Snow!!! Oh geez, enough already!

The snow was great for a day, but now I am fed up with it and ready for things to get back to Oregon normal! I am going batty being cooped up in my little apartment. SOOOO here is a lovely little post with 18 random facts (why, 18? I picked a random number)

1) My legs are crooked (bow-legged) and one is 3/4 of an inch longer than the other...yet I love them.

2) I want a pet skunk (once it has bee de-stunk).

3) I can't choose a favorite color...pink and purple are too "girly", blue is a cop-out cliche color, green is associated with greed and money and horny-ness, yellow is too obnoxiously cheery, orange reminds me of traffic pillions, and my mom always told me I look bad in red. Black is gloomy and dark, grey is drab, and brown is dull. And I can't say white, since then I'll be called a racist!

4) But seriously, I guess I like all earth-tones, and honestly, black...it's classy and simple.

5) Sometimes I wish I hadn't gone to college, and had gone off to train horses for a living...

6) Doves are just a type of pigeon, basically flying rats...majestic, flying rats.

7) I'm an optimistic pessimist...try and wrap your mind around that one!

8) The tongue is the only muscle in the human body attached at one end only.

9) I like re-aranging furniture, and would change things up weekly if I had the time, space and creativity to do so.

10) Grace Kelly is my idol...I wish to be half as classy as her.

11) The coldest it has ever gotten in the continental United States was nearly -70 degrees Ferenheit in Montana in the mid 40's.

12) One of my favorite jobs was in a leather factory...I kind of liked working with raunchy old cowboys.

13) If everyone lived by the U.S. standards, there would need to be three more Earths to be sustainable.

14) Flamingos are really white, but the proteins from the shrimp they eat pigment their feathers to a pinkish tint.

15) I wish the jack-e-lope were real...

16) Charles Darwin wrote books other than his famous treatise on Natural Selection...including some amazing research on earthworms.

17) I enjoy studying law...yet will never have any desire to be a lawyer.

18) Randomness is a lack of order, purpose, cause or predictability, according to Wikipedia.

Loyalty

I am utterly disappointed in many OSU Beaver fans for their behavior on Saturday. I'm not talking about the fights that went on, the trash talking, or any of that. What really pissed me off was seeing hordes walking out as the Ducks scored more points against our admittedly deflated defense. Sure our team could have played better, given us more reason to cheer, but just because they were having a rough game doesn't mean we get to turn our backs on them. You can't choose when to support your team and when to ignore them. Fans should stick by their teams even more strongly during the tough games.
I think everyone needs to step back now and realize what an amazing season we had overall. We beat [then] number one USC when we were unranked. We only lost one home game, and really kicked the crap out of some great teams. If you claim to be a Beaver fan, be there for them!

A belated Thanksgiving post

I have neglected my poor little excuse for a blog for far too long! So here's a little post about what I am truly thankful for:

Higher Education: I feel so lucky to be able to have this opportunity to attend college. I love what I have learned here so far, and look forward to what I still have to learn. And not just in terms of academia. I have learned so much about who I am here at OSU, about what I don't want to be, and about relaxing and rolling with the punches.

Amazing friends: My room-mates, the "ranch", and countless others who I know will be supportive of who I am. Each and every friend has taught me something unique. From some I have learned great tolerance and patience, from others I have learned to open-up and relax, and still others have shown me that life is truly beautiful, even the rough parts of it.

My family *sigh*: Even though some members of my family drive me nutty (ie my mom), I am thankful for their concern about my well being. I could not ask for a more supportive family.

An amazing guy named Mike: I think he has taught me more about who I am (and who I am not) in about a year than anyone else has my entire life. I am thankful to know him, and am indebted to him for so much; support, comfort, a shoulder to lean on, and an amazing sounding board. He has become my go-to when I need to unwind, when I need to be pulled back to reality, or just when its time to kick back.

