Thoughts of a Space Cadet

Getting Healthy

2010-11-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

First off, a big THANK YOU!!!! to everyone who sent me cards, text or calls yesterday on my birthday! I had a great day, sleeping in, then heading don the back-roads to Boise for sushi and to walk around the city a bit. I had originally planned on traveling to Eugene for my birthday, but due to weather hazards, that was nixxed. Instead, I took the money I would have spent on gas and I got a juicer....

Sean and I watched some really fantastic documentaries about food, nutrition and lifestyle and the effects on health, and after some research we have decided to begin a diet of about 55-70 percent raw foods. It has been an adventure, and an investment in a juicer has been brilliant. Right now I am drinking a meal of five carrots and three apples....no sugar added, no fat and it is delicious!

I would encourage everyone to think hard about how they are eating... Are you getting all your needs from food, or is food just a filler?

Photobucket

2010-10-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have created a photo bucket site......No we are not good at keeping it up to date. But there is some new stuff:

http://s973.photobucket.com/home/GatoYGallo

Update from the Gem State

2010-10-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

What's new? Well I'm on my blog for the first time in almost half a year....oops. So a quick catch up:

Trips

McCall, Payette Lake
Sisters, Suttle Lake
Hell's Canyon
Ellensburg, WA
Portland multiple times
Corvallis
Wallowa Lake
Boise a handful of times

Work

Mostly paper-work, documentation and planning.
Lots of hiking, too
Learning all about irrigation practices
Diving head-first into a new culture out here

Home

Sean is all moved in and set up
The house is starting to actually feel like a home (first time in a long while for me)
My new-to-me truck is awesome.....despite one thing, a bent up undercarriage which still needs fixing
Beer is brewing, honey is gathered, sagebrush is picked and crafts are being prepared.

Recreation

Tried out a couple horses, we will wait to get any animals until we have some land of our own
NEW GOALS: XC skiing this winter, kayaking in the spring-fall (birthday/xmas hint....any gear for either of these endeavors)
The board game Sequence is an absolute must for everyone! Go....get it NOW!

Ooooooooo-klahoma where the wind comes rushing through the plains!

2010-05-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

Adventure time is coming up in about a week! I get to head to the mid-west and spend three whole weeks in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I'm being sent for work to attend "Conservation Boot Camp" or CBC*. Sounds real hard-core, like we're some sort of dirt army**. I wish, it's pretty much drilling the nine steps of conservation planning into our heads along with all the red-tape government requirements that we have to deal with. But it should be fun getting to meet about 20 other new employees from all over. I looked at the list and am excited to see some other PNW'ers from Washington state, and a few pacific island folks (THAT would be a dream locale!)

*The government is WAY too fond of acronymizing everything, I call it AAD, acronym addiction disorder
**I can't get the image of little GI Joes left in the sandbox, carrying little sharp-shooters and range-hoops

Pros and Cons {Payette Version}

2010-04-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Pros of living in Payette, Idaho:

I am a "ho"
A five minute walk gets me to the greenway--a gorgeous walking path by the confluence of the Payette and Snake Rivers
Only need to cross the bridge to get back to Oregon
An ice cream truck runs right by my house on Fridays!
Constant entertainment such as watching a guy get pulled over at 11 am for going the wrong way down the road on a riding mower with a 40 oz of pbr taped in his hand
Only an hour from Boise, the Owyhee Dam, McCall, the Payette National Forest, and the Boise National Forest
You feel good about yourself by just having all your teefers and not wearing spandex or having a mullet
All new appliances in my awesome little house

Cons of living in Payette, Idaho:

I'm a "ho"
Spandex
Mullets
Sales Tax
Sitting in your car at the gas station for about five minutes before remembering you have to pump your own gas
You feel like a loser without a gun rack and/or antlers on your truck (or coyote tails and rattler buttons tied to your antennae)
Being so far away from the people I love the most

An Important Post

2010-04-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting in my cubicle doing on-line training modules today at work, watching the rain come down, wishing I could be on a field review, I had a realization:
I am alive

That may not be astonishing to you, I know, and it shouldn't be. But almost four years ago I attempted suicide. Yeah, I'm putting that out on the world-wide-web for anyone who comes across it to read. But I think that it needs to be out there: suicide. It is made so taboo that people feel ashamed of what they have survived. But no more. Everyone should be able to talk about it, normalize it a little so that it can be openly spoken of, and so that help can be found expediently for those who are suffering so deeply.

