Who Maxine Is Matters

I actually grew to really enjoy this book. I'll admit that at times, it was very slow, but overall I greatly enjoyed learning about where real food comes from. This was a fairly easy read; Timmermeister used plain english and simple sentences. Throughout the novel, Timmermeister’s success came with a ton of failures. But I love the fact that he was blatantly honest about failing. In today’s society, many people tend to cover up their failures or pass the blame on someone else, while boasting their successes. However, Timmermeister wrote much more about his failures and challenges than about his successes. For example, his efforts to grow an orchard were ruined when deer constantly devoured the crops of his new trees.  Generally, Timmermeister lacked the knowledge to be a perfect farmer. However, his passion and perseverance allowed him to push forward despite various loopholes. One quote that I love is from chapter thirteen (Butchering). Timmermeister says...

Emergency Medical Technician Have you ever wondered who responds to 911 calls? You might be thinking to yourself, “Duh, the paramedics”. Or maybe you have never given this question any thought. EMTs are trained professionals who respond to 911 calls and transport patients to the hospital.  Many of you are probably not familiar with what an EMT means, or are hearing this term for the first time. An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provides out of hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and noncritical patients. As an EMT, my duties include basic life-saving techniques, such as CPR, bleeding control, oxygen administration and more. We are not doctors, but we are able to manage life-threatening situations and stabilize patients until they get to the hospital. We have two primary functions: treat and transport. We treat to the best of our ability, and transport to the appropriate hospital or facility. We are not to get confused with...

I have mixed feelings about this book so far. I like how Timmermeister does not romanticize life on the farm. Rather, he presents what it is really like to be a farmer- difficult, messy, and unpredictable. In terms of his writing style, I like how it is very conversational. For the most part, the author uses common words rather than "beaurocratic" ones. This makes his writing easy to read and understand.   On the other hand, however, there are a ton of writing errors. I'm not sure if this was intentional, or if the editor missed them, but it can be quite distracting to me. Also, his  writing can be dull and mundane at times. This is certainly not a riveting story. Perhaps the author intentionally moves the book at a slow pace, in order to represent how life on a farm can feel like.  The layout of the novel is strange in that the story is nonlinear. Chapters are separated by the subject, rather than the exact order of acquired experiences. To me, this is not a huge fl...

1. I come from Los Angeles, CA. Funny enough, when I studied abroad in Melbourne, people would almost faint when I told them I am from Los Angeles, because it is a celebrity haven. My dad is from Tehran, Iran. He moved to the United States during the Iranian Revolution. My mom, on the other hand, is a New Yorker born and raised in Long Island. 2. After I graduate from USC, I will spend a year working on an ambulance as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Afterwards, I hope to attend USC's Physician Assistant Program. 3. Before I apply to USC's PA program, I need 1,500 hours of volunteer work/ clinical experience. To obtain those hours, I will volunteer at various hospitals and homeless shelters, shadow physicians and work on an ambulance. 4. Similar to my parents, I believe in the power of the mind. My parents have instilled this idea in my mind that I can do or become anything I put my mind to. In other words, the sky is the limit! I am similar to my mom in th...