Fires are scary

In the past week, not only have the Southern California fires been all over the news, but we also had a large apartment fire in town two days ago that has displaced 50-60 people, mostly college students like myself (not to mention the tragic fire in North Carolina that killed 7 students today). These have gotten me thinking about what I would do in the same situation (at least as the students in the local fire). What would I save? After thinking about it, luckily only a few things really stood out: Our wedding negatives, my photo boxes/scrapbooks, important papers. Pretty much everything else would be at least somewhat replaceable. I wouldn't cry over losing any of our furniture (except my grandparents' cedar chest that Peter beautifully refinished, but there would be no way in hell to get that out in a hurry), all of our belongings could be replaced, and all of my computer stuff is backed up on the internet (which hopefully is safe). However, we are young. I can't imagine the same process with a house full of cherished belongings and family heirlooms, such as what you inevitably accumulate over time. Let's pray we never have ti know that heartbreak.

Events

Ladies and germs, if you are in Boulder and have no plans this Tuesday night, head over to the UMC for the GSA's drag show, wherein Aous and I will be belly dancing. Fun times will be had by all! (Mature rating, costumes welcome). The festivities begin at 8 PM, and we will be towards the very end.

Winter Weather

Smells like cow shit. Gonna be cold tomorrow.

Thoughts on a Sunday Night

Tomorrow the rush begins. What am I thinking in these last few moments of my own?

I love my husband very much. I feel like we really reconnected over the weekend, just by spending time together (and having that time to spend to begin with) and making each other a priority. He is wonderful and my everything.

I can't wait until I no longer have 12 hour days. The worst of it is that I don't feel like I get anything done in those long hours. I'm in class or at a job, which cuts out time for studying, homework, or those million little tasks that need to be done during business hours (or while I have energy). Only two more years...

Somehow, we got Disc 4 of Dexter before we got Disc 3. This made me unaccountably sad every time this weekend I thought about sitting down to watch it with my snuggly husband, only to realize that we couldn't because nothing would make sense. I can't wait to get Disc 3 on Tuesday.

I would very much like the Buffs to win their next home game. Yes, it was very exciting at the end, but it would been much more exciting to actually win. I love you Buffs, please don't let me down. I really want to be there for a victory.

The Internet is evil. Sure, I know a lot of random, useless shit now, like that the Amber Room was built in the 1700s by the King of Prussia, taken by Russia, then taken by the Nazis and has since disappeared, but is this important? More important than my upcoming midterm? I think not.

Speaking of the evil of the Internet:
I saw a funny spoof of "Glengarry Glen Ross" on YouTube today. Peter and I watched that movie a couple years ago and thought it really didn't live up to the hype (you think nothing happens in some movies? Nothing *really* happens here!). But after watching this spoof, we were both like, "Were all those actors really in that movie?" I think we were early in our Netflix career at that point, and so only recognized a few of them. I know I didn't know Alan Arkin then because I had not seen the wonderfulamazingwonderfulness that is Little Miss Sunshine then, so I was not in love with Grandpa. But now I am. Maybe we should rewatch Glengarry Glenn Ross? Watch the preview, and let me know what you think:

First Snow

First snow of the year, it even stuck for a little bit, but nothing like the inches other parts of Colorado got (thank goodness). One of my new friends in the program is from Oregon and she is beside herself at the thought of snow and can't wait for it to start. Another friend is from Saudi and *hates* the snow. I have to say, I'm not keen on it starting, but there is something magical about walking along in the hush of a softly falling snow. Mainly, I get really cold in winter and the only way for me to warm up is to take a hot bath or to drink some hot chocolate (mostly the bath, though). I live in blankets and fleece at home and down jackets when I'm away (even when I'm sitting in class). Thank God for down blankets and snuggling; they make this season bearable!

World Series Fever

The Rox are going to the World Series! Old news, I know, but still exciting for the people here who are still just figuring out that we have a baseball team (myself included). I flirted briefly with trying to buy tickets for the World Series, as most of my friends are, but it really wouldn't be worth it, since Peter's not exactly the world's biggest sports fan and I brought a book to my last baseball game. So I think instead I will watch it at a bar in Denver with some friends, since I will be in the city for a conference anyway. It should be a lot of fun and hopefully they'll keep up their incredible streak. Go Rox! (Yeah, I totally just jumped on the bandwagon).

Musicale Saturday

Was yesterday ever full of musical-ness! First, we went to Boulder High to see their production of Little Shop of Horrors, then I watched Singin' in the Rain while the kids I babysat were sleeping. Wow!

First things first: Little Shop. We saw the understudy performance, which I thought was really cool that they had, since normally understudies just have to work really hard then never have anything to show for it. And if these were the understudies, the regulars must have been amazing! It was much, much better than my high school musicals ever were, in every aspect. The theater was an actual theater, with a proscenium, balcony seating and everything. The actors could really sing AND carry a New York accent through the entire show without sounding ridiculous, and the sets were more than just cardboard cutouts. It was a highly enjoyable time and I'd like to go see more of their productions; cheaper than Broadway! They also do interesting shows. Last year, I saw the ads that they were doing Urinetown. What other high school would do that?

Singin' in the Rain was, as usual, wonderful. I've probably seen it more than any other movie by now, and it never gets old. I was reminded yet again how full of linguistic stuff it is. Maybe someday I'll do a linguistic deconstruction of it. In the meantime, go see it if you haven't already!

Building Mysteries*

Sometimes you can be in a building every day for years and never notice something. Or see something, but never investigate it. I work in the library three days a week and have worked here for the past year and a half. There is a stairwell I need to go up in order to use the bathroom (so, I go up a lot), and for a year, I never realized that I could go *down* as well. There is a mysterious bottom floor that I not only never knew about, but never even saw until this year. Even though I've now noticed it, I still haven't gone down to investigate. I don't think there's actually anything down there, but who knows?

In the other building I live in, the one my other job is housed in and where I have all my classes, there is a mysterious *top* floor. No one ever mentions this floor, only one staircase goes all the way up there and I have no idea what's up there. I know there are windows because I can sometimes see light. I think I almost prefer not knowing because the reality will be much more prosaic than my imaginings of an airy, open floor with plenty of windows and maybe some romantic, ancients chests to go through. You know, an attic. Maybe that's actually where they chain up the PhD students toiling away at their dissertations. I think that's more likely.

*With apologies to Sarah McLachlan

Coolest Idea Ever

Want to make a difference, but don't have a lot of dough? Think something needs to be done to help our kids in school learn, but aren't sure what to do? Like to know *exactly* where your money is going? Check out Donors Choose, which lets you looks at proposals teachers have submitted for funding to help their kids learn. They range from things like desks and chairs for kids behind the curve in writing (they are currently meeting in a hallway), to buying copies of books so that each student can have one to take home, to providing fishtanks for a science classroom. All the specifics are there, from % poverty of the school, how many students will be impacted, if the materials purchased will be used for future students, what school, basically, all the details you could want as a potential benefactor. It's tax deductible, vetted by the company (really, who would go through all this effort to scam $300 anyway?) and you even get thank you notes at the end. I think the nicest touch is that the site provides the teacher with disposable cameras and your contact info, so you can get a really personal thank you. And you can just contribute towards a project too! Definitely check it out, and not just because all of our family members (and soon to be us too!) are in the education "business."

