Summary

Hunter and Brandon after 25-hour race

Sometimes I think of myself as a writer. Not because I write, but because I think of writing. For me, writing is not easy. Nor is it fun. Though it can be satisfying, but not satisfying enough for me to do any significant writing outside of the requirements for school and such. So my writing experience has been mainly in the form of essays, a few short stories, and some screenwriting exercises. I usually procrastinate until the night before the assignment is due and stay up all night to jam it out. This has been an effective way of accomplishing the task at hand and I can trace this habit back to my first college writing class. It was at the College of Marin and I had tested into the advanced writing class for my first semester there. My teacher, Paul Miller--who had authored one of our required texts entitled First Aid Guide for Writers (which I still use to this day)--expected us to write seven or eight essays including a research paper for our final assignment. Well, I didn’t write every paper--I just couldn’t seem to fit Buddha’s Eightfold Path into essay form-- but I did do some research on the old rock quarry on San Rafael Hill. I started the paper twelve hours before it was due. Luckily, I had a mini coffee-maker in my room and was able to write a pretty decent essay that night. I ended up failing the class because of incomplete work, but I did get an “A” on my research paper. Mr. Miller had written something very nice on the front of it that read, “...you have the natural ability of a professional writer.” This was a blessing to receive and inspired me to think about writing more, however, it reinforced the idea that I could always write great papers the night before. I have written quite a few papers since then, most the night before, some fairly decent and earning good grades, but none that I am especially proud of. So now when I think of writing, I associate it with stress--and coffee, and numb legs from sitting motionless through the coldest hours of the night--even though it is the most creative thing I know how to do. Anyway, I would like to learn a less painful way to write, as well as improve my abilities. Eventually, I would like to submit my work for publication and get paid for it. I always thought that I would be an automotive journalist at some point in my life. I have always been into cars and have a strong background with them. After attending a two-year associates program in Automotive Repair Technology I became an ASE Master Certified auto technician and specialized in European cars: Porsche, Audi, Alfa Romeo. I worked at a world-famous Porsche race shop at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon) and also had my own club-racing team with two of my best friends; the Alfa we raced took second-in-class at NASA’s first 25-hour endurance race. So given my experience with the automotive world, I might have something to draw from. However, I am in the process of changing my career to filmmaker, as I have a strong visual inclination, but who knows, maybe I’ll write after all.