Sheela's Journal

back to b-town

2006-08-24T22:54:00.000-04:00

Home sweet home. Even though I'm just renting and share the place with 2 roommates, this feels like home. Plus, after 2 years in a fairly small town, everywhere worth going has sentimental value. In 2 days, I've already been to a picnic in Bryan Park (near my 1st little apartment) and visited a couple of my old haunts, caught up with old students (and their pets) and profs, met a few new students, tracked down cheap used textbooks, met with the other bio TAs, and partially cleaned up the mess that 3 months neglect creates.

The rest of the summer in DC went by in a whirlwind. I was determined to finish early because I had to be here for meetings and wanted a couple days to move. Plus, I wanted to do some site visits and job shadowing before I left. So I worked hard, got done, and here I am!

3 more days of freedom...

aaaargh!

2006-08-03T21:46:00.000-04:00

I haven't written because I don't have too much to say.

Well, I guess since the last post I had nice visits with both sets of parents and siblings. But that's mostly who reads this, so you probably know that already.

I'm pretty much done with my big EPA report, and just have to edit, do my presentation and work on some side projects. That might be more work than I expected, though. So I've still been sitting in a cubicle and typing all week. I think that's what the "aaaargh!" is for.
We went on some site visits- a wastewater treatment plant (the biggest advanced WW treatment plant in the world!), an air force base, a ritzy neighborhood with arsenic in the soil. I don't love looking at waste and contamination, but it's nice to see how they clean it up. Last week we had an intern "photo shoot" with the Administrator of EPA- basically over 100 interns standing behind the Administrator in a big room. It's a really fun picture, though- kind of like a Where's Waldo.

That same day, The Make A Wish Foundation was granting this kid's wish--to be President of the United States for a day. So he did presidential things, like go talk to troops, do meet & greets at various agencies. Apparently, one presidential duty was talking to the EPA interns to tell us what a good job we're doing. So while we were gathered, he came in and we had to pretend he was the president (assuming we liked the president)- we cheered, crowded up to shake his hand, took pictures. It was really sweet. I think his speech was pretty much what the Pres. would actually say.

I've been having fun on weekends, but nothing outrageous. Saw the rest of the east wing of the National Gallery of art- the contemporary section. I was one of the first people in town to see the Henri Rousseau exhibit. I went to a Nationals-Cubs game- their stadium looks exactly like the old Riverfront stadium. Went to a little waterpark last weekend-really little- 3 slides and a wave pool. But it was great because it's HOT here, like almost everywhere else. This weekend we're going to 6 flags. Kind of a last hurrah, since most of us are moving in the next 2 weeks. I guess I've done stuff, but this is a month's worth of fun.

When I get back to school, I'll be going back to my roots, as a biology TA (roots..haha). It will be nice to get out of the SPEA building, nice to shape young minds, hopefully not make them hate biology. Maybe I can get some tips from Raj on what not to do.

wash(bloom)ington

2006-06-24T18:43:00.000-04:00

One of the strange things about my DC experience is that I see more IU friends this summer than when I was in Bloomington last summer. For example, one of my environmental science classmates is in the cubicle across from me at work now. My two roomates from last year and one who I'll be living with next year are all here for work or internships. Getting together with them especially adds to the feeling that we haven't moved- someone just dropped DC on top of us. And I get together with other people from my school now and then.

I finally had a non-IU outing today- our department's first intern social. We went to a Caribbean festival, actually a parade. But it was a far cry from the tame, marching band filled hometown parades I'm used to. It mainly featured huge trucks with the biggest sound systems (and biggest generators) I've seen on wheels, blasting Caribbean music. Following the truck, there was a crowd of people, mostly women, in shiny, colorful, skimpy outfits, dancing down the street. The crowd was also dancing and pushing further and further into the road, so it was hard to tell what was parade and what wasn't. It reminded me of a story someone told me about Carnaval in South America- but I'm sure it was a lot tamer than that. It was pretty fun, and an interesting experience to share with people you barely know.

The hot, humid DC summer I've heard such bad things about is starting, and I'm sleepy from being outside in it. So that's my update for now. Work is still fine, though research gets a little monotonous. I'm meeting more full-time people, who give us some potentially helpful career hints.

work and play

2006-06-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have finally started work. What can I say...it's like school but better. I get to actually research my topic thoroughly and do a good job, instead of rushing through. Oh yeah, and no homework. Not yet at least. You'd think it would be boring, but there are a lot of different ways to look at acid mine drainage. Actually, it came up in the last novel I read, Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver. (Of course, I didn't count that as work hours).

I've had fun, too. My roommate and I went to New York City for Memorial day weekend. First time I'd been there that I can remember. Ate some good food, took a ferry ride, ate some more food, saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ate some more food, and finally saw Stomp! if you've been out of it for the last 10 years like me, and haven't seen Stomp, you really should. I can't imagine anyone not liking it, except maybe very jumpy people who are scared of banging sounds. I have no cord to transfer photos to my computer now, so if you want to see NYC photos, see Raj's blog.

In the meantime, I've seen more of DC. It feels like home now, at least for now. I don't feel like I have to live here forever, but I think I could do it and be happy.

Hangin' out

2006-05-23T19:34:00.000-04:00

I'm still just hanging around DC, relaxing before I start work. I've had a chance to get out and do a little sightseeing around the city.

I went to the National Museum of the American Indian (I guess that's PC now), a new addition to the Smithsonian. It's pretty big and impressive, I didn't get to cover it all. One floor is dedicated to exhibits on life in different tribes today. It's sad to see so many cultures almost gone, but also inspiring to see those who carry them on through native language schools, combining old and new technology to make a living, gathering from different parts of the world, etc. It reminds me of the challenge immigrant communities face, keeping some of the old world, while the new one presses in from all sides. But it would be a little harder if the old world didn't exist anymore.

The next day we took a mega walking tour of all the monuments. It left me feeling very patriotic. Hmmm...I wonder if I would've felt the same if I'd gone right after the American Indian museum. Still, I'm interested in the people who made such an impact on history, like Lincoln, FDR, and Jefferson, even if I don't agree with everything they did. Then we rode out to Georgetown, shopped around, and had dinner at Amma's, a great vegetarian South Indian restaurant. We spent the evening out on the waterfront, and met up with one Rachel's friends from college. Hooray for being a tourist!

Besides that, I've been reading lots of novels, remembering why I don't let myself do this during the semester (I stay up really late). After reading about slavery in the interesting but strange The Known World (Edward P. Jones), I decided to go for lighter teenage fare. I started The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, which reminds me of the books I read as a pre-teen. Then I explored the darker side of teen angst in The Pact, by Jodi Picoult, about love, suicide/murder, friendship, and truth. I just bought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I think I'll go back to light stuff for the day or 2 it takes to read it.

I actually have started to do some work, since my internship is a research project. Nice to have a little purpose, especially in the comfort of my own home.

The Evaluation

2006-05-18T00:21:00.000-04:00

The 2 people who still read my blog may have noticed I stopped blogging lately. I had to re-evaluate whether it was worthwhile to post my thoughts and updates when 1) they're not that fascinating, and 2) even with my squeaky clean life, it's unwise to make everything public. After a few randomized double blind studies, surveys, and focus groups, I concluded that blogging is still an efficient and effective way to share some information with people who happen to be interested.

So here I am in our nation's capital. If you've been here, you know what it's like. My specific location is a basement apartment I can only describe as "cute". It seems to be newly remodeled, so it's like a mini version of a real house or apartment. Since my roommate and I brought a Corolla full of stuff for the 2 of us, we're glad it came with some furniture. True, we're sleeping on air mattresses, but we have free direct tv and new (quiet!) kitchen appliances. Life is good. Our landlords, who live upstairs are a nice couple with toddler, a dog and a cat. It's nice to be around a family for a change...I mean living around a family. I'm not discounting my own family, who I just visited.

Yesterday was a nice day, so we (my roommate and I) explored Old Town, Alexandria. I think this is why I get the feeling of being in a foreign country every once in awhile. Places like this are very non-Midwestern. Compact brick buildings with a hodgepodge of family owned businesses. Public transportation, foot transportation, bike transportation. Buildings that are actually old...almost 300 years is pretty good for the US. We walked down to the Potomac. I admit it, I'm a sucker for water and a little atmosphere. Some good Thai food (which we had) doesn't hurt, either. And I bought fun books! All in all, a good day.

The rest has been settling in mostly, with small victories like figuring out how direct tv works, and discovering a wireless network I can connect to at home. Which reminds me, this blog is brought to you by...unsecured wireless networks.

Missing month

2006-03-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

When people talk about "lost time" they're usually talking about an alien abduction or something. I don't think I was abducted by aliens in February but I was a captive of group projects, databases, internship applications, student organizations, and yes, some social obligations. So let's do highlight, lowlight, AmeriCorps-style:

Highlight: Stream Ecology. Though it's a ridiculous amount of work, and forces me to get up early every Friday, I feel a real camaraderie with the other "water people" in the class that I hope I have in my career someday. Plus, we get to go outside, sample streams in different ways, then come back and figure out what it all means. When I'm not exhausted, I really appreciate it.