Loving Sunday, Dreading Monday

Man, Sundays are great. Especially when you take the time to truly have a day of rest (seriously, I think all those religious traditions are onto something!). Peter and I both had naps today, though at different times. I have spoken before about my passion for naps, and today was a wonderful example of why. Drowsy afternoon, full belly from lunch, sunny but with a chill in the air and no appointments to make. Wonderful!

We went to the wedding of a friend of mine from school yesterday in Colorado Springs. It was the first time we had been there, but it probably won't be the last. It's actually a lot closer than we thought! Another good thing that happened yesterday: The Buffs WON! Amazing. I keep thinking about those of little faith, the scoffers and the disbelievers who didn't want to give
Coach Hawkins a chance. I hope they are changing their tune now! My family has followed him for several years now, since he was at Boise State, because one of my high school classmates from Reno went and played for him up there. He took that team from exactly the kind of fame Idaho has always had, and brought them to the national spotlight with the Fiesta Bowl game last year (even if he wasn't actually the coach, it was his recruits and his former coaching staff).

You could see the spirit even last year. I don't really know sports, I will admit, but even at some of the games last year, it just seemed like if we only had a little more time, we could have made a great comeback. The momentum would shift late in the game, but never soon enough to win. This game, I guess we managed to get *just* enough time to make that amazing field goal with seconds to spare. Now if we can just keep pushing that margin of time back, that would be great!

Well, Monday's less than an hour away now, which makes me sad and excited for next weekend already. I'm just so tired of constantly going with no breaks. Even a lunch hour would be heavenly. I don't know what I would do with all that time. In the meantime, I should probably look at my work for tomorrow and make sure I didn't miss something huge. Merry October too!

Bedtime

My contacts are dry, I'm making up excuses to surf the web, I'm avoiding studying, and I'm not at all tired. It must be time to go to bed.

At the Game

Savoring the feeling of winning. It may not last long.

Snuggling

We put the down comforter back on the bed last night. It was very hard to get out of bed this morning.

Still here

Sorry for the lack of posts, everyone. We had a very social weekend with a wedding shower of Friday (fun!) and house guests Friday through Sunday (also fun!). But the combo meant that free time was spent working on homework and assignments, so, it was not actually free time.

Exciting things:
We went to the football game on Saturday and roasted in the sun but CU won overwhelmingly, and winning is very fun, especially when last two games and last season were not-so-hot. The best part is that a lot of the good plays were made by freshman, so that really shows the rebuilding process is in full swing. Why I love our new coach: ""We've won four games in two years so we're just trying to win a football game against anybody," Hawkins said."

Picture from the game (in the student section with two of the girls in my program):

Weather was CRAZY today! Woke up to buckets of rain pouring down, complete with thunder and lightning. At 6:30 AM people! This simply does not happen here. Rain, especially accompanied by thunder, comes at 3 PM in August. That is it. Even crazier is that it rained all day. Not as heavy as the morning, but steady and more than a drizzle most of the time. They are saying we'll be above our average for the month already just after today. Crazy style, but good.

Sentimentality done right

Man, I don't think there was a better time for movies that tugged at your heartstrings than the 1940s era. We just finished "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (from 1939, but close enough), and holy cow! Very sentimental, but sentimental done right. One of my other favs is "Mrs. Minniver," which was about England during WWII. The first time I saw it, I only saw the last ten minutes, but I was sobbing during the last scene, even though I had no idea who anyone was. I would highly recommend id it, even if you only watch the last ten minutes.

Best Cookie Ever

I just made a batch of meringues for an upcoming shower. O. M. G. Very good, very easy, and very not-bad-for-you! Just two egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and a little salt, beat until stiff peaks form (the tip stands up straight when you pull the beater out), then add 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and/or fold in your favorite flavoring or nuts/chocolate chips/mint chips/etc., plop them on a parchment- or foil-lined cookie sheet or two and stick in the over at 200 degrees for an hour and a half. Then, the best part? Turn off the heat and leave them there. Go to sleep, go shopping, whatever. They don't go from gooey to burnt in half a second, there's no rush to rescue them at the perfect moment, they're fine. And oh so delicious! And since there's pretty much nothing in them (except sugar), they're practically health food! I made them with some mint chips that ruin chocolate chip cookie recipes, so they have been abandoned in our closet for quite some time. I chopped them up, folded them in just before putting them in the oven and... heaven! I need to stop eating them so there will be some left for the party. But I can always make more! I think the very best part is that the altitude doesn't seem to affect them at all. Score!

PS If you want them to look pretty like at the store, you'll need a pastry bag and a pretty tip. If you plop them on like I did, they will look exactly like you plop them (no expanding or anything). Not pretty, but tasty!

An Open Letter

Dear Summer,

I am sorry I took you for granted. I spent your hot days seeking air conditioning and your pleasant nights inside avoiding the mosquitoes (West Nile, you know). I avoided the sun by slathering on sunblock, wearing hats and seeking the shade when I was outside. I should have spent at least one afternoon reading in the shade of a large tree on a grassy lawn somewhere, but I was always too busy working. I'm sorry. If you promise to come back for an encore, I will to my utmost to make the most of the sun and warmth you provide. Now that fall abruptly arrived this morning with low clouds and a high of 60, I realize my mistake.

Thank you,
Your summer child

When you're a nerd, you're a nerd all the way

Last night, I didn't sleep well because there was a client I *desperately* wanted. A 6 month old baby with Deaf parents. OMG! I seriously love babies, I could practice my ASL and I could get another client! Even better, like a sign from above, every single time mentioned in the email as a possible meeting time I had free. Amazing! So I was apparently really wound up about this, waking up at 4 AM thinking about it. Bad! The worst part is that whenever we get emails about potential new clients, we *never* hear back about it. So those who express interest are usually left wondering for a week or more until another group email (maybe) goes out saying it's been taken. So when I woke up this morning, I had to steel myself that: a) I probably wouldn't hear for a while; b) there are other people who still need assignments and maybe they get first priority; c) even if I *did* get it, there's no way I would get an email by 8 AM on a Saturday when I replied at 9 PM Friday night. I had practically calmed down when I checked my email (because even I knew it was really not healthy to be this excited about something that means more work). And guess what was in my inbox? You got it! I got the baby! Even better, I will have a co-clinician, which means I'll have a second-year student as the lead, so I won't have to wing it as much. And my "co" is a really great girl I was supposed to have worked with before on a different client who fell through. Exciting!!!!

And, yes, I am aware that being excited about school on a Saturday morning is a VERY nerdy thing to do. Now excuse me while I go write some papers.

Fleeting

This morning I woke up to see a beautiful rainbow in front of the mountains, very unusual for this area. So I ran downstairs to get my camera, and by the time I got back up (30 seconds later), it was gone. Sorry. You'll just have to imagine it. It was very pretty.

