there is actually a lot on my mind apparently today (i took notes). but first i have to run home, take a quick shower to get the poison oak oil off my skin, then run over to rugby practice (hooray - it's finally starting) and then i can come back here and catch you up on all the latest and greatest rolling arounds in my cute compartment of grey matter. hold onto your seats...i'll be back soon.
ok i'm back. it's not 9:18pm west coast time. let's see how long this takes me.
today at work i brought a piece of paper with me to write down all the things i wanted to do or thoughts i had or things that happened to me. see if you can make sense of any of it.
dead deer smells REAL BAD. almost stepped on a lizard, oops!
what ever happened to lauren hill?
does all miso soup taste fishy?
my biggest insecurity is my legs. i ENVY people with slender, shapely legs. even muscular legs. i of course do nothing to work on mine in the off season from rugby, but i look at them and think...ugh. i see other people (especially young asian women) and i think "i wish i had their legs." but then, i remember i play a sport where small isn't always what's needed. and the nice thing about rugby is that women of all shapes and sizes come together and accept each other. which i love. and then i also remember that i am lucky to have this as the thing that is my biggest insecurity. i could have some grave illness or some other malformation. i should consider myself lucky.
i'm pretty much over summer. this morning by 9am it was already BLAZING hot here in california. i was hot and sweaty the ENTIRE day at work and it was very uncomfortable. actually what has ruined me is working in air conditioning too much. if i was outside in the heat every day i would be fine. reminds me of my days back in iowa...working in the ag fields...sweating...but anyway, fall and winter can come any time now. i'm ready for my feet to be cold and to have to wear long sleeves again!
anyone know of any good jobs out there? what do i want to do with my life? does anyone know what they want? how do they know? serious consideration to moving to someplace tropical and living there 6 months to a year, just hang out, work, and figure some things out.
i have a whole issue with men who ask for my phone number and then don't call but i'll save that for another time.
i should go to the eye doctor
bring WD40 to the field next time for weather stations
i should buy the 'love, actually' soundtrack. it has to have good songs on it.
"how sweet it is to be loved by you" "god only knows what i'd be without you"
cds i want to check out: franz ferdinand / the killers / modest mouse / rolling stone / van halen / pink floyd / josh kelley / natasha bettingfield...does anyone have any suggestions?
finally: 'if you're driving with your knee to get a better grip on your air guitar, you're listening to the right station!' ps. it was a GREAT radio day, i ended up with the lab car that doesn't have a tape deck/cd player, so i had to rely on the radio, and it DID NOT LET ME DOWN!
ok, 9:27pm. pretty good.
i was just looking over my blog, and dang, there's some good photos on here. three cheers for me!
31 August 2005
29 August 2005
another night at the office
well, it's after 11pm, still at the lab/office. although i did have 1/2 sandwich leftover from lunch a little while ago so i'm not starving to death (yet) also i think i have some popcorn i could go pop. anyhow, i haven't had time to post any minnesota canoeing photos...till now! if you want to see the whole album you can email me and i'll send you a link. otherwise, here are a few of the best (imho)
26 August 2005
ready for action
it's friday!
i stayed up till 430am last night messing with files and photos and whatnot on the computer. what was i thinking? i woke up at 1030am this morning to a phone call about work. guess i should get up huh.
i just found out the 80's cover band i was going to go see in sacramento is sold out. BUMMER! well i'm sure we'll find something equally entertaining/exhausting to really wipe me out for the weekend.
many people i know are going to the state fair this week. are you? i probably won't, i have so much to catch up on at home, and i need some sleep.
i almost got run over by a bicycle in the park this morning.
currently listening to ryan adams "gold"
question of the day: if you were going to get dumped, what's the best thing the dumper could say to you when they were saying "this isn't working out"? and by best i mean least painful.
i stayed up till 430am last night messing with files and photos and whatnot on the computer. what was i thinking? i woke up at 1030am this morning to a phone call about work. guess i should get up huh.
i just found out the 80's cover band i was going to go see in sacramento is sold out. BUMMER! well i'm sure we'll find something equally entertaining/exhausting to really wipe me out for the weekend.
many people i know are going to the state fair this week. are you? i probably won't, i have so much to catch up on at home, and i need some sleep.
i almost got run over by a bicycle in the park this morning.
currently listening to ryan adams "gold"
question of the day: if you were going to get dumped, what's the best thing the dumper could say to you when they were saying "this isn't working out"? and by best i mean least painful.
25 August 2005
random thoughts
current favorite foods:
homemade guacamole / pistachio or macadamia nuts / whatever we ate camping while in the boundary waters!
books i've read in the last 5 years (15):
states i've YET to visit (12):
alabama / alaska / arkansas / hawaii / kansas / michigan / mississippi / missouri / new mexico / oklahoma / tennessee / washington
homemade guacamole / pistachio or macadamia nuts / whatever we ate camping while in the boundary waters!
books i've read in the last 5 years (15):
- tony hillerman: coyote waits, the fallen man, a thief of time
- john irving: the cider house rules, a prayer for owen meany, the 158 pound marriage
- kurt vonnegut: sirens of titan, cats cradle
- rebecca wells: little altars everywhere, divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood
- dennis lehane: mystic river
- toni morrison: the bluest eye
- david james duncan: the brothers k
- barbara kingsolver: the poisonwood bible
- ken kesey: one flew over the cuckoo's nest (still in progress)
states i've YET to visit (12):
alabama / alaska / arkansas / hawaii / kansas / michigan / mississippi / missouri / new mexico / oklahoma / tennessee / washington
24 August 2005
i'm back but i'm exhausted
there are people who claim they have busy lives. i just got back from probably 4-5 back to back to back trips out of town...and now i'm here at the xomputer for a brief synopsis.
had a super long day at work today...started at 730 driving in from the city (SF) back to davis, rapidly changing clothes in a tizzy, throwing down a cookie, rice milk, and some crackers for breakfast, then mad dash to work to pick up the necessary items for the field work, then to sonoma county for a full day of checking and sampling leaves...driving back from the field work late (but no traffic!) hit up the fruit market for some avocados (so good), then home, change clothes, shower, eat, make promised phone calls, read alumni magazine, then back to work to process samples collected today. then download photos from trip, update blog, avoid cockroaches crawling up my legs at the lab late night...i'm so tired i could hit the table right now and pass out (but the cockroaches would cover me and that's just gross). but i have a dentist appt at 8am so no time for sleeping right now, there's work to still be done...
had a super long day at work today...started at 730 driving in from the city (SF) back to davis, rapidly changing clothes in a tizzy, throwing down a cookie, rice milk, and some crackers for breakfast, then mad dash to work to pick up the necessary items for the field work, then to sonoma county for a full day of checking and sampling leaves...driving back from the field work late (but no traffic!) hit up the fruit market for some avocados (so good), then home, change clothes, shower, eat, make promised phone calls, read alumni magazine, then back to work to process samples collected today. then download photos from trip, update blog, avoid cockroaches crawling up my legs at the lab late night...i'm so tired i could hit the table right now and pass out (but the cockroaches would cover me and that's just gross). but i have a dentist appt at 8am so no time for sleeping right now, there's work to still be done...