Being true to myself: It has been a life-long project, and I believe I finally have a foot in the heavy door. I am learning to trust myself and to center my life-path. It is nowhere near complete, but I feel like I have started on the journey I am destined to take, and it feels right.

New favorite music

I have found a really good band: FLOBOTS. They rap, but unlike most rap, they have an amazing message!

Checkout some of these youtube videos of theirs. BE WARNED: there is profanity.

handle bars

we are winning


In other news, oh, heck, I don't have much news, just enjoying summer, starting to workout again, and working in the lab AND greenhouse. Ah, lazy summer time!

I hope everone is enjoying the nice weather!

Wish List

So, every year when people ask what I want for my birthday and or Christmas, I draw a blank. While working in the pot-washing room on Wednesday I actually came up with some ideas! It's a ways off, but I actually have ideas, so I need to write them down before they are gone from my mind...

Leatherman
Munsell/GLOBE soil color guide
folding shovel and pick axe

Anything for backpacking!
Camel Pack

Books by Darwin, Thoreau, London or Steinbeck.

mp3 player

Clothes! or gift certificates for places like banana republic, victoria's secret, j crew, or the like

Polarized sunglasses for driving (since I have discovered my cheapos have horrible glare issues)


There we go, a start to the 2008 wish list!

Things that make me HAPPY Part deux.

So, a month or two ago I began a blog about things that make me happy, and said a part two would follow. I highly value promises being kept, so here is the part two:
I love:

• The ranch and all the ranch-hands :)
  
• Summer! It is finally [kind of] here.
  
• Photography, especially of lakes and rivers and woods. I am saving up for a nice Nikon or Canon so I can expand my skills.
• Cooking. I have been on a role lately with yummy new recipes.
  
• Our new landlords! I never realized just how difficult our old ones were until Duerksen took over.
  
• Trail riding. Okay, so I used to be a much more competitive, training oriented rider, but taking the polo ponies out on the trails has opened my eyes to the fun of trail riding, especially if you have a friend or two who will go along :)
• Driving I5 at night, when there is NO traffic.
• Having groceries in the apartment. Especially fresh fruit.
• Concerts.
• Lemonade, Limeade, and Iced Tea
  
• Bouquets of wild flowers and grasses
• Friends coming back from overseas!
• Decor with an international/traveler feel, think Down to Earth or Greater Goods in Eugene
• Cleaning, especially when I should be studying.
• Feeling like everything is exactly how it should be :)
  

Oh boy...I just feel like writing a random blog of all the things going through my noggin'. So here goes:
Why do colleges (or OSU, at least) call the week before finals week "dead week"? Supposedly there used to be no classes, and proffessors are not supposed to present any new material. HA! What a joke! This term has been crazy beyond belief, and this past week has been triple the insanity. Fourteen large assignments due this week alone. I'm not talking reading quizes or homework sets (which for my physics take about five or six hours at least), but full blown research, synthesis, or laboratory reports. And I'm only in four classes! But those four classes add up to eighteen credit hours.
Speaking of credit hours...I am on track to graduate next spring! It's ridiculous, exciting, and kind of frightening. I actually have to start deciding if I want to go to grad school, or look for a job, and where and SOON! Oh my gosh! I can't even think about not being in school! I haven't been not in school since I was four...almost seventeen years ago!
But, I do have a way of working, going to grad school AND staying in my beloved Corvallis! OSU's masters program in Soil Science is amazing, and is a really good choice of grad school, the EPA office is a five minute walk from campus, and they are always willing to take in undergrads and grads for internships and eventually jobs. As much as i piss and moan about the government, working for the EPA could be very fulfilling, and stable! I toured their site today and learned about their asymmetrical warming studies that are amazing and ground-breaking. I would love to be part of that team!
First thing's first, though, finals next week. I only have three, so that's not too bad, although on Wednesday I have one at 7am and one at 8pm. It'll be a very long day. But then after finals I am going to be spending a week with some soil professors and grad students (turns out I am the only undergrad going) in the channeled scablands! It is like the grand canyon of the northwest, yet almost no one has heard of them! They were carved out by multiple cataclismic floods from the breakdown of the glacial lake Missoula. It is amazing and completely unique.
This summer should be fun. I'm staying in Corvallis with my room-mate, and our soon-to-be additional room-mate from high school. She just got back from nearly two years at a bible school in Costa Rica. That will be fun. I'm also going to be working full time at the greenhouse, which is fine with me! It really is a wonderful job, it gets a litle tedious and methodical, but it's a great job, and since Prof. Carrington was just awarded a national recognition, I feel proud to be on his team!