To my family and friends who follow my blog: Thank you and I love you, each and every one of you!

Guess who isn't a college student?

2010-03-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

ME!

I just got out of my last final....EVER! Well, unless I decide to go back to grad school in a few years, but we will have to wait and see about that. It feels absolutely surreal to be done already. But I am ready for this next step....work? BRING IT ON!

The River of No Return....

2010-03-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

There is a national forest nearby where I'll be! The Payette National Forest. And a designated Wilderness Area: The River of No Return Wilderness. Sounds fun. And it boasts the second biggest canyon I will ever have been in, smaller than Hell's Canyon, but deeper than the Grand Canyon--The Salmon River Canyon.

And I need to find this:

I-da-HO

2010-02-26T11:56:00.001-08:00

Well, after nearly tearing my hair out trying to find somewhere, ANYWHERE to live within driving distance of work, I have found a place to live near Ontario. Payette!
This will be the eighth zip code I have lived in, and it doesn't start with a "9", which I find somewhat disturbing. It seems like a nice place to live, this Payette place. Small, which is nice, and next to the Payette and Snake Rivers. And I'll be close to Leslie Gulch and Succor Creek. An hour from Boise when i need some "big" city action. Halfway between Salt Lake City and Portland (that seems really weird to me).

In other news, 19 days until I take my last final! Then a few days of spring break with my friends before moving away and starting this thing called real life. Hopefully in a few years I'll know if I'll be staying in Ontario, or if I'll be moving again, so i can then start looking for property to grow food, raise dairy goats, alpaca and a few horses....maybe some laying hens, too. But for now: One. Step. At. A. Time.

Who be Hatein'?

2009-12-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

Most people who know me know what kinds of things I like, but I do have some random dislikes:

Heart shaped anything, unless it is anatomically correct
Guys wearing their pants so low that they have to walk like they've been shot just to keep them on.
Patchouli
When pant are an inch or so too short, and show too much ankle when you sit down
Mismatched underwear and bra
People who stop in the middle of a store aisle, especially with a cart
Rain gear that "swishes" loudly
Roses
Misuse or lack of use of the blinker
Nervous passengers
Backseat drivers
Small cars with big mufflers (can you say compensation?), unless they are legit muscle cars
People wearing Uggs, especially with shorts or miniskirts or with sweatpants tucked in them
Overly protective guys
People who talk shit
Wannabe trucks that can't pull or haul anything

Back to O-town I will go.

2009-12-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Literally the day after I moved out of my hell-hole of an apartment in Ontario I got an email. "Okay, great, an email..." you are thinking. But this email will define my life for the next two years. I got a permanent position with NRCS in none-other than......ONTARIO!

Dang it! But I shouldn't complain, it is a great job, in my field, with benefits! I really am quite lucky. And I won't be living above a lottery/pool/bar place. I won't even call this place a bar, bars are classier than this sh*t hole was. So, for the first time in years I will know where I will be for two whole years! Stability!

BENEFITS!

2009-11-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's sinking in...I have benefits. This means four things to me:

I'm growing up
I have a REAL job...scratch that, a CAREER
College is almost over
I have life insurance and someone could marry me, off me, and take that money.

Number four scares me.
That's all.

Ontario: 1 week down, 5 to go.

2009-10-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can't explain this town...it smells like a mix of factory smog and potatoes...ugh. All I can say is I miss Enterprise. The mountains, the people I met, not smelling cigarette smoke in my apartment, the Eagle Caps, Hells Canyon, MOUNTAINS, trees, water!
But, this job is my dream come true. I'm out in the field all day, analyzing and classifying soils, creating map units and correlating ecological sites. It's like a giant, 600 acre puzzle every day (yeah, we map about 600+ acres per day). Wednesday I got to analyze soil in the snow and 35 mph winds by Ironside mountain! HELL YEAH!