15 August 2005
stopping by, just for one day
this past weekend i went camping at big basin state park in boulder creek california. since i'm off to the boundary waters of minnesota for a week or so, i figured i'd leave you with the highlights. can't wait to get back and post more photos.
the fire in the hall of fire and the view from atop buzzards roost
a cool mushroom i saw along the way and the trail down to the falls
me on the train, *after* the spaghetti sauce incident...and me on some rock :)
the fire in the hall of fire and the view from atop buzzards roost
a cool mushroom i saw along the way and the trail down to the falls
me on the train, *after* the spaghetti sauce incident...and me on some rock :)12 August 2005
time time ticking
the time just keeps slipping away over here. tonight i was taking some photos of a friend of mine, she's a belly dancer and is starting up a website to promote herself. i'm not the worlds best photographer mind you (she seems to think so?) but i gave it a try. the light was good for awhile and some of the photos are mega-cool. and, she made me dinner of fresh spinach salad and some fresh bread with tomato, fresh mozarrella, basil, olive oil, and vinegar. YUM.anyhow, on top of that, i'm trying to get ready for a trip to big basin state park this weekend, along with planning out my 7 day trip to minnesota next week, along with trying to get a mailing out for the reunion i'm planning this november. oh yeah, did i mention laundry? eating? sleeping?
last night i was sitting up, waiting for some laundry to finish, fell asleep in my chair around ... 3am maybe...woke up with a sore neck (no idea what time) put the laundry in for more drying time, back to my living room and fell asleep on the floor with the lights on. woke up suddenly at 7am, brought the laundry back to my apt, went up to my room and went to sleep till 830. i was exhausted at work today. just trying to keep myself in one piece till friday night when i get on the train and head out of town...i'm thinking nap time.
me at sunset after taking about a zillion photos of shannon (and no, i'm not pasted into the photo, i was actually there)10 August 2005
something i saw
ok i'm not generally afraid of snakes, and this one is pretty small, but i was just walking along in the woods and as i was about to STEP on it, i realized HOLY CRAP THAT'S A SNAKE and i leaped over it, of course disrupting it and making it move away but not too far. so then i thought i'd get a little closer to take a photo. but i got too close and he started rattling / rustling up the leaves by his tail. that was scary enough for me, i jumped back and ran. my heart hasn't raced like that in awhile!!!after a little research, i've decided it is either a coastal rubber boa or a western yellow bellied racer. i of course didn't see it's underside so i can't know for sure. *whew*
09 August 2005
what i do
people often ask what i do. well, here's me, leaving work for the day. singing "the hills are alive, with the sound of music" (literally - and i'm not just saying that for you will!)
falling into place
ok my life may be in shambles (not really) but this reunion thing may be coming together. made some phone calls this morning and i think we may have a location! i'm so psyched.
ok, question for the day:
anyone been to a reunion lately? tell me what you liked/didn't like/wished they had. planning these things is a lot of guessing!
ok, question for the day:
anyone been to a reunion lately? tell me what you liked/didn't like/wished they had. planning these things is a lot of guessing!
08 August 2005
1246am why am i here
well i just drove back from seeing "brigadoon" in los altos CA. it was great, the lead character was super handsome and had a great voice, i would have fallen for him in the woods as well! now i'm very tired after the 1:40 drive back, but whatever, it was fun. tomorrow (today!) is back to the grindstone, put the pedal to the metal, let's get 'er done! next stop: bed!
oh yeah, the real reason i came in to check this in the middle of the night was to see what people had to say about my 100 factoids about me. perhaps people won't get through the first 5 and hey, that's OK! i never said i was interesting!!
and will, i would be honored to be your future ex-wife :D
oh yeah, the real reason i came in to check this in the middle of the night was to see what people had to say about my 100 factoids about me. perhaps people won't get through the first 5 and hey, that's OK! i never said i was interesting!!
and will, i would be honored to be your future ex-wife :D
05 August 2005
a few pictures for the curious
these are from my july 23-24th trip to yosemite national park.
images of mono lake in green filter and sepia filter
lembert dome from the bottom and from the top (i am on the left)
images of mono lake in green filter and sepia filter
lembert dome from the bottom and from the top (i am on the left)
third blog of the day!
this could possibly be more information than i even know about myself (i stole the idea from someone else) (it only took me 4 days to complete this!)
here's 100 factoids about me.
basic biographical facts
1) i'm in the 2nd half of my 20s.
2) i have one younger brother.
3) i'm not married, but my parents still are (35 years!)
4) i have no children (that i know of!)
5) i was born in Connecticut, and have lived in 4 states (NY, IA, MN, CA) in the last 10 years
6) i am not sure what i want to be when i grow up.
the physical gumby
7) i'm 5'10" tall with shoes on
8) my nose and ears are proportionate to my face
9) i have brown hair that keeps getting lighter...some might say whiter...i like to think of it as white highlights, which are apparently hard to do at a beauty salon
10) i have good vision, hearing, smell, and taste senses
11) i'm only allergic to animals when i pet them and then rub my eyes (transferring the hair or dander i guess)
12) on my left foot my third toe is the longest toe. on my right foot the 2nd toe is the longest.
13) my jaw pops out of place due to clenching in my sleep, and it makes noise if i eat too soon after waking up
gumby's brain
14) i went to public schools and i turned out ok!
15) in fourth grade i was sent to a different school than half of my friends. it was the same year i broke my left arm.
16) in fifth grade i got mononucleosis (not from kissing though) and missed about 36 days of school in one trimester. somehow they still passed me. although i think there are some things i just never learned about.
17) thankfully some of the stuff i learned from books in college actually help me in my current job. i'm more thankful for the professors and friendships i made, however.
18) i never dropped a college class. and i never skipped class to do something fun.
19) we got our first computer at home in the 80's. i learned to type slowly then, and by 9th grade i was a typing whiz, thanks mrs. jones (my typing teacher)!
20) my knowledge of geography is decent but not stellar (i.e. i know the americas, europe, australia, antarctica, and parts of africa and asia very well)
jobs
21) my first job was either working with my mom at YWCA nursery school or working as a counselor-in-training at YWCA summer camp.
22) i'm not sure if i've had my favorite job yet, although being a teacher/mentor for an integrated science class right after i graduated from college was pretty fun.
23) i've never worked from home.
24) i like my job, have a hard time with some of the people and the drama. currently i spend most of my time tromping in the woods
25) i have worn one of those all white tyvek suits and boots and sprayed chemicals on grass for hours while sweating profusely because those suits certainly don't breathe. this job also had me hoeing weeds in ag fields at least once a week, and picking fruit the other days. sweatastic!
26) i have seriously entertained the notion of giving up working and being a whitewater rafting guide. or maybe a nature guide in costa rica, living in the rainforest.
sports
27) i took ballet and tap dance classes when i was 4-5 years old
28) i took ice skating lessons from 5-6 years old, and learned to ski around the same time.
29) i tried playing little league baseball and softball from 7-8 years old but i was more interested in doing cartwheels in the outfield. learned to play tennis somewhere around there too.
30) i played soccer for 7 years in elementary school and junior high.
31) high school sports included volleyball, indoor track, and tennis.
32) college sports included 2 years of NCAA D III volleyball and 2 years of NCAA DIII tennis.
33) i've now decided I really like RUGBY and sometimes ultimate frisbee, as well as many kinds of dancing (salsa, merengue, cha cha, samba, waltz, foxtrot, contra dance, irish jigging, hip hop, 2-step [just learned!], as well as booty shaking and just flailing around in general)
politics
34) i'm more of a 'vote for the best candidate for the job' than a party line voter. and through the years i've learned that even though i was raised republican, not all republicans are the kind of people i want running my government.