That's all the jabbing i can do for now! Take care all!

PS, I'm not sure what happened to the font on my last post, it's all messed up, sorry.

LIVE LOVE LAUGH

There are some days when life is crystal clear and I really realize how fortunate I am to be who I am, and to be truly ALIVE. Not just in the sense that I have a pulse, a temperature, and functioning senses.
Today I will delve into my life philosophy, as it has developed substantially within the last, oh, six or seven months. Here we go:

• Live for the journey. Life isn't always, and usually isn't, about the destination. I believe that how you get where you are speaks volumes more than where you are. That means meeting turbulence with grace, and looking trouble in the eye. Handling adversity with understanding, gentleness, and patience. Learning to leave unnecessary thought and actions alone, and moving on.
  
• Worry Less. This one is hard for me, but I am trying. Things will get done whether you worry or not. It really is a useless, and destructive habit. I don't mean that slacking off and letting duties go undone, just not getting overly anxious about things outside of your control. Yeah, this one is a real toughie for me, though.
• Appreciate everyone for who they are. That includes ones self. Not everyone clicks with everyone else, cool. That adds to the interest in this world. Instead of getting frustrated with others, just realize that they have come along a different path, and that they have a different life history to pull from. If everyone agreed, progress would be impossible! Beauty arises from friendly disagreement.
• Choose your Battles Wisely and Carefully. No one can do everything, and no one can know everything about anything. Choose to be passionate about a few things and put your all into those things, instead of spreading your time and effort thinly across multiple causes. It is the fairest thing to do for everything and everyone in your life.
  
• Finally, Flirt with Yourself in the Mirror!!!! This sounds absurd, silly, and petty, but I have found it is essential to feeling confident and happy each and every day. Knowing that who I see in the mirror matches the person i am feeling inside that day helps me feel powerful and ready to take charge of the day.
  

TAG (not of the talented and gifted type)

My dear sister, Shauna, tagged me, and I like surveys and quizzes and the like, so here goes:


Four Things You Might/Might Not Want To Know About Me!
1) I used to have REALLY ticklish feet. I still do, but I used to not be able to wear socks because the seams were unbearable on my toes. It drove my family nuts
2) I absolutely cannot stand the sound of nails on chalk boards. It makes me gag...yes, the sound makes me gag.
3) I have really crooked fingers. Ask Shauna about why...
4) Acrylic fabric makes me cry. I think I'm allergic to it.

Four jobs I've held:
1) Retail at An Equine Addiction
2) Sales girl at Oregon Leather
3) Training horses/teaching riding
4) Greenhouse assistant and research aid for OSU's renowned Carrington lab

Four movies I could watch over and over:
The Notebook
Gattaca
Momento
Moulin Rouge

Places I've lived (in order):
Eugene, Oregon (Fairfield)
Eugene, Oregon (Lorane)
Corvallis, Oregon (on campus)
Corvallis, Oregon (off campus)

Four TV shows I like:
What Not to Wear
America's Next Top Model
Deadliest Catch
Cash Cab

Four favorite foods:
Chili
Chicken
Cheese
Salmon

Where I would rather be:
I wish it were two weeks from today, I will be camping in Bend and going to the Modest Mouse concert :)