Craftiness

I love JoAnn's sales. I now have a huge stack of scrapbooking supplies for not too much money (though more than I had anticipated). I'm pretty sure I would be happy just looking at all the pretty papers and never scrapbooking a page. But I did do 3 so far tonight, so I really am using them. I love inspiration!

Are you ready for some football?

First game of the season today, and already we have half the numbers of wins from last year. So sad, but this year is going to be better, I can feel it in my bones. Considering the start last year (losing to a lower division school that we were supposed to cream), and the start this year (winning our in-state rivalry game), I think it bodes well for us.

A lot of people (that I know, at least) hate school sports because that's what intellectuals and nerds do. Hate the jocks. Haven't you seen the movies? Sheesh! I did my first two years of high school, but there wasn't really that much to hate, since we were an all-girls school with no football team (duh). The boys' school across the street had the football team and it was easy to despise them because we never saw the boys, and when we did, they pretty much acted exactly the way teenage high school jocks are supposed to. So, gross.

But at my next high school (public, co-ed), I had to go to every football team because I was in the band. I played flag. We won every single game because that's what our high school did. I didn't resent it though because it was just a part of the culture of excellence. The Academic Olympic team got recognition when they won, as did the debaters (and of course our incredible marching band). So nerds and jocks coexisted peacefully, more or less. Plus, the games were fun. I'm really competitive and I like to win, so winning was really fun with the football team. It was great to be a part of that joy.

Now at a big football school (though nothing like Texas), I again find myself really enjoying football. I tutor some of the athletes, so it's more fun because I sometimes know the players, but it's also educational as far as the reality of "jocks." Pretty much, they are just like the rest of the college population. People like to say that the athletes get to skate through and don't work hard, but there are also students who slack and don't care as much who aren't athletes. There are also very intelligent and motivated athletes, just as there are other students who are the same way. Overall, I'm happy and proud to be working in some capacity for the athletic department, even if it's not the cool thing to do in some circles.

Do-Overs

This post is about do-overs and my pattern for doing them over and over, but I feel like I've written this post already. But since I can't find it, this is either new to you, or just yet another do-over. OK, just kidding. Here it is. Long story short, I tend to do things twice: the first time I just make a decision or do something drastic because I just have to make a choice or do something, first time doesn't turn out as planned, but then I have the courage to do it again and everything works out great.

Anyway, read that post then come back and see one I've added to the list: grad school. I'm getting a second MA not because the first one was bad, but because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and I knew I wanted to go back to school for something. The great part about my do-overs is that I learn so much from them, like when I learned NOT to drive on the wrong side of the road during a driving test. Excellent lesson. In my Ling degree, I not only learned a ton about language and language possibilities all around the world, but I also got a much better idea of my areas of interest. Which of course is now making my experience in SLHS that much richer. I like to feel like I know what I'm doing, and I guess do-overs make that possible. And I haven't yet had to do over a do-over!

Back to School (again)

After a minuscule break between our August classes and fall semester, I am ready to go back to school tomorrow. I don't really know if I'm ready for the *work* necessarily, but I am beyond excited about my new program. This summer, I had bouts of uncertainty where I wasn't really sure if this is what I wanted to do, and where I worried that I just decided to go into this field on a whim and because of a few convenient factors (great job market, similar schedules with Peter and I working in the schools, and a single day of observation). I mean, why exactly was I going back for another two years? (For those just tuning in, I'm finishing my Linguistics master's and going into Speech Pathology to get a seconds master's).

But now that I've had some introductory classes and met some of the people in the department, I am just over the moon. Even now I have butterflies in my stomach for what lies ahead (in a good way). My path isn't going to be the most typical of the department, to say the least, but I know what I want and it is possible to do it. For one thing, I am the only (I think) person in the deaf and hard of hearing track. For another, I want to do a thesis, which very few MA students opt for. Most just take comps and do more internships for practical experience. I'm so grateful that I did my Ling MA because not only do I have a really good foundation in language and a much broader knowledge of the possibilities of language than most SLPs (speech-language pathologists), but I also have a much better idea of what I'm interested in and where I do and do not want to go.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I want to work for several years in the field, then go back and get my PhD to teach and do research. My interest areas are deafness, American Sign Language (ASL), child language and phonology/phonetics. Phew! I am so much more defined that when I started my ling program and felt so vague compared to all the veteran students who knew exactly what they wanted to study. Amazing what two years of exposure and experience will do!

Even better, there are several faculty members in the speech path department who work in these areas, and my adviser told me that I was lucky (or chose wisely) to be at CU because there was a great deal of support for deaf studies. Apparently, not all speech path programs recognize this as an area of need or importance (what!?!?). And the best part is that they are not oralists (no sign), so I don't have to suffer through competing ideology.

OK, enough excitement for now. I'll let you know mid-semester just how excited I am then :-)

Millions of peaches, peaches for me*

Mmm... The high school Peter is student teaching at has the most delicious fundraiser ever. They sell big boxes of peaches from Colorado's Western Slope, and he brought one home last week. Since then, we've been eating about 8-9 a day (he eats 6, I eat 3-4). They are SO good! I don't know that I've ever eaten peaches as they were meant to be, at least, not this fresh and delicious. So if you are in Boulder and like peaches, go pick up a box at Boulder High, you won't regret it! And if you are not in Boulder or Colorado, maybe you can come visit next summer!

*Presidents of the United States of America

Grrr.... iMovie

You know I heart Apple. I really do. I didn't understand why everyone wasn't happy with the new iMovie. I mean, yes, it's a totally different format, but it makes some things so very much easier. And they FINALLY fixed the stupid issue with the Ken Burns effect that caused horrible zooming that made you feel seasick. Compensating for that wasn't fun and it's been an issue pretty much since the second version. My movies tend to mix stills and movies a fair bit, so I really want a functional Ken Burns. I was so excited to see how well the new version worked with stills, so I started dealing with all our Alaska movies and photos.

But. Big huge but. I quickly realized what all the complainers were complaining about. Most of the features I considered *basic* like being able to slow down a video or add a song to a specific part of my track, those were all gone. Yes, I could put together a movie quickly (if I could find the best video bits quickly), but it wouldn't be what I wanted. And I would probably get really frustrated trying to get it the way I wanted, without being able to. I was trying to think of ways to circumvent it all, and do what I wanted in each version (the older version is still on the computer) and then put them all together, but even if it was possible (and I don't think it is), it wouldn't be worth it. I would be happy if Apple just let me do the Ken Burns from iMovie 08 and everything else from iMovie HD. Or just put all the good stuff from the old versions into the new one. That'd be good too :-)

Great Movie

Did you like The Princess Bride? I'm sorry, that question should read "Do you LOVE the Princess Bride?" If the answer is no, please don't tell me or we may never be able to be friends again. How could you not love twu wuv?

Anyway, if you like that classic, go check out Stardust. We saw it last weekend and it's a perfect fairy tale. Enough magic and enchantments to make a fun different world, enough evil magic to keep things interesting, beautiful visuals of a fantastic place, and a ton of great humor. Oh, and twu wuv! Hmm.. I think a rewatching of TPB is in order. ROUSes! Inigo Montoya! Aaaaaas youuuuuuuuu wiiiiiiiiiiish!!!