35) i have now lived in 2 states where professional actors/wrestlers have been my governor
36) i just can't believe how ridiculous george w. bush is. why did we elect him again? who voted for him?
37) i think local politics have more effect on our daily lives than big party national politics.
38) my dad was the deputy mayor of our town for 6 years, and a councilman for 12
39) i often wonder how we're faring in the war on drugs.
random favorites
40) i can't choose a favorite color because i like too many. maybe indigo. forest green. maroon.
41) i don't have a favorite tv show because i don't have a tv
42) my favorite movies are the jerk, whale rider, american beauty, office space, napoleon dynamite, shawshank redemption
43) my favorite side to sleep on is my right
44) my favorite actor is either william h. macy, george clooney, morgan freeman, tim robbins, vince vaughn, or luke wilson
45) i'm new to blogging, so my favorite blogs are posted on my blog, which, if you're reading this, you can find the links to on the sidebar
46) my favorite sport to watch is rugby!!! (rugby guys are total studs)
47) my favorite sport to play is rugby!!! (in season, *i* am a total stud)
48) i don't drink beer so i don't have a favorite beer or other alcoholic beverage
49) my favorite drink is vanilla coke or grenadine and coke, especially if they're made just right
personal failures
50) i cannot watch a scary movie and not have nightmares
51) i still have recurring nightmares
52) i try repeatedly and still i'm not getting any faster at sprinting
53) i can't draw. except for what i call scientific art. or kindergarten art.
54) sometimes i lose my train of thought for no reason whatsoever
55) sometimes when people are talking i zone out when i should be listening intently
56) i don't own a computer at my home
57) i cannot hold a conversation with the television on. it's either the person or the box and the box somehow always wins my eyes even when i don't want it to.
58) i have issues with commitment, and i've broken more hearts than i care to admit, and if it feels how i feel when my heart gets broken, i'm not going to heaven for sure with all the pain i've caused
59) i have my bachelors degree and nothing else because i'm afraid of what i should be doing with my future and don't want to limit myself
60) i don't always do what i should be doing at work (does anyone?), and the boss finally called me on it, which made me feel like complete crap and i'm wondering if i'll ever be able to untarnish my image
61) i have a very hard time participating in conversations where it's more than just me and one other person. i can listen but feel uncomfortable joining in.
i'm good at a few things
62) i know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
63) i used to know all the presidents of the united states in order (i have since lost that talent)
64) aside from breaking hearts, i also have a talent for making people feel good about themselves
65) i seem to be the only person who can teach my grandpa how to use his computer
66) children are naturally drawn to me. must be 'cause i'm so fun. animals, on the whole, are also drawn to me, even though i'm not afraid of them.
67) i really enjoy voluteer activities and look for them wherever i go. heavy lifting and weed pulling included.
68) i have worked on 7 habitat for humanity houses
eating
69) i have eaten so many 'new' foods since i arrived in california, foods i never would have eaten before and i'm not sure why i never tried them. these new foods include: avocados/guacamole, cherries, nectarines, plums, pistachios, almonds, macadamia nuts, rice milk, chai tea (i know there are more, i'm just drawing a blank currently - to be updated as these details rise into my forebrain)
70) i really enjoy mexican food, probably because i didn't get much of it in my youth
71) corn is my favorite vegetable but most people don't think it's a vegatable. until high school i couldn't eat it on the cob due to bad teeth in the front.
72) chocolate is my safety food.
73) potatoes are my absolute favorite food in the whole world because they are so versatile!
74) i am in love with ny style pizza, garlic knots, buffalo wings, and soda. they consist of what i consider a perfect meal without vegetables.
likes/dislikes
75) i talk on the phone often when i am home because it is the only time i can communicate with my friends who live outside the state of california. so whether or not i like talking on the phone is irrelevant, i do it out of necessity to feel sane with people who are not fruits or nuts or all granola
76) "be the change you wish to see in the world" - m. gandhi
77) i don't read much, although i have been trying
78) i actually enjoy most foreign films and look forward to international film festivals
79) i don't have a tv because i think it rots peoples brains. plus i have enough to do without one, how do people ever get anything done with it on all the time? i'm very distractablewhen i'm not focused if that makes any sense...
80) i like making out more than i probably should
better left unsaid
81) i've only ever hit a guy in the face once for saying something completely unacceptable
82) mostly i get hit on by old men
83) i've been dragged into strip clubs twice in my life
84) i frequently get wedgies
85) i don't mind doing most house chores. except dishes.
86) i swear out loud only when i'm alone
87) i go to the bathroom with the door open when i'm home alone, and sometimes when i'm not
other ideas and potpurri
88) i try to carry around a notebook with me so when i have big ideas, or even little ideas, i can write them down so they don't go into the abyss
89) i am a veritable library of song lyrics
90) i think my friends would say i'm loyal, devoted, caring, genuine, sarcastic, funny, and real.
91) i never thought i would play rugby, nevermind actually like it
92) my hobbies include photography, jigsaw puzzles, journal writing, writing letters and making handmade paper, and currently, planning my high school reunion (which is also giving me nightmares).
93) my brother has physically abused me within the last 5 years.
94) my first kiss was at age 13. his name was steve. (oy!)
95) where i live now, it's easy to ride a bike or walk everywhere. the police in town think this gives them the right to continually chalk my tires and give me 5 day notices to move my car or get it towed
96) blogging is something i just kind of fell into, and so far, i like it - i have been blogging more than eating lately...
97) my car is getting older, and i'm afraid of buying a new one
98) my nicknames include falkon, captain, bert, brother sunshine, pokemon ali, and gumby
99) i've never owned a motorcycle, i've never done any drugs, and the last beer i had was when i was ~3 years old
finally
100) i am not afraid to walk up to someone i don't know and start talking to them. you shouldn't be either. i have met up with 2 online people who i have never met before, just walking down the street. i went up to them and said hi, and i think it caught them off guard. i'm not sure what else i *should* say. but throw out that old idea that girls are shy and don't approach guys. cause you ain't seen nothing yet.
here's 100 factoids about me.
basic biographical facts
1) i'm in the 2nd half of my 20s.
2) i have one younger brother.
3) i'm not married, but my parents still are (35 years!)
4) i have no children (that i know of!)
5) i was born in Connecticut, and have lived in 4 states (NY, IA, MN, CA) in the last 10 years
6) i am not sure what i want to be when i grow up.
the physical gumby
7) i'm 5'10" tall with shoes on
8) my nose and ears are proportionate to my face
9) i have brown hair that keeps getting lighter...some might say whiter...i like to think of it as white highlights, which are apparently hard to do at a beauty salon
10) i have good vision, hearing, smell, and taste senses
11) i'm only allergic to animals when i pet them and then rub my eyes (transferring the hair or dander i guess)
12) on my left foot my third toe is the longest toe. on my right foot the 2nd toe is the longest.
13) my jaw pops out of place due to clenching in my sleep, and it makes noise if i eat too soon after waking up
gumby's brain
14) i went to public schools and i turned out ok!
15) in fourth grade i was sent to a different school than half of my friends. it was the same year i broke my left arm.
16) in fifth grade i got mononucleosis (not from kissing though) and missed about 36 days of school in one trimester. somehow they still passed me. although i think there are some things i just never learned about.
17) thankfully some of the stuff i learned from books in college actually help me in my current job. i'm more thankful for the professors and friendships i made, however.
18) i never dropped a college class. and i never skipped class to do something fun.
