I'm watching The Notebook... I avoided seeing it because I thought it was one of those popular movies that everybody sees just because everybody else has seen it. But it's really good! It's making me feel all girly. Here's a quote I really like:
"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul, that makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds..."
Awe... :)
I uploaded pictures from my photo safari up to Traverse City/Northport/Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes/Charlevoix/Petoskey to my Trekshare website.
Here's just a few of my favorites.
I worked today. Nine ash trees down in 7 hours. And if dragging brush wasn't exercise enough, I decided to go for my 4 mile run when I got home. Now, I think I deserve a cold Molson while I watch some hockey. Dinner was gourmet - grilled cheese sandwich, with Havarte cheese, and spinach in brown butter. Mmm mmm.
Now I'm just hanging out waiting for Jeff to get out here so we can tear it up in downtown Royal Oak. The catch is that he won't even get out here til 10. Hope I can stay up that late, I don't party the way I used to!
So here are some pictures from work today. I'll get my up north pictures on here when I feel like it. OH! Bad news. My dad might get rid of AOL, which means I'll lose my whole journal! I have no idea what to do, I have 2 years of crap on here and I can't just transfer it. #%&^%#@!*^&
Glen Lake from the top of some dunes at Sleeping Bear
I'm watching a movie right now, but thought I'd post a few pics. My trip was short but worthwhile - I was itching for a road trip. I'm going to New York for the fire academy next weekend, but that doesn't count - I'm doing 20 hours of driving round trip for an 8 hour class. Ugh. More later.
Screw this place, I'm outta here.
Left work early today, got my crap together, and now I'm going up north to the Traverse area. Be back tomorrow night.
Gonna enjoy some fall colors and some much needed R & R!
First thing first: I know I might be thinking ahead, but the fact that I-70 is currently shut down in Colorado because of that wicked snowstorm has thoughts of snowboarding and winter fun careening down the powder-covered mountains in my head. I should probably feel sorry for those people stranded in the snowstorm... Oh who am I kidding, I don't feel sorry for them! Anybody who is stuck in Colorado and has a PROBLEM with it can kiss my butt, I WISH I were stuck in that beautiful state... working lots and lots of snowplow overtime, so I can spend all my money on ski passes!
Anyway, back to the present. October is my favorite month. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love cooler weather and changing leaves and apples. APPLES! I'm apple-mad right now. Plus, I have this urge to cook. Now, I'm not reknowned for my cooking ability, but give me a recipe and I'll give you a meal. ;) With my apple-madness came the inspiration to cook up some Maple Roasted Apples tonite. Did I mention I made tortellini for dinner? LOL! Not exactly a complimentary pair, but I am a woman and can have ridiculous cravings. They turned out pretty good, but here are my comments: I used Fuji apples - it was all I had - but I think they might be better with more tart apples, like Granny Smith. I also added some nutmeg for subtle flavor. Overall, they're pretty darn good! One more mental note: When stealing cinnamon from my parent's house, make sure it's PURE, like the bottle says... and not mixed with sugar. Woops. So my Maple Apples might be a bit sweeter than they should be, but they're still mighty tasty and perfect for...
Watching hockey! I know, another mismatch - baked apples, tortellini, and hockey. This is why I am a bachelorette - so I can do ridiculous things like that and not care what anybody else thinks!
Oh, and so I can also do all of this while wearing only shorts and a bra. :P Hee hee!
That website I got the recipe from - the State of Michigan - has a lot of other delicious sounding dishes that I'll probably try out once I buy some groceries. Check it out!
Wings lost but that's ok. I love hockey. In fact, I am probably going to play again this winter. It's been two years since the women's hockey team I was on won the "Cup" - a mounted men's jock strap - and I found a great Adult Beginner's hockey program that sounds just what I need - it's not a team, but an actual class where you work on those fundamental skills that make you a good player. I can PLAY but during a game, it moves so quickly it is hard to work on technique (which I have none, hee hee).
Wilson kept me company this weekend and we had a romantic and wonderful time together. He was afraid of my hallway for some reason (??) and slept on the couch (we sound like a feuding married couple!) but we was good to snuggle with for a mid-day nap on Saturday. I love cider mills and Wilson loves being outside, so I took him up to Yates and we hiked along the river. He made friends with a pug, a pit bull, and some old blind mutt, and I just strolled along in my cowgirl shirt and cordouroys looking cute. ;) I thought dogs were a good way to pick up guys, but apparently I was a good way for him to pick up other dogs! Hmmph!
The party Saturday night was... interesting. I'd rather not recap. It wasn't pretty.
Sunday was absolutely beautiful, and I had my typical dilemma - it was so nice outside, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do! It always comes down to: running, mountain biking, going for a motorcycle ride, or hiking. I wanted to see Jenna but she's a busy lass so we had to postpone, but she helped me narrow it down to "something on wheels". Motorized, or non? My Honda won over my Raleigh, so I put on my new leather jacket, my warm gloves, and hit the road on that beautiful, sunny, cool day!
