Hello blog, nice to see you. It's been a long time. Sorry couldn't help the Conway Twitty intro, I've been listening to the new radio station in Everett 1520 AM - all classic country lately. I love that I can listen to the Oak Ridge Boys or Alabama without the Hermit complaining about the iTunes library.
Since April, I've graduated, of course, and planned on blogging all summer about our adventures. Unfortunately, I owed the Hermit a lot of free time, and so we spent most weekends looking for the latest flea market, yard sale or swap meet, and spent one weekend in Gold Bar buying a sluice box and another gold pan. I am a victim of too many episodes of "American Pickers" and "Gold Rush." Anyone who knows me, knows this was complete torture, but I did manage to slip in some Beach Boys and Chicago records (and one Waylon and Willie) into the yard sale/swap meet piles. "As I was walking down the street one day..." hit the brass. :)
I've also been spending a lot of time applying for jobs, two of which I had interviews, made it to the final selection only to have them cut from the budget. Anyone who has ever applied for a government or engineering job knows how long and complicated just the application process is. It's very disheartening, so I have decided to put my skills to use while I still have 4 months left of my contract job to something worthwhile. I will be volunteering for the Friends of Darrington Public Lands to fight the lawsuit threatening the permanent closure of the Sauk River Road.
In order to shift the economic focus of Darrington from a logging center of business to a tourism center of business, a lot of work needs to be done. I am going to be putting my mapping skills to work making them destination maps of trails with pop-up photos. Hopefully soon, I will be able to take a mapping in the cloud course to be able to make it a mobile app. The trail maps will feature either historical or ecotourism destinations on trails in the Darrington area, including those on currently closed forest roads. Hopefully this will put enough public pressure on the Forest Service to know that public users are extremely responsible and want to bring their own solution to the table for the future of these roads. Their future use should not be determined by an ecomaniac hiker from Lake Stevens or a litigation focused "non-profit" "wilderness" group from Montana.
Stay posted for how you can help. I know some of you who, like me, used to hike along the Sauk River road, and were looking forward to its opening next year. I'll be posting potluck opportunities soon where we will be drafting a plan of action.
A bit of my view...
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Bring it on
I used to roll my eyes at the "old" people who would comment about where time has gone, but seriously, where did it go? I need some back, please. In fact, the only reason I am able to post just now is the fact that I (along with lots of tree pollen) have run myself ragged and have been knocked flat on me arse.
I am proud to announce that I have been able to conquer (for the most part) one of my biggest fears over the last few weeks, all while adjusting to a new quarter, a new job and a new sleep schedule. It's like I always say - go big or go home, right? Clichés aside, I have always been somewhat afraid of the rivers out here in PNW. On Delmarva, our rivers ran wide, flat and muddy. I have no trouble facing rough surf at any beach on either coast, or going out on a boat in a river delta out here in Washington. But I have been scared for years to go into PNW rivers unless it was a hot August day and the river was running low.
To be fair, many rivers drop thousands of feet in elevation within 20 miles, and even the most basic understanding of physics tells you that water runs fast under those conditions. The currents are strong and include cascades and rapids, which are even scarier when you've seen them under flood conditions. Don't get me wrong, the creeks and rivers are beautiful, but so far I have admired them respectively from the shoreline. I've been invited to go floating or kayaking and have always declined. The most time I spent in a river out here was in high school rowing in crew, but like I mentioned before, I was in a boat, and we were on the flat, wide mouth of a river or on a lake.
In order to complete my minor in Environmental Science, I have to take Stream Ecology, and I thought surely we would be studying the river from the classroom and shorelines. Unfortunately, the first announcement on BlackBoard instructed us to invest in waders. Two hundred dollars later, I forced myself into the creek that second week of class. The next week, I added an extra pair of wool socks and toe warmers and went in past my waist. Last Saturday I sank up to my knees in stinky mud, but I admit, I've done that at Padilla Bay before.
I also went on the public record at a Planning Commission meeting, and it feels great to face all of these fears and be successful. The new job is going great, and I'm actually making a lot of connections through our Stream Ecology tributary comparison of Portage and Squire Creeks. Next up - time to conquer deadlines.
I am proud to announce that I have been able to conquer (for the most part) one of my biggest fears over the last few weeks, all while adjusting to a new quarter, a new job and a new sleep schedule. It's like I always say - go big or go home, right? Clichés aside, I have always been somewhat afraid of the rivers out here in PNW. On Delmarva, our rivers ran wide, flat and muddy. I have no trouble facing rough surf at any beach on either coast, or going out on a boat in a river delta out here in Washington. But I have been scared for years to go into PNW rivers unless it was a hot August day and the river was running low.
To be fair, many rivers drop thousands of feet in elevation within 20 miles, and even the most basic understanding of physics tells you that water runs fast under those conditions. The currents are strong and include cascades and rapids, which are even scarier when you've seen them under flood conditions. Don't get me wrong, the creeks and rivers are beautiful, but so far I have admired them respectively from the shoreline. I've been invited to go floating or kayaking and have always declined. The most time I spent in a river out here was in high school rowing in crew, but like I mentioned before, I was in a boat, and we were on the flat, wide mouth of a river or on a lake.
In order to complete my minor in Environmental Science, I have to take Stream Ecology, and I thought surely we would be studying the river from the classroom and shorelines. Unfortunately, the first announcement on BlackBoard instructed us to invest in waders. Two hundred dollars later, I forced myself into the creek that second week of class. The next week, I added an extra pair of wool socks and toe warmers and went in past my waist. Last Saturday I sank up to my knees in stinky mud, but I admit, I've done that at Padilla Bay before.
I also went on the public record at a Planning Commission meeting, and it feels great to face all of these fears and be successful. The new job is going great, and I'm actually making a lot of connections through our Stream Ecology tributary comparison of Portage and Squire Creeks. Next up - time to conquer deadlines.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Graduation Contemplation
So I'd like to say that I have so many exciting things going on that I haven't been able to update my page lately, but that would kind of be a lie. Don't get me wrong, we have a lot of exciting projects in the works, but I'm just in the boring research phase of my city projects and school papers. My head throbs daily from reading so much and the arthritis in my fingers refuses to deflame from all the typing, but it will be worth it in the end. Heck, I found out the head librarian in town has an Oceanography degree, so even if those Baby Boomer planners continue to refuse retirement there's always research work in the library, right? NOT - I'd find myself beating my ADD head against the wall everyday. It's too quiet in there. Who gives up the ocean for a library anyway? Crazy lady.
Speaking of my future career plans, I did make it through the first round of cuts for the Associate Planner position at Snohomish County Planning and Development. I don't feel very confident about the interview though. I did all of the right things, held up my posture, smiled, firm handshakes all around, gave off a self-confident aura until... the curveball question. It all went downhill after that. I said so many uhs and ums after that, I wouldn't hire me. I HATE uhs and ums. I'm sure it's not as bad as I make it sound, but compared to all of my pharmacy interviews where I came out feeling like a stud it was cow material.
So, I'm applying for more positions at private firms and other municipalities as they come along, and hopefully I'll network into something. Until then, I'm still a giant Pez dispenser at the pharmacy, and a freebie at the city. I hope you all can make it to our Humanimal series at the City of Arlington every Thursday in May, it's going to be fun.
Speaking of my future career plans, I did make it through the first round of cuts for the Associate Planner position at Snohomish County Planning and Development. I don't feel very confident about the interview though. I did all of the right things, held up my posture, smiled, firm handshakes all around, gave off a self-confident aura until... the curveball question. It all went downhill after that. I said so many uhs and ums after that, I wouldn't hire me. I HATE uhs and ums. I'm sure it's not as bad as I make it sound, but compared to all of my pharmacy interviews where I came out feeling like a stud it was cow material.
So, I'm applying for more positions at private firms and other municipalities as they come along, and hopefully I'll network into something. Until then, I'm still a giant Pez dispenser at the pharmacy, and a freebie at the city. I hope you all can make it to our Humanimal series at the City of Arlington every Thursday in May, it's going to be fun.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Closer to Home
This week has been a great one, I must say. But first, I have to brag that my daughter took one in the face for her basketball team and still scored 8 points in the game. Way to wear a shiner to the dance, and make your team proud!
Our visit to the Elwha River last weekend was a great opportunity to become more familiar with the Olympic National Forest and to hang out with the other Seniors from the peninsula campuses of Huxley. The rivers in Western Washington were all running at or just above flood stage, so the Elwha was raging, and it made the discharge falls from the lower dam loud and powerful.