Lowlight: SPEA's "date auction". I guess morbid curiosity drove me there. Though it was a fundraiser, and most people just bid on friends who they'd hang out with anyway, there was a certain wrongness about putting people up for sale. The main activity for those not participating in the auction was talking about how wrong it was. Not the most fun night of my life.

March is even busier than February, but I'll look back on it with satisfaction if I survive. Environmental Management Association is having some potentially great alumni events and speakers, and we're helping prepare for great speaking events by Bill Ruckelshaus (1st EPA administrator) and Paul Portney (former head of Resources for the Future, a major think tank for environmental policy issues), sponsored by SPEA.

I'm trying to make spring break a real break by going away and not working. It helps that I've got a backpacking trip in Tennessee and a wedding to go to!

survivor

2006-01-10T00:24:00.000-05:00

Happy to report that I survived the projects I was going crazy over in my last entry. Things are much more peaceful now. They were really peaceful when I got back to Bloomington. It was like a ghost town until yesterday, and classes started today!

I had some concerns about surviving the holidays...but not in the way people usually mean it. From a little before Christmas until New Year's one family member after another kept getting sick with 2 different illnesses. Just when we'd think it was ending, something new would come up. Since we were in close quarters, I thought we'd all be infected by the end. As far as I know, Adam, Grandma and I all survived (did you make it Adam?) It was sad, but it was still nice to see everyone, and it was a pretty relaxing time.

I had a nice celebration of surviving another year (aka, birthday). I got to spend it in 2 of my homes (Cincy and B-town). I mean, it can't compare to blog-day, but it was pretty decent.

Happy blogday to you....

2005-12-06T01:08:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's a very special occasion. Today my blog is ONE YEAR OLD!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!!! I know you'll have a hard time giving my blog the gift of comments, but if you send me an e-mail, I'll pass on the blogday wishes.

I said I wouldn't write until December, with good reason. Very little has changed that's worth mentioning since my last post. I've turned in a grand total of ONE of my six final projects and papers. Not to mention the two in-class finals I have. And two presentations that go along with my projects. This is madness. But I don't want to bring my blog down on its big day.

This is also a season of parties! I know, I'm talking about parties every time I write. But it's not all I do. Besides, they're with bosses, and organizations I'm in charge of, etc. Even if I can't go, I have to go. Man, another excuse to eat food and have fun!

A sad scene today...our school has an annual competition with the business school to see who can donate the most food, by weight. It's a nice way to get people motivated to give, but I think they've lost sight of the point. We got a long list of almost threatening e-mails yesterday. Today I heard 2 people talking about buying the heaviest food possible...like bottles of water and tons of peanut butter. What? Shouldn't we make some attempt to donate what people actually need? I'm donating independently of the food drive this year. Apparently we're already a bunch of losers.

fall fever

2005-11-15T00:32:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I've moved from blogging once a week to about once a month. Partly, there's just not that much going on. Partly, if there is something going on, that means I'm too busy to blog. It's a catch-22. I can only write when there's nothing to write about...which you've also noticed, I'm sure.

Halloween...the SPEA party was fun, especially since I know a large portion of the people there now. Honestly, nothing was as fun as getting together the gangsta costumes. I "tattooed" my roommates with eyeliner, with surprising success. My "bling bling" was a shiny gold "S" covered in rhinestones- actually a Christmas ornament- on a huge plastic gold chain. Tacky to the max. But my roommate took the cake for best accessory. Her necklace was an actual metal dog collar from the dollar store, which earned points for cheapness and toughness, but looked a little plain. Conveniently, as we were leaving for the party, a friend slammed my trunk shut and managed to pull the Toyota symbol off the back in the process. I couldn't be mad-- she now had an actual "hood ornament" to wear on her collar! Don't worry, a little superglue fixed my precious car the next day.

Football...went to my 1st game here. IU vs. Minnesota. The golden gophers tunnelled right through us in the 2nd half. Pathetic. On the bright side, I'd forgotten how much I loved cheering and doing stupid little dances at the game- and we got to be right behind the band. The marching band was an even bigger disappointment than the team- no color guard! not a single flag!

Wisconsin...not sure how this relates to fall, but it was a big football weekend, so it felt fall-like. I went with most of my lab and our boss to the NALMS (North American Lake Management Society) conference. Besides having a very long title, NALMS is a good group, diverse assortment of profs, gov't types, consultants, students, nonprofit types, and more. Really a representation of every career I might want. A little disappointing not to come out with a job or internship (though I may have 1 backup option now), but I heard some good talks, and met some good people, and had lots of fun in Madison. Those are probably more realistic goals, especially for one who's bad at shameless self-promotion. Of course, if anyone in NALMS reads my blog...you really should hire me!!! Just leave a comment with your offer.

Fall at IU was beautiful. At one moment, I actually thought this campus might be prettier than MSU. The buildings do match better. Traitorous thoughts! Nothing can replace my alma mater...it did much better on the natural beauty...and had a REAL river running through it. Now the leaves have fallen and my head is clear. It's really kind of ugly now.

The semester's winding down, which means it's project season. Groundwater modeling consumed the past few weeks...our project has a ways to go but it's satisfying to see results and know how much I've learned. As usual, I have multiple Public management assignments I'd rather not do. Some talks I've heard recently have helped me refine my GIS project idea- if I ever actually do it, I might find some interesting results. Even Statistics has a project which will force me to do work outside of class for just about the first time. Don't expect to hear from me till December!

30 days of bloglessness

2005-10-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

I haven't motivated to blog lately. Actually, I was motivated once, but everything I had to say was complaining.

My life's pretty much been going to class, working, and sitting on the floor and talking to my roommates.

We've done a few fun things. We had a game party- invited a bunch of people over to play board games, etc. It was a big deal for us- the first time my roommates and I have had more than our ususal gang over. The first time I've hosted any kind of party here, since I lived in the world's smallest apartment last year. It was good fun, if I do say so myself.

We're getting ready for Halloween- the only dept. party I really want to go to this year is the halloween party. My roommates and I are going as gangstas- not gangsters, like the mob, but gangsta, like hip hop, with baggy pants and bling bling (huge shiny jewelry for you non-ghetto folk), skull caps, and tatoos. Hopefully, it will get a laugh, since it's not our everyday wear.

info to go

2005-09-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

After not posting in so long, it's sad my last post contained no information. Takes a few tries to get back in the habit I guess.

For those who care, here's what my semester looks like:
Statistics: Easy. The professor is nice and actually a good teacher, but goes sooooo sloooooowly. I knew this, but had to take him anyway b/c of time conflicts.

Public Management: Lots of reading. Lots of bunk theories and common sense I don't need to sit in class to figure out. But the prof and some of the case studies are interesting. I actually found an interesting book on environmental management, and can do a project on it. My friends who are teaching have showed me I need to make the most of courses I wouldn't necessarily choose to take.

Geographic Information Systems: Love the subject matter- making and using maps, aerial photos, etc to compile information and solve problems. The independent assignments are great, but the lectures are seriously disappointing and the students are unresponsive as a result. Based on what I've heard about this class, I'm hoping it gets better.

Groundwater Flow Modeling: Not as boring or scary as it sounds. My wonderful applied math prof teaching us about his passion in a cool Dutch accent. Using math and computer programs to figure out where water goes when it's underground. It scares me that I like classes like this and aquatic chemistry (more modeling). I'm afraid I'm an engineer at heart, and missed my calling. Then again, maybe they were just good classes.

Maybe the classes this semester don't look so good. So far, they haven't taken much time, so I've had time for work and play without feeling behind. That may change, but it's been really nice.

3 weeks

2005-09-14T00:42:00.000-05:00

How did it get to be the 3rd week of school? Here are my theories on how it went by so fast...
1. Too much fun- my roommates and I (collectively known as Rasheesha, a combination of our names)have been going to the many beginning of the year gatherings, and manage to have a lot of fun when we stay in, too.
2. Too much work- I'm continuing my work in the water chemistry lab. We have half the workers, and extra work, with limnology class samples to run. Plus data to enter and reports to write!
3. Too much responsibility- I've had to spend some time getting Environmental Management Association started for the year, but it's paid off so far- our first meeting had great attendance!
4. Too much moving furniture- first we had to buy furniture, then we had to move it so they could deodorize the carpets (see story below), then we had to move it back, then we had to move it again so they could change the carpet pad! Moving in to our townhouse has generally been more work than I expected.
5. Too much Harry Potter- did I mention I was temporarily obsessed this summer? I started listening to the books on tape during some car trips this year, then started madly racing to read books 1-6 before school started. Why? Because once I get to a certain point in the book, I'll stay up till 3, 4, 5 am reading.

I don't feel like typing the story I promised, so here's the short version: our carpet smelled like pee. It stunk (literally), but it gave us some good laughs/quotes. Such as:

S:Maybe it's not pee, maybe it's drugs (explanation of why we kept lying on the floor)

R: Dang it, it smells down here. I was counting on you, nose (addressing her stuffy nose)

S: I mean, if you think about it, every place has pee somewhere.
A: What, at Woodbridge or in the world?