One month in...two to go.

2009-07-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have been in this amazing valley for a month now, and have discovered two important things:

Things get lonely when you don't know a soul around you.
Things are brand new and SO refreshing when you don't let loneliness get to you too much.

Refreshing enough I have gotten out and visited many taverns and met quite a few people. It has been interesting on one hand, and truly fun on the other. I've met some really weird people, but some awesome ones as well. One, a bartender of course, gave me the number of a tattoo artist over here (as well as his number...). So today I took advantage of the local artistry:

That was cold...

2009-07-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

UPDATE time, since someone, I won't name names, is whining about a lack of blogging from me.

Last weekend I hiked some trail along Hurricane Creek. I thought I was headed to Echo lake, but ended up (I think) at Douglas Lake. I thought I would just go for an easy training hike, with my pack fully loaded and weighted a bit extra for conditioning. Easy hike ended up being an elevation gain of nearly 1,000 feet in four miles...all switch backs, but still mighty steep!
I got to a Lake and decided to call it good, my legs were aching, and I knew I still had to get back down without falling over the edge! The heat must have really gotten to my head, though, cause I thought the lake would be a good way to cool off...it was...it was FREEZING! I should have known, since it is a high mountain lake and all! But the little skinny dip was refreshing, albeit numbing!

Week One: Complete!

2009-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have lived in Enterprise for exactly one week today! AND I LIKE IT. I have great neighbors (even if the next youngest one is over twice my age) and wonderful co-workers. The clients I will get to work most closely with this summer are great. I have already had to get over some of my fears:

driving a stick shift. My assigned work truck is a manual. I learned to use the clutch, and have since driven to nearby cities. Soon I will be taking her to Baker City, La Grande, Ontario, Jordan Valley, and beyond. I like stick shift!
making phone calls. Pretty much what I get to do for most of the day. I'm having to get over my phone phobia
asking questions. I have to do it, and it's getting easier.

I also get to do things that I really enjoy:

I've already gone on a couple hikes in some awesome country.
I've gotten to trail ride around Wallowa lake
I will get to drive cattle this weekend!!!!
Terminal Gravity Brewing has some of the nicest bar-staff and brewmeisters around
cowboys...enough said

A week from now...

2009-06-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

So in six days I will be moving almost 500 miles to Enterprise. I think it is really starting to sink in now. I have found a nice little place to rent--an apartment overlooking an old mill pond with the Eagle Cap wilderness as a back drop, Ruby Peak front and center. It is also minutes away from trail heads to one of the most inspirational landforms I have laid eyes on; Hell's Canyon.

Last time I went to Hell's Canyon was about this time last year, with a couple professors and some fellow grad and undergrad students to follow the path of the Missoula floods. (If you don't know what these are...check out the documentary Ice Age Floods from NOVA, it's worth it!) Even surrounded by people I don't know very well, I was amazingly at ease the moment I set foot into the area. I think I am meant to be out East. My personal favorite piece of poetry came from that moment:

Warped
Time bends
Unthinkable angles obtained
By an intangible yet innate force
Angles not real, not imagined either
Time makes shapes unrecognizable
Straining to understand
Efforts are futile for minds
To grasp alone
But unfocus from the issue
And like a mirage
A flitter in the perripheral
It becomes all too clear
Brief, fleeting, blindingly true
You catch time warping.

Great last minute meal

2009-05-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

I just had to share the recipe I came up with tonight. First of all, I have spent about 12 hours each day for the last three days writing papers (what a great weekend to look longingly out the windows), so today I just HAD to make a good meal.

"Honey, you're a jerk" chicken sandwich:

Chicken Breast
Lime
Pyramid Curve Ball summer seasonal blonde ale with Lemon
Jamaican Jerk sauce
Red leaf lettuce
Honey mustard yogurt dressing
Pita

Put lemon slices in beer, drink 1/2, forget about it until it is slightly warm.
"Flash Fry" chicken breast in lemon-infused warm beer on high heat.
Bring heat down once all liquid is gone. Add Jerk sauce and a few slices of lime.
Grill until done, squeezing lime over it and basting with jerk sauce occasionally.
Serve in pita with honey mustard yogurt dressing and red leaf lettuce....and a cold beer :)

27 days...worry, worry!