We all chose our top three category picks to work on for the Environmental Impact Statement of the dam removals, and I'm hoping to get Natural Resources so I can have a chance to research the historic fish run numbers. It will be interesting to keep an eye on recovering run numbers and see if, and how long it takes to see those numbers again. So far, I haven't seen anyone else choose the category.
I'm interning much closer to home these days, and have a lot of great projects lined up at the City of Arlington. Last year the city was able to obtain enough grant money to combine with their funds to purchase the old Country Charm Dairy. Plans for the lower flood plain portion of the acreage include a large open play field (which I intend to write a low-mow plan for), a community farm and garden on existing farmland, a fishing pond, trails, a 26 site campground, and a safe swim area with an interpretive salmon education sign system. To connect this property with the future downtown riverfront park plan an interpretive ecological and historical water trail for human powered watercraft with four pull-out areas is being designed. Then Arlington will be a walkable and rowable city. How cool is that?
I'm also helping a fellow Senior intern with a four night ecology class curriculum sponsored by the city. I'm not a great teacher, but I'm getting more patient. At least this will be in front of a crowd and not as frustrating as tutoring. I'm thinking about what portions I would be able to teach well and I'm leaning towards toxicology, flooding and perhaps some forest ecology if my friendly ex-forester neighbor will let me borrow some books. The final night will be a green networking night, and I'm hoping to get the SnoCo PUD, the SnoCo Green Team and SnoCo Public Works there. The Public Works biodiesel booth was an absolute hit at the Darrington Community Science night two years ago when I asked them to make some on site. I love watching the public get excited about science, especially loggers.
Our visit to the Elwha River last weekend was a great opportunity to become more familiar with the Olympic National Forest and to hang out with the other Seniors from the peninsula campuses of Huxley. The rivers in Western Washington were all running at or just above flood stage, so the Elwha was raging, and it made the discharge falls from the lower dam loud and powerful.
We all chose our top three category picks to work on for the Environmental Impact Statement of the dam removals, and I'm hoping to get Natural Resources so I can have a chance to research the historic fish run numbers. It will be interesting to keep an eye on recovering run numbers and see if, and how long it takes to see those numbers again. So far, I haven't seen anyone else choose the category.
I'm interning much closer to home these days, and have a lot of great projects lined up at the City of Arlington. Last year the city was able to obtain enough grant money to combine with their funds to purchase the old Country Charm Dairy. Plans for the lower flood plain portion of the acreage include a large open play field (which I intend to write a low-mow plan for), a community farm and garden on existing farmland, a fishing pond, trails, a 26 site campground, and a safe swim area with an interpretive salmon education sign system. To connect this property with the future downtown riverfront park plan an interpretive ecological and historical water trail for human powered watercraft with four pull-out areas is being designed. Then Arlington will be a walkable and rowable city. How cool is that?
I'm also helping a fellow Senior intern with a four night ecology class curriculum sponsored by the city. I'm not a great teacher, but I'm getting more patient. At least this will be in front of a crowd and not as frustrating as tutoring. I'm thinking about what portions I would be able to teach well and I'm leaning towards toxicology, flooding and perhaps some forest ecology if my friendly ex-forester neighbor will let me borrow some books. The final night will be a green networking night, and I'm hoping to get the SnoCo PUD, the SnoCo Green Team and SnoCo Public Works there. The Public Works biodiesel booth was an absolute hit at the Darrington Community Science night two years ago when I asked them to make some on site. I love watching the public get excited about science, especially loggers.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Prescription for Reduction
A recent assignment in my pollution class was to weigh in on how every citizen can reduce toxic pollution in our nation's waters. As a class we had all agreed that the indulgent consumption of the average American's lifestyle made everyone responsible for toxic pollution. Whether you drive too much, dispose of large piles of plastic every week, fly excessively, leave pet waste, wash your car on pavement, use excessive fertilizer on your garden, or use birth control you are contributing to water and air pollution.
While it is ridiculous to force a choice between peeing estrogen or having babies (or hot flashes if you're on the mega-estrogens), there are many other things we can all do to reduce our contribution. Many people have become astute to picking up their pet waste, using car washes and using phosphorous free soap products, but there are many other things that can cut down on contaminants even further.
One solution is to learn xeroscaping and growing low or now mow lawns. Seed mixes are available for every state to ensure growth and nativity, and most include nitrogen fixing clover to eliminate fertilizer application. If you have the money, some no mow meadow mixes include native wildflowers to entice butterflies. No mow lawns also reduce green house gases by eliminating the need to mow and weed eat. Xeroscaping refers to growing native plants that are drought resistant, and can include beautiful succulents in California and Arizona. Another solution is to plant a rain garden or bioswale ditch. All surface run off is infiltrated by the native plants before it becomes groundwater or runs to the nearest stream.
A problem that most people don't think about is the disposal of their pharmaceutical medications. Some pharmaceuticals are hormones or endocrine disrupters, others can bioaccumulate like anti-depressants, and antibiotics that linger in the water lead to resistant bacteria. Unfortunately we also face a time of record prescription abuse, and many teenagers and adults have died from overdoses, so to keep it out of the wrong hands, dispose of any unused narcotics immediately.
For a long time the proper disposal method was to flush meds down the toilet. However, after the 1999-2000 USGS survey, the EPA and FDA recommend placing the medication in used cat litter or coffee grounds and throwing it away, or placing it in a sealed container, filling it with water, and throwing it away. While these disposal methods keep it out of the immediate water supply, it can seep into the groundwater in the future during the breakdown process in a land fill.
As a pharmacy technician, I recommend taking your medication to your local sheriff's office or Group Health Pharmacy. Washington state only has a pilot pharmaceutical take-back program in effect, so you are limited to those drop off locations. This program is funded by the tax payers, so I do not see it expanding. In some other states, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are mandated to fund take-back programs and you can dispose of them at any licensed pharmacy or through the mail.
Another thing you can do to reduce pharmaceutical waste is to ask your doctor for a trial supply of a new medication to ensure you will not be disposing of 3 weeks worth if it does not work for you. Finish ALL of your antibiotics, and DO NOT flush them what ever you do. Last, call your state legislators and ask them to demand the pharmaceutical companies pay for a pharmaceutical take-back program in Washington.
While it is ridiculous to force a choice between peeing estrogen or having babies (or hot flashes if you're on the mega-estrogens), there are many other things we can all do to reduce our contribution. Many people have become astute to picking up their pet waste, using car washes and using phosphorous free soap products, but there are many other things that can cut down on contaminants even further.
One solution is to learn xeroscaping and growing low or now mow lawns. Seed mixes are available for every state to ensure growth and nativity, and most include nitrogen fixing clover to eliminate fertilizer application. If you have the money, some no mow meadow mixes include native wildflowers to entice butterflies. No mow lawns also reduce green house gases by eliminating the need to mow and weed eat. Xeroscaping refers to growing native plants that are drought resistant, and can include beautiful succulents in California and Arizona. Another solution is to plant a rain garden or bioswale ditch. All surface run off is infiltrated by the native plants before it becomes groundwater or runs to the nearest stream.
A problem that most people don't think about is the disposal of their pharmaceutical medications. Some pharmaceuticals are hormones or endocrine disrupters, others can bioaccumulate like anti-depressants, and antibiotics that linger in the water lead to resistant bacteria. Unfortunately we also face a time of record prescription abuse, and many teenagers and adults have died from overdoses, so to keep it out of the wrong hands, dispose of any unused narcotics immediately.
For a long time the proper disposal method was to flush meds down the toilet. However, after the 1999-2000 USGS survey, the EPA and FDA recommend placing the medication in used cat litter or coffee grounds and throwing it away, or placing it in a sealed container, filling it with water, and throwing it away. While these disposal methods keep it out of the immediate water supply, it can seep into the groundwater in the future during the breakdown process in a land fill.
As a pharmacy technician, I recommend taking your medication to your local sheriff's office or Group Health Pharmacy. Washington state only has a pilot pharmaceutical take-back program in effect, so you are limited to those drop off locations. This program is funded by the tax payers, so I do not see it expanding. In some other states, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are mandated to fund take-back programs and you can dispose of them at any licensed pharmacy or through the mail.