R:Are you thinking about snogging?
S: No, the thought of pee generally drives that out of my brain.

Sorry about the crudeness, I promise my next post will have no mention of human or animal waste.

cybertreason

2005-08-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've committed a crime, and I'm going to confess it on a blog, like so many unwise people before me. Hold on FBI, before anyone starts taking my civil liberties away, I should mention I haven't committed a crime against the United States, but against the wonderful world of Mac. Last night, I betrayed my beloved iBook and ordered a Dell notebook computer. So in case Steve Jobs or Raj is reading my blog, here's my defense: 1) I've had to use software (MINEQL) for school that is not supported by Macs, and couldn't talk anyone into installing it on the university's PCs, and 2) I can't afford another Mac; anything halfway decent would be twice the price of what I bought. Discrimination and poverty. That's what I'm up against. Try not to judge me. Sorry if this is boring, but since Raj doesn't post anymore, someone has to fill in the computer talk.

A note on "antibuckeyeism"- I didn't mean to say that I am an antibuckeyeite, just that I was starting to understand where they're coming from. Maybe I've even been one in the past, but I'm starting to appreciate the little things that make the Midwest unique and even interesting. If you can't think of any, well, maybe I'll mention some in my posts, or maybe it's a topic for a spinoff blog. Because I don't waste nearly enough time on the internet now....

new home

2005-08-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

At last, I am moved in. Well, all my stuff is in the new townhouse at last. My roommates are still out of town, and most people in town are moving themselves, so I basically did it solo, with the help of one friend to move the bed. Plus, a couple carpet cleaning guys helped me get the TV, while they were supposedly working at a neighboring aparment! I've decided when I have my own place, I'm going to keep a few rooms unfurnished. I like these wide open spaces. After a cleaning binge at the old apartment (partly due to my landlord friends' recent experience, partly cause it's the right thing to do, and partly cause I want my $350 security deposit back), I'm not so excited about giving things here a scrub before putting stuff away. I'm wearing this pine-orange-bleach-Windex scent from all the cleaners I've been using.

On to the other topic I always talk about...today I got "the call" from work- the contract is signed! So I'm back to full-time work for the next 2 weeks, and then I'll work part time during the year.

I'm off to explore the bike paths around my new place. Between my bike and the bus, I should be able to cut down on driving a lot...good timing, too.

antibuckeyeism

2005-08-07T22:55:00.000-05:00

I'm back from that trip to Pennsylvania, with stops in Cincy and Kent, Ohio. It was wonderful to see so much of my family in slightly less than a week. Bradford, PA may not be a vacation hotspot, but it's got some great scenery. Loved seeing Karen and being the first to see her Italy photos. Really really really want to go there now. Caught up on movie watching- War of the Worlds, Must Love Dogs, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "Charlie" is the only one I'd highly recommend, even if the Oompa Loompas do lack diversity.

This is the first time I've driven one of the longest possible routes across Ohio by myself, and it helped me understand why people are so hostile to Ohio. Though I've driven up and down I-75 more times than I can count, and reconciled myself to the fact that it's basically one endless soybean field, with a bit of corn thrown in, the Cincinnati to Ashtabula trip helped me grasp the roots of "antibuckeyeism" (that's prejudice against Ohio, the buckeye state, for the uninformed). It's even worse when you start with a pretty, hilly drive (Brown County, IN) and end with a pretty, hilly drive (the NY/PA border), and Ohio is the long, flat monotony in between. Now, I'm still not convinced that flat topography is a crime, but I can see how those who aren't used to it and aren't armed with good music, books on tape, or company, may feel victimized by the sleep-inducing scenery.

Keeping busy hasn't been a problem these days. I've got my packing well underway. A co-worker has kindly hired some lab folks to help with emergency cleaning and painting of a rental property she owns. We'll have some sampling and lab work for smaller grants, even though the major one is still in the works. Hardly leaves me time to work through my stack of books, which keeps growing- thanks, Grandma!

why I don't run in the woods

2005-07-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

I'm going to keep you in suspense about the title- an incentive to read the whole post, or maybe to skip the beginning.

In case you haven't guessed, I like to give minute details of life great importance, and treat supposedly big events like minute details. One of these so-called big events lately is a hiatus from work. I'll just say I'm working on a government funded project, our contract renewal is caught up in red tape, and there's currently no money to pay us. The solution we were handed is unpaid vacation until the contract is signed, which may be days to weeks to months. It doesn't matter so much once summer's over. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't that important, but it has occupied my thoughts and conversations all too much lately, and explains why I have so much free time. However, now that I'm used to the idea, I'm glad to have this time to fill with things such as:

Visits to PA and Cincy
Packing/reorganizing my life
Planning Environmental Management Association events
Playing with the dogs (still dogsitting)
Working out
Reading stacks of unread books on my shelves
Blogging
Helping friends pack and move
Bowling
Picking blueberries
Making blueberry muffins from scratch
Running in the woods (but not anymore)

The problem with running in the woods, besides the isolation, the rugged terrain just waiting to twist my ankles, the many places for psychos to hide, is really that there are too many interesting things to see. You can't just RUN past them, even at my slow pace. Today, I ran past a clump of trees with animals just a bit bigger than fat squirrels climbing up. It was a family of young raccoons. I'm not a big raccoon fan, but when they're away from garbage cans and acting like wild animals, I can start to like them. Of course I stopped and stood there for many minutes, staring down a couple of the bolder ones. I experimented with making different noises, including an attempt at the ones they were making. It didn't faze them or draw them closer. I tried crouching down to appear less scary, but the first hint of movement sent one up an extra foot. Then I remembered reading somewhere that raccoons like shiny objects, so I waved my keys around, and threw one of the nonessential ones on the ground below one of their trees. Then I actually did run one of the short loop trails. I came back as quietly as I could, but the raccoons were in the same positions or further up the trees. The key was still in its place. Of course, I hadn't let nearly enough time go by. And other hikers probably came by during that time. This is why I'm not a real scientist. But my key wasn't that nonessential and I needed to feed the dogs soon, so I left with no new data and a pretty poor workout. However, I do have a new mantra: woods are for walking, roads are for running.

footnotes

2005-07-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

Notes on my last post...

To see the linked article I referred to, click on the words "blog lite," the title of the post. Hadn't used that feature before.

I'm no Sherlock. The mystery of the green rubber snake came to an unexciting end when I asked our lab manager if she'd put it there and she said our boss (who I'm housesitting for) keeps it there all the time to scare away critters. I still think it needs to visit the lab.

I'm all alone in the lab today. Everyone's out sampling, training volunteers, or teaching a class. It's so sad, and so slow. I better get back to work.

blog lite

2005-07-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

I know this is the longest break I've taken from posting. part of that is some of the stuff going on in my life is a little serious and personal for public distribution. Don't freak out...if you need to know about it, I'm sure you already do. Two things I will mention, since they're already national news but have touched people I'm very close to. For those who pray, please lift these up.

1. Hurricane Dennis. Fortunately, my Pensacola family (and dog) got through with minimal damage. I'm thankful for that. After seeing the aftermath of Ivan, which still hasn't been fully repaired, I can only imagine it's taking a huge toll on the economy and morale.

2. Hamilton, Ohio, and the many towns like it across the country. Just today, I found that a terrible crime there sparked a wave of racial violence in the neighborhood of Hamilton Living Water Ministry, where I used to work. The people in this neighborhood were like family to me, dysfunctional as it may be. This violence is a huge setback in all I worked for and hoped to see continued in the city. See the linked article.

Now the "lite" part begins...

Again I'm housesitting/dogsitting. This time, I've been able to try out the hot tub and raid the blueberry bushes. I went out to the bushes today to free some birds caught under the nets intended to keep them out, and found another mysterious visitor...a green rubber snake! I'm sure it wasn't there when I picked 2 days ago, and it would take some effort to get it in under the nets. It was obviously placed with the intention of scaring, but it failed because 1)I'm not scared of any snakes I'm likely to find around here, 2)I know of no real snakes in Indiana that look like that rubber snake! But I wonder who the culprit is? A mischievous neighbor? One of my co-workers? At any rate, if it doesn't "slither" away by the same means it appeared, I'll definitely be using it on my friends.

Took a hiking/camping trip to Red River Gorge over 4th of July. This was my first backpacking trip, and luckily I was not the only 1st timer. I had some people to lag behind with when the boys thought it was a great idea to race up and down hills on not-too-well-maintained trails. It was hard, disgusting (meaning sweaty) work, but so worth it. Amazing views of many types of forest, cliffs, rock arches (like this rock bridge) and bridges, etc. Highly recommend a visit if you're ever in the area. The fact that we didn't run into too many people along the way, on 4th of July weekend, was a great bonus.