19) we got our first computer at home in the 80's. i learned to type slowly then, and by 9th grade i was a typing whiz, thanks mrs. jones (my typing teacher)!
20) my knowledge of geography is decent but not stellar (i.e. i know the americas, europe, australia, antarctica, and parts of africa and asia very well)
jobs
21) my first job was either working with my mom at YWCA nursery school or working as a counselor-in-training at YWCA summer camp.
22) i'm not sure if i've had my favorite job yet, although being a teacher/mentor for an integrated science class right after i graduated from college was pretty fun.
23) i've never worked from home.
24) i like my job, have a hard time with some of the people and the drama. currently i spend most of my time tromping in the woods
25) i have worn one of those all white tyvek suits and boots and sprayed chemicals on grass for hours while sweating profusely because those suits certainly don't breathe. this job also had me hoeing weeds in ag fields at least once a week, and picking fruit the other days. sweatastic!
26) i have seriously entertained the notion of giving up working and being a whitewater rafting guide. or maybe a nature guide in costa rica, living in the rainforest.
sports
27) i took ballet and tap dance classes when i was 4-5 years old
28) i took ice skating lessons from 5-6 years old, and learned to ski around the same time.
29) i tried playing little league baseball and softball from 7-8 years old but i was more interested in doing cartwheels in the outfield. learned to play tennis somewhere around there too.
30) i played soccer for 7 years in elementary school and junior high.
31) high school sports included volleyball, indoor track, and tennis.
32) college sports included 2 years of NCAA D III volleyball and 2 years of NCAA DIII tennis.
33) i've now decided I really like RUGBY and sometimes ultimate frisbee, as well as many kinds of dancing (salsa, merengue, cha cha, samba, waltz, foxtrot, contra dance, irish jigging, hip hop, 2-step [just learned!], as well as booty shaking and just flailing around in general)
politics
34) i'm more of a 'vote for the best candidate for the job' than a party line voter. and through the years i've learned that even though i was raised republican, not all republicans are the kind of people i want running my government.
35) i have now lived in 2 states where professional actors/wrestlers have been my governor
36) i just can't believe how ridiculous george w. bush is. why did we elect him again? who voted for him?
37) i think local politics have more effect on our daily lives than big party national politics.
38) my dad was the deputy mayor of our town for 6 years, and a councilman for 12
39) i often wonder how we're faring in the war on drugs.
random favorites
40) i can't choose a favorite color because i like too many. maybe indigo. forest green. maroon.
41) i don't have a favorite tv show because i don't have a tv
42) my favorite movies are the jerk, whale rider, american beauty, office space, napoleon dynamite, shawshank redemption
43) my favorite side to sleep on is my right
44) my favorite actor is either william h. macy, george clooney, morgan freeman, tim robbins, vince vaughn, or luke wilson
45) i'm new to blogging, so my favorite blogs are posted on my blog, which, if you're reading this, you can find the links to on the sidebar
46) my favorite sport to watch is rugby!!! (rugby guys are total studs)
47) my favorite sport to play is rugby!!! (in season, *i* am a total stud)
48) i don't drink beer so i don't have a favorite beer or other alcoholic beverage
49) my favorite drink is vanilla coke or grenadine and coke, especially if they're made just right
personal failures
50) i cannot watch a scary movie and not have nightmares
51) i still have recurring nightmares
52) i try repeatedly and still i'm not getting any faster at sprinting
53) i can't draw. except for what i call scientific art. or kindergarten art.
54) sometimes i lose my train of thought for no reason whatsoever
55) sometimes when people are talking i zone out when i should be listening intently
56) i don't own a computer at my home
57) i cannot hold a conversation with the television on. it's either the person or the box and the box somehow always wins my eyes even when i don't want it to.
58) i have issues with commitment, and i've broken more hearts than i care to admit, and if it feels how i feel when my heart gets broken, i'm not going to heaven for sure with all the pain i've caused
59) i have my bachelors degree and nothing else because i'm afraid of what i should be doing with my future and don't want to limit myself
60) i don't always do what i should be doing at work (does anyone?), and the boss finally called me on it, which made me feel like complete crap and i'm wondering if i'll ever be able to untarnish my image
61) i have a very hard time participating in conversations where it's more than just me and one other person. i can listen but feel uncomfortable joining in.
i'm good at a few things
62) i know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
63) i used to know all the presidents of the united states in order (i have since lost that talent)
64) aside from breaking hearts, i also have a talent for making people feel good about themselves
65) i seem to be the only person who can teach my grandpa how to use his computer
66) children are naturally drawn to me. must be 'cause i'm so fun. animals, on the whole, are also drawn to me, even though i'm not afraid of them.
67) i really enjoy voluteer activities and look for them wherever i go. heavy lifting and weed pulling included.
68) i have worked on 7 habitat for humanity houses
eating
69) i have eaten so many 'new' foods since i arrived in california, foods i never would have eaten before and i'm not sure why i never tried them. these new foods include: avocados/guacamole, cherries, nectarines, plums, pistachios, almonds, macadamia nuts, rice milk, chai tea (i know there are more, i'm just drawing a blank currently - to be updated as these details rise into my forebrain)
70) i really enjoy mexican food, probably because i didn't get much of it in my youth
71) corn is my favorite vegetable but most people don't think it's a vegatable. until high school i couldn't eat it on the cob due to bad teeth in the front.
72) chocolate is my safety food.
73) potatoes are my absolute favorite food in the whole world because they are so versatile!
74) i am in love with ny style pizza, garlic knots, buffalo wings, and soda. they consist of what i consider a perfect meal without vegetables.
likes/dislikes
75) i talk on the phone often when i am home because it is the only time i can communicate with my friends who live outside the state of california. so whether or not i like talking on the phone is irrelevant, i do it out of necessity to feel sane with people who are not fruits or nuts or all granola
76) "be the change you wish to see in the world" - m. gandhi
77) i don't read much, although i have been trying
78) i actually enjoy most foreign films and look forward to international film festivals
79) i don't have a tv because i think it rots peoples brains. plus i have enough to do without one, how do people ever get anything done with it on all the time? i'm very distractablewhen i'm not focused if that makes any sense...
80) i like making out more than i probably should
better left unsaid
81) i've only ever hit a guy in the face once for saying something completely unacceptable
82) mostly i get hit on by old men
83) i've been dragged into strip clubs twice in my life
84) i frequently get wedgies
85) i don't mind doing most house chores. except dishes.
86) i swear out loud only when i'm alone
87) i go to the bathroom with the door open when i'm home alone, and sometimes when i'm not
other ideas and potpurri
88) i try to carry around a notebook with me so when i have big ideas, or even little ideas, i can write them down so they don't go into the abyss
89) i am a veritable library of song lyrics
90) i think my friends would say i'm loyal, devoted, caring, genuine, sarcastic, funny, and real.
91) i never thought i would play rugby, nevermind actually like it
92) my hobbies include photography, jigsaw puzzles, journal writing, writing letters and making handmade paper, and currently, planning my high school reunion (which is also giving me nightmares).
93) my brother has physically abused me within the last 5 years.
94) my first kiss was at age 13. his name was steve. (oy!)
95) where i live now, it's easy to ride a bike or walk everywhere. the police in town think this gives them the right to continually chalk my tires and give me 5 day notices to move my car or get it towed
96) blogging is something i just kind of fell into, and so far, i like it - i have been blogging more than eating lately...