I had grand plans - go up Rochester Road, take Orion Road to Lake Orion, then up to Oxford,head east to Romeo, and eventually take Mound Road back down and eventually make my way home. What really happened was that I was mildly cold because I don't have chaps, so I was going to head up Rochester... and didn't realize it was dirt road. I backtracked and went to Orion Rd, to downtown Lake Orion... and came home. It was still 60-70 miles, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I think Orion Rd. beats Dixboro as my favorite ride so far. I used to work in Oakland Township and forgot that road goes right by my old work. It's winding and hilly, the blue sky was pure and crisp, leaves just starting to change to orange, yellow, and red, the smell of leaves and wood burning, cool wind blowing through my hair... I am so glad I bought that motorcycle!
I am now working five 8 hour days instead of four 10 hour days... Gosh it doesn't seem like we get anything done. I'm not complaining - I'm burnt out. We busted ASH (hee hee, get it? Ash, as in ash trees with the ash borer... ok stupid forestry humor) all summer and I'm exhausted.
Enough for now. Guess I was feeling conversational with my computer tonite. :)
Here's some pictures. Enjoy.
Song that's in my head lately:
Ryan Adams - Touch, Feel and Lose
I knew I was never gonna talk to you tomorrow
And oh, the birds how they sing
If you were a bird could you sing me a song of sorrow
'Cause all I know from you is grief
But I never wanted to be your rolling train
I never wanted to be your dancin' shoes
I just wanted you to love me
I just wanted you to love me
Touch, feel & lose
And cry, cry, cry
I thought maybe I could be some kind of shelter
But oh, your storm how it raged
You know your kisses, they like lightnin' and thunder
And your smile is sweet and come down like rain
I never wanted to be your dancin' shoes
I just wanted you to love me
I just wanted you to love me
Touch, feel & lose
And cry, cry, cry
With my allergies running rampant, I'm sitting here watching Wyatt Earp, chatting with my friend Tara online, and hanging out with my main man of my life, Wilson.
Yes, Wilson is my family's Scotty dog. But he's as good as it gets right now. ;) Yeah, I just took him for the evening to give him a little vacation, and give me a little canine companionship so maybe I won't go out and get Munchkin (aka Darby) tomorrow. Having a puppy when leaf and snow seasons come up, with all that overtime and not being home a lot, would be very hard to do.
So now, instead of a puppy, I might buy a truck. Focus is getting to that point where I either need to fix some things, or get a new car. Toyota Tacoma or Chevy Silverado, 4x4 and extended cab, for those rugged Montana and Colorado roads when I go back out there!
Some guy's dad just bought Key Largo, a bar on Walled Lake, so they are having a big party tomorrow. My Novi boys and I are going to be there tomorrow to tear it up! Should be fun. Besides that, I plan on taking a scenic tour of the fall colors - hopefully on my motorcycle if the weather is kind. Michigan's travel website has a few good routes: Mackinaw City - Charlevoix - Petosky, or Jackson - Ann Arbor - Monroe, or Detroit - Algonac - Lake Orion - Port Huron.
My sister Linda and I have decided (more accurately: I ORDERED her, and she agreed) to go on a vacation some time after April next year. It's either going to be Alaska, Utah, or, if we both save our money diligently (not gonna happen), New Zealand. I told her she must go mountain biking in Moab and explore the slot canyons in Zion if she goes with me to Utah, hiking and camping in New Zealand, or watching grizzlies and getting lost in Denali if we go to Alaska - and she will love it. No ifs, ands, or buts.
For once, I don't think she minded me telling her what to do. ;)
Well, back to my movie and my man Wilson!
I discovered something fantastic today:
I can hook up my little-but-powerful speakers and subwoofer to my little dinky TV to get surround sound! So much sound out of a little TV!
This would have been nice to have when Matt, my friend from Virginia, visited me - we sat around drinking PBR and MGD while watching a bad French film, Le Femme Nikita, and we couldn't hear what they were saying and kept turning it up... but we realized how silly it was to turn it up, because we couldn't understand it anyway. ;)
It was great to see him though, and after I went to Kevin's for his and Jeff's birthday celebration, I went with him and his friend to a party at some Fisheries grad students' condo... And they probably had at least 10 aquariums, ranging from full salt-water reefs, to lungfish from around to world, to an assortment of gars. We played flip cup with Labatt Blue Light, and I figured out that for the life of me, I just can't get even a mere BUZZ off of Light, just simply felt very FULL. At least there were fewer empty calories than I would have had otherwise! hee hee.
I ended up sleeping on Matt's friend's couch, in the company of two cats... which I am allergic to. Needless to say, it took a strong cup of coffee and some strong allergy pills to get me going the next morning.