My biker (meaning cyclist, this time) friends have got me hooked on the Tour de France. You're probably thinking, as I did, wow...guys on bikes pedaling for hours day after day...not thrilling unless you're a big spandex fan. But once you know the riders, the teams, the strategies, it can be pretty exciting. Throw in a few mountains and some amusing commentary, and it's a great time.

puddling

2005-06-25T17:42:00.000-05:00

humid, mid 90s weather has changed my whole routine. It's saturday, and I was active before noon. Playing with the dogs, cleaning house and watering plants where I was housesitting, helping with the SPEA backyard habitat...but since then, I'm totally unmotivated. It took me hours to make myself eat anything besides cottage cheese- the thought of cooking and adding heat to my apartment was horrifying (yay microwaves). I tried to read but fell asleep and was sweating in my dreams. I don't want to go anywhere because it involves getting in the hot car or walking in the hot sun. But after I finish this blog I will stop complaining, get into a pool or some air conditioning (maybe a grocery store, since all my food requires cooking?), and be happy.

Dog-sitting/house-sitting was fun, but reminds me why I don't have a dog now. I'm not yet willing to be that responsible. I'd rather be a dog sitter than hire one.

Read Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood last week. I miss all my ya yas! Bride and Prejudice is now playing in town and I don't know of anyone here who can truly appreciate it. But fall will bring back my friends who have a taste for both Jane Austen and bollywood!

Monday and Tuesday will be my first official sampling trip in NW Indiana. In my current state, I'm looking forward to being on the water and going north.

the scoop

2005-06-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post...I think the 8 to 5 schedule makes time go by fast. Work is fine. I got to drive a boat for the first time, but just with the wimpy electric motor- that's all that was allowed on the lake. I learned that I'm terrible at backing up trailers. Hopefully not too terrible, I'm scheduled to drive on Monday!

Went to an Indianapolis Indians (minor league baseball) game on Thursday. A lot closer to the majors than Pensacola, but sadly they didn't shoot things into the audience or hand out plastic clapping hands. I haven't been to Indy much since I was a kid. There are some nice new parks, museums, restaurants and shops...a nice place to visit.

Trip to Cincy last weekend. Got to hang out with my old Living Water co-workers. Every time we get together, I get fired up about something. I can't accept the fact that there is a significant portion of the next generation that the majority is perfectly willing to leave behind and push out of sight. Now that those kids and families have been in my sight, I just can't do it. It may not be my career path now, but I feel the need to do something- volunteer, donate, vote, blog?

I've been running and/or working out on a pretty regular basis now, so I think I'll go for a run now. The weather is just perfect for it! A couple weeks ago I think I discovered what I've been looking for for a long time. Our fitness center offers a jazz dance class, and it's great! A lot like the dance classes I had when I was a kid, but very laid back and no performances that would just be embarrassing now. I think the people in the class are like me...took dance some time in the past, but they're not dance majors or anything.

Another dream come true...I just got a call from my prof about house/dog sitting next week. Which means for a week I get out of my apartment, I get to have pets, and I even get paid!

Time for a run.

back to work

2005-06-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

OK, I think after 3 days I can give a decent update on my job. I've been pretty tired or busy after work, so it's taken me 3 days to write this.

The general plan is training and practice in water quality tests, driving a boat, backing up trailers, etc. for most of june. In july and august, we have sampling trips on Monday and Tuesday, and analyze samples for the rest of the week. I've never considered myself a chemistry person, so I was a little nervous about running all these tests and getting good results. It's hard to tell so far, because there is so much to learn, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable in the lab setting. On one hand, I was the first person to break glassware this field season (the lab tradition is that whenever someone breaks something, you have to press one of those "Billy Bass" mounted singing fish, and hear a song. I'll be more careful in the future- those things are annoying!). On the other hand, the set of 7 solutions I made one of the tests had very little variance from what it should be- I can't explain it briefly, but it's a good thing, and hard to do.

There are 5 master's students working in the lab. I think we'll get along pretty well, we've had some good times already, during and outside of work. Surprisingly, we're all in the joint Environmental Science/Public Affairs degree program, and 4 of us just finished our first year- so we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few years. We come from a variety of disciplines, so we all can shine or improve in different areas. Our direct supervisor, who's been running the lab for the past 6 years, seems really great. The professor in charge (my Limnology lab prof) seems more involved than most profs with sizable research projects, but I think we'll be on our own a lot after this month. It seems like an ideal setup- good training, then a lot of independence.

I saw Star Wars III today- yay! I was even more excited to see a preview for the first movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). They better do a good job! The books have been some of my favorites in both childhood and adulthood.

It's a girl!

2005-05-27T15:04:00.000-05:00

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

2005-05-26T02:10:00.000-05:00

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

2005-05-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

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!

2005-05-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

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."

a better post

2005-04-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

OK, I've realized lately that people actually read my blog, and you deserve something better than an animal story.

In keeping with my habits this semester, I've spent more time on "extracurricular activities" than school work. Partly this is a reward for being done with my presentations, and getting better grades or feedback than I expected/deserved. Partly it's laziness. Mostly it's related to the fact I've forgotten how to say no.

As I mentioned, this was earth week. It began with a good talk and panel on climate change (global warming and the changes that go with it), which is saying a lot, since it's something I'm constantly hearing about it. It ended with an Earth Day festival that I've been to many maddening, hippie-filled meetings to help plan. Very impressed with the result, and the fact that the severe thunderstorms, hail, tornados, etc. stayed out of the way, at least until later that night. We also had more volunteers from SPEA than we could use, which is amazing for this time of year...it was a much-needed chance to lay down our burdens for awhile, sit in the sun, chat with friends, and be filled with idealism. Then on Sunday, the 2 student orgs I'm in fulfilled our adopt-a-trail and adopt-a-road duties. For adopt-a-trail, each group does one major maintenance day a year, under supervision of parks staff (I wish I'd thought of that when I was in charge of Adopt-a-trail!) We got to carry around big logs, and install them where erosion control was needed. Fun stuff. Between that, and carrying a million tables up and down stairs for Earth Day, I'm exercising my long unused muscles. Yay!

I've also been talking to a lot of prospective students lately. Eating lunch, calling them on the phone, sending long e-mails. My excuse is I owe it to a school that's been good to me (financially), but the truth is I like it. I like telling them all the things I wish I'd known going in, hearing how they got interested in this field, hooking them up with profs or other people they need to know, and meeting the potential next generation. Maybe it's a bit of a power trip.

This goes back several weeks, but I've rediscovered the joy of boggle! (You know, the game where you shake up cubes with letters, and stare at them for a certain amount of time to make as many words as possible) One of my friends got it for her b-day, and we've had 2 Boggle nights so far (we're so nerdy, and proud of it). This game takes me way back to my childhood, and of course with my years of experience, I win a lot. It's great that my little brother's not here to beat me!

Well...it's the last week of the semester, and next week is finals week, so you may not hear from me. You probably will, because I'll be in front of a computer all the time. I also have a new quote list for this semester that may find its way onto my blog, without citations of course. Don't get too excited, they're probably only funny to people in my classes. But I may have to let them in on my blog for the summer, anyway.

housemates

2005-04-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

In honor of Earth Day (yesterday), I'm going to indulge in an animal story, though it's not exactly conservation oriented. For the past few weeks, I've had some new housemates- a family of house finches. I discovered this one morning when I was awakened at 7 am by the sound of a bird in my room. I frantically, sleepily scanned the bedroom and realized it was actually in the windowsill outside my window air conditioner. Because there are decent sized cracks around the air conditioner, which I never got around to sealing, it was like having a singing bird about 2 m from my head. Anyway, i debated whether to move the nest materials as they accumulated for a few days, until the nest was complete and it seemed unfair. In a few more days, 4 speckled eggs appeared, and mother finch and I grew accustomed to scaring the wits out of each other every time I walked to my car and she flew off the nest. She's lucky I'm not a predator! Today I heard unusually loud chirping in the morning, and in my dreams there were 4 hungry beaks poking out of the nest. Later, when I peeked down through the window, there was only one very small, slimy pink blob with a few tufts of fuzz sitting there with 3 eggs. Unbelievable that something so small can make so much noise. This thing was not cute, by any stretch of the imagination, but I started to feel attached. So now I'm trying to think of 4 good unisex names for my new housemates. House finches are not as high on my list as something like bluebirds, since they're introduced from the western US, and growing more common. They should fledge in a couple weeks, so they'll be around just long enough to get me out of bed during final project and exam time.

proclamation

2005-04-15T23:47:00.000-05:00

This should come as no surprise if you've read my past posts, but I have once and for all chosen a summer internship, based on the fact I had one choice left. I'll be working for a professor here this summer, on a lake monitoring and managment program he implements for the state. My time will be divided between lab and field work, including some travel to lakes around Indiana. It really is a good internship, which I guess is why I didn't apply for more positions in the first place.

I think my usual summer restlessness is setting in. It doesn't help that people are taking trips to Mexico and Guatemala next week, making me insanely jealous. Quiero hablar espanol! Donde estan mis amigos latinos?

I finished my 3 presentations for the semester within the last week. I was pretty disappointed with the 2 group ones. In both cases, I thought some of my group members missed the point of the assignment, and I didn't realize it until they were up there speaking. Honestly, I was probably too passive and apathetic about what they were doing. If it affects my grade, I'll have to live with it. I've been spoiled by the great people I worked with in EnviroCorps and Living Water. They pulled more than their own weight.