Another thing you can do to reduce pharmaceutical waste is to ask your doctor for a trial supply of a new medication to ensure you will not be disposing of 3 weeks worth if it does not work for you. Finish ALL of your antibiotics, and DO NOT flush them what ever you do. Last, call your state legislators and ask them to demand the pharmaceutical companies pay for a pharmaceutical take-back program in Washington.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Winter Work
Rain, rain, rain! I haven't been so excited to see rain in a long time. Over the last 3 weeks, we've only had 2 days of green lawn between the ice and snow. I know everyone in the lowlands was excited for snow, but I'm happy to see the rain. Sorry guys.
This Saturday I will be headed over to the Olympic National Forest, near the Olympic Hot Springs to the site of the Elwha dam removal. It's part of our project for our comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment class, but is a historic project for the state of Washington, and a victory for the Elwha Salmon runs. Billy Frank, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission provides a great commentary on the dam removals in last Spring's NWIFC News. This website contains pictures of some recent, very large catches by the US Fish and Wildlife service on the Elwha. Increased breeding habitat should increase runs within 5-8 years, and with fish that size, it should provide some great fishing (and eating).
I'm not a big fan of winter field work, but it comes with the territory, and this will be a great project for my resume. I'm not worried about being cold at all this year. The Hermit finished my winter field wardrobe with a fully insulated Carhart work jacket and another wool hat under the Christmas tree. I'll be dry and warm with the jacket, hat, Atlas gloves, Columbia pants, wool socks and Columbia boots. Last year I was the nice guy and parted a lot of my gear to unprepared people, then ended up being cold later. This year, they are on their own. I don't think you have any business being in the ecology field if you don't know what kind of clothes to wear anyway.
However, I don't know what kind of field gear repels sparkly vampires. I'm tired of that joke guys. And no, I'm not going to Forks, and no, I will not pick you up some of the vampire wine that goes with the gay vampire books.
This Saturday I will be headed over to the Olympic National Forest, near the Olympic Hot Springs to the site of the Elwha dam removal. It's part of our project for our comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment class, but is a historic project for the state of Washington, and a victory for the Elwha Salmon runs. Billy Frank, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission provides a great commentary on the dam removals in last Spring's NWIFC News. This website contains pictures of some recent, very large catches by the US Fish and Wildlife service on the Elwha. Increased breeding habitat should increase runs within 5-8 years, and with fish that size, it should provide some great fishing (and eating).
I'm not a big fan of winter field work, but it comes with the territory, and this will be a great project for my resume. I'm not worried about being cold at all this year. The Hermit finished my winter field wardrobe with a fully insulated Carhart work jacket and another wool hat under the Christmas tree. I'll be dry and warm with the jacket, hat, Atlas gloves, Columbia pants, wool socks and Columbia boots. Last year I was the nice guy and parted a lot of my gear to unprepared people, then ended up being cold later. This year, they are on their own. I don't think you have any business being in the ecology field if you don't know what kind of clothes to wear anyway.
However, I don't know what kind of field gear repels sparkly vampires. I'm tired of that joke guys. And no, I'm not going to Forks, and no, I will not pick you up some of the vampire wine that goes with the gay vampire books.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Under the Dogpile
Bleh. That is how this week has felt. The engineer at the parks department said yesterday, that she was "just staying ahead of the nipping dog," when it came to her projects, and I told her I felt like I was under the dogpile. I wasn't really ready for school to start, I passed a kidney stone, and my kids were gone for most of the week. I think the really great weekend made the week seem worse than it was, though.
In fact, Friday and Saturday couldn't have been any better. The Hermit turned 40 on Friday, and I was able to throw together a great dinner and a cake in the matter of two days. Wednesday, I was completely incapacitated by the kidney stone, so I decided to completely change the menu. We went from bbq ribs and chicken to brats, hamburgers and turkey burgers. I spiced up the Americana bbq with some easy antipasto salad with all fresh herbs, cheeses and garlic, a variety of cheeses, crackers and bread, and a mean bruschetta that was a hit with the adults and the kids. All of the herbs and most of the veggies were from the garden, which should have about 40 ears of sweet corn ready for harvest really soon.
After the bbq, we hit the casino with his family, and managed to stay up until 3:30 am somehow. His brother and wife, and cousins had driven up from the Seattle area to meet the rest of us, and we managed not to lose too much money. We had reserved a room at the resort, which was really nice, and it was great that we didn't have to drive anywhere, but hotels really need to warn people when they have all feather down bedding. That way those of us who are allergic to it can bring our allergy medicine and sleep better, hint, hint.
On Saturday, I manned the parks table at the Centennial Trail expansion opening in Arlington, while the family hit the Bite of Arlington downtown. Both events had a pretty good turn out, though I hope the Bite is bigger next year. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but we had 70 degrees of sunshine instead. Of course, the county executive canceled at the last minute, big surprise, and the parks director was on vacation, but the head planner did well handling all the PR, and the mayor and our county councilman stepped in, too.
Unfortunately on Sunday, I had to work, and that's how the rest of the week has gone. I will top off this week with an 8 hour Biostats lab in Poulsbo on Saturday. Exciting, right? Like I said, I wasn't ready for school this week, so, bleh.
In fact, Friday and Saturday couldn't have been any better. The Hermit turned 40 on Friday, and I was able to throw together a great dinner and a cake in the matter of two days. Wednesday, I was completely incapacitated by the kidney stone, so I decided to completely change the menu. We went from bbq ribs and chicken to brats, hamburgers and turkey burgers. I spiced up the Americana bbq with some easy antipasto salad with all fresh herbs, cheeses and garlic, a variety of cheeses, crackers and bread, and a mean bruschetta that was a hit with the adults and the kids. All of the herbs and most of the veggies were from the garden, which should have about 40 ears of sweet corn ready for harvest really soon.
After the bbq, we hit the casino with his family, and managed to stay up until 3:30 am somehow. His brother and wife, and cousins had driven up from the Seattle area to meet the rest of us, and we managed not to lose too much money. We had reserved a room at the resort, which was really nice, and it was great that we didn't have to drive anywhere, but hotels really need to warn people when they have all feather down bedding. That way those of us who are allergic to it can bring our allergy medicine and sleep better, hint, hint.
On Saturday, I manned the parks table at the Centennial Trail expansion opening in Arlington, while the family hit the Bite of Arlington downtown. Both events had a pretty good turn out, though I hope the Bite is bigger next year. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but we had 70 degrees of sunshine instead. Of course, the county executive canceled at the last minute, big surprise, and the parks director was on vacation, but the head planner did well handling all the PR, and the mayor and our county councilman stepped in, too.
Unfortunately on Sunday, I had to work, and that's how the rest of the week has gone. I will top off this week with an 8 hour Biostats lab in Poulsbo on Saturday. Exciting, right? Like I said, I wasn't ready for school this week, so, bleh.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Keeping my Head Above the Water
Wow! Welcome back to the e-world. It's been an insanely busy summer, that didn't really feel like summer, unless you're a northwestern native, which clearly with all my complaining, I am not. Hopefully next year there will be better weather and more time off.
Lately, my life feels like it's flying by faster than I can keep up. I ended up working at my internship for most of my staycation, but I can't complain when I'm working on trails and at the fair. There have been lots of changes at work, my babies are both in middle school where I have been volunteering with the band, and the hubby turns 40 in nine days! We are going to have an awesome night of family, friends, bbq, gambling and a his-and-hers pampering at the Tulalip Resort.
My parks internship has been extended into November, and I am about to go back to the city in three weeks. Not sure how working 6 days a week with school is going to work out, but at least I only have two classes this quarter, one of which is intro to GIS, which I already took at EvCC. Of course, I have to take it again, just to get that 300-level class on my transcript, but it should be cake.
Speaking of cake, I need to get busy on the over-the-hill version. See you peeps later!
Lately, my life feels like it's flying by faster than I can keep up. I ended up working at my internship for most of my staycation, but I can't complain when I'm working on trails and at the fair. There have been lots of changes at work, my babies are both in middle school where I have been volunteering with the band, and the hubby turns 40 in nine days! We are going to have an awesome night of family, friends, bbq, gambling and a his-and-hers pampering at the Tulalip Resort.
My parks internship has been extended into November, and I am about to go back to the city in three weeks. Not sure how working 6 days a week with school is going to work out, but at least I only have two classes this quarter, one of which is intro to GIS, which I already took at EvCC. Of course, I have to take it again, just to get that 300-level class on my transcript, but it should be cake.