Last night, I watched a show on the Discovery Channel called "Heart of a Lioness". It was about this lone lioness, whos entire pride had probably been killed by the locals when she was young. A lion's social structure is so important, that it traumatized her and caused her to act in a very strang way. She found a baby oryx - like an antelope - and the baby was so scared, it didn't run away. This can throw off a predator sometimes, when it doesn't run, it doesn't always trigger the predator's kill instinct... in this lioness' case, she started licking the baby... following the baby... She adopted the baby oryx! Which was all cute and all, but the baby couldn't feed from the lioness, and was too young to eat solid foods by itself. The lioness adopted the baby and cuddled it and followed it for over 2 weeks, and neither one of them ate. The locals tried to feed the lioness, but she wouldn't even eat the meat thrown to her. So this naturalist chic is driving along following lioness and oryx when suddenly, out of nowhere - GROWL! - A male lion comes out of the bushes and has the baby's throat in his mouth! The baby was still alive, but lioness was too starved and weak to do anything about it! She had to simply watch as "her" oryx was eaten. She even behaved as if a lion had just killed a real cub. It ends up she adopted 5 more oryxs before she disappeared - probably because she had the instinct to raise babies, but no means to do it. The look on the naturalist's face when the lion snatched up the baby was horrific! It was so sad, I could have cried if I was more girlie. :P
And one last thing before I hop in the shower and then watch Lost... MSN has an article on some good places to live to be out-of-doors. I'd live in any of these cities... except I have no idea how Grand Rapids, MI got on the same list as Missoula, MT and Laramie, WY!! Anybody wanna move with me?
Ok I lied, THIS is the last thing before I watch Lost... Looks like Montana and Wyoming got dumped on by a snowstorm! I remember when I was out there last year, Matt was visiting and we got our first accumulation on Sept. 18th, if I remember correctly... driving that 1 1/2 hrs between Yellowstone and Red Rocks was definitely a trip, with my Focus sliding all over the dirt road. Ahh, I miss it out there. There I go again... reminicing on the past. ;)
I was looking through some photos on my computer and found something funny that I didn't even know I had.
I'm going to be a bridesmaid in Donna's wedding... but at least I won't have to swat deer flies off of her like I did for Tara! ;)
Happy Birthday Kevin and Jeff!
Spending the weekend hanging with my random-adventure friend Matt and drinking enough Labatt Lite to last a life time. Oh, and the Lions just lost, of course.
We're training a guy at work on how to limb out a tree from the bucket. What's wrong with this picture?
If you can't tell, that's a CHAINSAW stuck in the tree, probably 30 feet in the air. He was trying to cut this one limb so that it would go in a certain direction... and as he was finishing the cut, a gust of wind blew the limb back, causing it to pinch down on the saw - and he couldn't get it out! They ended up attaching a lanyard from the saw to the tree, and were about to push the limb in the other direction when the wind changed... and the branch nearly fell on Tim's head. Never a dull moment.
I just got news that a friend from Virginia might be coming up this weekend - haven't seen him since I invited myself over when I escaped from South Carolina in the middle of the night! Plus, the Michigan-Michigan State game is this weekend, Sponge is playing at 5th Avenue in Novi, and I wanna go mountain biking!
I forgot to mention another reason why my weekend was so great:
It's cider mill season! I went to Parmenter's in Northville and picked up their awesome spiced donuts, apple cider, and cherry jalapeno salsa! That's one of the things that I missed most every time I moved out of state - the few weeks of apples apples apples!
I didn't do anything that was on my weekend wish-list, because I drove out to Cabelas on Saturday and Sunday for the Hunter Safety Class. I was the only older female, and the only adult without 12 year kids hanging off me! I did get to shoot a bow, but they only had a simulated rifle that you shot at a movie of deer on a big screen... which I did pretty well at! ;) I don't think I'll actually make it hunting this season, BUT...
There is a women's only firearms clinic at Multi-Lakes Conservation Association on October 15th for any of you ladies that want to try shooting a rifle or pistol! Here's the link for the "Women on Target" clinic. I'm excited!
So my wish list from last weekend... I'd do it this weekend, but I'm BUSY BUSY BUSY again! Kevin's birthday is the 1st, Jeff's is the 2nd... and they always have one hell of a party! Plus, I'm supposed to go to Cedar Point on Saturday...
I love fall! I am always so busy but it's so beautiful!
Another perfect evening, courtesy of the only good thing on Comcast: On Demand!
I can watch HBO's series "Deadwood" WHENEVER I WANT! Nothing like a sexy western lawman like Seth Bullock to keep me warm on a cool Friday night.
Add some gourmet pasta for dinner and I'm a happy camper. :)
My weekend wish-list is probably going to be modified quite a bit. I did end up taking a short hike with Wilson after taking him to the vet for an ear infection, but well I think I'm driving out to Cabela's in Dundee for a 2 day hunter safety class. Surprise! Yes I want to learn how to hunt, but my avenues for learning are limited to say the least. I might beg a guy from my old job to take me but I wish I had close friend that hunted! So that is going to take up all day both Saturday and Sunday. The plus is that I get to have another elk sandwich from their awesome deli!
I could always go out to Ann Arbor tonite to party with our no-longer-a-freshman friend Frosh (what do we call him now?!) and help get rid of 90 beers in beer pong... But all those empty calories! Hee hee!