Happy Tax Day!

spring switching

2005-04-09T22:57:00.000-05:00

One of the nice things about living in a northern temperate climate is Spring Switching Day...if you've never heard of it, that's because I just made it up (see note below). But you know what it is. It's the day you put all your sweaters, hats, gloves, and warm stuff away in a drawer or shove it to the back of the closet, to make room for shorts and t-shirts. It's a great day, usually brought on by a long stretch of sunny weather. Happy Spring Switching Day! Sorry if it hasn't reached you yet.

I've also diagnosed the disease that's struck me lately as Spring Fever. I have loads to do, but can't make myself do it. I spent more time this weekend planning Earth Day festivities, posing for a photo shoot with a GEM car that a local pizza place started using, working on the SPEA backyard wildlife habitat, talking to prospective students, doing laundry, and of course, switching my clothes around, than I've spent doing work. And now I'm writing in my blog. But I just can't come up with any words for my paper right now! We're supposed to come up with a classification and restoration plan for the Jordan River- the creek on IU campus, not the real one- it was a great excuse to walk along the river today. And I actually got some reading done by the river. But now I'm stuck. Sometimes just writing anything will help the words flow, so maybe this can count...

Tunes: Rachael Yamagata, Happenstance- great CD, sweet female vocals, kinda like Over the Rhine at times

Note: to make sure I actually made up Spring Switching Day, I googled it. It appears original, but don't confuse it with the Polish Switching Day, which apparently "grew up in Poland over 800 years ago. Peasant boys celebrating the end of Lent and a lull in their farm work, would swat their sweethearts with red willow switches. On Easter Tuesday the girls would get even by switching the boys." (See story) Yikes. I guess it's a good thing to be busy in the spring.

blah

2005-04-04T01:08:00.000-05:00

This week starts the 3 presentations in a week phase of the school year, and I have no motivation. 2 are almost done (I hope) and one is barely started.

My heart is broken. The MSU-UNC game totally demoralized me. After a decent looking first half, the Tarheels' dirty feet trampled all over the Spartans. I mean, I knew there was a good chance they'd lose, but at the end, there was no hope, and UNC just took out all its starters, and it felt like a total loss of dignity. At least I can say my championship picks were right, even though they weren't all that bold. At least I don't absolutely have to watch the championship tomorrow.

Adding to the blah...some "friends" of mine said these business school guys I'd met once had a friend they thought was perfect for me. They'd met the guy and described him as "so nice", so I was at least prepared for unattractiveness. They wanted me to go to this BBQ with them all, so I could meet him. Weird, random, frightening, but I was too curious to say no. As I should have known, the only thing that made us perfect for each other was that he was Indian. I'm half Indian, I have nothing against Indians, but that just struck me as a "stick to your own kind" sort of gesture. I didn't see anything else we had in common. Anyone who knows me at all should realize that Indianness is not going to be a common bond...I know many Anglos who are more Indian at heart than I am. I hate to be that person, who's all sensitive about race... I'm sure it wasn't meant to be offensive... but it makes me feel bad anyway. Lesson: don't let people who aren't really your friends fix you up. Or maybe don't let people fix you up in general.

I'm a winner!

2005-03-28T21:30:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! I won the basketball pool! How did I win you ask, when the final four hasn't even begun? I'm just that good. Actually, Louisville and North Carolina are just that good....and Michigan State! Can't wait to see MSU in the final 4, I've had the Spartan fight song running through my head since this weekend! I'm a weirdo, I know.

I'm also a winner of the Environmental Management Association Co-chair position. It's just a student organization in our department, but it sounds nifty doesn't it? Someone nominated me, and I accepted, figuring no one else would run When I found out I was running against the current chair of the career development committee and just about every other organization in and outside SPEA, I figured it was all up. I even had a post title ready..."my short-lived political career". But I won. Probably because I was in town, and my worthy opponent was in NY leading some UN youth conference (see what I'm up against?) Still, it's nice to be a winner sometimes.

Which brings me to the ironic part of the entry. As I write this I'm actually very sad and feeling like a loser, because I just got rejected for the EPA internship I wanted. So, I don't think it's worth it to wait to hear about the one I was less interested in and less qualified for. (I hope the EPA doesn't monitor my blog- if so, YOU'VE MADE A BIG MISTAKE!). I'll just take my little Indiana internship and hope for better things next year. I didn't realize I'd be this disappointed. I thought I was okay with whatever happened and just wanted to know one way or another. I'll be okay with it tomorrow. I think my pride's a little bruised, and I've gotten sucked into the climb-the-corporate (or government)- ladder mentality at school. But it's just a flesh wound.

Perspective: "He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”-- Jim Elliot

the madness continues...

2005-03-22T21:52:00.000-05:00

I should really be working on some projects now, but I was inspired by the response to my last post. After watching West Virginia beat Wake Forest in double overtime on Sat., I can understand why people spend so much of their lives watching sports. Sorry, you lost your top pick, Raj. Actually, I was happy, but now I'm a little sorry. The pool is close to even, so everything rests on the final rounds. I'm in a relativelly good position, with 3 of my final 4 left.

So if you want to know who to root for in the rest of the tournament, or just judge me for my ignorant picks, here they are (teams still in the tournament are in caps):

Elite eight: ILLINOIS, OKLAHOMA STATE, LOUISVILLE, Gonzaga, NORTH CAROLINA, Kansas, DUKE, Oklahoma (But you can root for Michigan State to beat Duke!)

Final four: ILLINOIS, LOUISVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, Oklahoma

Championship: ILLINOIS, NORTH CAROLINA (no upsets here)

NCAA Champion: ILLINOIS! GO BIG TEN!

Enough basketball. For the next month, I will only think about the following 4 things: 1) How dredge and fill permits issued under the Clean Water Act affect water use and development; 2) Colorado River restoration (and destruction), especially as it affects birds and mammals; 3) Floodplain forest restoration along the lower Mississippi River, and experiments to test its effectiveness; 4) Social Security reform. Which of these doesn't belong? Which of these makes me want to throw things across the room? I have to produce 3 presentations, 3 papers, and a detailed outline on these topics. And this completely leaves out Aquatic Chemistry, which I will probably have to think about a little before the final.

As of tomorrow, I can add high school physics tutor to my resume. I hope I remember something about physics. I brought my old college notes from home, but I can't get any idea of what they're studying till we start tomorrow. It's weird, I only communicate with these teens through their parents. Were we like that in high school?

march madness

2005-03-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

I'm in the middle of it now. I have this bizarre tradition of joining the NCAA basketball tournament pool with my dad and bro, even though I never bother to learn anything about the teams in advance. This year I took some chances on little guys...well, #4 seeds...like Louisville...which is really getting me worried right now!

In other madness, I spent spring break in Pennsylvania, visiting more family members than I generally see in one place. The madness is that is was a COLD place to spend spring break. But at least the driving weather was safe, and the snow-covered hills were pretty. An added bonus...coming home to warmer weather made it easier to get back to the grind. So, I'm going to copy off another blogger, who doesn't read this anyway, and give you my "what I learned on spring break" report:

1. everything I need to know in life, I can learn from watching COPS.
2. 5 designers + 1 remodeling project = bad idea (from Trading Spaces)
3. leasing offshore land is the newest wave in marine conservation..interesting if you're into water law or property law
4. 22 tricks to avoid budget cuts, and 7 ways to hide a deficit! (from Cosmo...no, my finance book)
5. what a real Hoosier is supposed to be (from the movie "Hoosiers")
6. My Florida family lives just a few miles from longleaf pine forests-one of our nation's top disappearing ecosystems!
7. I love musicals! (from a pre-trip viewing of Les Miserables)
8. a dirty apartment will not clean itself while you're gone

woo-hoo! Louisville won! But I'm starting to doubt their chances of making it to the final four!
But check out this upset: #13 Vermont over #4 Syracuse- doesn't help or hurt me in the pool, but it's interesting. How will Michigan State fare against Vermont (assuming MSU wins tonight)? Does this open the door for my favorite team to face Duke, my most hated team (besides U of M)?

Celllllll-e-brate good times, come on!

2005-03-07T01:44:00.000-05:00

OK, picture me singing that and dancing in the style of Kool & the Gang, and you'll have some idea how I feel.

I'm almost done with my Aquatic Chem take home test, and it has been so good to me. Everything's working out, I get the same answers when I check with different methods, and I even understand why it's all working! And this is the test that made past students say: "don't plan to do anything else the week you work on the test." Obviously we can't talk details, but I'm sensing the same feeling of relief from my classmates.

On top of that today was gorgeous, sunny 60-degree weather. I was hardly outside in it, but I enjoyed it while I was.

Did my law reading at Bazaar Cafe. I love that place. I know, I posted about it before. Today, it was full of familiar faces. Including an interesting SPEA boy who's actually not married, engaged, etc. as far as I know. Hardly see him because he's the public affairs, officey type, but it turns out he's interested in water stuff, too! He'd talked to my Limnology prof/maybe boss sometime, and started telling me how fun that all sounded. I'm trying not to make this into a sign...for either a relationship or an internship decision. Ugh, the i-word. I don't want to blog this, until I've made my decision.