Typing Bliss

I really like typing on this little MacBook. Its keys are very fun and clicky. I've heard that the new iMac keyboards are similar. Yay!

Nothing very exciting to post, but I had a little free time and felt like writing (typing) so you get a post. I have five projects due in the next week, so I'm a little busy with schoolwork. Peter started his week before school prep stuff, so he started his day at 6:45 AM and didn't get home until almost 6. Phew! I guess summer really is over and the fall of our great stress begins.

New Toys Part Deux

I wasn't expecting it, but we got a new MacBook today. Peter starts school next week and really needs something he can bring to school and back to work on lesson plans and other fun teacherly things, and since his old-ass laptop has forgotten it is a laptop and requires being plugged in constantly, he gets a new one. And oh what a new one it is! The clicky-ness of the keyboard, the teeny little camera practically smiling at you, and how can we forget the luscious,
glowy Apple logo on the back? Mmmm... I have been promised a new iMac when Leopard comes out (thank God for student loans and Peter's amazing scholarship this year). This way we won't have to fight over computers and we will both have what we need for school and hobbies (i.e., my photography obsession).

Peter also got iWork, which always looked appealing to me, but didn't since worth it before since it didn't have an Excel replacement (just PowerPoint and Word-like programs). Apple has now introduced Numbers, so it now replaces everything we ever used Office for. I think Peter was sold on it when he opened up the spreadsheet app and saw not only a grade sheet template, but also a science lab template, complete with incredibly easy charts and graphs. Like, wow. You mean, you can just highlight a chart, click a button and you get exactly the kind of chart you wanted all along? And don't even have to go through a 15-step "wizard" that never seems to get it right anyway? And on top of that, it looks like some high-end design team drew it, rather than a cubicle-dwelling number cruncher? Sweet.

I've played a little bit with the new iLife '08 (which the Apple store said we'd probably have to pay $10 to get the DVD mailed to us, but was already in the box as a "drop-in"). So far, so goo, though it's hard to get a real idea of it, since I don't want to crap up Peter's computer with my gajillions of gigs of media. I'll wait for my iMac to do that. Plus, I really don't have time to do much more than a little playing with my classes now. In the next week and a half, I have 5 projects due for two classes. So fun!

Toys!

Apple just unveiled the new iMac, iLife '08, iWork '08, new stuff for .Mac, and even more stuff. Woah! I hearty McHearterson the new iLife; it looks incredible. Some of the features look like they will make my life much, much happier. Of course, we're still going to wait until October when the new operating system is supposed to come out, but now we know what we are waiting for and that it will be so worth it! Now we just have to decide if we still want to go the laptop route, or if we'll update our little iMac (we'll still keep our half-basketball!). Le sigh. Oh Apple, how do you know what I want even before I know it?

Second Day of Alaska

The picture of our second day in Alaska are up. We were still in Ketchikan, but it had begun to mizzle. We walked around town a bit as we had the day before, but the main event was a hike up to Deer Mountain. It started through old growth temperate rainforest, then ascended above treeline to where nice views would have been if it weren't raining. Apparently, the top was covered in snow, so we didn't make it quite that far. The hike itself was incredible and the misty rain just made it feel more magical.

After our slow soaking, we came back and wandered the small boat harbor while Peter caught small, bizarre sea fish. We then returned to our room on Creek Street, which is the old red light district. I think that pretty much explains most of the pictures, so enjoy!

Back to the Grind

I'm school again, as of Thursday. So far, the classes are fine, but my free time is being sucked away. I may not resurface again for another two years, when this program is done (and yes, it runs through next summer as well).

In other new, I'm so, so proud this man is a representative of my adopted state. Please note my infinite sarcasm transmitting across this blog. Ugh.

Alaska Pictures

So you'd like more Alaska pictures? Your wish is my command. It's taking me a little while to go through the pictures, deleting the really bad pics, the five versions of the same shot, etc. so the pictures will appear over time. I've posted the first evening and day (our flight into Alaska and our first day in Ketchikan) on our Shutterfly site. This is the site where you can go if you want to see every. single. picture. from my camera. Every. single. picture. I won't feel sad if you don't look at all of them. And I haven't even posted anything since March (except the Alaska stuff).

Here's what the pictures will illustrate:

We flew from Denver to Seattle, then Seattle to Ketchikan. When our first leg was delayed a half an hour, our Alaska Airlines ticketing agent said "That's on time for Alaska!" However, the delay made our connection very close and this was the last flight of the night to Ketchikan. Luckily, they held the other flight for us and several other passengers, so it was fine. Because of how we got the tickets (Dad's travel magic), Peter was in first class both legs, and we were able to bump me up for the second leg. Because of the delay, I hadn't eaten in a very long time, making me NOT SO HAPPY. When Peter told me that he got a salad and pizza on the Denver-Seattle leg, I almost lost it. For real, the money we spent on upgrading me to first class, where I also got a salad and pizza, was WELL worth it.

The views from Seattle to Ketchikan were breathtaking. I truly have never had a more picturesque flight.

Ketchikan was fun. We had a non-rainy day our first day and didn't know how good we had it. We walked around town, saw a seal in the creek right next to our room and saw lots of totems, bald eagles, fish and tourists. We had three days there, so on our first day, we just kind of got the feel of the place.

OK, now go look at the pictures!

A sneak preview (bald eagle snatching up fish leftovers in the harbor):

I can't wait for Carrie's wedding pics (slash wedding)

barrel of rings
Originally uploaded by tomKphoto.

This was taken by her photographer and posted on Flickr. He's one of my contacts and when I saw this in his photostream, I thought, "man I wish I could have him shoot something of mine!" Well, since we are done and married (and very happy with our pics, though they were probably somewhat different than what Tom might have done), that's not really an option. But luckily my second thought was... "Oh wait! He's going to be *Carrie's* wedding photographer!" I actually suggested him to her from seeing his awesome pics on Flickr, and as luck would have it, the stars aligned for them! So now I not only get to meet this wedding photographer I so admire, but also to see him in action and also see the results later! *Sigh* I'm excited :-)

Yummy, yummy, yummy I got food in my tummy

I'm very excited. We just signed up for this service called Door to Door Organics. Basically, you sign up and get fresh organic (and often local) produce delivered to your door every week or every other week. I had looked into CSAs, where you buy a share or a local organic farm and then get a share of the produce, but we were going to be gone so much that it wouldn't have made financial sense. Luckily, with this service, it's similar, but more flexible (you can cancel whenever, put vacation holds on, etc.). I really want to eat more fruits and veggies, since our diet can be very heavy on the starches, and I figure having a whole box of good things for you to eat show up at the door every other week will force us to do that. Eat organic!

Living a James Bond Movie

As promised, a blog about Whittier, Alaska. Motto: "Unique, even in Alaska!" And that's saying a lot.

The Lonely Planet book promised us that no matter where we went in the world, we'd never find another place like Whittier. I thought, yeah right. But now I'm a believer.

