class and lower class is struggling through out the country, these corporation CEO’s and high-level officials are receiving bonuses and increases in salaries because of government bailouts. Based on the information I have seen, I have to agree with them.

How can 99 percent of the population be struggling in these harsh economic times while the other 1 percent is enjoying an increase in salaries, while not seeing an increase in taxes. The government bailing corporations out is doing no good for the rest of the work force if those corporations are just using the money to give bonuses to the high-end officials, it needs to trickle down into the hands of the working class.

If the money did in fact trickle down to the working class, the rest of the economy would benefit. The working class would then put it right back into the economy by spending it on groceries or at other stores. But instead the money is going to what I call “money hoarders”, people that already have a bunch of money so they can’t spend it all.

The problem with these protests so far is that nobody has really offered a solid solution on how to fix it.

While I believe the protesters have something to gripe about, change cannot happen without a presented solution. I understand that they want to tax the rich 1 percent of people, which makes since, but the question becomes “how?”

People on the right-side of the political spectrum are starting to call the Occupy Wall Street movement a “class war”, which I can see the case for since it seems as if protesters are going after the upper class. But what is wrong with that? Why shouldn’t they?

The fact is this: much of the middle class and lower class population is being affected negatively by our country’s economic state and the upper class is seeing little, if any, of the pain. But the problem isn’t just with the upper class, it is also with the government in place. The government and the corporations need to do a better job with the bailout money and give some of it to the working class instead of being greedy.