Speaking of cake, I need to get busy on the over-the-hill version. See you peeps later!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Time to Be Back
Here I am, back to reclaim my Saturdays. No more trips to Sequim or long road trips to Mt. Rainier or Spokane, but it's been weeks of great experiences. I've learned how to measure trees, tons of native plants, hydrology, soil science, and even got in some snowshoeing on Mt. Rainier which was a major feat. Not because I played in the snow, or camped in the mud, but because I made it up a trail from Paradise, that I couldn't even go a quarter mile on when my dad took me 20 years ago. Don't judge - I was raised a flatlander and had just moved out here. The other feat was getting one of our housewife classmates through the mud camping and packing her excessive baggage and shoes into my car. Oh, and I need to mention that I got a 3.83 out of this crazy 16 credit quarter.
My poor little car put so many miles on these last 3 months, and now I'm depending on it to get me to and from work in Arlington and Snohomish 6 days a week. I wasn't sure how working 6 days a week was going to go, but the first week wasn't so bad. Work seems to be flowing better at the pharmacy, although there are always going to be those busy days with strange situations. I'm just not as tired as I thought I would be, but I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks to really judge that.
The internship down at SnoCo Parks planning department has been great so far. I've met most of the planners now, and cannot believe how many concurrent projects they have going. I definitely need to inquire about getting some files and a clean drawer. I've run into so many familiar faces just in my first two days, it's been great.
I sat in on the depressing Sr. Ranger budget meeting and talked to Jack, my boss the last year I was at Kayak Point, as well as other rangers we had done various things with. Jack and I didn't really hit it off when he came to the park, as he changed everyone's shifts and work partners, and I couldn't really tell how he felt about seeing me in the administration office. It was nice to see him though, and catch up on life.
Then on Thursday, Ranger Tom came over to my cubicle to say hi. He's probably the most involved ranger in the community as he does raptor shows and bat box demonstrations all around the county parks and at schools. When I was in high school, I did most of my Honor Society community service with him in his Ranger Explorers program, and he got me the seasonal job out at Kayak Point after I graduated. We caught up for a while and he threw me some ideas for one of the camping projects I am working on. I wonder who I will run into next week.
I'm not really sure what I'm going to do today with my only day off. It's pretty gray and damp outside, so I'm sure some housework will be involved, but I want to try and finish my pumpkin patch before all the pumpkins I planted become too rootbound in their pots. I want to get some hiking in too, so I hope summer shows its face around here soon. Come on sun, you can do it.
My poor little car put so many miles on these last 3 months, and now I'm depending on it to get me to and from work in Arlington and Snohomish 6 days a week. I wasn't sure how working 6 days a week was going to go, but the first week wasn't so bad. Work seems to be flowing better at the pharmacy, although there are always going to be those busy days with strange situations. I'm just not as tired as I thought I would be, but I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks to really judge that.
The internship down at SnoCo Parks planning department has been great so far. I've met most of the planners now, and cannot believe how many concurrent projects they have going. I definitely need to inquire about getting some files and a clean drawer. I've run into so many familiar faces just in my first two days, it's been great.
I sat in on the depressing Sr. Ranger budget meeting and talked to Jack, my boss the last year I was at Kayak Point, as well as other rangers we had done various things with. Jack and I didn't really hit it off when he came to the park, as he changed everyone's shifts and work partners, and I couldn't really tell how he felt about seeing me in the administration office. It was nice to see him though, and catch up on life.
Then on Thursday, Ranger Tom came over to my cubicle to say hi. He's probably the most involved ranger in the community as he does raptor shows and bat box demonstrations all around the county parks and at schools. When I was in high school, I did most of my Honor Society community service with him in his Ranger Explorers program, and he got me the seasonal job out at Kayak Point after I graduated. We caught up for a while and he threw me some ideas for one of the camping projects I am working on. I wonder who I will run into next week.
I'm not really sure what I'm going to do today with my only day off. It's pretty gray and damp outside, so I'm sure some housework will be involved, but I want to try and finish my pumpkin patch before all the pumpkins I planted become too rootbound in their pots. I want to get some hiking in too, so I hope summer shows its face around here soon. Come on sun, you can do it.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Headed Down the Homestretch
I just want to let everyone know that I am still alive. This quarter has been amazingly busy, but I've pulled it off. I have one portion of a final assignment due tomorrow and then...School's out for Summer! Not to worry, with the busy schedule and lack of sleep, I've learned an awful lot, between field work and my internship. Next week I begin my 6 day work week - 4 days at the pharmacy and 2 days at the SnoCo Parks Planning Department. Even with that schedule, free time is coming soon. More to come later...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Whiners Not Welcome Here
I can definitely say that I have not been this busy since high school. Even today, I don't have time to post much, but thought I would throw out an update despite my insane schedule.
Work: Our volume is up, and the new DSHS Provider One rollouts seem to be going rather smoothly. This was a surprise to me, as over time I have become very cynical of Medicaid "improvements," but this one will actually improve efficiency and streamline prior authorizations. And for once, a software rollover has occurred without big glitches, and it was the government, not private agencies, that was responsible. Take note Premera and Regence. If the state can do it, so can you.
Internship: I've been spending Thursday mornings at City Hall interning under the Natural Resource Manager. So far, I've gotten a lot of insight into the Puget Sound Partnership and county politics. We have also been planning for a community garden at the old Country Charm Dairy, and an addition to the connectivity trails in the city. Just like when I went to pharmacy tech school, there's so much that you can only learn on the job, and I'm soaking up as much as possible.
Oceanography: I've been spending most Saturdays near Sequim at the DOE's Battelle Marine Lab. Last Saturday, we waded through the seaweed beds doing a biological survey, and taking samples for a photosynthesis and primary production lab. I'm not really a seaweed person, but it was fun, and I found a sheet of Nori that was over 4 square feet! Wrap that around your sushi (yuck!). When it came time to crunch numbers after the lab, I found out that people in my group "didn't like math." Well, who does really like math? Annoyed, but wanting to get home as soon as possible after all day on the beach and pier, I busted out the Calculus as fast as I could.
Forest Ecology: The Saturdays we haven't had Oceanography labs, we've gone to the peninsula for this class. We've picked up an old DNR study from the 1960's to track Douglas Fir production versus the effects of thinning in low precipitation conditions. As I'm sure you can imagine, this is done in a stand in the Olympic rain shadow near Sequim.
This weekend, we are joining the Natural History of the NW class on Mt. Ranier. The Everett students have been excited for weeks, and we've been planning our homework around the trip. However, the students from the peninsula have done nothing but complain about the trip, and many didn't show up for class last night as they are leaving today for the trip instead of tomorrow.
They are also complaining about the cost of the camping trip, but they're staying an extra night. The only reason I can gather that they are leaving early is to have an excuse to not turn work in on time, and to complain about the cost. This is offensive to me, as my classmate and I loose 6 hours of work time to travel every weekend, and have been paying for ferry trips all quarter. Despite the time we spend traveling every week, and both having families and full time jobs, we've been able to turn everything in on time all quarter. It's been so hard not to just spout off in class lately.
Environmental Politics: This class has been taking up much more time than I thought, but is the most interesting to me. In fact today, I plan on collecting more research for my term paper about the Gulf oil spill. I picked off shore drilling as my topic at the beginning of the quarter after Obama approved a plan for exploratory drilling off the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to Florida. Three weeks later, BP proved my point, and because of their disaster, it's been cake finding data to support my position. Hopefully all of you have joined me in a boycott of BP. Oh and don't feel sorry for them when they whine about how much they have spent in clean up so far - it's 4 days worth of profits for them.
Work: Our volume is up, and the new DSHS Provider One rollouts seem to be going rather smoothly. This was a surprise to me, as over time I have become very cynical of Medicaid "improvements," but this one will actually improve efficiency and streamline prior authorizations. And for once, a software rollover has occurred without big glitches, and it was the government, not private agencies, that was responsible. Take note Premera and Regence. If the state can do it, so can you.
Internship: I've been spending Thursday mornings at City Hall interning under the Natural Resource Manager. So far, I've gotten a lot of insight into the Puget Sound Partnership and county politics. We have also been planning for a community garden at the old Country Charm Dairy, and an addition to the connectivity trails in the city. Just like when I went to pharmacy tech school, there's so much that you can only learn on the job, and I'm soaking up as much as possible.