Whenever I am stuck in traffic, I put on one of my favorite CDs and sing loudly to pass the time. I love it when I see other people singing, but especially men. If I ever find myself a single man that can handle me (ha ha ha!), I want him to be the type to sing in the car. Loudly. Enthusiastically. (And I don't mean to ghetto rap crap either!) So we can go on road trips and sound (and look) ridiculous together. And it would be great if he hunted, so he can show me how!! He has to own at least one pair of REAL boots and look good in Carhartts. And appreciate GOOD beer. And like spontaneous adventures. And Netflix. I'm addicted to Netflix.
Ok, now I just have to find him. ;)
I'm sitting here with the lights off and the windows open, listening to the rain and thunder, watching a movie, and drinking the bestest summer beer in Michigan, Bell's Oberon.
What a fantastic evening!
The weather has turned a little cooler and the leaves are beginning to change, and seeing as fall is one of my top 4 favorite seasons (I love them all), it's inspiring me to do a lot of things I know I won't have time to do.
My weekend to-do/fantasy list:
- Take my digital camera with me EVERYWHERE. Take pictures of leaves changing, try to capture the flavor of pre-autumn in a photograph, for some reason everything seems so beautiful to me outside right now!
- Go for a long hike.
- Related to the hike: Either do that locally (Brighton? Bald Mountain? Somewhere new?) or go up north...
- Buy a leather jacket (FINALLY!) and hop on my motorcycle for a LONG ride - my longest is 1 1/2 hrs one way, so let's see where I can go!
- MOUNTAIN BIKE! I have to steal my parents tools and put on my clipless pedals that my buddy Dave hooked me up with, but this weather makes me wanna eat some dirt!
- Dog-nap my family's scotty dog Wilson for the weekend and take him with me for any adventures I get into... But he doesn't really fit on a motorcycle so I'll have to get creative.
Now back to my Bell's and my movie!
Ok, so I'm not really a logger (I prefer the term "urban lumberchic), but this little article on MSN has supposedly the most dangerous jobs. The list is different from what I usually have heard, but they all say the same thing:
I love dangerous jobs, and I DON'T do it for the money. ;)
Sorry mom and dad. At least I have life insurance now! Hee hee!
Other news: Darby my fostered pup still hasn't been adopted yet. In another few weeks... if she's still around... hmmmm....
Got a windshield for my motorcycle. Just haven't had time to ride it!
Busy busy busy!
I just have to share these links with you guys.
The first is a feature of NationalGeographic.com - their "Scenic Drive Guides to National Parks." Beautiful photographs of some of my favorite places in the United States. If I could, I would post a photo from the site, but I think technically that is a no-no. It's actually an advertisement, but I don't care!
The other is a photo of a liger - a lion/tiger hybrid. I've never seen a picture, but it's exactly what you would think of if you thought of putting a tiger and lion together - half a mane, lion's body, tiger stripes! And it's popular because of Napoleon Dynamite, or so they say.
All for now!
After fostering Darby Coyote (aka Munchkin), the sweetest little shepherd girl, I decided not to keep her.
I SHOULD HAVE KEPT HER!
It was a tough call, but she had a few health problems I was concerned about, and she kept beating up my family's three little dogs. Looked like she was going to grow up to be an alpha female, but we were a bit worried she might hurt Tiny accidentally. She's just so young, it's hard to tell what kind of temperment and health problems she might have when she gets older. Gosh but she was the sweetest little thing. She was great in the car, and pretty good in her crate - only whined for a few minutes before quieting down. I think sometimes I bored her, especially when I was trying to put together my kitchen chairs and she kept stealing the screwdriver and anything else that was shiny. I brought her out to the park on Friday when I played horseshoes with my cityworker friends, and she was the best! She is a bit of a chicken so she didn't wander very far, but once she warmed up to the guys, she was the happiest little puppy and I could keep her off her leash without worrying about her.
I also know that having a dog would be a major hinderance to being a wildland firefighter in the future. Some places will allow dogs, and not all jobs travel as much as others... it would be do-able but challenging. For now, I had to give her back.
... But if she's not adopted out in a few weeks, I'm gonna take her back, as long as her health is better. No more worms! YUCK!
I even taught her how to sit and lie down in 5 minutes. She was so smart! And so pretty! It's lonely without her around here now. Granted, it was stressful and tiring trying to pottytrain her and deal with her endless puppy energy, but right now I miss having to take her out ever hour (only to have her end up peeing in the house anyway). She was a pain in the butt, but I loved her anyway! I mean, who doesn't appreciate unconditional puppy love? :) She just followed me around and stared at her with her big brown eyes and tongue hanging out, watching me do dishes with such adoration, thinking I'm the most important person in the world when I am brushing my teeth... Why can't I find a man that treats me like that?! HA! :)
So here's lots of cute pictures. I hope Darby Coyote finds a great loving home! And if she doesn't... well I'm gonna get her back!