*if you actually check my blog and didn't notice the last entry posted on 3/3, that's because I got interrupted, and didn't post it till today. Now I'm in a totally different mood and had to start a new entry.*

my life is boring, but at least it has a good soundtrack.

2005-03-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

I'm back on a jazz kick...Today's Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. Before that, I was listening to Patty Griffin all the time...v. different. Beautiful acoustic folk. Every song is a portrait. Thanks for introducing me, L.

Just when I thought I couldn't be a bigger nerd, I had to go and discover the wonder of chemistry. Just sitting in class on wed. learning about acid neutralizing capacity, and was suddenly bowled over in amazement at how seamless and elegant it all is. All these reactions taking place around and in us every moment, and we're not even aware of most of them. But it also amazes me that we know as much as we do, when we're so limited by our senses.

This was one of those weeks where I spent every waking hour doing schoolwork. And I had a lot of waking hours. I guess it's midterm week, aka hell week. Added to this, I volunteered to help plan an Earth Day event and "Road Rally", a community service competition, which took some time I didn't have. But I'm down to one take home test and the usual stack of required reading- I guess I have to do it, too. Last Wed. we had a term paper due in Restoration, and as a result almost no one had done the daily reading. The prof went through the list of papers, making us raise our hands if we'd read them. We didn't lie. So he berated us for awhile, threatened to assign more homework (because that will give us more time to read?), and sent us home early. Not pleasant to feel like a high schooler again, but he couldn't have picked a more welcome punishment.

Something that made my week... As I was walking to the parking lot, I caught a flash of color from the corner of my eye. It was a bluebird perched on a stop sign. Looked just like this. It didn't twitch as I approached to within a few feet. It just stared. As I went on my way, it flew off. A minute later, there was a blue fleck right above me on a telephone wire. Bird on a wire made a warbling chirp, a faint warbling chirp came back from a tree. I kept walking, and bluebird #2 was hopping around in an oak tree along the path. It was like being in a Disney movie. I spent some time last year keeping up bluebird houses, so they have a special place in my heart. Maybe the feeling's mutual. Check out NABS if you like them, too.

Quotage:
“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
- -H. Jackson Brown, Jr., who writes quotes for a living (how can I get that job?)

"ouch."
- Sheela's response to the above quote

A pride and prejudice for all people....

2005-02-26T01:03:00.000-05:00

So, I've been all whipped up into a frenzy waiting to see "Bride and Prejudice," a Bollywood-esque take on P&P, when suddenly I see a clip for "Pride and Prejudice", starring Keira Knightley! Of course I had to come home and google it, and it's true! Apparently this version will be more traditional, set in 1796, the time it was written. It comes out in the UK & US in 2005, but appears to be too new to have an official website, trailer, etc. available. In this process, I've learned 2 things:
1) There are people way more obsessed with Pride and Prejudice than I am
2) There is, or will soon be, a P&P for every tribe and tongue and nation

To summarize:
1. The Brits assert their sovereignty (2005)...and lure us with Keira
2. India has some Pride and Prejudice, too (2005)
3. A Modern, Mormon Pride & Prejudice...really (2004)
4. If it's not Pride & Prejudice, it must be its evil twin... Bridget Jones (2001)
5. The BBC outdoes itself (1995)- women worldwide want to take home Colin Firth
6. BBC Pride & Prejudice (1985)
7. The classic (1940)- Can Laurence Olivier make up for the fact it's been chopped down to 2 hours?

I left a couple TV versions out. If I've missed your favorite version, leave a comment. I've spent enough time on this for now!

bzzzzzzzy

2005-02-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

It's only tuesday, are you kidding me?

I honestly thought I had more to do than I could ever finish, but I got a Public Finance exam out of the way, and a good draft of a mini-paper that I can finish tomorrow...so I can cave in to popular demand (from 1 person) and update my blog.

Cincinnati was a blast. Got to reunite with my Motley Crew (not to be confused with the similarly named band), to remember past fun, enjoy present fun, and plot future fun. A trip to England? White water rafting? Starting a school in Cancun? Nice to visit what little family I have left in Cincy, especially since they could all be gone in the next year or so! Ate Graeter's Ice Cream. mmmm. Went to Half Price Books and bought 7 books I will not read for a long time. I think books fall into a category with wine, cheese, and women....they get better with age. Went to my beloved Vineyard, where Dave is getting more and more ornery. (See why men don't get better with age? haha) So...thanks for making it fun, guys! It was a much needed break from school, except for those hours and hours I spent studying finance.

I have nothing else to say. All this discipline is turning me into a boring robot! I'll leave you with a quote that actually came from a textbook (pathetic), to summarize all I've learned about sound fiscal policy:

"Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree." - Former Senator Russell Long

Happy Valentine's Day!

2005-02-14T02:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a great big hug from me to you! Unless you're a Very Bored Stranger reading my blog- that might be weird.

I know you're all in suspense over the speed dating results (see below). Well...I got 3 matches. I put down yes for 5 guys, I think, so at least I'm batting over .500. One of them e-mailed me already..."Tall Law Guy". Hmmm...now I feel unsure, in spite of my self-imposed rule to "give any decent guy a chance." Things are complicated by the fact that he's in my law class, and can't be avoided.

I found something more valuable than 1,000 men- a good coffee shop. Fair trade coffee, a good ratio of sinking-in chairs to study-friendly tables, nice background music (Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday- the same music I brought to listen to), free wi-fi, and almost everything's for sale...the art, the furniture, the lamps. Not that I'll buy anything, but at least if I get attached I'll have the option.

In other lovely news, I get to visit my beloved friends in Cincy in just 4 days! Hooray!

Tunes: Over the Rhine (it's a band, not just a bad part of town)
Quotes/Lyrics: "I'd lie for you, I'd cry for you, I'd lay my body down and die for you. If that isn't love, it'll have to do, until the real thing comes along."-Lady Day sang it best

speed everything

2005-02-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

I made up for lost time by going on 10 dates in one night. In 30 minutes to be precise. Some grad student org had speed dating, and I was intrigued, so I convinced some friends and myself that it wasn't totally weird and went. I thought it would be like speed chess, but with words. It was much less elegant, considering we had to yell across a table and all my ideas of strategic questions and responses went out the window. Still, it was an experience. For those who aren't up on this, you have an equal number of men and women, you talk for 3 minutes, decide if you like him, write yes/no by his name, then you rotate and talk to the next person. Any yeses (what's the plural of yes??) that match up get each other's email address a few days later. It's not a few days later yet. Don't get your hopes up. It takes me 3 months to 3 years to feel comfortable with someone, so 3 minutes was probably not enough to make a real connection. For my part, I wouldn't have wanted to date many of them for more than 3 minutes.

I wish I could speed read. I am swamped, as I've been spending more time on volunteer commitments (and social commitments) than homework lately. I'm the default responder in water law next week, which means whenever the discussion lags (which happens often) i have to get it going, and the prof is free to drill me with unexpected questions (which he often does). I have to know groundwater laws backward and forward.

Restoration Ecology field trip to Green's Bluff today- nice to see Chad and that sexy stud Duke (a chocolate lab, for those who don't know). Our "restoration" project was tearing down sheds and pulling up fenceposts. At least it's on newly purchased property, where they'll actually plant trees and make it part of the preserve. I was concerned we'd just be making space for a new shed. Ripping things apart was fun. So was killing multiflora rose...I know you're jealous, Laura!

Tunes: Count Basie Orchestra, Clifford Brown, John Coltrane (now I'm listening to the library's jazz collection A to Z- parts of it, at least)

4 days of fun

2005-02-06T23:36:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to my Restoration Ecology prof. He canceled class on Monday, giving me a 4-day weekend!

Highlights so far:

Grill out in People's Park- every month, the church I'm going to grills up a bunch of burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs for whoever's hanging around. Wasn't sure how it would be, but it was nice. Extra warm day. There were teenagers, students, and other people who hang around downtown a lot. Nice to meet a part of the community that I (unfortunately) pass by without a word each day. Being myself, I did more serving than socializing, but I got to share a few stories and laughs. Reminded me of Thursday dinners at Living Water.

Return of the King-extended version. At last! I've seen it all. I want an Aragorn for Valentine's Day!

Lunch buffet at Bombay house. Indian food. 'Nough said.

Chocolate fest! One of my lifelong dreams come true. I bought a golden ticket and entered a world filled with samples of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel filled, mint filled and almond filled chocolate, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate stout (gross), chocolate mint tea, chocolate bars, chocolate truffles...and many cups of milk. More chocolate than I could eat, which I didn't think was possible. By the time we left, volunteers were literally pouring candy into our hands, purses, pockets...it was like Willy Wonka.

The Core- my new favorite workout at the fitness center, targets all my "wobbly bits". I've only done one official workout this weekend, but thanks to my stability ball and hand weights, I've done something every day to make some body part ache.

Renewed a friendship that had been on hiatus for 3+ years. It was fun. I might have to look up some more high school pals.

Did not watch the Superbowl, as I was supposedly doing homework, and had no desire to see the patriots punish more innocent victims. I see that on the news all the time. Saw a good episode of CSI instead. I've got a busy day tomorrow!

