As I sit at my desk demanding my brain to figure out what is going on in one of my classes, my body pleads for a break. When I was younger I wouldn’t have taken one. I thought I was Superman with...

"You never loved me!" my brother screams. "What are you talking about?" I reply, as my voice cracks.  The car is filled with tangible hate. As tears flood my eyes, and my stomach drops. I'm...

The days getting shorter and colder signifies that the winter holiday season is near.  Before any of the prominent winter holidays comes Halloween, and in Chico, Halloween is known as “Chicoween.”  Chicoween...

To this day, few things give me more joy than derailing conversations to remind people of my veganism. It’s easy to poke fun at myself, but there are few subjects that genuinely fascinate me as much...

“I think I'm dying!”  Sweating through the sheets on my mattress, I lay in bed. My body aching, my throat hurting and my head raging, I began to run through all illnesses in my head that could...

A few weeks ago, I went through a breakup resulting in one of the most illuminating cognitive shifts I’ve ever experienced — an epiphany if you will.  We were together on and kind of off (but...

“You don’t want to study that,” my teacher said with a chuckle.  I was a senior in high school and had shared with one of my teachers that I wanted to study philosophy in college. His...

The $100 million man is gone from the Las Vegas Raiders after completing just four years out of his 10-year contract. His record over that span was 22-31 with zero playoff appearances.  He should...

Growing up a traditional Mexican Catholic meant going to church every Sunday. I learned to hold my tongue and not protest for two reasons: First, I wasn’t going to win. You don’t argue with Mexican...

The age-old treatment for stress: fresh air. Nothing clears the mind like a walk among Chico’s assortment of trees and wildlife. But with this luxury, comes a caveat: Your otherwise peaceful walk includes...

As the melody hits my ears, and the rhythm moves the body, the everyday problems begin to disintegrate and all the emotions start to flood in. Since the beginning of humanity, music has always been there...

As I celebrate graduating from high school with honors, one of my ex-counselors attempts to shake my hand, but I deny him. He asks why, and I say, “I remember you said I was going to drop out and...