(photos are from my cell phone, that's why they're fuzzy)
Got a pupper!
12 week old shepherd/spaniel mix, named Munchkin for now - but she won't be a munchkin for long! She already has big paws... and she's such a sweetie!
Need to think of a name!
I packed the mini van and hit the road for that beautiful state called Colorado.
I got as far as Ann Arbor and bailed. As I was driving up 23, I thought about going north to the U.P. But I bailed on that idea when I got to I-96 and just went back to Royal Oak.
How lame is that?! But if I'm going out west, I might as well make a better trip out of it than this lame attempt. I want to see Montana, Wyoming, AND Colorado - if I'm going to one, I might as well go to them all.
I should have had this revelation BEFORE I started driving... but I was just so excited at the thought of being back there, I didn't really think it through.
So here are some pics from Ludington, and from Chicago. I think I'll just watch TV, build a bookcase, and go to bed early. Sounds like a decent labor day weekend to me!
I SHOULD be on the road right now, on my way to Buffalo, Wyoming. But I think my fire buddy out there got dispatched somewhere, since his cell phone isn't working. He might be on a fire, or even helping with hurricane clean-up. So I'm not going there.
Instead, I SHOULD be on my way out to Red Rock Lakes and Dillon, Montana to visit Howard, Marilyn, Jeff, Gillian; and watch those sexy cowboys in the rodeo; and tear it up for the Labor Day party. But because of the hurricance, gas prices are outrageous and I'm a little concerned about driving THAT far - about 32 hours. So I'm not going there.
Instead, I SHOULD be on my way right now to Fort Collins/Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park, to visit Jon, Scott, and Bill; and check out all those trees and plants I slaved away at planting, transplanting, raising, killing, and restoring; and finally climbing Longs Peak; and doing some bouldering and smelling the alpine air under that deep blue sky. But my mom is trying her hardest to bribe me to stay - promising to go furniture shopping with me, and go and find me a PUPPY this weekend! Plus, it's usually nuts in Rocky Mountain around Labor Day, and gas is more expensive there than in Montana. I miss it there so badly, though, and want to go, that I just MIGHT still head out there soon. I haven't made up my mind yet.
So instead, I am relaxing in my one armchair in my apartment, watching Gigantic, a documentary on They Might Be Giants, and putting off making the decision. If I don't think about it, I don't have to worry about it, right??
WHAT SHOULD I DO?!
Or, I might just go up to Copper Harbor. I haven't been there in years. Just need to get away!!!
The biggest reason I am hesitating going to Colorado is the fact that I am worried. No road trip is very good if there is that underlying concern about how much money you are spending, how much gas is going to be, if there will be shortages, etc etc. Hard to relax and enjoy yourself!
"If there's still ramblin' in the rambler let him go!" - Yonder Mountain String Band
Oh dear.
My MOM started a blog. Read it, if you want the embarassing stuff about me and my family. I just KNOW it's not going to be pretty. ;)
LOVE YOU MOM! Happy (belated) birthday!
I got bored of messing around with my apartment this weekend, so I decided to do something spontaneous.
I drove 3 1/2 hrs to Ludington, went for a 2 hour hike and hung out for a bit, then drove home. In one day.
Yeah some people think that's weird... Well that's me. I get a whim, I run with it. It was such a great mini road trip, too! Beautiful weather. Ludington is one of my favorite state parks in the lower peninsula.
Coincidentally, I also "lived" there one summer during college. Remember when I said I couldn't decide what to do with my Electrofishing Manual? I used to shock fishies when I worked out of the Ludington Biological Station with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
So the only person that might appreciate these pictures would be Steve. It was sortof our first "living together" experience... if you count sleeping in the back of a big, red, old Ford truck, or if you count sleeping in the tiniest, cheapest motel 15 miles outside of Ludington.
I'll post my "good" pictures of Ludington, and from my Harry Potter Chicago weekend, when I feel like it. Right now, here's a photo tribute to those good ol' days of 10 days traveling around the entire state, living from motel to motel... and then making that drive back to our parents houses for our 4 day weekends.
The Alpine Motel - just big enough for a bed! Steve and I used to call it "Home Sweet Home"
The Ludington Biological Station. We played with chemicals, electroshock backpacks, boats, and sea lamprey.
We cruised around the state in our big trucks... yeah, I know how to use a winch.
I'm trying to pack up my stuff, and finally getting rid of 24 years of rat-pack collecting. Bye bye, collection of stuffed cows. ;)
BUT I can say this - how many people do YOU know that have to decide on what to do with their "Principles and Techniques of Electrofishing" manual?
(My decision: Recycle the manual... but keep the instructional CD, just in case!)
I have a new hobby:
Selling my stuff on ebay and Amazon.com. (Click the link to see what I'm selling)
Yes, in light of the fact that I feel like I've spent my money frivolously lately, and that I am moving into an apartment on Wednesday, I've decided to "simplify" my life - and recover some of my assets in the process.