2009-05-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my blog, I am sorry. But I have an excuse: trying to find somewhere to live in Enterprise for the summer. This has been a task and a half on its own! But anywho, I am heading over there this weekend to try and secure a living arrangement, or to pick out a nice campground (joking, hopefully).
Honestly, I'm not too sure why I am writing this blog post right now. I should be cleaning up my room, or doing some work on my field project, but I just need to write out my thoughts. Purge it onto you, my readers (even though I doubt you exist...anyone out there?).

How am I going to make friends? I know literally NO ONE out there. This will be the first time I am going to be out there without a wingman by my side, no friends to go meet others with. I am flying solo. Yeah, I'm excited, but I am scared witless! Many of you know how much of a social retard I am when I get nervous. As soon as I meet someone, I'll open up pretty quickly and all, but I suck arse at that first, "hey!"
This will be my first time living alone, no roommates, nada. No internet, either. I'm not too worried about that, just wondering how I'll waste my free time.
Will I be ready for my job? I know that I am being hired as a student employee, so I am not going to be expected to know it ALL just yet, but I can't help but feel like I am going to mess it up. All I can do is give it my all, be receptive, and take criticism I suppose.
Related to number one, what if everyone I meet turns out to be creepers. I am a creeper magnet, no joke. We will see, plus I am pretty good at giving the cold shoulder and standing my ground...so don't try me, creeper McCreeperston.
Of course, what if I get lost? I do a pretty good job getting myself turned around in Eugene and Corvallis, which I have lived in a combined total of 21 years. No one in my contacts list will know how to help me get from point A to point B 400 miles away in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully I can find a really good map, or a really nice young cowboy.

Sorry, didn't mean to have a spew-session, but...hmm, yeah, I did mean to.

College

2009-05-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, this is how college is....

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

A day for reflection

2009-04-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

As I sit here, trying to finish my homework for the week, I made a realization:
I AM ALMOST DONE!
How can that be? It feels like I have just started getting the hang of this "college thing" and now I am practically done? What am I supposed to do now...grow up!? But I am SOOOOO ready to be out of here. Here's a little break down of all I have learned:

Fall '06
ENSC 101--Environmental seminar
PHL 251--Knowers, Knowing and the Known
CSS 205--Sustainable Ecosystems via Soil
ALS 114--Career decision making (aka a joke)
NFM 324--Human Nutrition

Winter '07
BI 202--Biology II
ATS 210--Atmospheric Science
ST 351--Statistics I
HHS 231--Health
HHS 248--Yoga
AREC 250--Agriculture Resource Economics
AREC 299--Case Study

Spring '07
BI 213--Biology III
WR 121--Writing
ANTH 110--Cultural Anthropology
ST 352--Statistics II

Fall '07
BI 211--Biology I
CH 221--Chemistry I
PH 201--Physics I
GEO 105--Geography of the NonWestern World

Winter '08
CH 222--Chemistry II
PH 202--Physics II
COMM 111--Public Speaking
AG 301--Ecosystems of Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes

Spring '08
CH 223--Chemistry III
BOT 341--Plant Ecology
PH 203--Physics III
PH 313--Alternative Energy

Fall '08
CSS 306--Soils Recitation
CSS 305--Soils Lecture and Lab
FOR 462--Environmental Law and Policy
PHL 443--Environmental Ethics
WR 327--Technical Writing

Winter '09
BI 370--Ecology
CSS 455--Biology of Soil Ecosystems
BI 301--Human Impacts on Ecosystems
ENG 362--American Women Writers

Spring '09
CSS 466--Soil Morphology and Classification
CSS 325--Agricultural and Environmental Predicaments
FW 456--Limnology
GEO 221--Environmental Geology

Tuesday ( T minus 43 days )

2009-04-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

In 43 days I will no longer be residing in the Willamette Valley. This will be the first time in my 21 years that I will be outside of this valley for more than a week at a time. I am heading over to the Wallowas to work with the NRCS...that is a division of the USDA which deals with soil and water conservation. This sizable county is home to about 7,000 residents and has nothing of luxury in excess! I am thrilled, but a little nervous, too. So for the next few weeks before I go, Tuesdays will be my T minus day, where I will share with you a piece of the county I am moving to!