Whittier was built by the military in WWII as an alternate ice-free port to Seward, which was the northernmost at the time and not as defensible as the military would like. So they carved out a spot in between these huge mountains where it was cloudy most of the time so the place couldn't be spotted. PS Did you know that the Japanese actually occupied several of the Aleutian Islands during WWII and that there were huge battles there? Yeah, me neither. So this base was not some silly military paranoia.

Anyway, the flat area was practically nil, plus it was freezing-ass cold in the winter (duh) so the military built one huge building with everything in it: barracks, hospital, even a shooting gallery. For a while, it was the biggest building in Alaska. Eventually, they built another huge building as housing for spouses and families. The military peaced out in the late '60s, I think, which left the town in its current state. And what is that you ask?

Let's take a little tour of Whittier as it is now. To get to the town from the ferry building, you follow this pleasant sign:
Ah! A pedestrian tunnel! How thoughtful! How very urbane and sophisticated!

And then you enter the tunnel:

The camera makes the light seem much warmer and friendlier than it actually was. It was a cold gray tube that was impossible to see the end of, as it had a turn at the end, and that made me feel more claustrophobic and trapped than much else I've done. The first time in, it felt endless and maze-like, exactly like we were Cold War spies or refugees. But at last, the tunnel did end and we emerged into the sunlight (AKA not raining. Not raining= a beautiful day in much of Alaska).

Remember the first building the government built? So now it's abandoned and as creepy looking as you can imagine. There are stalactites on the calcium leached out of the concrete hanging visible through the empty windows and the concrete has molded and mildewed until it has turned some interesting shades. Why not get rid of this eyesore? Well, for one thing it's full of asbestos and for another, the guy who owns it lives in Anchorage and basically doesn't give a shit. So this hunk of poisonous concrete just sits there, visible from anywhere in town, and serves no purpose, except maybe as an excellent place for the poor children of Whittier to get some truly life-threatening thrills at midnight.




Because really, who wouldn't want to just hop on into a building like this:

Let's continue on our tour.

Now that the big building is out of commission, everyone lives in the OTHER building the government built, called Begich Towers. Yes, pretty much everyone in town (all 88) lives in the 14 story high rise. Oh, a high rise? Sounds very urbane and sophisticated! Well, remember that this was built by the military. In the 1960s. The outside doesn't look bad at all (lots of windows, you can see it in the background of the tunnel sign picture), but the hallways inside are exactly like living in a dorm built in the 1960s (which Peter and I did for two years each. We know.).
This could be home! On the first floor is a post office (with a very friendly post mistress), city offices, a laundry, a church. a general store, a clothing store and probably several other things. And the hallway looks exactly like this. Only the doors lead to stores and offices, not apartments. Odd, but handy for the 251 inches of snow they get, on average.

OK, all of this is slightly odd, probably quite unique, but not enough to qualify as a James Bond town. No, for that we need to head back toward the giant abandoned building. Imagine you are walking along a street (in the middle, actually; it's not that busy), with warehouse-y buildings on either side, when all of a sudden, you see this:

Men in head to toe white plastic suits, with only a hole for their face. They look a little like giant oompa-loompas (but not orange). Nuclear testing facility for an evil laser? Or fish packing plant? You decide. Ultimately, the henchmen sealed the deal for Whittier. Oh, and plus the only way to get in or out of Whittier (aside from the ferry or stowing away on a boat) is through this hole in a giant mountain:

It's only as big as a train will fit through, though they've now opened it up to car traffic. It was the longest tunnel in America until the Big Dig (finally) finished, but it still gets to be the longest highway-rail tunnel (cuz who's the competition?). When we were on the ferry, one of the guys was under the impression that since it was a "shared" tunnel, the cars drove alongside the train. Ha! Nope, cars get to wait 20 minutes or more for the train to go through one way, then for traffic to come through the other way, and THEN you can go through your way (does it look big enough to fit two lanes? Hells no.). When we were first walking toward it (our best hike began right next to the tunnel) I totally thought this was the little hut where you had to pay your toll or whatever. Check out this picture from Wikipedia and tell me it does not look like a toll hut:

Yeah, but no. That IS the tunnel. It was very exciting to go through on the train. Very dark. We talked to a guy about his new iPhone the whole time. Astonishingly, it didn't work in the tunnel under the mountain. Truly astonishingly, it DID work in Whittier. But poor Alaskans can't get iPhones because AT&T doesn't have a network up there, just partner carriers. They get mad if you use the partners every single day of the year and cancel your contract. So no iPhones for poor Alaskans, and they already suffer so much.

OK, I've blabbered on for WAY too long (kudos if you are still with us!), but I have to say they very best thing about Whittier is its stunning scenery. The hike from the tunnel led us to our own personal overlook of Portage Glacier, there were more waterfalls than I could count (literally), and the mountains rose out of the water in such a stunning way. Here is the view of Whittier from the top of our hike:



Thanks for reading!

Peter's Halibut

Peter's King Salmon

Mmm... red meat

Home!

We got in to Denver at about 8 this morning after a restful red-eye (ha!). My body is so whacked out it doesn't know what to do. We slept for a few ours when we got home, ate whatever we could scrounge, did some unpacking, then I went back to sleep for another hour and a half. By 8:30 PM when we got home from Costco to restock the basics, I was so hungry I seriously was not able to function. A quick dinner and I'm ready for bed again. Peter went out to hang up some laundry and said "It's dark!" Weird. Darkness. Plus, um, have you noticed it's freaking hot? and humid? And supposedly it was cooler today. Woah.

In good news, we managed to get all the fish in our freezer:

We only had to take out almost all our veggies, nuts and fruit, but who needs those things when you have fish? Isn't protein all a human needs?

Oh wait, you want to hear more about Alaska? Who gives a flying crap about our freezer, you say? Fair enough. Since I'm tired and have a bowl of half-frozen strawberries to finish, I'll just give you a little update on how our trip ended.

We weren't sure what we were going to do with our last day in Anchorage; it was a much bigger city than anything we had seen before, but we were still trying to find things that interested us (we weren't feeling the museum vibe). We happened to see something about the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in the newspaper that morning (thanks Hilton!), but there wasn't much info about the when, where, etc. I guess they just figured you'd know all that if you were a local. So after some investigation, we found the spot and headed over (but not before stopping at the coolest bookstore after Powell's in Portland, Title Wave Books).

The newspaper had mentioned the crazy events in the Eskimo Indian Olympics, things that had to be seen to be believed. Read this for descriptions of the games. And if you want, go to YouTube and type in "World Eskimo Indian Olympics" or "WEIO" for some video (not too much there and none of it mine... yet).

The best part (for me) was the processional with all the different dance group from all over the state, with a few from Arizona and New Mexico thrown in for some variety. The songs, the drums, the traditional dress and the dancing were so incredible they brought tears to my eyes. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the processional. The lighting and the distance weren't great for my camera, so most of the pictures are mostly for memories, not so much to showcase the incredible beauty and diversity. Peter was taking video as well, so hopefully I can get that imported and digested somewhat soon.

Southeastern group:

My favorite picture of them all. Isn't she amazing?

Big Fish

Big Fish
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

Peter's fish he caught yesterday. The big (55 lb) king salmon and the giant halibut on the end are his. He also caught about half of the other fish, but the limit is two a person, so those went home with the other guys. Anybody hungry? We'll be having a fish fry when we get home for sure!