97) my car is getting older, and i'm afraid of buying a new one
98) my nicknames include falkon, captain, bert, brother sunshine, pokemon ali, and gumby
99) i've never owned a motorcycle, i've never done any drugs, and the last beer i had was when i was ~3 years old
finally
100) i am not afraid to walk up to someone i don't know and start talking to them. you shouldn't be either. i have met up with 2 online people who i have never met before, just walking down the street. i went up to them and said hi, and i think it caught them off guard. i'm not sure what else i *should* say. but throw out that old idea that girls are shy and don't approach guys. cause you ain't seen nothing yet.
hey baby what's your sign?
this is supposedly my bad habit. do they know i don't even look good 1/2 the time. maybe more?
• Libras Love to Shop
Librans gave birth to the term "shopaholic". These folks have every credit card known to man. And while their taste is undeniably impeccable, it can get them in trouble at bankruptcy court. What's really at stake here is a quest for beauty. Enjoying simple but inexpensive pleasures like nature walks and museums can quell the urge to splurge.
bad habits by astrological sign
i did something right in high school
| You Should Learn Spanish |
 For you, learning a language is about career advancement and communication. Knowing Spanish will bring you tons of possiblities for jobs and travel. Bárbaro! |
04 August 2005
27 July 2005
24 june 2005 was a memorable day
i met this guy - nathan - one day while walking down highway one in pfeiffer big sur state park. he told us (myself and my coworkers) that he was walking from tijuana mexico to vancouver bc canada to try to raise 1 million dollars in 100 days, walking 2200 miles.
i decided to see if i could keep up with him for a day. here's my comment from day 55 of his adventure.
"i woke up in davis at 6am, eager with anticipation, of what the day ahead would bring. it would be my 4th time seeing nathan and first time meeting clare, and possibly my only big day with the west coast walk (i walked about 1/4 mile of it while in big sur, unofficially). i got my stuff together and was on the road to san francisco by 8am. after arriving at the north end of the golden gate bridge at 10 min of 10am (we were supposed to be meeting at the south end at 10), i decided to run over to the south end to meet up with nathan and his merry band of rotary walkers. the run over the bridge was actually very nice, breezy, a nice view, and i got 2 miles under my belt for the start of the day! after a few photos (and donuts) with the group, we made our way across the bridge (lots of photo ops) where i got to chat with some of the local bay area rotarians. i myself not being a rotarian had nothing to say about my rotary experience aside from my interactions with nathan and the project. at the end of the bridge i got a quick lesson on what the "iron lung" was all about (which was interesting and informative), we took a few more photos and then bid the rotarians good bye for now.
i followed clare and nathan in the west coast walk mobile from the bridge up to novato (a random corner in town) where we would begin our journey north - first northwest and then northeast.
it felt a bit like "take your friend to work" day, where i was seeing first hand what nathan was doing with his life, every day for the past 1.5 months and for the next 1.5 months.
i figured he would be walking incredibly fast, so on top of water and food and a map of the route, i purchased a bunch of AA batteries and made 6 mix cds to keep me company as i envisioned him running off into the distance and me plodding along, just trying to make it to petaluma before nightfall (or midnight).
as it turned out, playing rugby and hiking in the woods nearly every day paid off. when we started walking into novato, i felt very comfortable with the pace we were walking, and i thought to myself "he's gotta be slowing himself down," mentally preparing myself for the moment he decided to take off.
we walked through novato - the only notable things being the excellent sidewalk system and the high number of bus stops. then, all of a sudden, we were in the country. less trees, more hills, a very cool park, and lots of cows which seemed to really like nathan (they all turned to look as he walked by). MOO.
another thing i had considered before doing the walk was the topography of the land. i had myself convinced that the walk was going to be all uphill, and that i would surely be in severe pain and way behind for the entire trip. it turned out that almost the whole first third of the walk was fairly flat, with some gentle uphills. my legs were feeling fine, no soreness or cramping or anything. the only physical ailment i was dealing with at this point was a blister forming below my ankle and above my heal. my shoes had anti-slip pads in the backs, but they seemed to be rubbing on my feet uncomfortably. i put some moleskin on and we contined.
after not being sure if we had missed our turn for many miles, we started up a hill. i decided to have a granola bar. to my dismay it turned into paste in my mouth. it was then i realized just how sweaty i was. guess i was a little dehydrated. drank some water and ate another granola bar.
then, we saw the road where we were supposed to turn. hooray! the sign said petaluma 9 miles. piece of cake! :)
at around 13 miles we decided to stop and take a break. nathan wanted to change his socks, i wanted to check my blisters. i had been feeling some pain in my heels, but i had put the pain somewhere else, thinking "deal with it, you're fine." when i took off my shoes, i discovered TWO bloody ankles and TWO blisters forming (one on each foot) between the ankle and heel. more moleskin. ripped the no slip pads out of the shoes. and off we went.
the second half of the trip was a little more rigorous than the first. fun stuff: more hills, winding terrain, no shoulders on the roads, dodging traffic. no shade, more hills, more cows.
at some point we descended into petaluma. i had been through there before but only for work. and driving. my first walk through petaluma was actually quite pleasant. we agreed it would have been cool to stop and have a bite to eat or drink and just sit in the shade by some shops, but there was no time for that, WE HAD WALKING TO DO! and merrily we went, through the town, soaking in the shade from the planted trees (no natural forests here) and enjoying the cute houses and planted flower beds. i even stopped and smelled the roses!
we took our final turn, onto stony point road, and this is where the space between us began to grow. nathan was hitting his stride, and i was losing mine. by now, my legs were sore but not to the point where i couldn't walk, just sore and letting me know - "hey, we've been walking awhile now!" my feet were a bit sore from the blisters but i was not going to give up. i was going to finish no matter what. but nathan was far ahead of me now and showed no signs of stopping (which was fine, i had intended this to happen LONG before the last 1.5 miles!) the end straightaway started to feel like uphill, flat, uphill, flat, and by then we had been walking for 7+ hours and i was thinking - is there going to be any more downhill? we were looking for white barn door ranch road or something like that, and in my delirium i kept thinking that the next street was sure to be it. and every next street was not it. so i kept on. and then at some point i looked up and didn't see nathan in front of me and i thought - my god, how far behind have i fallen? i looked back down, then out at some cows in the pasture who were smiling in my general direction, then i looked up again and there was the west coast walk mobile, nathan, and clare!
i don't know that i had a lot of emotions when we were through. relief. amazement. excitement. exhaustion. i remember asking nathan awhile back if he ever got tired of smiling for the photos. he said sometimes at the end of the day he was so tired he didn't want to smile anymore.
so clare took our photo :)
thanks nathan for letting me keep you company on your quest for canada. i would have liked to raise some money to give to you as a part of my donation but my decision to do this walk was made somewhat last minute. i am telling everyone i can about your walk, your goal, your purpose and mission. you have a lot of support even if it's not financial. i hope i provided you with good company!
and, you never know, i might just bump into you again in oregon or washington when i can rally myself a ride. my blisters are healed now (1.5 weeks later) and i am ready to go (i bought some new shoes!)
...we never did reach white barn door ranch road."
check out nathan's blog: westcoastwalk.blogspot.com
i decided to see if i could keep up with him for a day. here's my comment from day 55 of his adventure.