For example, I sold an old book about environmental issues recently for about $9. Today, I sold A Perfect Circle, eMotive for $8. Yeah, I love A Perfect Circle but that album just didn't do it for me. So, buh-bye CD! Off to New Jersey with you!
Fact: I am a pack rat.
But for all this crap I sell, I still manage to buy something else off of eBay. Currently trying to get a greatly reduced luggage bag for my motorcycle, along with a windshield. So in essense, I'm trading in random crap for motorcycle crap.
And this time, I really am moving (how many times have I said that?! Let's see... working on Mt. Mansfield in Vermont... working in Baxter State Park in Maine... Working at a ski resort in Virginia... working for the city of Aspen... oh, and my 1 day excursion to South Carolina for fire... and then my flat I moved into and out of just last week... yeah, I "really" move a lot, huh? <sarcasm>). I got an apartment in Royal Oak. Nothing fancy, not like these beautiful condo/apartments around Novi, but it suits my needs. PLUS - no pet fees! Wooo hooo! I can't wait to adopt my new best friend soon. :)
I started moving into my flat on Sunday, but I was a bit irked when Steve, who had offered to help me, did not return my phone calls all day.
Ironically, by blowing me off, he made my life a lot easier when I started REPACKING my stuff into my car today. Thank you for ignoring me, Steve! :)
Yeah, I just can't live upstairs from a chain smoker. Even from just having my stuff there for 2 days, it smelled of smoke. Yuck. Oh well, guess I'll just keep fishing...
In the meantime, I have a gazillion books on my plate. Beth turned me on to the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, and I've read all of them except the newest one, Incubus Dreams. 12 books in 3 months? Addictive, like the bite of a sexy vampire. Hee hee.
What next?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Savage Summit: True Stories of the First Five Women who Climbed K2
Kick Start: Cosmic Biker Babe's Guide to Life and Changing the Planet
Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills
Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains
And taking a short break from Looking for Alaska
Yes, I love to read. ;) That, and watch as many movies from Netflix as possible! Currently on my plate: Mean Creek and Apocalypse Now
While I'm on a roll, here are a few dogs I would love to have, if I could only FIND A DECENT PLACE TO LIVE!
(If these pictures disappear, it hopefully means they have been adopted out! Click on the pictures to link to their adoption pages)
Oh, and I just thought of something so cool: you could call a mastiff and labrador mixed dog a MASTADOR! So how cool is it that Steve's dog Bear is a Mastador!
Here is a picture of the mighty mastador, Bear:
Ever see a dog like this? A greyhound shepherd mix! It just doesn't look right... cute, but like a sickly, skinny shepherd alien dog!
I'm still crossing my fingers that they might bust out a fire at Red Rock Lakes and call me back from intermittent status. Yeah, right.
So, I moved. Err... well, not exactly. I got the keys to a flat this weekend in Ferndale. Thing is, is that I'm freaking out about it. The dude downstairs is a chain smoker and all that crap floats up to my flat, and smoke makes me SICK! That, and I am a bit anxious about moving out by myself to that area. I've lived by myself before and love it... but that was in smaller towns with low crime, and there wasn't some random DUDE living downstairs. Not sure if I'm just having jitters or if I should really back out of this deal. I guess I'll decide tomorrow.
Had a great evening hanging out with Steve and Jenna last night! Long islands, breadsticks, and fantastic conversation. They really cheered me up, since I've been in just a horrible mood for the past... 3 months? ;)
What to do, what to do...
Me tying into the tree
So I bought a house. Sortof.
I signed the papers and, pending a satisfactory inspection, the house would be mine. I was on my way to domestic bliss and the American dream!
Yeah, right.
The house needed everything replaced - electrical, plumbing, furnace, standing water in the basement, just to name a few things. On top of everything, when the inspector measured the height of the upstairs, it wasn't tall enough to technically qualify as "living space" - making the house only 650 sq. ft. instead of 900! Needless to say, I backed out of that offer. They promptly relisted it and still have it advertised at 1000 sq. ft. (which we measured and it wasn't right in the first place) and are trying to rip somebody off. But it's not gonna be me!
So now, my cut-off date for buying a house is here - I gave myself until August 1st before I just said screw it and went for a rental. I don't know that I would live in a house long enough to make it worth while at this point - still wanna get back out west in the next couple years!
Who was I kidding anyway? I've always lived the life less ordinary, and I think it says something that my friends were more surprised that I was trying to buy a house, than the fact that I've moved 3 times with less than 2 weeks notice over the last 3 years! Me buying a house and settling down just wasn't meant to be; you can't domesticate a wild vixen like myself!
Hopefully in the next week I'll be moved out into a nice flat or house and get a dog and bide my time climbing trees until I'm ready to go back out west!
Speaking of climbing trees, here are some pictures of me and Joe at that tree climbing class a few weeks ago.
I did a pub crawl in Livonia last night with Jess and a bunch of friends, 100 people crammed into 2 big yellow school busses. We drank. A lot. ;)
Now, time to ride my motorcycle!