One of Oregon's best breweries is located in Enterprise: Terminal Gravity, which brews my all time favorite IPA (except for Presitental Pale, by my own Ranch Brew, of course!). Their public house looks fun, and I have heard from some locals and visitors that they have the best food in town. I will have to check it out, and try to get some secrets from the brewmeisters.

Motif Monday

2009-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe if I actually make myself do a theme two or three times per week, my blog will actually get some attention from me! So here we go....

MOTIF MONDAY!!! Today's motif of the week: Trees

First up are a set of awesome bar towels from branchhandmade on etsy.

(I also liked the lemons, which remind me of my sister's AMAZING business, lemondrop studio...check her out!)

Next I stumbled across some beauts for wine lovers such as myself:
These gorgeous pieces of functional artwork come from marywibis, again on etsy. She has tons of awesome tree-themed items, but I was particularly drawn to these stemless glasses.

Who likes lap-top decals???? I DO! And I just love this one...

Whimsical, modern, but staying true to a tree-hugger's heart! From michellechristina's store on etsy.

As a lover of fine-art photography, and nature photography, this one was an immediate attention grabber:From the etsy shop of louneal, I was speechless and blown away by some of the images he captured. And this one especially, the simplicity of it is astounding.

Hope you Pacific Northwesterners are enjoying the rain (liquid sunshine)...Cheers!
Bring in some ideas of what motif you would like to see next week!

I am.....

2009-03-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

AN OLD MAN!!!

It has come to my realization that I am an old man at heart. Why, you ask?

1. I enjoy the occasional cigar or pipe.
2. I like to play poker.
3. I enjoy darts.
4. My favorite drinks are not the trendy, 'girly' drinks--I prefer good beer, or whiskey on the rocks.
5. My favorite bars so far have almost no one under the age of thirty years old. They mainly have old people talking about hunting and golf.
6. My dream car: 1950's pickup truck, either Ford or International.

My friend, confidant, and father

2009-03-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people who I admire: Grace Kelly, JFK, Ghandi, Sidhartha, MLK Jr.
But towards the very top of that list is someone closer to me personally: my Dad. He is not perfect, but that is why I look up to him so much. He is a constant reminder to me to live with my flaws, to respect myself, and to always know that everything WILL work out. He has always been there to listen to me bitch, to hear my good news, and to make fun of me when I blow things out of proportion. He always makes me laugh, and look at things in the long run.

Perseverance
Pride in your work
Genuine effort
Not caring what others think
Loving physical activity

These are the things my Dad has taught me.

I LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Sorry for my dishonesty

2009-02-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

I don't really hate Valentine's day. I do think it is an overrated holiday, sexist, and sets up a dichotomous situation in relationships, but it's not all bad.
Sometimes unexpected things happen..... Ah, such is life.

I hate Valentine's Day

2009-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Period. I think it is a lame holiday, not just for singles, but in general.

RESOLUTION TIME!!!!!

2009-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

New Year's....I guess that means I should make some resolutions. And I plan to make some, three, in fact.
1. I am resolved to be nicer to myself this year. I have always been my own worst enemy, and I think it's high time to change that.
2. I am going to try to be less passive aggressive. I see how annoying it is when other people act that way, and I don't want to be like that.
3. Get a steady work-out routine going again. I had a great system going over the summer, then it kind of faded as school started up again...but this term, I WILL work out, and maybe tighten my tummy back up to how it was during my riding days.

Snow!!! Oh geez, enough already!

2008-12-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-06-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2008-06-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-05-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-03-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-03-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-01-07T17:46:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-01-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

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~