"i woke up in davis at 6am, eager with anticipation, of what the day ahead would bring. it would be my 4th time seeing nathan and first time meeting clare, and possibly my only big day with the west coast walk (i walked about 1/4 mile of it while in big sur, unofficially). i got my stuff together and was on the road to san francisco by 8am. after arriving at the north end of the golden gate bridge at 10 min of 10am (we were supposed to be meeting at the south end at 10), i decided to run over to the south end to meet up with nathan and his merry band of rotary walkers. the run over the bridge was actually very nice, breezy, a nice view, and i got 2 miles under my belt for the start of the day! after a few photos (and donuts) with the group, we made our way across the bridge (lots of photo ops) where i got to chat with some of the local bay area rotarians. i myself not being a rotarian had nothing to say about my rotary experience aside from my interactions with nathan and the project. at the end of the bridge i got a quick lesson on what the "iron lung" was all about (which was interesting and informative), we took a few more photos and then bid the rotarians good bye for now.
i followed clare and nathan in the west coast walk mobile from the bridge up to novato (a random corner in town) where we would begin our journey north - first northwest and then northeast.
it felt a bit like "take your friend to work" day, where i was seeing first hand what nathan was doing with his life, every day for the past 1.5 months and for the next 1.5 months.
i figured he would be walking incredibly fast, so on top of water and food and a map of the route, i purchased a bunch of AA batteries and made 6 mix cds to keep me company as i envisioned him running off into the distance and me plodding along, just trying to make it to petaluma before nightfall (or midnight).
as it turned out, playing rugby and hiking in the woods nearly every day paid off. when we started walking into novato, i felt very comfortable with the pace we were walking, and i thought to myself "he's gotta be slowing himself down," mentally preparing myself for the moment he decided to take off.
we walked through novato - the only notable things being the excellent sidewalk system and the high number of bus stops. then, all of a sudden, we were in the country. less trees, more hills, a very cool park, and lots of cows which seemed to really like nathan (they all turned to look as he walked by). MOO.
another thing i had considered before doing the walk was the topography of the land. i had myself convinced that the walk was going to be all uphill, and that i would surely be in severe pain and way behind for the entire trip. it turned out that almost the whole first third of the walk was fairly flat, with some gentle uphills. my legs were feeling fine, no soreness or cramping or anything. the only physical ailment i was dealing with at this point was a blister forming below my ankle and above my heal. my shoes had anti-slip pads in the backs, but they seemed to be rubbing on my feet uncomfortably. i put some moleskin on and we contined.
after not being sure if we had missed our turn for many miles, we started up a hill. i decided to have a granola bar. to my dismay it turned into paste in my mouth. it was then i realized just how sweaty i was. guess i was a little dehydrated. drank some water and ate another granola bar.
then, we saw the road where we were supposed to turn. hooray! the sign said petaluma 9 miles. piece of cake! :)
at around 13 miles we decided to stop and take a break. nathan wanted to change his socks, i wanted to check my blisters. i had been feeling some pain in my heels, but i had put the pain somewhere else, thinking "deal with it, you're fine." when i took off my shoes, i discovered TWO bloody ankles and TWO blisters forming (one on each foot) between the ankle and heel. more moleskin. ripped the no slip pads out of the shoes. and off we went.
the second half of the trip was a little more rigorous than the first. fun stuff: more hills, winding terrain, no shoulders on the roads, dodging traffic. no shade, more hills, more cows.
at some point we descended into petaluma. i had been through there before but only for work. and driving. my first walk through petaluma was actually quite pleasant. we agreed it would have been cool to stop and have a bite to eat or drink and just sit in the shade by some shops, but there was no time for that, WE HAD WALKING TO DO! and merrily we went, through the town, soaking in the shade from the planted trees (no natural forests here) and enjoying the cute houses and planted flower beds. i even stopped and smelled the roses!
we took our final turn, onto stony point road, and this is where the space between us began to grow. nathan was hitting his stride, and i was losing mine. by now, my legs were sore but not to the point where i couldn't walk, just sore and letting me know - "hey, we've been walking awhile now!" my feet were a bit sore from the blisters but i was not going to give up. i was going to finish no matter what. but nathan was far ahead of me now and showed no signs of stopping (which was fine, i had intended this to happen LONG before the last 1.5 miles!) the end straightaway started to feel like uphill, flat, uphill, flat, and by then we had been walking for 7+ hours and i was thinking - is there going to be any more downhill? we were looking for white barn door ranch road or something like that, and in my delirium i kept thinking that the next street was sure to be it. and every next street was not it. so i kept on. and then at some point i looked up and didn't see nathan in front of me and i thought - my god, how far behind have i fallen? i looked back down, then out at some cows in the pasture who were smiling in my general direction, then i looked up again and there was the west coast walk mobile, nathan, and clare!
i don't know that i had a lot of emotions when we were through. relief. amazement. excitement. exhaustion. i remember asking nathan awhile back if he ever got tired of smiling for the photos. he said sometimes at the end of the day he was so tired he didn't want to smile anymore.
so clare took our photo :)
thanks nathan for letting me keep you company on your quest for canada. i would have liked to raise some money to give to you as a part of my donation but my decision to do this walk was made somewhat last minute. i am telling everyone i can about your walk, your goal, your purpose and mission. you have a lot of support even if it's not financial. i hope i provided you with good company!
and, you never know, i might just bump into you again in oregon or washington when i can rally myself a ride. my blisters are healed now (1.5 weeks later) and i am ready to go (i bought some new shoes!)
...we never did reach white barn door ranch road."
check out nathan's blog: westcoastwalk.blogspot.com
and then you realize...
i have been having this situation at work. the boss took me into his office a few months back and told me funding was running out for my job. i expected this as i heard rumors money was going and going fast. so i was not shocked at this news. i then rose to leave the office, figuring we had nothing left to talk about, and he said, 'there's one more thing i want to talk to you about' - which, by anyone's standards is usually BAD NEWS. i thought, 'what could be more bad then being told your job is ending soon?' then he proceeded to tell me he thought i wasn't doing enough work at work, that i wasn't helping out enough, and that people (everyone) didn't feel comfortable asking me to help them because of my sarcastic nature. and i'm thinking...WHERE did this come from? i have been working in this lab for 2.5 years. if people had a problem with my sarcasm, it seems it would have struck them earlier, like, WHEN THEY MET ME (because i don't think i've changed much in the last 10 years or so). i don't think i'm a harsh kind of sarcastic like some of the guys i know, so i'm wondering how it is that my sarcasm ruins everyones day or makes them not want to work with me or ask me for help.
i start thinking about it and - well at the meeting i was struck and dumbfounded and shocked and i didn't know what to do or what to say. so i immediatly started talking about my family and how they're going through some stuff and how i'm so far away (they live on the east coast) and it's hard for me to feel connected them being so far away and it's been taking a toll on me, etc. and then i just started crying. it was one of those times i couldn't stop it and didn't want to, maybe for effect or for sympathy. my boss, who everyone views as the nicest guy ever to work with, was putting me down for something i had no idea was even a problem! i then proceeded to explain my work situation which is a long story but the short of it is that i work with one girl pretty closely and she is the kind of person who takes care of things WAY before they need to get done (days, weeks, months sometimes). so when i get around to thinking 'hey i should do that' she has already done it. she does that ALL THE TIME which is frustrating to work with. we call this phenomenon "bulldozing" - like, she keeps bulldozing me because there aren't any tasks that have been directly assigned to me, so she just does everything and leaves nothing for me to do but hang around and ask other people if they need help doing something. in fact come to think of it i don't think i've ever told someone NO I WON'T HELP YOU. it's just not my nature.
enough ranting. so i'm processing all this, and i'm angry with myself and confused at what just happened. i think to myself, 'how can i remedy this problem?' i decide the best way is to talk to 'everyone' in the lab and try to get to the bottom of this mystery tactfully and non-confrontationally. i don't want to beg forgiveness but i do want to know who doesn't like my attitude. i proceed to talk to just about everyone in the lab about this meeting i had with the boss, saying that i'm sorry if i had seemed to have a bad attitude lately or that i wasn't being myself (i thought i was being myself but maybe i wasn't, felt like apologizing for it anyway - people feel different when you apologize to them) and then i let them know that if there was anything they needed me to do, just to please let me know and i would gladly help them if i wasn't busy with something else. and after talking to about 6 out of the 9 people i work with, i came to this conclusion.
the people i talked to think i'm fine. they know i'm willing to help and think it's great i'm always asking to help them. which i do.