Joe in the tree
Me doing a limb walk
If I were to say I had a role model, it would be Lance Armstrong. Yep, he won his 7th (and last) Tour de France. What a bad-ass.
In semi-related news, my buddy Dave from the fire academy is a bad ass also. He used to be a bike mechanic for an internationally competitive cycling team and women's Tour de France or something like that. He did fire last year but went back into the cycling industry. I jokingly asked him to hook me up with some clipless pedals... Lo and behold, I had a strange package in the mail this week. Surprise! Dave pulled through. I'll get ya' back some time, fire buddy!
Oh, and I bought a house. But I'm too busy to write more right now. Just another typical day in the life of me. ;)
Buy my art. I am working on trying to get some more photographs for sale. If you're nice, you can ask me to lower the price for you. Click on the picture to see my "store"!
There is NOTHING like riding on a motorcycle down Pontiac Trail at night, with no traffic at all to disrupt the flow or ruin the mood. Only the hypnotic rumble of my bike; the wind blowing at my face; the occassional bug smacking into my sunglasses; and the surreal sensation of being far from home - just me and my bike, racing down the winding road through the darkness. If I was uncertain before, I'm addicted now. Ride free! ;)
Found this little map thing by random accident. All the places I've visited, NOT including ones I just drove through. Ones that I actually spent some time in. Of course, driving through Kansas or Iowa FEELS like I've spent more than enough time there for a lifetime!
I've been busy. ;) Anybody want to help color in the rest of my map?? Maine, Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, or New Mexico??
create your own personalized map of the USA or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
This week was definitely an improvement over the past two weeks.
To recap the bad week:
My great aunt died, her 92nd birthday would have been last week I believe. I hadn't seen her in forever, but when I was a little girl she left quite an impression my my sisters and myself. She had long, beautiful, steel grey hair - down at least to her waist is what my perhaps exaggerated childhood memory tells me - and she and my grandpa were the ones that got me into art. I remember drawing a snarling dog with both of them (yes, I was drawing rabid dogs when I was somewhere around 7 yrs old). When I think of her, I can almost see her strength and attitude and stubborn personality, as opposed to a specific event - as a child, and even now, I just remember her "aura". My sisters and I definitely can tell where we got our attitudes from. Depending on who you ask, we're either strong and confident, or stubborn and difficult. ;)
Wilbur my turtle died. :( And much to my dismay, he hadn't eaten all of his feeder fish... so I still have 3 pathetic goldfish swimming around in the aquarium. Seeing as I'm enviro-conscious, I can't just flush them alive - goldfish (aka carp) can live and compete with native fish in the wild. And I can't just kill them, because I don't like killing things. To top things off, my sister's iguana, Godzilla, died also. He had been sick and she had spent so much time and effort trying to excercise him, take care of him every few hours, those vet bills... But she tried. Now Godzilla will be swimming laps in that big swimming pool in the sky... :)
Our other dog Tiny almost died. She was rough housing with Lucky, who is a bit bigger than she is, and he slammed her into the ground. Linda said she stopped breathing and moving! She even gave her CPR and they rushed her to the vet. She came out of it, and we still aren't sure exactly what happened...
Then our Scotty dog Wilson had had knee surgury a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, just as the vet had warned, his OTHER knee went out! He couldn't walk at ALL! And this was after him enduring a huge cast on his leg and wearing that terrible halo around his head so he wouldn't rip out the stitches... He went thru his second surgury last week. It went well, but he still needs to be carried everywhere. He was quite depressed, but he's been in better spirits lately. I think he'll get the cast off in a week or two; then, it's rehab time!
I had put anoffer on a house and they wanted too much for it, but I countered it... and they sold it to somebody else. I'm bummed because I really want to find a nice house, but it really wasn't worth what they were asking. But I'm getting very discouraged!
I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle much lately. I've been learning about bikes so I could do a decent inspection on it and make sure it's REALLY road worthy. So far, looks great! Haven't taken it on the freeway yet, but I have taken it on a little 35 mile trip. :) It's hard finding accessories for my Super Magna, because it was only made for 2 years and is very unique. I'll have to post a photo of it soon.
This past week, I had forestry training - and it was great! Our instructor was Sean, a 4 or 5 time tree climbing champion from Minnesota. Joe and I went two days for tree climbing, then Joe left and Tim joined me for chainsaw class. I am HORRIBLE at throwing my line into a tree, but I did get down the footlock decently and climbed a nice big oak with Joe and Sean, and I even walked out on a limb. Nothing like sitting the in the top of a tree, feeling it shake and creak in the wind. Seriously. It was so fun! Chainsaw class was very useful too, and I did a textbook perfect open-faced notch. Two nights, I went out with Sean, plus Bill and Dereck from Illinois, and drank "manly beer" from the Big Buck Brewery. Needless to say, this was a very sleep deprived week and I'm still recovering! Of course, Tim just had to draw little hearts on my class evaluation for Sean... hee hee.
