2013 Yuba College Archive Stories

They say it can't be done. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, they say, but you've spent a good amount of time doing it successfully anyhow. Sit, stay, down, you've taught 'em all. It just took patience and love. And in the new book "A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home" by Sue Halpern, it takes patients and love — and somet

Retirement is too far away. You can see it from your work desk. It's tantalizingly close, filled with sun and sand, golf and travel, but it's oh-so-unreachable. Yes, you have a job you're happy to have. No, you don't want it forever. So how would you feel being your own boss? Making good money, doing something you love, having fl

All your life, you've tried to be good. As a child, you were taught kindness and compassion, honesty and trustworthiness. You learned graciousness and generosity and embraced gratitude. You've always tried to be good for several reasons, mostly because it's the right thing to do. Also, there's a place for evil people and you don'

Another invitation arrived today. That makes six this year. Everybody but you, it seems, is having a baby, therefore, a baby shower. Consequently, you've bought enough receiving blankets to cover your city and wrapped enough tiny outfits to outfit an infantry of infants. You're good with babies. Everybody says so, but for whateve

The package was wrapped so nicely. The paper was festive, the colors zesty with frou-frou ribbon and a shiny bow on top. Surely, if it was possible for someone to make a career out of wrapping gifts, it was such a person who wrapped this one. Too bad it was a gift you never wanted. Yes, we've all had them: odd presents, a

You'll try anything once. You're daring when it comes to a new restaurant, new clubs, new fashion, pretty much anything. Something different for your plate? Bring it on. An activity you've never done before? You head the line. New technology? They call you first-adopter. Being open to new adventures keeps life fresh and exciting.

Work stinks. Home isn't much better. Deadlines, dirty dishes, screaming boss, loud neighbors, nasty clients, empty bank account — any wonder why you're so crabby? No help, no raise, no sympathy ... what you really need is to get away. And so did author Mikey Walsh, but, as you'll see in his new memoir, "Gypsy Boy on the Run

How many kids do you have? It's a question that often comes up, and when you answer it, you're always careful to add in the furry ones. And why not? Your four-footed kids are a lot like the two-footed ones: They're messy, sassy, yowling creatures with loud demands, stubborn impatience and extreme insolence — and you wouldn't have i

All for one, and one for all. That could've been the motto for you and your two best friends. Growing up, you were the Three Musketeers, sharing gossip, secrets, crushes, families and truths. Everybody knew that you three were close as paint on a wall and where there was one, the other two weren't far away. You were lucky to have

Your dog has a species identity crisis. Some days he's a copycat, and it's like monkey see, monkey do around your house. Other days he's stubborn as a mule, eats like a little piggy, is fearless as a lion and he runs through the house like a herd of elephants. You're beginning to wonder what other souls lie inside the body of you

Today, there was food on your table. Before you ate it, you woke up in a warm bed with a roof over your head and clean clothes to wear. A hot shower awaited you in a room with running water. There's money in your wallet, gas in the tank and your home is secure. All of which makes you luckier than a good portion of the world's cit

The boss didn't like you very much. You sometimes wondered why you were ever hired, in fact. From the beginning, he was critical, secretive and never let you know you'd overstepped your boundaries until you'd run past them by a mile. And you took the job anyhow. And you learned because you knew that the boss doesn't have to like

For sure, it was a case of Cute Overload in black-and-white. Nobody could've set up a shot that adorable: two pure white polar bear cubs, romping in the snow with Mama Bear looking on with a watchful eye. They looked yummy, like you could scoop those babies up. The picture almost made you want to go hug something. What will we do

So far, you've resisted. You've resisted closing up shop, selling your business, downsizing yourself out of a job. You've put off laying everyone off. Most importantly, while so many jobs are going overseas, you've resisted outsourcing to China. Made in America is important to you, and you're concerned about where our jobs are go

Once upon a time, you promised to love for better or for worse. And so, through sickness and health, you tried your best in your marriage. Whether you were richer one day and poorer the other, you loved fiercely, honored often and obeyed your heart. Maybe that worked. Maybe it didn't. Maybe you got the relationship you dreamed ab

Your weekends are suddenly wide open and empty. No more extra televisions in the living room. No more Sunday snack-binging. You've put away your make-up, your lucky shirts and the hats that no team can win without. It's enough to make a grown (wo)man cry. Yes, football season is over for you. But for 32 men, the end of on

The lady in the picture was wearing the biggest scowl you'd ever seen. The photo was taken long ago and it made you wonder what happened that day to make her so snarly. Was there a death, lost crops, an accident, bad weather or did the photographer make her angry? You'll never know but you wonder, just like the portrait makes you

The lady in the picture was wearing the biggest scowl you'd ever seen. The photo was taken long ago and it made you wonder what happened that day to make her so snarly. Was there a death, lost crops, an accident, bad weather or did the photographer make her angry? You'll never know but you wonder, just like the portrait makes you

You've always tried to do the best for your family. You make sure everyone's fed nutritious food three times a day. You put clothes on their bodies, bubbles in their baths and a soft bed beneath them every night. There are toys on the floor, a couple dollars in the bank, holidays are all good and you do your best to make sure it stays th