Oceanography: I've been spending most Saturdays near Sequim at the DOE's Battelle Marine Lab. Last Saturday, we waded through the seaweed beds doing a biological survey, and taking samples for a photosynthesis and primary production lab. I'm not really a seaweed person, but it was fun, and I found a sheet of Nori that was over 4 square feet! Wrap that around your sushi (yuck!). When it came time to crunch numbers after the lab, I found out that people in my group "didn't like math." Well, who does really like math? Annoyed, but wanting to get home as soon as possible after all day on the beach and pier, I busted out the Calculus as fast as I could.
Forest Ecology: The Saturdays we haven't had Oceanography labs, we've gone to the peninsula for this class. We've picked up an old DNR study from the 1960's to track Douglas Fir production versus the effects of thinning in low precipitation conditions. As I'm sure you can imagine, this is done in a stand in the Olympic rain shadow near Sequim.
This weekend, we are joining the Natural History of the NW class on Mt. Ranier. The Everett students have been excited for weeks, and we've been planning our homework around the trip. However, the students from the peninsula have done nothing but complain about the trip, and many didn't show up for class last night as they are leaving today for the trip instead of tomorrow.
They are also complaining about the cost of the camping trip, but they're staying an extra night. The only reason I can gather that they are leaving early is to have an excuse to not turn work in on time, and to complain about the cost. This is offensive to me, as my classmate and I loose 6 hours of work time to travel every weekend, and have been paying for ferry trips all quarter. Despite the time we spend traveling every week, and both having families and full time jobs, we've been able to turn everything in on time all quarter. It's been so hard not to just spout off in class lately.
Environmental Politics: This class has been taking up much more time than I thought, but is the most interesting to me. In fact today, I plan on collecting more research for my term paper about the Gulf oil spill. I picked off shore drilling as my topic at the beginning of the quarter after Obama approved a plan for exploratory drilling off the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to Florida. Three weeks later, BP proved my point, and because of their disaster, it's been cake finding data to support my position. Hopefully all of you have joined me in a boycott of BP. Oh and don't feel sorry for them when they whine about how much they have spent in clean up so far - it's 4 days worth of profits for them.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Officially an Intern
I officially have an internship. I no longer feel like a lost puppy in a scary world of big dogs, now I have to help my classmates find some. We're kind of on our own out of the WWU Huxley Everett campus, since our program director, and most of the faculty is located out of Port Angeles. There were plenty of internships posted for the Olympic Peninsula, but those of us in Everett, were forced to look on the Bellingham campus postings.
This not only means that we have to compete with students out of the large main campus Huxley College, but we also have to compete against students from UW, Central, Evergreen and other large universities here on the west side. Needless to say, the paid internships have pretty fierce competition, and I wasn't willing to wait around another 3 weeks to see if I got any of those positions. I figured I might as well get a head start on everyone else for unpaid positions, and cold called 8 agencies last Wednesday.
Snohomish County Parks Planning Department was the first to get back to me, with an internship plan included. A day later, the City of Arlington called me back, and wanted to make an internship plan with the Natural Resource department. I took the SnoCo position, because parks are kind of my passion, and they were always so good to me, even as a student volunteer in high school. A lot of projects we started in the mid 90's are full-blown parks, trails and campgrounds now, and it's fascinating to me seeing what they've become after only being involved in the early grunt-work. I still want to talk with the City of Arlington to see if there's an opportunity to work for them one day a week during the next school year so I don't have to wait for internship hours next summer to graduate - we need a minimum of 300 hours.
I'm really excited for the SnoCo position, though. I went into the interview room, expecting a one-on-one with the Planning director, but ended up in an actual meeting with other planners. He brought in Chris, who was the planner I interviewed for a class project last quarter, and two other planners. I was expecting the regular questions, you know, "why do you want to work here, what are your strengths/weaknesses?" etc, but it was actually a brainstorming session to throw projects at me. Towards the end of the meeting, the Parks director walked in, and I got to meet him, too. Then last night, the hubby turned on "Parks and Rec" and I felt like a dork. Whatever, I like my future projects.
Some of my work may end up on the SnoCo website, or at public meetings. I'll get to use ArcGIS, GPS, and AutoCAD, and of course Power Point for presentations. I don't care how dumb Amy Poehler makes Parks staff look, I'm excited. And speaking of excitement, I've got to jet for a day of preparations for Tay's 13 th birthday party tonight. Minute-to-win-it games, possibly the box-in-a-box game, and tons of 12 and 13 year olds at the Darrington Community Center. Jealous much?
This not only means that we have to compete with students out of the large main campus Huxley College, but we also have to compete against students from UW, Central, Evergreen and other large universities here on the west side. Needless to say, the paid internships have pretty fierce competition, and I wasn't willing to wait around another 3 weeks to see if I got any of those positions. I figured I might as well get a head start on everyone else for unpaid positions, and cold called 8 agencies last Wednesday.
Snohomish County Parks Planning Department was the first to get back to me, with an internship plan included. A day later, the City of Arlington called me back, and wanted to make an internship plan with the Natural Resource department. I took the SnoCo position, because parks are kind of my passion, and they were always so good to me, even as a student volunteer in high school. A lot of projects we started in the mid 90's are full-blown parks, trails and campgrounds now, and it's fascinating to me seeing what they've become after only being involved in the early grunt-work. I still want to talk with the City of Arlington to see if there's an opportunity to work for them one day a week during the next school year so I don't have to wait for internship hours next summer to graduate - we need a minimum of 300 hours.
I'm really excited for the SnoCo position, though. I went into the interview room, expecting a one-on-one with the Planning director, but ended up in an actual meeting with other planners. He brought in Chris, who was the planner I interviewed for a class project last quarter, and two other planners. I was expecting the regular questions, you know, "why do you want to work here, what are your strengths/weaknesses?" etc, but it was actually a brainstorming session to throw projects at me. Towards the end of the meeting, the Parks director walked in, and I got to meet him, too. Then last night, the hubby turned on "Parks and Rec" and I felt like a dork. Whatever, I like my future projects.
Some of my work may end up on the SnoCo website, or at public meetings. I'll get to use ArcGIS, GPS, and AutoCAD, and of course Power Point for presentations. I don't care how dumb Amy Poehler makes Parks staff look, I'm excited. And speaking of excitement, I've got to jet for a day of preparations for Tay's 13 th birthday party tonight. Minute-to-win-it games, possibly the box-in-a-box game, and tons of 12 and 13 year olds at the Darrington Community Center. Jealous much?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Argh! Them Pirates got me Tranced
Haven't blogged for a while, but it's been an incredible two weeks. Last week was final exams, which included the worst one I've ever taken in Dispute Resolution class. To my surprise I got a perfect score, the first perfect score I've ever gotten on a final, but I had to work REALLY hard and give up a concert and a wedding shower in Wenatchee to do it. Why anyone would want to be a lawyer, I don't know. I get a headache just thinking about mediation.
I ran the Mercer Island 5K for Colon Cancer awareness on Sunday, and finished in 37 minutes despite forgetting my inhaler. I even ran halway up both big hills! Strangely, I felt kind of dizzy halfway through the run, which I thought was asthma, but it ended up being a horrible virus that kept me up all Sunday night, and sent me home from work on Monday with a 102 fever. So I'm thinking my time will be way better next year with health on my side.
I also have to admit, that I've been completely captivated by Michael Crichton's new book, Pirate Latitudes. I've always been a Crichton fan, so I knew I would like the book, but there's no biology, chemistry or physics in the book like his others. It does, however, have a lot of history of the Carribean and Port Royal, and a great plot full of pirates. And I love pirates!
I recommend that everyone watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tomorrow night at 9pm on ABC. I've blogged a little about the environmental and health effects of the American Diet, but I think Jamie's done a great job putting this problem into laymen's terms, and everyone should watch it. Hey, and for those against the new health care bill - if we all ate better, health care costs would go down! Amazing.
I ran the Mercer Island 5K for Colon Cancer awareness on Sunday, and finished in 37 minutes despite forgetting my inhaler. I even ran halway up both big hills! Strangely, I felt kind of dizzy halfway through the run, which I thought was asthma, but it ended up being a horrible virus that kept me up all Sunday night, and sent me home from work on Monday with a 102 fever. So I'm thinking my time will be way better next year with health on my side.