Music: Billy Joel-Greatest Hits, Norah Jones- Feels like Home (I'm listening to my CDs from A to Z.)
Pages: Cadillac Desert; the American West and its disappearing water. Yes, brother, I'm still reading it- took a break to finish "Ravens". Good historical anecdotes, scandalous government behavior, and cultural & political insights. A little dense at times.
Quotes: "You can have a little tea party on your tummy."- Denise Austin, Fat-blasting Yoga

reading and eating

2005-02-01T23:50:00.000-05:00

I feel like that's all I've been doing lately. Besides going to class, tutoring, and the occasional meeting. Went out for sushi on Sunday...oh I guess that was eating, too. And step aerobics- a much-needed activity that counteracts the effects of reading and eating. I will make it to cardio kickboxing someday, but it's hard to motivate myself to go back to campus at 8:00 pm. And the one time I went, the class was full. No way am I kickboxing with only 3 feet of space on each side of me. That's as exciting as the updates are gonna get for awhile. I don't want to misrepresent the grad school experience.

Tunes-Cowboy Junkies-Studio; Ben Folds-Rockin' the Suburbs
Pages- Legal Control of Water Resources- required reading, of course- a real page turner
Flicks- I squeezed in "Remains of the Day" a couple days ago- great actors, but if you are a fan of sweet love stories, do not watch this. Depressingly realistic.
Quotes- "Everybody knows, it hurts to grow up."- Ben Folds

productivity

2005-01-29T02:03:00.000-05:00

Today has been a rare event...a productive day. I was celebrating a friend's birthday last night till 2 or 3, so I didn't start too early. Had just enough time to brush up on Bloomington's environmental issues for an internship interview with the Bloomington Environmental Commission. Realized I probably wouldn't get it because it involves planning and development- stuff I know nothing about, but that made the interview pretty laid back.

After that, I read a project proposal and went to a meeting about invasive species in the Great Lakes. It's a cool project. We're working with the law school to do research and make recommendations to international authorities. Nice to see a lot of my "this semester" friends there.

At Barnes & Noble, I got some finance reading done, drank some coffee, bought a b-day present and a cookbook. All my cookbooks and recipes are still in the Ecorps house in Elkhart! I hope they are, I'll try to get them back someday, along with the lids to all my pots.

Back home, I emailed in a summer internship application (the Mexico City one!) paid my bills, packaged up some gifts, and added every commitment I know of to my calendar. Finally replaced my light bulb, answered emails, and sorted the piles of papers, mail, etc. that have been accumulating around my apartment. That's all the productivity. It doesn't seem like so much now, but I feel like I've been running around and getting nowhere all week long.

TUNES: Juanes, Mi Sangre- the Colombian rocker's latest release
PAGES: Ravens in Winter, by Bernd Heinrich- nonfictional mystery story about a scientist's investigation of raven behavior. I think the scientist's behavior's just as strange and surprising.
FLICKS: Finding Neverland- hurry, hurry, before it leaves the theaters! Not "just another Peter Pan movie" as one critic, who never saw the movie, claimed.

mousecatcher

2005-01-22T18:20:00.000-05:00

No more blog novels...I promise.

Today I scored a big victory in the war against the stinky mouse in my apartment. As of 9 a.m., it was evicted from my apartment and is now a resident of the park. I have to say, it was kind of cute. I was almost tempted to get a cage and keep it as a pet. Not quite, though. It would be wrong, like keeping a cockroach or a mosquito as a pet. Of course there was still a smell coming from behind the fridge, so I had to move the fridge, move the loose panel behind it, strap on my headlamp, and journey to the center of the wall. It took me back to the days of hunting for leaks in the attic... B, E, and L should've been there.

Needless to say, I was happy to sign a lease application today with a couple of friends. A nice reputable place that would probably actually call an exterminator if there was a rodent problem.

a good day

2005-01-12T02:33:00.000-05:00

Easing back into college life...the fact that it feels like spring makes it that much easier to be here. Nice catch up time with other speons in the grad lounge (grad students are so cool, we get our own lounge). Felt a little sad that I'm taking my own strange combination of classes, and won't be with my cohort of 1st year enviro. sci/ enviro. policy people that I had last semester- they seem to be clumped in the same classes, but i just gotta be different.

Came home to find my textbooks had arrived (just in time), along with some birthday cards, a stipend check, and the Green Gazette- the EnviroCorps newsletter. I was thinking of you ECorps, when I installed my low flow showerhead yesterday!

Met with the bible study group...seems like its been ages. Lots of catching up, and admiring 4 month old baby's new accomplishments. Now we just need to decide what to study next...

Thoughts on my "strange combination" of classes so far...mostly to see if my first impressions turn out right, but read on if you want:

Restoration ecology- how could this not be great? Topics that are near and dear to my heart, like wetland & prairie ecosystems, prescribed fire, invasive species. We get to take field trips (see some of The Nature Conservancy's handiwork- and plant trees with them!) We have no tests, and just 2 papers on anything related to restoration. Not sure I like the prof as a person (not just because he confused me with someone else), but he is a very good scientist, makes class interesting, and is a wetlands guy.

Aquatic chemistry- I might be dreading this if it wasn't taught by one of my awesome Limnology profs. He told us a very inspirational story about how he started as an invertebrate zoologist, realized environmental science was where the action is, had to go through a couple engineering departments to study it, became an aquatic chemist in spite of hating undergrad chemistry, and ended up with a job he clearly loves. Inspirational to me because my life has been strangely similar, except for the engineering part. Hopefully I end up with a job I love, too. As far as the chemistry goes...after getting a better grade than I deserved in Enviro Chem last semester, I'm hoping I can pull it off again. And maybe I'll finally understand alkalinity.

Public finance and budgeting- I'm taking it with the hard prof that no one else wanted, for scheduling reasons, but I think I'll survive. He is tough, but supposedly good if you really want to learn something. No "syllabus day" for him...jumped right into lecture. I found myself hanging on every word, not because it was really interesting, but because it's like a foreign language. Definitely an opportunity to grow and broaden my horizons. It might even be useful someday.

Water law- don't have it till thursday, but we already have a reading assignment. This is an actual law class, not watered down SPEA law. That means I have to learn legalese and use it to participate in class discussions. Not my strong point. More growing.

Back in B-town

2005-01-11T00:04:00.000-05:00

Filled with warm, fuzzy feelings at the beginning and end of the day. It's amazing how much this feels like home to me now. Even waiting in lines at the registrar's office, or waiting in long lines at 2 different post offices to pick up my mail, couldn't bring me down. So nice to run into friends around town, and share stories with other students who have been going through the same trivial little ups and downs over the past months.

Only 2 things brought me down: 1) I thought I had a nice part time job for next year, as a math TA for one of my fave profs. But today, I found out it probably won't work, thanks to bureaucratic university processes. O well, I was getting a little too prideful about it, and since I skipped out of all math in undergrad, I probably wasn't the best person for the job. 2) Within the first 5 minutes of my first class, the prof confused me with some other Indian student. Grrrr. That was my exact word for it, when class ended. Now that I write it, these things seem kind of meaningless. Why be bitter? Blogs are so theraputic.

Now I'm back to warm fuzzies cause I've been e-mailing friends, and catching up on their journals.

So I had one goal over Christmas break and I totally failed to complete it. I was going to read 5 books, because I've almost given up fun reading during classes. At the time, I thought I'd read novels, which go much quicker because I'll give up sleep and almost anything else to finish a good one. See why I gave them up? But I finished 1 nonfiction book, and started 2 others, so maybe I can be disciplined enough to do more fun reading during the semester.

The 1 book I finished was "The Bible Jesus Read" by Philip Yancey. These days, he's one of my favorite Christian authors, because he discusses things in an interesting and intelligent way- he's up on his philosophy, ancient history, etc. Also, he tends to say things we all think and don't like to admit, like "The Old Testament is boring and scary"--that's not a direct quote, but pretty close. This book looks deeper into some of the more challenging or intimidating books in the old testament- Deuteronomy, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, the minor prophets- the author takes you along on his journey to find meaning and significance in them, or just make sense of them, and provides some perspective from Jewish and Christian scholars. I'd call it a glimpse of what's really there- it's not an in-depth Bible study, but it may inspire you to start one. It's also best if you've actually read, or are willing to read, the Old Testament books he deals with, because it refers to passages and ideas that make more sense if you have the big picture. If you're not convinced about reading the O.T. yet, or you're still exploring what Christianity's all about, Yancey also wrote "The Jesus I Never Knew" and "What's so Amazing about Grace" which cover some of the basics with a nice twist. Also, he's written quite a bit about grief, doubt, disillusionment, and other things we don't like to talk about, but I haven't read those, so I can't comment.

Lucky number 26

2005-01-05T23:10:00.000-05:00

Vacation's almost over. Believe it or not, I'm almost ready to go back. If only I could haul my school, home, and life down to Florida for the winter, I'd be perfectly ready.

I haven't written in awhile, so here's the quick vacation rundown since Christmas:

Horshoes and hot tubs: my parents dug horseshoe pits in the backyard- regulation size and spacing. It's a harder sport than you think. I have yet to get a ringer. Got to try out the hot tub in warm and cold, weather, too.