1 of the people i didn't talk to doesn't work with me directly. i help her occasionally but we're not really on most of the same projects, but i know she has asked me to help her probably 10-15 times in the last year and i have always agreed to help her out.
1 girl was on vacation.
the 3rd person had actually given me a pep-talk the day before my meeting (the meeting was sprung on me un-announced on a friday) telling me how i have all these great attributes and that i should try to find more things to do on my own and away from the girl i work with all the time, because i have some good specialized skills.
today at work i'm out in the woods with the girl i usually work with, and she asks me, 'can i tell you something that will just stay between us?' and i'm thinking, sure, i'm a good secret keeper. (which i am.) and she tells me not to trust one of the women in my lab - the one that gave me the pep talk. i say why not? she says "cause she talks about you behind your back. she talks about how she doesn't think you work hard enough and how she doesn't think this job is a good fit for you."
holy s*#t
...are you kidding me?
i start thinking about it and - well at the meeting i was struck and dumbfounded and shocked and i didn't know what to do or what to say. so i immediatly started talking about my family and how they're going through some stuff and how i'm so far away (they live on the east coast) and it's hard for me to feel connected them being so far away and it's been taking a toll on me, etc. and then i just started crying. it was one of those times i couldn't stop it and didn't want to, maybe for effect or for sympathy. my boss, who everyone views as the nicest guy ever to work with, was putting me down for something i had no idea was even a problem! i then proceeded to explain my work situation which is a long story but the short of it is that i work with one girl pretty closely and she is the kind of person who takes care of things WAY before they need to get done (days, weeks, months sometimes). so when i get around to thinking 'hey i should do that' she has already done it. she does that ALL THE TIME which is frustrating to work with. we call this phenomenon "bulldozing" - like, she keeps bulldozing me because there aren't any tasks that have been directly assigned to me, so she just does everything and leaves nothing for me to do but hang around and ask other people if they need help doing something. in fact come to think of it i don't think i've ever told someone NO I WON'T HELP YOU. it's just not my nature.
enough ranting. so i'm processing all this, and i'm angry with myself and confused at what just happened. i think to myself, 'how can i remedy this problem?' i decide the best way is to talk to 'everyone' in the lab and try to get to the bottom of this mystery tactfully and non-confrontationally. i don't want to beg forgiveness but i do want to know who doesn't like my attitude. i proceed to talk to just about everyone in the lab about this meeting i had with the boss, saying that i'm sorry if i had seemed to have a bad attitude lately or that i wasn't being myself (i thought i was being myself but maybe i wasn't, felt like apologizing for it anyway - people feel different when you apologize to them) and then i let them know that if there was anything they needed me to do, just to please let me know and i would gladly help them if i wasn't busy with something else. and after talking to about 6 out of the 9 people i work with, i came to this conclusion.
the people i talked to think i'm fine. they know i'm willing to help and think it's great i'm always asking to help them. which i do.
1 of the people i didn't talk to doesn't work with me directly. i help her occasionally but we're not really on most of the same projects, but i know she has asked me to help her probably 10-15 times in the last year and i have always agreed to help her out.
1 girl was on vacation.
the 3rd person had actually given me a pep-talk the day before my meeting (the meeting was sprung on me un-announced on a friday) telling me how i have all these great attributes and that i should try to find more things to do on my own and away from the girl i work with all the time, because i have some good specialized skills.
today at work i'm out in the woods with the girl i usually work with, and she asks me, 'can i tell you something that will just stay between us?' and i'm thinking, sure, i'm a good secret keeper. (which i am.) and she tells me not to trust one of the women in my lab - the one that gave me the pep talk. i say why not? she says "cause she talks about you behind your back. she talks about how she doesn't think you work hard enough and how she doesn't think this job is a good fit for you."
holy s*#t
...are you kidding me?
26 July 2005
when the going gets tough
the tough take an online quiz and find out things about themselves.
You Are A 5 - The Investigator
You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker.
You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does.
Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations.
You are open minded. A visionary.
You understand the world and may change it.
What number are you?
You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker.
You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does.
Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations.
You are open minded. A visionary.
You understand the world and may change it.
What number are you?
25 July 2005
when you get there, you know
there are a lot of things people say, "when it happens, you'll know." and i have always questioned it until this past weekend. i made my first trip to yosemite since moving to california 2.5 years ago! it was an exciting adventure. a girl from work (a climber, actually) announced at work friday that some of her climbing buddies had gotten a group site for camping fri and sat night, would she be interested? and of course cause it was a group site, lots of room for friends, etc. no one else in the lab could clear their schedule, and though i had lots of stuff to do AND other plans in the bay area, i decided this was possibly a once in a lifetime and i had to go. blew off the dirty laundry, cancelled the plans to play pinball and pacman friday night and have a glorious homemade breakfast saturday morning...all so i could make this journey, this mecca to this place everyone talks about.
we ended up in tuolumne meadows which is above the valley for those of you who don't know. the valley is where EVERYONE goes, so the meadows were a bit less crowded. after the 5 hour drive from davis to yosemite friday night, we were pretty exhausted and just set up camp and went to sleep. it was supposed to be FREEZING at night but i wasn't super cold, and fell asleep with my sleeping bag half unzipped. then 1/2 way through the night my back got cold. i woke up and the zipper was stuck and i was in this mummy bag (not mine) so it was challenging to move around. eventually i got it working and tucked myself in.
saturday we had some breakfast and coffee with the others in the group and then made our way over to dog lake and lembert dome. the view of the dome on the way over was awesome. i haven't seen that kind of open face rock before. it was around the time we started hiking that i realized the altitude. i'm not a super hiker or anything but i do hike regularly for work. i realized quickly that i couldn't talk and hike at the same time otherwise i wouldn't be able to breathe! we walked slowly as my friend was having similar difficulty (at 10,000ft, who can blame us?) it gave us a chance to chat.
dog lake was crawling with mosquitoes. so we didn't stay there long. we followed the trail to lembert dome and then proceeded to scramble up part of it until we reached the summit! there was a rock on top of the summit, so we stood/sat on that, considering it to be the "true" summit. we had a great view! maybe one of these days i'll get some photos on here. took both 35mm film photos and digital pictures. when i download them i will post a few.
after that we hiked leisurely back down, went back to camp, got more snacks, and headed to tenaya lake, which was beautiful with views of domes all around. after some funny bathroom incidents - these people couldn't understand that i was in the bathroom so they kept trying to open the door. then they tried to open my friends door but hers didn't lock so they walked in on her changing. she said "there's no lock" and he just opened the door more and stood there - after that we went to the beach which had mostly been taken over by the lake's volume. i wasn't really that sweaty at this point so i just sat on the beach enjoying the view while my friend went in very slowly. the weather was great.
