 Entertainment
Love at First Byte
Matt Macedo
Caters to Students' Needs at Geno's
For New Millennium, the Word in Fashion
is "Comfort"
Even Good Students can be Bad at
Not Too Naughty
Television in the Next Millennium
Company
Love at First
Byte
By Bernadette O'Reilly
Dating has never been an easy thing, but thanks to technology
there are endless possibilities to finding that special someone.
One of the most recent crazes is dating over the Internet; finding
that special someone in a chat room. Whether this is a valid
way to meet a future partner is debatable.
Chat rooms are full of people wanting to meet new people and
find someone to share their lives with. Chat rooms contain several
identities hidden by screen names. The people who log into the
chat rooms often choose a name for themselves that describes
a characteristic about them. The names can range anywhere from
"AhockeyPlayer," to "Zelda." When looking
to talk with someone, people search for a screen name compatible
with the type of person they wish to chat with. Screen names
play an important role when looking for an adequate chat partner.
Colleen, a 29-year-old Canadian, thought there were no good men
left out there. "I never thought I'd meet Mr. Right, especially
on the Internet," Colleen said. She went into a chat room
and met "DTB," otherwise known as Daniel Benton. They
fell in love through their discussions on the net and phone conversations.
They met in April 1997 and became engaged. They both believe
it was love at first sight. "I know it was meant to be,
I don't doubt it for a moment," Benton said.
"Armand," as he goes by on the net, is a 24-year-old
software designer. He decided to download one of the chat programs
he'd been hearing so much about. He recalls meeting a girl in
a chat room, falling in love with her, thinking of nothing but
her, counting the days until they could finally meet.
When they did meet in person, they were both disappointed. She
wasn't anything like he expected. She was rude and unfriendly.
When he returned home, she broke his heart by her failure to
return his calls and ultimately sent him a Dear John e-mail.
Mercs feels that love on the Internet isn't real love. "You
can't fall in love over the Internet before meeting a person,"
he said. "People fall in love with the idea of being in
love and get caught up in it. I know I did."
Emmy, a 23-year-old wife and mother of one, met Tasslehoff, an
18-year-old student, on AOL. They talked for eight months over
the Internet. Tasslehoff listened to her problems and was there
when her husband wasn't. When they met in person they decided
fate had brought them together. "I've never been this happy
before in my life," Emmy said. "I know I've found my
soulmate and this is meant to be." Shortly after their long-awaited
meeting, Emmy left her husband is now married to Tasslehoff.
Android, as his chat room friends know him, met Puddin online.
They talked for almost a year, getting to know each other's darkest
secrets and exchanging pictures. Puddin said she was a model
but after having a baby had put on a few pounds. When they met
in person Puddin looked quite different, to say the least, standing
5 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 185 pounds. It turned out the
pictures she had given him she had taken off another web site
belonging to a model. Android is far from a supporter of Internet
dating. "I'll never do that again," Android said. "I'll
stick with girls I meet at bars!"
Is love in cyberspace really possible? Some might be avid supporters,
while others completely disagree. Does the chance of love depend
on the individuals? No type of dating is fail safe. Is technology
a way to find your soulmate who could live across the country,
or merelya complete waste of time? For as much as opinions vary,
it seems it is up to the individuals who participate to decide
for themselves.
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Matt Macedo caters to students'
needs
at Geno's
By Jennifer Ford
If you head out towards the Brentwood/North Livermore area,
specifically the Vasco Road exit, you'll notice a Shell station
on the north side of the overpass. It's not your typical gas
station, though. Peek behind the isle of gas pumps and you will
find a jazzy little restaurant and minimarket called Geno's Country
Store. Venture out behind the restaurant and there lies Ken's
Tires, a complete tire and lube shop. Innovative and convenient,
this combination provides a great service to the ever-growing
community of North Livermore. With 30,000 new homes being built
in that area, Geno's Country Store should be in for a big business
boom in the near future.
Restaurant co-owner and Las Positas student Matt Macedo was more
than willing to give me a tour and the lowdown on the history
(yes, there is a history) of Geno's. Geno is Matt's father and
evidently the restaurant's namesake. This family-owned plot of
land was once simply a greenhouse and dirt lot. The late '70s
brought a drought and a need for a change in venue to keep the
land profitable. So, a little store with food items and beer
was added to the existing nursery. In 1981, a Shell station was
added to the land, the kind where you pump, you pay and you may
pick up a little snack inside the store.