PS I'll try to get Peter to blog his fish story later for you all!

Big Mountains

Big Mountains
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

From our second Whittier hike.

Another Alaska Post

While I still have free internet access, I thought I'd write a little bit more about our trip so far.

Quick notes:

Dall's porpoises are my favorite. Incredible fun and fast.

Our three hikes (one in Ketchikan, two in Whittier) have been my favorite parts overall. The scenery is incredible, the nature beautiful and it's so nice to get away from the touristy things in every town. And the best part? It's free! Lots of great pics from these hikes I'll have to post later.

Whittier is the weirdest town I've ever been to. You totally feel like you are in a cold war James Bond movie, with all the suspicion and bizarreness but none of the action or Bond girls. I will definitely have to tell you all more about this later (complete with illustrations).

We have met some really cool people doing incredible things. Aside from the nature, the people we have met have been the coolest, most unexpected part of this trip. We have exchanged a lot of email addresses.

If you are planning a trip on the cheap to Alaska, it may not be totally secure, but if you are willing to take a little risk, let yourself leave some options up in the air. For example, we took the train out of Whittier for probably more than $100 for the both of us, but we could have gotten a ride for free (or gas) with some of the new friends we met on the ferry. If that hadn't worked out, we could have always gotten a train ticket at the station (PS it was a white tent. A tent. Was the train station). In the end, it worked out well for us because we got to spend the day in Whittier when everyone else got the hell out of there. We had some nice hikes and got to play spies for a little while.

The Inside Passage looks just like the more rugged parts of the Oregon and Washington coasts. I kept having to remind myself I was in Alaska there. I felt like we were really in Alaska once we got past that area.

Seriously, how long does it take to stop feeling like you are on the boat? I almost fell over standing on one leg trying to dry myself off after my shower. No good.

See you all later! Leave me some comments to I can feel happy when I get internet again!

Yay for honeymoons! And glaciers!

Yay for honeymoons! And glaciers!
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

The end point of a lovely hike we took today in the bizarre town of Whittier. Remind me to blog about this later when I have more time.

Porpoises!

Porpoises!
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

Dall's porpoises from the side of our ship. They were playing in the wake of the boat and chasing us alongside the ship. They were rather small and incredibly fun and cute. I think Peter got some good video of them. Funny thing was, even though we sat out for hours looking for sea life, this was totally by accident (we came out to look at the huge mountains) and by far the best encounter.

PS Dall also got to name Dall's Sheep, which are equally adorable. How did he corner the market on cute Alaskan animals?

M/V Kennicott

M/V Kennicott
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

Alaskan Rainbow

Alaskan Rainbow
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

Our Brave, Peaceful Ship

Our Brave, Peaceful Ship
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

Where time has no meaning

So much to say! So much has been done, seen and felt since I last had access to a computer (God bless Homewood Suites and free internet). Aside from the constant feeling of rocking earned by three nights on a ferry boat, I'm experiencing another new feeling. Time has no meaning in Alaska, at least in the summer, and especially on a ferry boat. The sun doesn't set, it doesn't rise, the days are perpetually cloudy and there are no appointments to make. Even eating becomes a matter for when the stomach declares it to be an issue, not when you "ought" to eat. I learned this the hard way when I started getting grumpy and hungry without understanding why until I looked at the clock and realized it had been many hours since I last ate.

Sleeping can follow this path too. We were scheduled to come into Prince William Sound, a lovely area by all accounts, very early in the morning so instead of going to bed early, I took a nap when nothing much was happening, woke up when Peter came in with reports of tons of porpoises (which were mostly gone by the time I got out, sadly) and a lifting of the clouds so that that mountains could be seen. So we stayed up until midnight, watching the sun set ever so slowly over the Gulf of Alaska, then woke up five hours later to see the incredible mountains and glaciers of Prince William Sound (no orcas though).

Even now, as I type, I am refreshed from a nap that I took after a shower in our lovely hotel room, awake at 11:30 PM so that I can use the busy business center for this little update. With any luck, I should also have some pictures to post as well.

I'm afraid my sleeping schedule will be even more off this far north, as the sky apparently is only dark for about an hour, but unlike on the ship, there is much to do here and certain times where things happen. May you all sleep well tonight!

Wetly Blogging in AK

I'm at a cafe in Ketchikan, we're about to go down to the ferry station for our ferry trip north and it's been mizzling for two days (thanks goodness for Jane Austen! I didn't know exactly what it meant when I read it in Emma the other night until I woke up and realized it was truly mizzling outside. A heavy mist, not quite a drizzle.). One of the huge cruise ships is parked outside the window in the harbor. Today is a three-ship day, and the town is swarming with cruisers. We went on a lovely hike yesterday in the mizzle through misty old-growth forests up most of a mountain (the top was allegedly still ice, a rumor born out by the young local boys we passed coming up with skis and snowboards strapped to their packs).

This evening, we'll head north on the ferry for two and a half days, when we'll arrive near Anchorage. Maybe they'll be an internet cafe there as well where I can burn a little time and money. For the time being, here are a few images from the harbor where Peter went fishing and I took photos of old boats:



And because I can't figure out how to rotate photos in Blogger: (tilt your head, it'll be lovely)

Getting Ready

We are leaving for Alaska for our long-delayed honeymoon this week, and there is still so much to do! Finish up stuff for work, pack, finish shopping for those little things that will make ALL the difference (bug dope, Dramamine). I can't believe the time is here already!

A little thing happened that made me happy yesterday. We used to have this wonderful little Nikon Coolpix digital camera that saw us through our entire USA trip and took some very nice pictures. About a year ago, it started EATING batteries (a-literally. Monsche. Monsche.) and after some investigation, we realized the little latch on the battery compartment was broken. It didn't look super fixable, plus by that time digicams were way way better and much cheaper, so we just got a new camera. Fast forward to yesterday... randomly Googled "Nikon Coolpix 3100 broken latch," and after reading one depressing forum discussion ("Nothing to be done! All is lost! Save yourself!"), found one that had the perfect, most ingenious solution. A paperclip. Using a simple small powertool (which Peter thankfully had), a paperclip (or a small bit of wire in our case) and some epoxy, we made our own latch, thankyouverymuch, one that looks a heckuva lot sturdier than the original plastic. So now we have a second camera, one which we probably won't use often, but will be perfect for when Peter's out on the ocean catching 100 pound halibut and needs to document the experience while I'm on shore happily taking pictures of flowers and the town. Yay!

Checking off summer "to-dos"

When the spring semester was ending, Peter and I thought of all the things we wanted to do this summer with our copious amounts of free time. Things we never had time for otherwise and could only be done in the summer. Have we done any of those things yet? Well, we're getting there. Last weekend we went camping with several friends (check!) and had a great time and today we are going to the zoo! Sadly, Denver is practically a foreign country to us, even thought it's only a half hour away, so we never get down there to see all the fun things they have. I'm excited to take lots of pictures and see fun animals. I totally feel like a little kid again, especially since I haven't been to an actual zoo since I don't know when. Yipee!