Hiking, bakpacking and camping

I appreciate manicured nails, Cosmo mags, little black dresses and other stereotypically girly things, but more than anything else, I find so much peace and become quite centered in the untamed, pristine woods, grasslands, or mountains. I love being surrounded by something so much larger and grander than perception allows me to grasp. Being out where there is little if any evidence of human alteration is what really resets me and makes everything in life come into a clear, crisp focus. I hate to sound snobbish, but I think I enjoy camping for a completely different set of reasons than most people do. To me it is not just a time to take the RV, TV, beer and chairs to the outdoors and create an outdoor house. While that can be fun with family and friends, true camping to me is the most sensitive spiritual experience to be had. When you leave behind all the non-essentials, take only the bare minimum, go into the woods without a plan of where you will end up, and have the intent of being intimate with the Earth itself, that is when spiritual things will happen. I don't want to sound all new-age hoity-toity, but it is how I like to experience nature.
Hiking is also great with select others. I sound like such a selective snob! But when hiking, it is of utmost importance to me that whomever I am hiking with also understands the deep meaning of each tree, every stone, and can appreciate the beauty of the natural world sprawling before us and walk upon the land with intent and reverence.
I guess to me, pristine nature is like a temple or church. So when i see people disrespecting nature; littering, ruining flora for no purposeful reason, taunting fauna, and acing like they own th land; it is analogous to a devoted Christian seeing their church, with all the symbols of Christ and God, in flames with bystanders pointing and giggling at the smoke.
To me the outdoors are not to be tamed or conquered. Whoever tries is like Don Quiote jousting with the windmills. Nature is to be cherished, we are the stewards of the land, not the owners.
This summer I plan on taking as many camping, hiking and backpacking trips around the pacific northwest as I can between work and a few summer courses. So if you have a true reverence for nature and want to go on some outdoor adventures with nature and myself, let me know, good camping company is hard to come by!

Collections

Over the years I have had many odd collections. Breyers were huge for ages (and I still cannot part with a few of them, actually), and there were pound puppies, of course. Then there were lizards (sand-filled, hand-made from beads, and plastic) and pogs. Oh man, I wish pogs were still around! Those were super fun. I remember playing pogs with my sister and her friend, Sara and then going out to jump on the trampoline. Enough on that tangent!
More recently I began a marble collection. They are fascinating to me and I really like the vintage-y feel of them. And my most recent collection is.............FUNKY VINTAGE WINE GLASSES! I don't know if it's truly a collection yet, as I only have one so far. But I am hoping to get a good collection, no two the same, so at my future fun parties, everyone will know whose glass is whose. I am just enamored by the sophistication of some of the old wine glasses I see in antique shoppes and think thy are so unique. Plus, I like how when you flick really good quality crystal, it resonates so crisply. So, that is my new collection in case you were wondering.

What an odd day it was.

Some days looks can get you a lot. I usually don't consider myself very attractive, I'm sort of awkward, not stereotypically beautiful. But today I felt really good about myself, really confident with my personality and felt like I could conquer anything that came up. So, that confidence must have had some sort of a radiant effect, I don't recall opening any doors for myself (except at my apartment), I was offered a cut in the line at the bank by a gentleman in front of me, and then came the video store. I had a gift certificate there I needed to use, so I went in and asked if they had a certain movie for sale and I was just overlooking it. They did not have one for sale, but the clerk pulled one out of circulation for me, then said to go pick out four more movies and he'd only charge me for two! Looking back, I really should have said no, but I am poor, and enjoy movies, so I accepted the offer. I don't know if it's just coincidence or if my being confident really had that much impact on how others treated me, but it was an exceptional day!

Long TIme, no Blog!