Then in 1985, the building was expanded to include some office
space behind the original store. In 1994 the Shell station was
remodeled and earlier this year the entire interior of the restaurant
was revamped to its modern splendor.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately taken by the
wonderful interior. It's an eclectic mix of bright stucco walls,
deep colored wooden chairs and tables, with original artwork
on the walls by LPC art instructor Diana Greenleaf. Some of Matt's
personal artwork hangs from the ceiling as well. There are little
concave tables and booths around the perimeter of the restaurant's
main dining area that simply invite a nice relaxing lunch and
good conversation. Even the tile floor, as you venture from the
main room to the Greenhouse room, was a gorgeous mix of color
and texture.
The Greenhouse, or Green room is exactly as it sounds. It's the
leftover section of the original nursery now available as a dining
area. It is naturally lit by the translucent walls and kept cool
by floral mist emitters. There is gorgeous, lush plant life surrounding
the tables and rumor has it that butterflies have recently been
released there, with gecko lizards and frogs soon to join. Any
adventurous diner may chance a meal in that room.
The warm decor of the restaurant is entirely due to the creative
abilities of owner Matt Macedo. He is currently a Las Positas
student, heavily enrolled for the past few years in the Art Department.
Many other current and former LPC students are employed at Geno's
including Kim Hohn, store manager; Mike Jones, Dustin Schaefer,
Gary Jackman and Merlin Martin.
The restaurant is connected via the kitchen to the country store
next door. This method of connection allows for a fresh deli
inside the market where a passerby can grab a bite to go. That's
fine for a small taste of what Geno's has to offer, but for the
real thing, I'd suggest taking a bit more time and dining there.
Like the decor, the menu is quite eclectic. All food is made
fresh, including the bread, which is baked on location. The restaurant
caters to a wide range of personalities, from business persons
in three-piece suits to mothers with children.
Geno's offers a child's menu at very low prices, as well as toys
and a blackboard section on the wall, complete with chalk to
keep the kids occupied while they wait. The prices range from
fairly inexpensive to slightly pricey and the portions are quite
large. For instance, you can nosh on garlic bread for $1.99.
If your pockets are a little deeper, there is also a grilled
beef short ribs appetizer that will set you back $13.95. If you
prefer to order out, Geno's has a takeout menu that offers a
half-off coupon for you and a guest on your next visit. There
will soon be a tally card that allows a free meal for two with
previous purchase of 15 gasoline fill-ups or meals. Yet another
LPC graduate and co-owner, Pat Ludden, helped design the menu
and food items.
If you are venturing to other parts of the Bay Area, there are
three other Geno's Country Stores run and managed by the Macedo
family. Those locations are Byron, Discovery Bay and Cotati.
Geno's caters the Student Art Festival annually, as well as many
Hawk's functions. Matt himself has entered the art festival in
the past, but has never clinched a prize. But with co-owning
and maintaining his family chain of restaurants, his plate is
abundantly full.
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For new millennium, the word in
fashion is "comfort"
By Monica Monzon
A big question on everyone's mind is: "Where will I be
when the ball drops on December 31, 1999?" Actually the
question everyone should be asking is: "What will I be wearing
for New Year's?"
When we used to think of the future, we imagined ourselves in
clothing that Judy Jetson would wear. But rather than going "high-tech,"
it seems that the new word in fashion is going to be "comfort."
We can see this trend everywhere from retail stores like The
Gap and Old Navy to top designers like Donna Karan and up-and-coming
designers like Puff Daddy. Even though these designers and stores
have very different styles, they all sell cozy clothing.
In the new millennium, fashion will be much more about being
comfortable than being elegant. Many of the trends we've seen
recently, such as Dockers and cargo pants, are good examples
of that. The trend started when the business world adopted "casual
Friday." This style-with the typical khakis and polo shirts-has
become so popular that many companies are opting for a "corporate
casual" look all year around.
The funny thing about this trend is that it did not start on
the runways of Paris and Milan, but in areas like Silicon Valley
and Wall Street. These are generally the last places that the
fashion world looks for inspiration.
