27 days...worry, worry!

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?).

1. 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!"
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

Yeah, this is how college is....

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A day for reflection

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 )

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

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.....

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

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!!!