Gator town: took a trip to Gainesville, and visited my friend Marco. Pretty exciting since I haven't seen him in 4 years, and we've been in different countries most of that time. A lot happens in 4 years. I became a hippie. He became a cowboy. My spanish got much worse. His english got much better. Good times. I learned an interesting tidbit: in the Spanish version of Sponge Bob, Squidward's name is "Calamargo", a combination of the words for "squid" and "bitter". It's pure genius, because he is one bitter squid.

Meanwhile, mom, Gary, and Karen visited Gary's uncle, a retired chemistry professor turned poet. I'm sad to have missed it. Judging from the poems, he's a very interesting, insightful person. And I like to meet anyone who has science and art pulling on either side of his brain.

New Year's eve on the beach: the first warm, mostly sunny day we had in Pensacola. Actually, we went to Destin, because the Pensacola beaches are destroyed. Very quiet, hard to imagine it as a spring break party town. Ended the new year with mini-golf, Italian food, sundaes and anything but Regis. Low-key but nice.

New Year's day: after watching too many makeover shows in 2004, Mom, Karen and I actually got makeovers...well, haircuts. They already began the "ambush makeover" after Christmas, helping me pick out some more professional clothes. I may not be playing in the dirt forever. It's nice to still need makeovers that make me look older (than an undergrad). For the past 3 years, I've seen a Lord of the Rings movie with my Michigan friends on New Year's Day. I was missing you guys this year! I replaced the movie with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It's no LOTR, but at least has elements of fantasy and just the right amount of darkness for me. It also shows reptiles and herpetologists in a positive light, which always makes me happy.

New Orleans: My brother's b'day gift was Sugar Bowl tickets, so we headed to New Orleans. Raj and G. saw the Tigers beat the Hokies (what is a Hokie?), and were probably the least passionate fans in the crowd. But that's not saying much. Mom, K. and I walked around the French Quarter and checked out a lot of art galleries and other interesting shops. The next day we took a swamp tour, part of my b'day present, because I couldn't leave Lousiana without seeing the bayou. Saw some real gators, along with snakes, herons, nutria, lots of turtles, lots of water hyacinth (ugh). Learned some interesting facts about plants, Cajun culture, and history-- well I use the word "fact" a bit loosely, because the tour guide was an interesting character who referred to the gators living in his house as his "kids".

I have no more patience to write, and you probably have no more patience to read. If you've made it this far, you deserve the holy grail or something.

changes

2005-01-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

I changed my settings, so you no longer have to have a user id to post comments. Sorry about that. I'll keep it this way, unless spammers ruin it.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

Here I am in...sunny Florida? Well, it may be a little chilly and cloudy, but it beats the pile of snow they've got up north. We left just in time to miss the snowstorm. It really is nice to see our parents' new life down here, and how they have ministered and led people in such a short time.

Carried on our traditional Christmas eve kindness outreach. We did this one Cincinnati-style, delivering dozens of Krispy Kremes to employees that had to work on Christmas Eve night. Just a little gift to say God loves them, no strings attached. Families from Mom and Gary's church totally got into it, and didn't leave many boxes for us to deliver.

We also started some new traditions: the Christmas Eve Indian food dinner, and opening presents on Christmas Eve, so some of the college students could sleep till afternoon on Christmas Day. Today's been pretty laid back. All this tradition is bringing back some Christmas memories...

2003: Christmas in the ghetto. The ghetto fabulous AmeriCorps Christmas tree, stolen from a nature preserve (it was an invasive) and trimmed with some borrowed loppers. Topped by a snowman made from a dog's cast, bearing 3 different kinds of lights, one popcorn chain that only wrapped around once, and leaving us lovely reminders of Christmas in the form of razor sharp dry needles all over the floor, this tree won't be soon forgotten.

2002: Christmas in Gatlinburg. In our family, ice skating is an extreme sport. One broken elbow and a lot of hours in the Sevierville Hospital created a unique bonding experience.

2001: Christmas in Hamilton! My first experience with the Christmas Shoppe, Living Water's way of providing families with gifts for their children and a day of pampering for parents. Also my first impromptu translation of a Christmas play into Spanish. I think it went well, except in place of the word for "manger", I used the word for "dining room". Lo siento.

1999: Christmas in Costa Rica: My first and only Christmas away from my family. We began the day with a hike to a waterfall, which of course ended in swimming in the ice cold water at the bottom of the waterfall. Then took an exciting bus trip to see Arenal, an active volcano. Still missed my family.

1997-1999: Christmas at MSU. Wasn't actually there for Christmas, but remember the little tree with fiberoptic lights, the gift exchanges, the Charlie's Angels photo (what does that have to do with Christmas?)and the fine tradition of slacking off during finals week?

1980s: Christmas at the side of the road. Determined to see my relatives in Tenn., we set off in the old Toyota minivan, even though it had snowed and the road crews had taken the day off. We ended up doing donuts in the middle of the expressway and giving the guardrail a good smack. A little shaken, and dented, but still ok, we stayed in Cincy that Christmas day.

1983: Christmas as a big sister. I got a little brother for Christmas. I don't remember asking for one. I guess it worked out ok.

woo-hoo

2004-12-17T23:53:00.000-05:00

FINALS ARE OVER!!!!!!! Heaz and Jenny, remember how we used to have fun during finals week? Exchange gifts at Christmas, lay in the sun in spring. Have Laura visit when they got done before us? This week was not like that. My last and hardest final was at 5 pm today, and it was hanging over my head all week. Every day was, "I should study chemistry". "I don't want to." "Well.....maybe I really need to do this other thing." The good news is, I worked on my internship applications, applied for a cool part-time job next semester, cleaned my apartment, made chocolate covered pretzels for my math class, bought some "bonus" Christmas gifts, and aced a math exam I didn't need to study for at all. The bad news is, the chemistry final was still horrifying. But hey, this message is called "woo-hoo" not "boo hoo", so yay!!!! I'm done!!!

I can't wait to see you, Florida folks!

snow

2004-12-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

I surfaced from a pile of chemistry papers and emerged from my cave (aka apartment) at 3:00 this afternoon, when what to my wondering eyes did appear, but....SNOW! Beautiful, swirling, flurries. Just enough to decorate the air, but not the roads. I didn't even realize I was missing it till it was here. For a few moments, I stopped being Sheela the stressed grad student, and became Sheela the kid who's ready for Christmas. I didn't even mind the wind whipping my cheeks as I walked from the parking lot to turn in my chemistry paper. I didn't mind my friend giving me a ride back to the parking lot, either.

I think I'm still in kid mode. Tonight, I made and decorated cupcakes to give out tomorrow, and wrapped and packed up some presents (all while studying for my 8 am exam, of course), so I'm feeling very elvish.

Fish tales

2004-12-12T01:18:00.001-05:00

As of Friday, I've conquered another part of the animal kingdom...a slimy, stinky part I've avoided as long as an aquatic ecologist could... the FISH! We had a big identification exam on Indiana fish in Limnology, and I have to say I'm pretty glad I learned them at last. Now I know why you can "cut down the biggest tree in the forest with a herring" (they have bony scutes on their bellies). If you ever find yourself needing to learn fish, I highly recommend www.fishbase.org. You can even learn them in multiple languages!

On another fishy note, I went to see the Sponge Bob movie with my Bible study. Since my Sponge Bob experience is limited to a 3-D show at Kings Island, I wasn't sure how I'd like it. It was good pre-exam week entertainment. Sometimes clever, sometimes stupid, always over the top. How often do you get to see plankton try to take over the world? If you're only going to see one animated movie this year, I'd still stick with The Incredibles. And by all means, skip The Polar Express. Just read the book. Thanksgiving break allowed me to catch up on my movie-watching.

Classes are over! I'm 4 exams and 2 papers away from vacation and Florida!

Note: I went to Sponge Bob with my bible study because we're a bunch of adults who like cartoons, not because it contains any biblical insights. Then again...maybe there are there are a couple. But it's no Veggie Tales.

What I learned in SPEA

2004-12-09T02:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some highlights of what I've learned in my 1st semester in SPEA (School of Public and Environmental Affairs). These are direct quotes from professors. Names are withheld to protect the innocent (mainly me).

Economics: "Deadweight efficiency loss describes my brain cells at 8:00 a.m."

Limnology: "It doesn't get any sexier than a chemoautotroph."
and "It's not always the bigger guys eating the little guys. Sometimes the little guys rise up."

Environmental chemistry: "Oceans: salty, deep, big. Freshwater lakes: far less salty, not as deep, not as big."
and some good news..."You're not doomed simply by the fact that you live in homes."

Applied math: "In Holland, we eat chalk."

Alas, next week I'm going to be tested on some of the less funny and memorable information I've learned this semester. So it's back to work I go...

My First Post

2004-12-08T02:44:00.000-05:00

Let's call this a trial run, because I'm not sure I want to resort to a mode of communication that's even less personal than mass e-mails. I guess it's better than not communicating at all. So, hello, friends, family, and very bored strangers. Welcome to my blog.