Here are some fun pictures of camping for everyone:

WAY too many pictures

I bit the bullet and finally decided to do some long-overdue organizing of my iPhoto pictures with some fancy program that will allow multiple libraries and basically allow me to still see all my pictures without killing my poor iMac. Um, did I ever tell you I have a lot of pictures? Yeah. I've only done through 2005 (before I got my new camera and went ape shit crazy with the picture taking) and it's taken well over 24 hours and it's not even done yet. 15,000 pictures and counting, though I think a lot of them are duplicates I'll have to prune later, whenever the pictures finish importing. I hope it'll be done before school starts in August. I need to do this now before I come back from Alaska with another 15,000 pictures, or all will be lost and I'll never be able to catch up. Holy nut, do I have a lot of pictures.

One of the many pictures I took of wildflowers on our hike Sunday that I haven't even been able to look at yet, since I started this crazy project before going through them.

Spring Cleaning

For the past week or so, my dreams have been coming true. Peter and I have purchased files and files boxes, gone through both the giant Rubbermaid box filled with "important papers" and our overflowing "inbox," recycled a bunch, filed even more and basically tamed our paper tiger (for now). The laundry is mostly done, dishes are under control and I've manged to fill a box with stuff to donate. It's great!

In other Spring Cleaning-ish news, I've completely chopped my hair. It's now at my chin (!) and I love it. As soon as I can take a picture of me that I think does it justice, I will post it here for all to see. Why did I get such a drastic cut? I wanted to be able to donate my hair to Locks of Love, so that's where it ended up (byebye 11 inches!). Summer, here we come!

Fun New Toy

As you may or may not know, we are finally honeymooning this summer, in Alaska, and as you may or may not know, Alaska is said to be a photographer's dream. Since I dream of being a photographer, I'm quite excited about Alaska. Only trouble is, gee whiz, I'm dreamin'... oh, sorry!
Got distracted by the oldies radio station in my head. So as I was saying, I know I'm going to take a LOT of photos, but we aren't bringing a computer with us, so I need a way to dump photos (I'm NOT buying a jillion SD cards I won't need again).

Enter this little beaut:

Baroo? Here, does this help?

Yes, my friends, that is a magical little converter doohickie that makes it possible to upload pictures FROM THE CAMERA TO THE IPOD. Wow. We got it this morning at our friendly local Apple store, I took a few seventy pictures of flowers today:




came home, hooked up the hookups and voila! Teeny versions of my photos were floating through cords like magic. The I plugged in the iPod (whose batteries were quickly depleted; a wall charger will the the next purchase) to the computer, and loaded them into iPhoto! Easy peasy! Now we just have to see if it will work with movies I take on the camera. If not, at least the pictures work!

Widowed too young

Like many women today, I've been widowed before my time. The culprit isn't football anymore, which at least has a set season, but a more insidious villain. Video games. They never, ever have to end. Someone else is always online, or else there are games to play alone, but there are always games. Free on the Internet, cheap at the store, or purchased poison. Luckily, my dearest husband recognizes the dangers.

When I told him what I was writing (as he entered the umpteenth hour of Battlefield of the Immortals), he looked very sad and contrite. As well he SHOULD! But I should go a little easier on him. After all, he did just finish 672 straight hours of school and homework in the marathon of Maymester. But still!

Hair-Raising

I've been meaning to get a haircut for quite some time. Like, a year. My subconscious must be getting in on the action, since I had a dream about getting a haircut last night. It was at a place in Reno that I had gone to once, fancy shmance and a bit full of themselves as those kinds of hair salons can be. I got a good cut, but had a bad experience with them later. But in my dream, I was there at opening at the place was a mess. Not all the lights were working, chairs scattered everywhere, people still setting up for the day.

My hairdresser was a stylish older man, flamboyant and a bit rotund in a teddy bear way. He was confident and excited about his "vision," even when it clearly conflicted with everything the client wanted, though he was sensitive to their feelings. My hairstylist was Frank from Trading Spaces.

In the dream, my haircut wasn't exactly what I wanted, but considering who was cutting it, I guess it was miraculous I didn't end up with a shaved head painted with a chic country scene.

I guess I should call the hair place tomorrow and hope Frank isn't working.

Potty Break

I had a very exciting Saturday night. I babysit for a five-month-old baby girl and an almost-three-year-old boy. The parents have been trying to get him potty trained off and on for a long long time, but he's never shown the slightest interest in the potty or learning to use it. I was sitting for them tonight and as I was walking past the little boy, I caught a whiff of something awful. Fearful I would have to change his poopy diaper (I haven't yet, knock on wood), I asked him if he had to go potty or if he needed a diaper change. Turned out it was his diaper bin, but he took that question to heart and ran downstairs to pull his little potty chair out of the closet where it's been languishing for who-knows-how-long. After that, I couldn't keep his pants on and barely managed to persuade him to leave the potty long enough to take a bath. He probably sat on that thing for at least an hour or so, minus bath time, and didn't even want to get off for bedtime. I seriously, seriously hope this sticks so I never have to change one of his poopy diapers (knock on giant sequoia).

And now I understand why mommy blogs are so much fun to read. Things actually happen and you get to legitimately talk about poop.

Being a Housewife

My first week of mostly not working while Peter goes to class and tutors is done. What have I accomplished? What have I learned? Well, mostly that the dishes are never fully done because more always come, catching up on months of housework is very time consuming and even when I'm busy the whole day, I never seem to get everything I want to do done. On the good side, I *am* getting things done, just not as quickly as I would like. Dishes are getting done, the laundry is down to one small basket, I've put in a fair number of hours at work (not really housewife-y, but it's still less than part time) and I've started some projects I've been thinking about all school year. I've also read several books that weren't required for anything or even slightly educational!

Peter will be finished with his summer school class by Monday, and then I really want to do some hiking, camping and short road trips with him. Plus, he'll be a house-husband, so maybe we can get our apartment into shape that much quicker!

Summer Pro

Man, I could do this for a living. I mean, time to do dishes, catch up on laundry, wash my hair, check the email, and even start fun new craft projects! Where do I sign up? I could totally be a housewife if it weren't for the seclusion, lack of mental stimulation and daily housework. Cuz really, doing housework when you never have time is a novelty, but I know that novelty wears off quick. And as a housewife, you are expected to have a spotless house. Because what else do you do all day? So I will just enjoy what may be my last free summer ever and savor this fleeting moment where doing dishes is a delight.

Digitization.... complete.

It used to be if you wanted information, you had to hunt for it. Check the manual to learn how to use your new camera, look at the liner notes for the indecipherable lyrics, look up a definition in a dictionary. Answer not there? Better hope you have a friend who knows all. Or at least who will enter into a spirited debate with you.

Now, if you are of a certain generation or young enough to have a certain mindset, printed materials will never be your first answer. Google is your best friend, MapQuest a lifesaver and dictionary.com quite helpful. If I'm ever lost or want to know how to get to a new restaurant we decided to go to on a whim after a long trip, do I pull out a map? No! I try to call a friend who I think might have access to the Interwebs (we don't do this often enough to warrant paying more to use the internet on our phone, but that is definitely another option). Of course, this usually doesn't work anyway, since the friend might not be home or might not answer their phone. But it's still my first instinct.

