It's a girl!

Today I got the info on the kid I'm sponsoring through Compassion International . Well, I knew it would be a girl, because that's what I chose. I didn't pick a region, figuring my money could go where it's needed most. She's a 9 year old from India! She's from the southern tip, about as far as you can get from where my family comes from, but still I'm glad it turned out this way. I'm especially excited after hearing about my parents' visit with the girl they sponsor, and the great things they have to say about how the Compassion operates.

back home

Well, I'm settled back into Hoosier life now, after a quick trip to Michigan. Seeing my college friends reminds me how rare and wonderful it is to have friendships that stand up through time, and changes in life, even changes in ourselves. For example, my old college roommate and her husband are now bikers- maybe it's not quite what you're picturing but I did get to go help them pick out chaps and a biker jacket. We also went to a bonfire- a firemen's bonfire. It was a regular bonfire, not a burning house or anything, but they got some big flames going.

Being home but not having a schedule is a little hard to adjust to. I know some people can relate. It's also kind of wonderful. Mostly I've been doing as much as possible outside- running, biking, helping with the SPEA garden, reading, eating ice cream- tomorrow I'm going to go out with some field guides and get serious about learning trees and wildflowers. I should have started earlier in the spring, but I'll see what I see. I've had this project on my list for years.

The one bit of structure in my life now is tutoring, and I'm glad to have it. Besides providing a tiny bit of income, it gives me some sense of usefulness. And my algebra 2 skills are really sharp now. It's fun to remember what high schoolers are like, too.

I went to my first "bachelor party" yesterday. What happened was, my bible study finished a study series last week, and decided to go out for ice cream this week. One of the couples in the group is getting married this weekend...the bride to be is in her hometown getting ready, while the groom is still here working like crazy at a brand new job. He mentioned not having time for a bachelor party even if he wanted one, so we decided to make our "ice cream social" the bachelor party, in spite of the fact there was only 1 other bachelor there. Don't worry, the only one dancing on tables was somebody's infant daughter. ( It seems like I only mention bible study when we're doing something social- we do actually read and talk about the Bible and pray....really.)

I start my internship in 5 days...starting to get excited/nervous.

Latest entertainment:
Music: Jack Johnson-in between dreams; The Soweto Gospel Choir (they are amazing!); Nickel Creek.

Books: Currently reading Trail of Tears, by John Ehle- interesting perspective on Cherokee and other Native American cultures so far, I admit I struggle a bit through the battle and scalping accounts.

Books on tape: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- kept me awake on the way to Michigan and back (which is more than I can say for the movie!)- seems like kid's stuff to me, as it's supposed to be, but I can see how people get hooked on it. Rowling does well at creating a magical world and drawing you into it. Still, I put the Lord of the Rings (re-reading) and the Lemony Snicket series higher on my fantasy reading list.

Movies: Crash- starring everyone you've ever heard of and some you haven't. Well- acted, interesting storylines. I felt they beat you over the head with the idea that everyone's racist, but my friends disagreed. A bit of a downer, in case you haven't guessed.

southern comfort

Well...since my last post, life's been like one big nap. I swung by Cincinnati, then on to visit my parents in Florida, now I'm back in Cincinnati.

I discovered the wonders of (very) minor league baseball...go Pensacola Pelicans!

Gathered shells at the beach- and it was warm enough to play in the waves!

Saw longleaf pine, wiregrass and Red Cockaded Woodpeckers (RCW)! I spent some time reading and hearing about this ecosystem in Restoration Ecology, so as I mentioned before I was excited to find a big longleaf pine forest a short hour's drive away from my parents' house(thanks mom). Longleaf pines are special because, like prairies they rely on fire to fight off other species and spread their seeds(fire allows the pine cones to open). They used to burn naturally after lightning strikes, but since wildfires are usually put out now, managers have to do controlled burns to keep the forests in their former state. We drove through a large area that had been burned recently. The pine trees looked pretty healthy. We got to drive down some nice red dirt roads, pretty ambitious for my mom's Tercel (thanks again mom). The really great part was seeing endangered RCW. In one part of the forest, there are very active colonies, and the nest trees are marked. Still, there's no guarantee of seeing birds. But we'd almost stopped looking, when we heard some birds singing, and saw something moving on a trunk. It was a woodpecker! We saw a pair flying back and forth from the tree, and I'm pretty sure I heard some young ones crying inside.



I promised to plug this... if you're ever in Pensacola, be sure to check out the brand new Pita Grill, a Greek-Lebanese fast food place. We need to help support the existence of Middle Eastern food, and vegetarian food (though there's plenty of meat too) in Pensacola. It's good food, based on what I had.

I've been catching up on some fun reading, to cleanse my mind from textbooks. So far:
The Hobbit, Tolkien- needs no review

Still Life with Woodpecker, Tom Robbins- I see why my English major friend was in love with him- beautiful,original use of words, pleasantly bizarre adventures, wouldn't recommend it to those who blush easily

Double Whammy, Carl Hiassen- mystery involving bass fishing, televangelists, land development, and south Florida- good backdrop for a mystery, interesting enough I couldn't put it down for 2 days , but not the same literary quality as above. Not really my style, but a friend borrowed my suitcase and left in in there, so had to give it a try.

final-ly done!

I just turned in my last final paper, and finished my first year of grad school! What an exhausting week. I'm going to take a long nap after I post this.

To carry on my tradition from last semester, here's "what I learned in SPEA...part II" -some of the more amusing words of wisdom that made it from professors' mouths to my notes. OK, these all came from 2 professors. BOOOOO to those profs that didn't say funny things to keep me awake and laughing under my breath! 10 bonus points if you can tell which quotes belong to the same person, and what classes they teach (see former posts).

1. "I just love saying Vinogradsky...it sounds so rigorous."

2. "Let's get some nubbins!" -hint: a nubbin is a coral part

3. "In the South we have a saying...don't drive your boat anywhere you can see the ducks standing up."

4. "You don't necessarily have a computer, if all you have is a pencil and a napkin."

5. "I'm just a dumb ecologist."

6. "What's this F 'n G stuff?"

7. "Panama City, Florida is the Redneck Riviera."