I also have to admit, that I've been completely captivated by Michael Crichton's new book, Pirate Latitudes. I've always been a Crichton fan, so I knew I would like the book, but there's no biology, chemistry or physics in the book like his others. It does, however, have a lot of history of the Carribean and Port Royal, and a great plot full of pirates. And I love pirates!
I recommend that everyone watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tomorrow night at 9pm on ABC. I've blogged a little about the environmental and health effects of the American Diet, but I think Jamie's done a great job putting this problem into laymen's terms, and everyone should watch it. Hey, and for those against the new health care bill - if we all ate better, health care costs would go down! Amazing.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
La Vida Loco
So I've been cleaning nasty messes all morning thanks to my mom's dog Wally, who we took in about five years ago. Last year, the vet told us he had Cushing's Disease, which will eventually shut down his whole body control. I knew it was getting bad the last two weeks, as he fell while walking three times, of course I wasn't sure, because he was still trying to knock down the garbage can for a nasty treat.
But this morning, he's drank 4 bowls of water, puked 6 times, bloody pooed all over the living room, and is now hiding under the bed. I think it's time to go to the vet again, but I'm going to give it a day in case he did get into some bad garbage in the neighborhood. He and the neighbor's beagle, Mocha, eat the grossest stuff out of the neighborhood cans! In fact, Mocha even likes to drag one neighbor's poopy diaper trash into the uptight, almost retired neighbor's yard. Now that's kind of funny.
For the last six months, I've been adding more multi-grain products to our diet to reduce the amount of wheat we eat, for the sake of my colon and food intolerances. We've also been trying to buy local as much as we can, including food and hardware store supplies. Not only because it is a green improvement, but I'm tired of the community still looking at us funny, even after 6 years of living here and volunteering at the school. I've been buying my morning coffees, when I don't make them at home, from Brandi's Coffee Stand up at the Whitehorse Store, and this morning, we had a long conversation about how what we eat affects arthritis.
I thought I was the only 32 year old with arthritis, but it's good to know someone else who knows what I'm going through. It's also nice to know there's one more mom to sit by at sporting events. We talked about carpooling to Trader Joe's in the future so we can buy gluten-free products, without feeling too guilty about driving over 30 miles to get them. I'm sure some of the locals (including the Hermit) will think we're loco, but it sucks when your finger joints swell up, and you know it's because of something you ate. I have enough problems with tendonitis from typing to have to worry about an arthritis flare on top of it.
There's tons to do on the school front. I have one term paper down, but one more with a presentation to go, and finals week is approaching fast. However, that also means that Spring Break is coming soon, and I can start my new Michael Crichton book. I have "A Civil Action" in the wings to read after Crichton's book, and I can't wait to read for pleasure once again (and watch Survivor instead of hearing about what happened). I remember when excitement for Spring Break meant I was traveling somewhere. What happened? Darn kids
But this morning, he's drank 4 bowls of water, puked 6 times, bloody pooed all over the living room, and is now hiding under the bed. I think it's time to go to the vet again, but I'm going to give it a day in case he did get into some bad garbage in the neighborhood. He and the neighbor's beagle, Mocha, eat the grossest stuff out of the neighborhood cans! In fact, Mocha even likes to drag one neighbor's poopy diaper trash into the uptight, almost retired neighbor's yard. Now that's kind of funny.
For the last six months, I've been adding more multi-grain products to our diet to reduce the amount of wheat we eat, for the sake of my colon and food intolerances. We've also been trying to buy local as much as we can, including food and hardware store supplies. Not only because it is a green improvement, but I'm tired of the community still looking at us funny, even after 6 years of living here and volunteering at the school. I've been buying my morning coffees, when I don't make them at home, from Brandi's Coffee Stand up at the Whitehorse Store, and this morning, we had a long conversation about how what we eat affects arthritis.
I thought I was the only 32 year old with arthritis, but it's good to know someone else who knows what I'm going through. It's also nice to know there's one more mom to sit by at sporting events. We talked about carpooling to Trader Joe's in the future so we can buy gluten-free products, without feeling too guilty about driving over 30 miles to get them. I'm sure some of the locals (including the Hermit) will think we're loco, but it sucks when your finger joints swell up, and you know it's because of something you ate. I have enough problems with tendonitis from typing to have to worry about an arthritis flare on top of it.
There's tons to do on the school front. I have one term paper down, but one more with a presentation to go, and finals week is approaching fast. However, that also means that Spring Break is coming soon, and I can start my new Michael Crichton book. I have "A Civil Action" in the wings to read after Crichton's book, and I can't wait to read for pleasure once again (and watch Survivor instead of hearing about what happened). I remember when excitement for Spring Break meant I was traveling somewhere. What happened? Darn kids
Thursday, February 25, 2010
When it's Cold Enough, You Can Taste the Air
So, with a raging case of typing tendonitis, and 2 major papers due soon, this must be brief. For my Dispute Resolution class, we have to write a 10 page paper on 3 major environmental or planning controversies. Since my thesis paper in Planning class is on the Paine Field commercial service controversy, I'm of course including that one.
An easy transition into the next subject, and perhaps a preview of what's to come in Mukilteo, I'm including the Sea-Tac 3rd runway dispute. Sadly, what I've noticed is that all of the good, peer reviewed articles on airport noise and air pollution are European. I'm really becoming interested in the effects of air pollution and asthma, as allergies, specifically seasonal ones are on the rise.
In one way, the crazy conservatives are correct that increased carbon dioxide in the air increases plant biomass production, but that is not necessarily a good thing when you suffer from asthma or allergies. The El Nino effect has amplified allergy reactions in the Northwest this year, and could be a future trend. Even with 5 different asthma and allergy medications, I'm still goopy enough from tree allergies for a sinus infection to set in.
With all of my pre-med classes that don't count for anything but extra credits just hanging out, I thought I'd use my knowledge to at least focus on the health effects of pollution. I'm really thinking about doing my Senior project on growth rates, allergies, asthma and some other health effects from polluted air - specifically wood smoke pollution. Many of you probably didn't know this, but Darrington had the dirtiest air in Washington 4 years ago, according to EPA and WADOE studies.
Hopefully, what I find out will help the town council convince more people to buy pellet stoves. I think the key will be comparing health care costs in the town to the cost of buying fuel for propane or pellet stoves. Some sunny mornings you can taste the smoke in the foggy air. As soon as I drive 1 mile out of town, the air is cleaner even on the foggiest mornings. The conversion program he's been working with only gives vouchers to replace wood stoves with pellet stoves or propane, but I think I will search for another alternative as well. The great thing about the town council is that Rankin has been working with the 4H salmon program at the school the last two years and is really open to cleaning up the environment. Wish me luck.
An easy transition into the next subject, and perhaps a preview of what's to come in Mukilteo, I'm including the Sea-Tac 3rd runway dispute. Sadly, what I've noticed is that all of the good, peer reviewed articles on airport noise and air pollution are European. I'm really becoming interested in the effects of air pollution and asthma, as allergies, specifically seasonal ones are on the rise.
In one way, the crazy conservatives are correct that increased carbon dioxide in the air increases plant biomass production, but that is not necessarily a good thing when you suffer from asthma or allergies. The El Nino effect has amplified allergy reactions in the Northwest this year, and could be a future trend. Even with 5 different asthma and allergy medications, I'm still goopy enough from tree allergies for a sinus infection to set in.
With all of my pre-med classes that don't count for anything but extra credits just hanging out, I thought I'd use my knowledge to at least focus on the health effects of pollution. I'm really thinking about doing my Senior project on growth rates, allergies, asthma and some other health effects from polluted air - specifically wood smoke pollution. Many of you probably didn't know this, but Darrington had the dirtiest air in Washington 4 years ago, according to EPA and WADOE studies.
Hopefully, what I find out will help the town council convince more people to buy pellet stoves. I think the key will be comparing health care costs in the town to the cost of buying fuel for propane or pellet stoves. Some sunny mornings you can taste the smoke in the foggy air. As soon as I drive 1 mile out of town, the air is cleaner even on the foggiest mornings. The conversion program he's been working with only gives vouchers to replace wood stoves with pellet stoves or propane, but I think I will search for another alternative as well. The great thing about the town council is that Rankin has been working with the 4H salmon program at the school the last two years and is really open to cleaning up the environment. Wish me luck.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Donations Needed All Around
First off, I want to vent. I am so upset that Survivor is having a Heroes vs. Villians game during Winter quarter. Don't they know I'm in class until 9pm on Thursdays? I can't wait for March when we switch to DishNet and get a DVR!