of course i got my shoulders sunburned! ouch!
on the way back from tenaya to our camp, we stopped at this place called "the knobs" which is small rocks (but bigger than pebbles!) that you can practice climbing moves on (only a climber would know this, i guess). so we went and played on these rocks. i didn't display any keen climbing moves but i was able to get up onto some of the rocks just pulling myself up and then jumping around from rock to rock. it was fun. then we went over to soda springs where we saw the water bubbling out of the ground (neato!) and we read all these informational signs that talked about the settlers coming out west, as well as subnivean cultures of animals that live in the layer of air under the snow in the winter. watch out for the shrews!
sun was setting now and the meadow was very beautiful. more photos. then we headed back to camp again to make some dinner and hang with the other people. some had gone climbing, others just went for walks with their kids, which by the way, the kids were adorable. we sat around the campfire talking until we were fully exhausted, then went to sleep. this time i figured out the sleeping bag before i fell asleep.
up early the next day (sunday) for another set of adventures! we went over to gaylor lakes which has a great view at the summit before you get there, and then the lakes themselves were pretty amazing - the first one you come to looks like it drops off the edge of the earth at the far end. the first one also had mobs and mobs of mosquitoes which led us to quicken our pace and head for the second lake. we set up for lunch on a rock in the middle of some snow at 11,000+ft or something like that.
we hiked back over the gaylor lakes ridge and back down the car, where we proceeded to drive to mono lake! another first. we went in the visitor center for a little while, looked at the exhibits, photos, watched the movie, missed the gift shop (it closed) but then went down to the water to explore! we saw the flies that inhabit the edge of the lake and eat algae not people, although there were some people that came down to see the lake who were skeptical about the flies so i ran through the swarming flies just to show them they didn't bite, but that they all fly up when you run at them (just like a seagull trying to catch them in his beak, i ran at them with my mouth open but didn't catch any). cool. tried to take a mini movie of it on my digital camera, we'll see if it worked.
after that we stopped and had ice cream. gas prices in lee vining (the town) were over $3!!! again, another photo op. then we drove back into the park. took some photos of the meadows. then we headed to olmstead point where we got some cool lookouts and my friend said it was the second prettiest place she had ever gone to the bathroom (she climbed below the rocks and went while looking over at half dome) it was great just being there with her. then she found a place where we could make echoes so we did that for awhile, just yelling stuff and then singing.
eventually we decided it was time to start heading home. we left around 745pm and got into san francisco (after passing tons of cars on CA 120, only to stop and get some food and find all of them back in front of us again!) around 12am.
IT WAS A FABULOUS WEEKEND (aside from the sunburn) and i am so thankful i went. because i got there. and i knew. quite possibly for the first time in my life.
ps. anyone want to put some aloe on my shoulders?
we ended up in tuolumne meadows which is above the valley for those of you who don't know. the valley is where EVERYONE goes, so the meadows were a bit less crowded. after the 5 hour drive from davis to yosemite friday night, we were pretty exhausted and just set up camp and went to sleep. it was supposed to be FREEZING at night but i wasn't super cold, and fell asleep with my sleeping bag half unzipped. then 1/2 way through the night my back got cold. i woke up and the zipper was stuck and i was in this mummy bag (not mine) so it was challenging to move around. eventually i got it working and tucked myself in.
saturday we had some breakfast and coffee with the others in the group and then made our way over to dog lake and lembert dome. the view of the dome on the way over was awesome. i haven't seen that kind of open face rock before. it was around the time we started hiking that i realized the altitude. i'm not a super hiker or anything but i do hike regularly for work. i realized quickly that i couldn't talk and hike at the same time otherwise i wouldn't be able to breathe! we walked slowly as my friend was having similar difficulty (at 10,000ft, who can blame us?) it gave us a chance to chat.
dog lake was crawling with mosquitoes. so we didn't stay there long. we followed the trail to lembert dome and then proceeded to scramble up part of it until we reached the summit! there was a rock on top of the summit, so we stood/sat on that, considering it to be the "true" summit. we had a great view! maybe one of these days i'll get some photos on here. took both 35mm film photos and digital pictures. when i download them i will post a few.
after that we hiked leisurely back down, went back to camp, got more snacks, and headed to tenaya lake, which was beautiful with views of domes all around. after some funny bathroom incidents - these people couldn't understand that i was in the bathroom so they kept trying to open the door. then they tried to open my friends door but hers didn't lock so they walked in on her changing. she said "there's no lock" and he just opened the door more and stood there - after that we went to the beach which had mostly been taken over by the lake's volume. i wasn't really that sweaty at this point so i just sat on the beach enjoying the view while my friend went in very slowly. the weather was great.
of course i got my shoulders sunburned! ouch!
on the way back from tenaya to our camp, we stopped at this place called "the knobs" which is small rocks (but bigger than pebbles!) that you can practice climbing moves on (only a climber would know this, i guess). so we went and played on these rocks. i didn't display any keen climbing moves but i was able to get up onto some of the rocks just pulling myself up and then jumping around from rock to rock. it was fun. then we went over to soda springs where we saw the water bubbling out of the ground (neato!) and we read all these informational signs that talked about the settlers coming out west, as well as subnivean cultures of animals that live in the layer of air under the snow in the winter. watch out for the shrews!
sun was setting now and the meadow was very beautiful. more photos. then we headed back to camp again to make some dinner and hang with the other people. some had gone climbing, others just went for walks with their kids, which by the way, the kids were adorable. we sat around the campfire talking until we were fully exhausted, then went to sleep. this time i figured out the sleeping bag before i fell asleep.
up early the next day (sunday) for another set of adventures! we went over to gaylor lakes which has a great view at the summit before you get there, and then the lakes themselves were pretty amazing - the first one you come to looks like it drops off the edge of the earth at the far end. the first one also had mobs and mobs of mosquitoes which led us to quicken our pace and head for the second lake. we set up for lunch on a rock in the middle of some snow at 11,000+ft or something like that.
we hiked back over the gaylor lakes ridge and back down the car, where we proceeded to drive to mono lake! another first. we went in the visitor center for a little while, looked at the exhibits, photos, watched the movie, missed the gift shop (it closed) but then went down to the water to explore! we saw the flies that inhabit the edge of the lake and eat algae not people, although there were some people that came down to see the lake who were skeptical about the flies so i ran through the swarming flies just to show them they didn't bite, but that they all fly up when you run at them (just like a seagull trying to catch them in his beak, i ran at them with my mouth open but didn't catch any). cool. tried to take a mini movie of it on my digital camera, we'll see if it worked.
after that we stopped and had ice cream. gas prices in lee vining (the town) were over $3!!! again, another photo op. then we drove back into the park. took some photos of the meadows. then we headed to olmstead point where we got some cool lookouts and my friend said it was the second prettiest place she had ever gone to the bathroom (she climbed below the rocks and went while looking over at half dome) it was great just being there with her. then she found a place where we could make echoes so we did that for awhile, just yelling stuff and then singing.
eventually we decided it was time to start heading home. we left around 745pm and got into san francisco (after passing tons of cars on CA 120, only to stop and get some food and find all of them back in front of us again!) around 12am.
IT WAS A FABULOUS WEEKEND (aside from the sunburn) and i am so thankful i went. because i got there. and i knew. quite possibly for the first time in my life.
ps. anyone want to put some aloe on my shoulders?
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