We all know that fashion trends recycle themselves. In the past
few years, we have seen long, flowing skirts and platform shoes
come back into style. It is likely that the "big sweater
and T-shirt phase" will return again soon as well. One item
that has already come back in a slightly altered form is boots.
One style that hopefully does not rear its ugly head again is
"grunge," where supposedly cool guys wore flannel shirts
and looked like they hadn't taken a shower in two or three days.
Let's just hope that leisure suits with matching belts and shoes
stay buried in the back of our closets forever. Comfort is here
to stay.
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Even good students can be bad
at Not Too Naughty
By Mark Heyder
 Students looking for some kinky fun needn't look
farther than downtown Livermore. The shelves of Not Too Naughty,
an adult entertainment store on First Street, are adorned with
a variety of sex toys, pornographic material, and novelty items.
An employee at Not Too Naughty, who declined to give his name,
said, "A lot of people have a belief that adult stores are
bad and immoral, but we are trying to offer a clean respectable
business that provides marital aides that help couples in relationships."
The store has been controversial since it came to town, but it
has outlasted its many detractors.
Sex toys include such names as the "Ass Master,"
"The Classic Dong," and "The Pleasure Spot."
The devices came in varying colors, shapes, textures and sizes.Novelty
items cover the walls. Customers can choose edibles such as "penis
gummies" and "mint after-dinner nipples." A selection
of video merchandise has similarly sex-oriented titles.
Magazines were graphic, to say the least. Some of the publications
showed pictures of males and females (in many different
positions) having sex. Besides heterosexual erotica, there was
also an assortment of homosexual material. One magazine called.displayed
men wrestling, touching, kissing, and having orgies. Some wore
black leather and chains while performing sado/masochistic acts.
In another magazine, young girls did the "nasty" with
both males and females.
In the back of the store, there were a number of booths reserved
for viewing pornographic videos.The cover charge for viewing
is $10.
"This store gives people a new outlet that is healthy and
safer to explore sex," said the employee.
Not Too Naughty is located at 2121 First Street in downtown Livermore.
It is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight. You must be 18 years
or older to enter.
Not Too Naughty is located next door to the Panama Coffee Co.
You can have sex with your cup of java.
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Television in the next millennium
By Monica Monzón
What we watch is often a reflection of who we are. As we come
upon the 1999-2000 season on television we're sunk to new depths
in the quest for high ratings. We must ask ourselves if we're
actually looking forward to watching this type of smut on television,
and what this says about us as a society.
If we look back at the way television has evolved, we can see
how our society, or at least our perception of society, has evolved.
In the 1950s we had shows like "Leave it to Beaver"
and "The Donna Reed Show"—things that made us
feel good and portrayed the idealism of the post-war years.
The 1960s were a time of great change in our country and we could
see that through our televisions. People were able to see Watts
go up in flames and watch the funerals of John F. Kennedy and
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the 1970s, as the feminist movement got stronger and stronger,
we had shows like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda."
Both of those shows had examples of women who could live on their
own and make it without the help of a man.
In the 1980s, with shows like "Growing Pains" and "The
Cosby Show," it was all about families, and television was
not a dangerous place.
Now we are in the 1990s, with shows like "Friends"
and "Seinfeld," where families are thought of second
and a lot of the plot lines contain mature themes that children
should not watch.
With the expansion of cable, the networks are trying harder and
harder to get back many of the viewers that have gone to cable.
To do that, they have created shows that should be on cable.
"Action," one of the shows that is getting the most
attention, is on the Fox network . This show has swearing and
very mature themes. What makes it worse is that since it is on
basic television, it will be easily accessible to kids.
So in the next millennium, will all shows be full of vulgarities
and nudity? Will shows that are currently on cable, like "Oz"
and "Sex in the City"—both of which have mature
themes and plenty of violence—be staples of the so-called
"family hour"?
With television being blamed for a lot of the violence in our
society, we have to wonder if there is some truth in that. But
we must also realize that we have to take responsibility for
our own actions. With television playing such an important part
in our society, we have to start taking action and not let the
network executives put whatever they want on television.
The most important thing that we must remember is that, as viewers,
we have the ultimate control. So when you don't like something,
turn it off. If enough people turn it off, it won't be on anymore.
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