I am doing a few things for cancer this year. Tomorrow, I am chopping of 10 inches of my curly locks for Locks for Love, which is a birthday present to myself. What better way to spend your birthday than helping others, right?
Okay, here's my plea for a donation - On March 21, I am running in the Mercer Island Rotary's 5K for colon cancer. I have a history of colon cancer on my dad's side of the family, and I had a cancerous polyp removed in 2003. I'd like to raise $300, but it would be great to get even more. If you are interested in helping visit my site: http://www.active.com/donate/preventcc/ALindemanLucas
I've also got a couple of other community projects swirling around in my head. I wish I had the time to dive into them right now, but they'll have to wait for Summer break. Darrington needs a new floor and roof on the Community Center, and Arlington officially transferred the Graafstra's Country Charm Dairy into municipal property last week. Bill Blake, the Natural Resource manager has already drawn up plans to turn it into a multi-purpose recreational area with a hiking trail, off-leash dog park, monitored swimming beach and campground. Of course, not all of the plans may come through, but what a great process for me to learn.
Tomorrow, I plan on making my resume rounds to draw on some of those internship opportunities. I'll be swinging by Arlington's City Hall to make an appointment with Mr. Blake, as well as a trip to the Darrington Ranger Station to follow up on my SCEP program application, and a stop by Darrington Town Hall to offer my EIS, NEPA and planning services. If you want to donate to the Darrington Community Center fund, let me know. I'm getting really antsy to work in the field, and right now, I'll take my hours wherever I can get them.
And for all of those people saying that Snow-maggedon is proof that Climate Change is not real - first of all, Climate Change doesn't mean there will be no ice or snow. It means that there will be more extremes in storms, snow, rain and drought as well as unpredictable shifts in the atmosphere. Second, it is an El Nino year. That's why we've had sunny and dry winter weather here in PNW. California has gotten our rain, which follows the shifted jet stream on to Texas, Tennessee, and up to the Mid-Atlantic. When I was a kid in Maryland, we had awesome snow in El Nino years - nothing new, just more extreme now. Third, just look to the poles or our alpine glaciers to watch Climate Change happen every day. And there you have it.
I am doing a few things for cancer this year. Tomorrow, I am chopping of 10 inches of my curly locks for Locks for Love, which is a birthday present to myself. What better way to spend your birthday than helping others, right?
Okay, here's my plea for a donation - On March 21, I am running in the Mercer Island Rotary's 5K for colon cancer. I have a history of colon cancer on my dad's side of the family, and I had a cancerous polyp removed in 2003. I'd like to raise $300, but it would be great to get even more. If you are interested in helping visit my site: http://www.active.com/donate/preventcc/ALindemanLucas
I've also got a couple of other community projects swirling around in my head. I wish I had the time to dive into them right now, but they'll have to wait for Summer break. Darrington needs a new floor and roof on the Community Center, and Arlington officially transferred the Graafstra's Country Charm Dairy into municipal property last week. Bill Blake, the Natural Resource manager has already drawn up plans to turn it into a multi-purpose recreational area with a hiking trail, off-leash dog park, monitored swimming beach and campground. Of course, not all of the plans may come through, but what a great process for me to learn.
Tomorrow, I plan on making my resume rounds to draw on some of those internship opportunities. I'll be swinging by Arlington's City Hall to make an appointment with Mr. Blake, as well as a trip to the Darrington Ranger Station to follow up on my SCEP program application, and a stop by Darrington Town Hall to offer my EIS, NEPA and planning services. If you want to donate to the Darrington Community Center fund, let me know. I'm getting really antsy to work in the field, and right now, I'll take my hours wherever I can get them.
And for all of those people saying that Snow-maggedon is proof that Climate Change is not real - first of all, Climate Change doesn't mean there will be no ice or snow. It means that there will be more extremes in storms, snow, rain and drought as well as unpredictable shifts in the atmosphere. Second, it is an El Nino year. That's why we've had sunny and dry winter weather here in PNW. California has gotten our rain, which follows the shifted jet stream on to Texas, Tennessee, and up to the Mid-Atlantic. When I was a kid in Maryland, we had awesome snow in El Nino years - nothing new, just more extreme now. Third, just look to the poles or our alpine glaciers to watch Climate Change happen every day. And there you have it.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Flying High on NIMBY Drama
Tonight I am headed to Kamiak High School in Mukilteo for research on my term project in Planning. The FAA and SnoCo are holding their 3rd and final public comments hearing regarding commercial service at Paine Field. The last two meetings have been heated with dozens of NIMBY's booing those who support adding commercial flights to the airport.
In the Environmental Planning world, a NIMBY is someone who opposes a public project on the Not In My Back Yard argument. During some of my research today, I scrolled down the HeraldNet airport story to read some of the comments and found a gem:
N(aive)
I(nsular)
M(ukilteo)
B(ombastic)
Y(uppies)
Tonight's going to be a dramatic showdown. I can't wait.
In the Environmental Planning world, a NIMBY is someone who opposes a public project on the Not In My Back Yard argument. During some of my research today, I scrolled down the HeraldNet airport story to read some of the comments and found a gem:
N(aive)
I(nsular)
M(ukilteo)
B(ombastic)
Y(uppies)
Tonight's going to be a dramatic showdown. I can't wait.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Planning on Networking
I have officially hit this quarter full speed ahead. I've decided to use the Paine Field dispute in Mukilteo as my term project in both my Environmental Dispute Resolution class and my Intro to Planning class. That means, I have to attend the public hearing on the 21st, which fits into another Planning assignment which is to attend a Planning meeting or public hearing.
Basically, the FAA wants to extend limited commercial flights into and out of Paine Field which is currently charter and Boeing test flights only. Of course, the county officials and Mukilteo citizens are steaming mad. I'm most interested in how they think they are going to control both commercial air and ferry service off of SR527 and Mukilteo Blvd. more than the environmental impact of extended service.
Tomorrow morning, I'm driving to Willis Tucker Park in Snohomish to interview Chris Mueller, one of the Senior Park Planners for SnoCo Parks. I've got 16 questions ready to go, and 4 more follow-up questions for yet another Planning assignment. And on the 26th, I have an interview with the US Forest Service for an internship to job program. If it requires regional transfer, though, I won't be able to take a job with them. I'm excited to make all the new contacts though!
Basically, the FAA wants to extend limited commercial flights into and out of Paine Field which is currently charter and Boeing test flights only. Of course, the county officials and Mukilteo citizens are steaming mad. I'm most interested in how they think they are going to control both commercial air and ferry service off of SR527 and Mukilteo Blvd. more than the environmental impact of extended service.
Tomorrow morning, I'm driving to Willis Tucker Park in Snohomish to interview Chris Mueller, one of the Senior Park Planners for SnoCo Parks. I've got 16 questions ready to go, and 4 more follow-up questions for yet another Planning assignment. And on the 26th, I have an interview with the US Forest Service for an internship to job program. If it requires regional transfer, though, I won't be able to take a job with them. I'm excited to make all the new contacts though!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Feeling Better and Planning Plans
It's been a while since I've posted, but I had to kick an amazingly awful sinus infection, while somehow making it through all my shifts at work. This also resulted in the worst headache and lamest New Years Eve ever, but I feel much better now that I've finished my second antibiotic. I took the youngest to the clinic yesterday, and requested a z-pack for him, too. He seems to be kicking it now as well. The one good thing about being sick is that I was able to get through 300+ pages of my new Steven King novel, "Under the Dome," and it is turning out to be a classic King page-turner. I'm sad I have to put it aside for school now.
I've been to two of my three classes this quarter, and am going to the third tonight. On Mondays I have Environmental Dispute Resolution, which looks interesting, if he can keep us on topic. Monday night's class continued the complaints from certain Poulsbo students (who are in their 50's and going for their second Bachelor's mind you) about the Discussion Board on Blackboard from last quarter. Our class is in a much smaller teleconference room this quarter, so we had some complaints of our own about those students with our mute button on. Hopefully the park ranger can reign things in next week.
Last night I attended my Environmental Economics class with the great surprise of an on-campus professor! Dr. Burke lives in Bellingham, so she'll be at our campus most of the quarter. And while we silently deal with the technology snafus with the professors on the other campuses, those campuses had nothing but complaints last night about our technology issues. Other than that, we had a great review of Microeconomics, which I remembered all of thanks to the most awesome Professor Hu.