I have gotten some complaints about my lack of blog activity, so for all you whiners, here is a random blog! I hope you all are happy.
I don't really know what to write about, so I will do a list of random things that make me giddy, happy, exhillirated, or the like:

• bubble wrap
• jeans that actually fit and are long enough
• freshly plucked eyebrows
• the smell of campfires
• big, open fields surrounded by forests
• track jackets
• rich humic soils
• peeling oranges in one peel
• steel drums
• music by Bob Marley and the Wailers
• music by Hootie and the Blowfish
• music by Dave Mathews Band
• music in general
• wildflowers
• the smell and taste of coconut
• driving with friends when it's sunny out
• aviator sunglasses
• chunky, tribal-esque bracelets
• little black dresses
• the magic bullet blender
• north face jackets
• hiking
• the smell of fresh cut hay, especially fescue or alfalfa
• bucking hay
• getting done at the barn in the summer just as the sun is setting
• hammocks
• laying down with sleeping horses
• examining the exquisite musculature of horses
• clavicles
  
• tee-shirts and scarves
• knee-high boots and elbow length gloves
• smiling strangers
• swings
• long philosophical chats
• yerba mate
  

This list could go on and on and on, but alas, I will save some more for a part two!

Snacking, snacking and more snacking

These are items you will probably find with me at all times. I can no longer be like an average person and eat three normal meals per day...oh no, I need to eat around eight small meals every day if I don't want to pass out. That's because at the beginning of this year I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia--low blood sugar. Fun stuff! I also, much to my sister's amusement, get these weird muscle spasms in my legs if I eat too much sugar, and they hurt like a biotch! (Don't tell my nutritionist, but I still splurge and eat sugary treats, and just bear through the spasms.)
I guess the point of this post is to say that there are some really yummy snack and protein bars out there. I personally am a huge fan of the traditional PowerBar. Some dislike its texture, but I actually really like the texture. Odwalla makes some delicious flavors (like chocowalla) and use all non-gmo products and many organic ingredients. Clif Bars have the best texture out of all the bars I have tried. They have some really unique flavors, too, like carrot cake and banana nut bread. Tiger's Milk is alright, and is very inexpensive, which I appreciate as a college student (45 cents at Winco). And my favorite recommendation by the nutritionist: a jar of peanut butter. So that's what comes with me to classes every day, just in case I feel like I'm about to lose consciousness.
I was pretty sure that eating so many times per day would make me gain weight, but to my surprise, I have actually lost a little...not enough to take back what I gained my freshman year, but a little. I guess it's because my body doesn't have to wait for more nourishment, so it doesn't slow down it's metabolism like it usually does if there are hours and hours between meals. Pretty neat!

You Look Like a Cow...Sorry, but it's True

I have a really odd pet peeve. I hate it when people chew gum. I think it makes them look like a cow. The whole idea of chewing on something you are not supposed to swallow weirds me out--big time. Even worse is when people sit there and play with their gum, and then stick it back in their mouths. Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!? DISGUSTING! It is just as bad as chewing with your mouth open, or talking with food in your mouth! It is a sign of poor manners in my opinion.

I get it...some people chew gum to get rid of bad breath. There are better alternatives. Mints for example. They freshen your breath, do their job, and then are gone. Perfect. There's also ginger. It takes all smells away and leaves you feeling refreshed, even better as it doesn't start tasting gross and stale. Or you could actually be hygienic and go brush your teeth! Are we really so lazy we can't take a moment to brush, REALLY!
And as for a way to release nervous energy...try getting more exercise. And if that doesn't help, don't eat so much sugar! For goodness sake, do you know how much sugar is in an average American's diet? Too much! Or if you really have am anxiety disorder, don't mask it by chewing gum and getting on everyone else's nerves...get some help and give your jaw a break!
Lastly, chewing gum to whiten your teeth! Bull-oney! If it really whitens your teeth, it probably has some sort of chemical which you will swallow because of all the saliva excreted from all the incessant chewing. That can't be a good thing. If you really need to whiten your teeth, use those strips, or trays, or even better, get a professional to do it.
I see no legitimate reason to chew gum except to look like a cow. So if that's your goal, have at it, cow-ey McCow cow!

