things change….

cont.

Dustin Thomas is a Junior in High School at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California. He loves photography and the thrill of adventure. He says, “My favorite part of photography is the fact that I have control over what I capture, I love finding places that are untouched or unique and photographing them.” Dustin prefers to shoot film, but also enjoys the convenience of a digital DSLR camera as well. He fears that photography could be challenging, and he may not be able to make enough money doing what he loves, but he also loves the simplicity of life, and says he doesn't need much to live and be happy. He hopes to pursue a career as a National Geographic photographer.

Alex Polley is a barista at Hub Coffee Roasters, located on N. Virginia Street. This new location opened near the University of Nevada, Reno in November of 2015. When asked why he liked working there, Polley replied, “I like the free coffee.”

Jean Dixon, Student Advisor, “I help student’s make decisions on classes.”

Chanell Charles, Student Worker, “I guess I'm just a student worker.”

Emily Lohman, “I kinda felt like putting on makeup today.”

Audio- Radio News Event

Today i walked by the small river close to Ann peppers and I was shocked to see all the water in it!! There is never usually water in it so it was so shocking to actually see it running... Even though it was like mud water haha then since it was raining, Mandy had to wear a bag over her head to protect her from the water so she didn't get wet. She looked like a monster underneath the bag hahah and lastly we went to the dollar store and got stockings which was the best part of the day, because it made her room look so Christmasy it was so adorable and it makes me so happy because I know Christmas is here!!!

Today I went on a photo adventure by myself, since I have my car here now I can go do things whenever I want!! So I took my car and my camera and drove behind campus and explored! I found so many cool things, and got to try a bunch of different settings on my camera which was fun! I went to some orange groves and the sun was just right so it reflected off of everything so beautiful. I really was able to just take some time and admire the beauty of the world. The clouds were so beautiful as the surrounded the mountain tops, and the moon was almost full! It was just such an amazing time! I got to listen to great music, and it really just reminded me of home, because I used to do this a lot!

Today was the first rainy day in a while! It was really great to have rain, but at the same time, I hate being wet and cold. I basically wasted my whole day at Target and Sports Chalet, which was fun, but at the same time I probably should have been doing work instead. But whatever, it was a good time! I got two sweater dresses, and some Christmas socks, and this cute little burlap banner. I did a little DIY project last night with the banner, and wrote the words home s w e e t home on it. It think it looks so cute next to my twinkle lights in my room. There is just something about burlap that is so rustic, but still looks chic. Also, I was standing at the door this morning, debating whether or not to go to my 9:30 class, because it was really far away and it was raining, but I decided to be a good student and go. So I go into class and sit down, and we are all waiting for a while. When someone suddenly jumps up and yells very excitedly that class was canceled. I did not share the same excitement, because not only did I have to wake up early and get ready, but I also had to trudge through the rain to get to class, all to get there and be told at the last minute that the class was canceled... I was not a happy camper.

Today was the first day back at school. It was long and boring. After being at home with my family, friends, and boyfriend, constantly being entertained  and having many activities to do every day, school just seems so mundane and boring. All day I have been wishing I was back at home, and wanting to go back to Thanksgiving break. But the one good thing about today is that the leaves have finally have been changing, and have started to fall, which seems a little late compared to many other places around the US. But fall is my favorite season, so this was one thing that made me really happy. We worked on our photo critique in FYS today, which I'm hoping I got a better grade on than my last critique. I was literally shocked when I received my grade for my last critique... I got s 68%. I was almost offended by the grade, since I really do take a lot of time taking my photos, and editing them, and making sure that each and every one of them is nice on the eyes. I don't put out low quality, snapshots, so I was just very confused by my grade. I was disappointed that my work didn't have the same affect that I thought it did. But my confusion really came from the fact that I got really good critiques from the class and the teacher on the day of the critique, so when I got the final grade back I was really upset.

Today my parents drove me back to Redlands, as the finish to my Thanksgiving break. We stopped in Riverside to go get some Molino's coffee, because how could I pass my favorite cafe and not get some coffee? We also walked across the street to the Mission Inn and got to see the beautiful holiday decorations. They were so pretty, and the tree in the lobby was literally one of the most beautiful and breathtaking things I have ever seen. It was huge!!!!! And the tree was real!!! Ive never seen a real Christmas tree that was that big!! The gold decorations really accented the tree and helped to make a whimsical Christmas vibe. Seeing all the decorations and the hubbub around the Mission Inn made me SO excited for winter break and Christmas. I can just imagine how incredible the Inn would be at night, with all the lights on! I definitely want to go back and see it when it is all lit up! I just can't wait for Christmas and the holidays! Christmas is definitely one of my favorite holidays, so I can't wait to come home and decorate my house and tree. Its just such a happy time of the year!!

Tonight I went to go take photos at the beach, since I hadn't been to the beach one time this break! I was so obsessed with the sunset, and the way the light dreamily reflected off of the ripples in the water. The waves tonight were really big too! There was a breeze so the waves looked so pretty with the spray at the top of each wave. My brother was shooting film, so I took a couple silhouette photos of him, because film is definitely something I would like to eventually explore. I know it is an expensive hobby though, since you have to buy rolls of film each time, and there is a greater chance of mistake, since you really only get one shot, and you don't know how it will look until you get it developed. That is part of the beauty of it too though. It is so momentary, and spontaneous. There is really no way to take a perfect photo, and the imperfections are what make it beautiful. There has been many times that my brother has gone to develop his photos, and they have been overexposed, or unfocused, of part of the photo was burned, but they are all beautiful in different ways. Those little imperfections make the photos even more interesting and cool to look at! Anyways, I was so happy to feel the sand between my toes and the beautiful sun as it set behind the ocean horizon. I am definitely infatuated with light and the way it plays with its surroundings, so sunsets are just another one of my many obsessions.