I'm really interested in learning how to place dollar value on non-market items such as clean air and water, so I can help the Darrington town council clean up our dirty air reputation. It's too beautiful around here to have the status of the dirtiest air in the state! I think Dr. Burke will do a great job getting us to that point. She reminds me of Dr. Pape, my Biology professor and advisor at EvCC.
A lot of younger people didn't like her, and didn't do well in her class, but if you already had a good work ethic, you could learn a lot from her and the class. She inspired me to continue my original Environmental Science degree and scrap pharmacy. I am so happy that I did, because that led me to Environmental Planning and Policy. Tonight is Intro to Planning with another one of my first quarter professors, Gail, and once again she has blessed us with not requiring a text book and posting all of her lecture power points. We love you Gail!
The Great Cat Wars seem to be easing up at our house, and both new cats are easing into their new homes, while our three other cats seem to be comfortable around them, at times. The youngest's cat, which he has named Meg, seems to be growing her fur back. She had shed a lot at the shelter. And the old grandma cat we adopted (which already had the boy name of Teddie), no longer primarily dwells under our bed. She can use her front legs to climb up to many places, and seems to be able to get away from the little devil-dog just fine.
Juggling our schedules should be interesting for this month as all three kids are playing basketball, and I'm back at school. So forgive me beforehand if I forget something, the calendar looks like a clusterbomb hit it.
I've been to two of my three classes this quarter, and am going to the third tonight. On Mondays I have Environmental Dispute Resolution, which looks interesting, if he can keep us on topic. Monday night's class continued the complaints from certain Poulsbo students (who are in their 50's and going for their second Bachelor's mind you) about the Discussion Board on Blackboard from last quarter. Our class is in a much smaller teleconference room this quarter, so we had some complaints of our own about those students with our mute button on. Hopefully the park ranger can reign things in next week.
Last night I attended my Environmental Economics class with the great surprise of an on-campus professor! Dr. Burke lives in Bellingham, so she'll be at our campus most of the quarter. And while we silently deal with the technology snafus with the professors on the other campuses, those campuses had nothing but complaints last night about our technology issues. Other than that, we had a great review of Microeconomics, which I remembered all of thanks to the most awesome Professor Hu.
I'm really interested in learning how to place dollar value on non-market items such as clean air and water, so I can help the Darrington town council clean up our dirty air reputation. It's too beautiful around here to have the status of the dirtiest air in the state! I think Dr. Burke will do a great job getting us to that point. She reminds me of Dr. Pape, my Biology professor and advisor at EvCC.
A lot of younger people didn't like her, and didn't do well in her class, but if you already had a good work ethic, you could learn a lot from her and the class. She inspired me to continue my original Environmental Science degree and scrap pharmacy. I am so happy that I did, because that led me to Environmental Planning and Policy. Tonight is Intro to Planning with another one of my first quarter professors, Gail, and once again she has blessed us with not requiring a text book and posting all of her lecture power points. We love you Gail!
The Great Cat Wars seem to be easing up at our house, and both new cats are easing into their new homes, while our three other cats seem to be comfortable around them, at times. The youngest's cat, which he has named Meg, seems to be growing her fur back. She had shed a lot at the shelter. And the old grandma cat we adopted (which already had the boy name of Teddie), no longer primarily dwells under our bed. She can use her front legs to climb up to many places, and seems to be able to get away from the little devil-dog just fine.
Juggling our schedules should be interesting for this month as all three kids are playing basketball, and I'm back at school. So forgive me beforehand if I forget something, the calendar looks like a clusterbomb hit it.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Feeling Old and Boring
Life feels as if it is at a standstill around here. Even though there is always laundry or some other chore to do, it has just been us and the pets since the 26th. One benefit of no kids at home for days is the concept of leftovers for dinner. I made a huge Christmas dinner, and even though the chicken was gone that night, we've been pairing the sides with my mom's leftover ham, and have been eating quite well.
To our surprise though, the youngest wanted to come home from his dad's last night, and the step-son called last night wanting to come home today. It's kind of weird, but we've always told them, we're just a phone call away and will always pick you up. I think they are more vocal now that we both recently began defending their right not to go to BioParents houses. It's one thing when they are young kids, but they all have their own lives and friends now that they are older. Both the hubby and I were forced into visitations as teens, so we've begun letting them make their own decisions about them. We still feel they should visit, but if their schedule only allows a day rather than a weekend, well we've decided to be firm and have their backs if needed.
I continued my pattern of watching old movies throughout my Winter Break, with my new Monty Python Holy Trilogy dvd's over the weekend. Since the break I've watched the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the original "Taking of Pelham 1,2,3," "Elmer Gentry," and many other oldies including countless Christmas classics like George C. Scott's "A Christmas Carol," "A Christmas Story," and of course "It's a Wonderful Life." I know it sounds boring, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed by all of the special effects, and want a classic story. The hubby also got me the new books from Steven King and Michael Crichton (yes, I know he's dead, tired of hearing about it) for Christmas. I've finally got some decent fiction to read.
I know what you're thinking - nothing about the World Climate Talks in Copenhagen? No, not really. I lost hope in them when we were following the pre-political preparation in class. Our politicians, for some reason think that they can dictate policies to us and the world. But here's a clue - people react best to peer pressure, and if you want to make a real change, you need to start small and work from the bottom up.
World talks will get no where until we can figure things out at home, and that includes your city and county. I have more hope for the Puget Sound Partnership than the Kyoto Protocol. I have some nasty words regarding the new developing country fund, since we need a major infrastucture overhaul at home, but I don't want to sound too cynical. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
I'm not ready for next quarter yet, as the Amazon textbook order will be placed tonight. I feel like I need one more week off, but alas class starts on Monday. I do have a lead on a SnoCo parks internship, though. They are planning on making major changes and restorations at my old stomping ground out at Kayak Point County Park, and the Parks Department is requesting a couple of interns. I would love to work out there again, but I hope they don't get a new entrance sign. That's some great maitenance aid craftsmanship from 1996, I mean the routing and paint job is amazing! Sunshine and I worked for hours on it. :) I'll keep you posted on the new opportunity.
To our surprise though, the youngest wanted to come home from his dad's last night, and the step-son called last night wanting to come home today. It's kind of weird, but we've always told them, we're just a phone call away and will always pick you up. I think they are more vocal now that we both recently began defending their right not to go to BioParents houses. It's one thing when they are young kids, but they all have their own lives and friends now that they are older. Both the hubby and I were forced into visitations as teens, so we've begun letting them make their own decisions about them. We still feel they should visit, but if their schedule only allows a day rather than a weekend, well we've decided to be firm and have their backs if needed.
I continued my pattern of watching old movies throughout my Winter Break, with my new Monty Python Holy Trilogy dvd's over the weekend. Since the break I've watched the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still," the original "Taking of Pelham 1,2,3," "Elmer Gentry," and many other oldies including countless Christmas classics like George C. Scott's "A Christmas Carol," "A Christmas Story," and of course "It's a Wonderful Life." I know it sounds boring, but sometimes I'm overwhelmed by all of the special effects, and want a classic story. The hubby also got me the new books from Steven King and Michael Crichton (yes, I know he's dead, tired of hearing about it) for Christmas. I've finally got some decent fiction to read.
I know what you're thinking - nothing about the World Climate Talks in Copenhagen? No, not really. I lost hope in them when we were following the pre-political preparation in class. Our politicians, for some reason think that they can dictate policies to us and the world. But here's a clue - people react best to peer pressure, and if you want to make a real change, you need to start small and work from the bottom up.
World talks will get no where until we can figure things out at home, and that includes your city and county. I have more hope for the Puget Sound Partnership than the Kyoto Protocol. I have some nasty words regarding the new developing country fund, since we need a major infrastucture overhaul at home, but I don't want to sound too cynical. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
I'm not ready for next quarter yet, as the Amazon textbook order will be placed tonight. I feel like I need one more week off, but alas class starts on Monday. I do have a lead on a SnoCo parks internship, though. They are planning on making major changes and restorations at my old stomping ground out at Kayak Point County Park, and the Parks Department is requesting a couple of interns. I would love to work out there again, but I hope they don't get a new entrance sign. That's some great maitenance aid craftsmanship from 1996, I mean the routing and paint job is amazing! Sunshine and I worked for hours on it. :) I'll keep you posted on the new opportunity.
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