I'm a big 'fraidy cat

You probably see this picture of a cat and think it is cute, that it is a friendly companion animal. You are wrong. Cats are frightening. Here is a list of other things that frighten me:

• eighteen-wheelers
• driving on ice
• walking over man-hole covers
• cooked green beans
• infants, toddlers, and small children
• strap-less bras
• dead fish that still have their heads
• guns
• jumping into water
• falling down waterfalls
• prosthetic eyes
• big houses with partially pulled blinds at night
• getting lost
• toilets overflowing
• making other people mad or disappointed
• swimming with my face in the water
• war, fighting and arguing
• public restrooms
• one of the gardens at Belknap Hot Springs
• really crowded places
• really muscle y men who slather themselves with oil
• prescription medications
• waking up with one or more extremities completely asleep
  
• getting all tangled up in my blankets and waking up unable to move
• throwing up
• birds
• touching live fish
• overly aggressive and confrontational people
• making phone calls, even if I've known the person for years
• money issues
• southern baptist bible thumpers
• a whole chicken in a can
• backing cars up my driveway

So I think this sums it all up, I am afraid of a lot of random things.

My new [dangerous] love

So, if you know me, you know I am soft-spoken, shy, and non-confrontational. I don't like to be aggressive and I like to be safe. But that is starting to change thanks to my new found passion for POLO!!!
For those who think it is a simple sport where you idly sit upon a horse and swing a stick at a ball, you are sadly mistaken. There is a lot to the game: handling high-strung horses, keeping on the correct side of the line of the ball, watching where your team mates are and where your opposition is, remembering which way your goal is, out running others to the ball, being able to hit from either side of the horse in either direction, neck hooks, rear hooks, catching other's mallets, foul shots. But my favorite part of the game, and this surprises people who know my personality, is riding off, or bumping. This is where you literally run into a player, horse's shoulder to horse's shoulder, in order to move them away from the ball. You can get pretty physical and aggressive, and if you get your knee right in front of the other player's knee, you can check your horse up and force them to slow down, too.
The polo ponies are absolutely amazing athletes, too. They are so eager to follow the ball, and seem to enjoy riding off as much as I do. They do spins on the haunches at a canter on a dime with change to spare. They put up with the new riders getting their shots figured out and take a few strikes to the legs like champs. They are by far some of the most fun horses I have had the opportunity to ride.
Of course there are dangers to this game. You can get squished between another rider and the wall. Or you can get hit by someone else's mallet or the ball can whack you in the face. I recently had a horse get squirrelly with me and go too fast around a corner. His legs went one way and his body-with myself attached-fell the other way. I've been healing my sprained ankle since then.
Despite the dangers and aggressive nature of the sport, I love it so much, and am looking forward to playing for the OSU JV team this term, my first match being at Stanford in a few weeks!

Some of you may be aware of my most recent obsession--SQUIRRELS!
Over winter break I found a good way of passing the time, watching the squirrels in the backyard frolic about. I named two of them, Lucy, a dainty little one, and my favorite, Jim, a big fatty. I even left walnuts out for them, well for Jim as he ate as many as he could and then hid the rest from Lucy. This whole obsession began on a blustery day when Jim was minding his own business on the fence, just chillaxin, when suddenly a big gust of wind swept him off the fence. What indignity for a squirrel! But I was instantly enamored by him.
I realize I will probably end up living in the woods with squirrels as my friends, but I'm fine with that, they only ask for nuts.

~Namaste~

Oh my good golly gosh I am blogging!

Well, my sister, Shauna, has always been very influential in my life (mostly in a good way) and now she has convinced me to start a blog. So here goes nothing! This will be a peek into my glorious (or not) life as a poor college student. Hold on tight, I guarantee it'll be riveting...actually I can't promise you that, but I'll try.

~Namaste~