At my job at the Writing Center, though, the stack of dictionaries, thesauruses and reference books are always my first reach. Why? Simply because they are more convenient at that location, but I've noticed an added benefit. There is something timeless about it, feeling like part of a long tradition of scholars throughout history who worked as hard (or harder) as us, using very similar tools, all working together to build the foundations we rest our current research on. Even if most of the young scholars I work with will not devote their lives to study, or even continue beyond undergraduate work, while they are here, they are following the steps of millions before them and continuing in the same tradition. I like books.

Familiar and Unknown

When I flew into Reno, the pilot took a different route than I was used to, so I sat peering into the dark, trying to identify landmarks and coming up completely lost. I suddenly felt that maybe this wasn't "home" anymore, that everything that was so familiar to me might have changed to the point of unrecognizability and I would be a stranger in my own hometown.

As it turned out, they are doing construction on the main runway, so that's what caused my disorientation. Reno has changed, but I still recognized people everywhere I went, and as usual, my reaction to these encounters depended on who I happened to see. Most of them I didn't greet, either because I thought they might not remember me or because I had no desire to speak to them. Mostly the latter. Even though we've lived in Boulder two years, I'm certainly not to the point where I know people anywhere I go, and I'm thankful for this. I'm also thankful for not having drama and a past in Boulder. I lived a very boring, drama-free life compared to most of my friends, and yet even I have ghosts I'd rather not run into while shopping.

This is why people from small towns leave.

Productivity and Sloth

Wow, it's amazing how quickly I can downshift from uber-productive mode to where-did-the-day-go mode. Yesterday, I turned in my final paper, I finished a large chunk of work for one of my jobs and basically finished what I needed to do before I leave tonight. I got a lot done, and not just homework. This morning, I still had that energy, so I sewed a missing button back on a pair of shorts, mended a hole in a favorite t-shirt (both thanks to my mom, who brought her sewing machine with her from Reno and outfitted me with necessary sewing supplies and skills over the weekend), and did some laundry and dishes. Sometime between the dishes and the email checking, I shifted into Summer Mode. Before I knew it, hours had passed and I was still in my pajamas, watching YouTube videos and playing solitaire. Eek! So I went and cleaned the bathroom, did another load of laundry and tidied up a bit.

Last summer, I had tons of plans for my time, but it turned out that much of that time was spent watching The Most Adorable Baby in the World, so while it was great, I slacked on a lot of projects. This summer, Peter and I have more free time than we may have ever had before. Thanks to school shortening our summer (Maymester for him, August-mester for me) and a few longish trips smack in the middle of that, we don't have enough time to get summer jobs and the jobs we do have are quite flexible in time. The end result: a lot of free time to go camping, traveling, sewing, woodworking, photo-taking, blogging, cleaning, organizing, catching up on housework, and anything else we want to do. So exciting! Now, the trick will be to not slip completely into Summer Mode and spend my summer playing solitaire!

Grad-yu-a-shun

The Flatirons
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

I've officially completed the graduation ceremony! Yay! I still have several papers to write, then I will *actually* graduate in August! It was a great time; my parents came in from Reno, we went to multiple parties with our friends and the weather was absoultely perfect. The best part? I didn't get sunburned at all!

So... close... to... the... end!

Just a few more days, and my semester will be over! Hopefully by that time, I will have passed all my finals (2 to go), finished any and all course requirements (possibly another paper to go), and then I will be done! My parents come in Thursday night and I want to be done with everything by then. I can't wait!!!

It's just that time of semester

Everyone is on the verge of a meltdown. I have more things due next week than I really care to think about and I'll probably spend most of this weekend working on them. I'd like to actually complete all course requirements this year and just be done! Graduation is in two weeks, and though I still have a teeny bit of work to do before I officially get my diploma, I'm so close I can taste it!

Also fun is that this summer is shaping up to be filled with traveling and visitors. My parents are coming for graduation, then I'm going to Reno for my brother's graduation shortly after that, then we have a possible trip to Northern Nevada with Peter's family, then Peter's family is coming here, then we go to ALASKA!!! Very exciting. We haven't traveled very much at all in the past few years, and we (I) have missed it. Be sure, I will be taking a LOT of pictures (especially in Alaska), and hopefully I will get some of them posted here.

It's very hard to write a 10 page paper on hereditary neurological deafness when I can daydream about all our fun trips!

Super busy weekend

Remember how weekends are supposed to be the time you get to relax and unwind from the stress of the week? Yeah, me neither. Today, when I was eating my lunch at 4 PM at work, my boss said, "Hey, you do know it's Sunday, right?" Yeah, I'd almost forgotten :-)

Yesterday was Earth Day, so this being Boulder, we expected it to be a city-wide holiday. Sadly, we quickly realized that in Boulder, they must subscribe to the "Every day is Earth Day" philosophy. In Reno (not the hippy-est town), Earth Day was huge, with GIANT tents with dozens of cool vendors, live music and everything to make a good festival. And it's not that Boulder can't throw a good fete. In May or June, Boulder's Creek Festival is amazing, with more vendors than Reno's Earth Day and lots and lots of activities. So with these facts in mind, we set out Saturday morning to the farmer's market, which is right next to where most Boulder festivals take place. Last week, there was a big "save the planet" rally there, so naturally we expected something this weekend (the actual weekend of Earth Day).

Last weekend:

Hug your mother:This weekend:

Crickets chirp...

So while we bought some lovely fresh food at the farmer's market, we had no Earth Day. Since this is practically Peter's favorite holiday, we tracked down the "main" action. It was at NCAR, which we'd often heard about and could see up on the hill from town, but had never been to. All I knew was that it was designed by I.M. Pei, which makes it important. While the Earth Day stuff was a bust (I think we were the only people there without kids and it showed, though the exhibits were cool if you DID have kids), the going-there was great. The view is incredible and the location can't be beat. There are beautiful trails all around that are more easily accessible than some of our other favorites. We will definitely be bringing visitors there now, especially if they like science, since they have some great weather exhibits in the public lobby.

"Fly fishing" under the Flatirons:


After that, we accidentally found out about "Astronomy Day" at the CU Planetarium. I'd been in there for a lab once, but Peter had never been there. We were in for a cool experience.

The planetarium had just recently acquired a "Science on a Sphere" exhibit, of which there are apparently only two in the world right now. It's basically a huge floating spherical screen that has four projectors projecting images of planets, moons, and pretty much anything else onto it. The system makes the images rotate, which makes the sphere look like it's rotating itself. It's incredibly beautiful and amazing to see the individual craters on the face of one of Jupiter's moons so clearly. Here's a video that sort of shows it, but it is much, much cooler in person. If you get the chance to see one of these, definitely do.

Sunday was even busier for me, but it was mostly work stuff. We did get to see our friend Kris perform in one of her clarinet recitals for her PhD in music, which was incredible. If you are a music buff on a budget near a university, try to find out when recitals are. The talent was incredible, it was totally free and I think things like this happen all the time.

Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!