Totally unrelated news:
Natural golf courses redefine green - I had thought about going into native landscaping/landscape architecture; I absolutely love this idea, because traditional golf courses are uber-water-intensive, chemical-hungry monsters!
Insurance pricey now? Just wait for warming - Global warming is gonna do some bad, expensive things
Drilling debate over another Alaska refuge - NOT AGAIN! You don't even know how angry this makes me, especially since I've worked for a wildlife refuge
Bush: Kyoto treaty would have hurt economy - Yeah, ok, whatever.
Wilbur died today!
Wilbur's been my Malaysian box turtle sidekick for 14 years! I loved that stupid little reptile! He was with me through middle school, high school, college... lived with Steve while I was out of state, and even went to South Carolina with me!
AND I'M A CRYING, DEPRESSED MESS OVER IT!!
I'm going to miss him so much! Feeding him goldfish and letting him run around in the grass... Never could keep his aquarium very clean, but he liked it that way. Oh, and don't tell anybody, but Wilbur was actually a girl. But I would never tell him that. ;)
And I am sooo heartbroken!
Bye, Wilbur.
Donna and I went to the Detroit Zoo. I took pictures of silly little animals, just because. And now I am posting them. Just because. ;)
I made it back alive! I really need to STOP trying new things - if I wasn't buying a motorcycle, I think I might have just adopted kayaking as my new expensive sport. I'll write about it when I get a chance! Who wants to go back and raft with me in a few months? Gauley season? ;)
See ya' later, suckers!!
I had forgetten about my nice 4 day weekend this week and decided Monday that I need to get the heck outta the midwest. I figured I had three options: I had preferred to grab a flight to Denver and visit Rocky Mt. National Park for the first time since I moved; or, I could fly to Phoenix and drive to the Grand Canyon (or even Glen Canyon/Lake Powell); or, I could drive to the southeast and see what trouble I could get into!
Flights were too pricey, so I thought Hmmm, West Virginia seems wild and rugged... Should I go rafting, climbing, mt. biking...?? Then it hit me - a whitewater kayaking class!
It's not cheap, but I'm kayaking on Saturday and Sunday and filling the rest of that time with hiking and bouldering at the New River Gorge. Yeah, I'm going by myself. Everybody else is either broke, or isn't in to that sort of stuff. I'm sure it will be easy to meet some fun people down there!
In other news; got my motorcycle license; the house I was gonna buy SOLD the day before I was going to put in an offer; I will have a motorcycle here waiting for me when I get home; and I got to take down my first tree using the boom truck all by myself this week! Maybe that doesn't sound exciting, but to be up in a tree cutting off branches and dropping them without landing them on the truck - yeah, I'm a dork. Oh, I'm also now officially a certfied Arborist (aka a tree professional).
Found out that our Scotty dog Wilson blew out his knee! He has been limping and I've felt so bad for him, but it was worse than we thought. $1500 surgery! And there's a very high risk that if he keeps walking on his good leg, that one will go out too... So they told us to crate him 24 hrs a day! Isn't that horrible! For the next 3 months essentially. I feel so horrible for the poor guy. Our other alternative is to dope him up on Benadryl and hope he just lies around sleeping... :(
Anyway, time to pack and get the heck outta here! Enjoy the holiday weekend!
I need to stop watching the Discovery channel. It inspires me too much.
Inspiration makes me do crazy things... like get in my car and drive very very far away.
I feel bad, my journal has become nothing more than a place where I reminisce upon the "good old days". But really, nothing exciting happens here! No fire, no mountains, no long hikes or rock climbing (no offense, Grand Ledge - souther MI's only outdoor climbing) or anything like that. I think that's why I'm getting my motorcycle license - I'm seriously deprived of adrenalin!
For example, I was running in the gym watching the tv's tonight and one was showing a Discovery channel show on National Parks. Made me want to be a park ranger again (One of my earliest career interets - I was a junior ranger!). Made me want to jump off that treadmill and into my Focus and head west until I decided to stop. I better buy a house fast. I think wanderlust is a stronger instinct in me than domestic suburbanism. ;)
Here, let's recycle one of my more favorite photos I took back in the good old days.
Don't get me wrong; I LOVE dogs. I can't wait to have one (or two) of my own.
But really, if it's the same size as a groundhog, is it REALLY a dog??
We already had two, so what's one more? Now their combined weight ALMOST equals one full-sized dog. Meet Lucky, Sue's new puppy. Why did she get a dog and not me or Linda? Don't ask (grrrrrr). We think it's a corgy/border collie mix but who knows. All I know, is I have never seen a dog adore anybody more than he does my sister.
This weekend, I finally finished tweaking my mountain bike and getting it trail ready. Every time I had wanted to ride, something came up. Example: My stepdad hung the bike from hooks in the ceiling of the garage, which is very high. I got out the ladder and previously had no trouble getting it down; this time, though, things would not go as smoothly. Somehow the rear tire would not slip over the hook, and I was desperately holding the bike up and trying to get it off that stupid hook. Finally it popped off, and I did manage to hold the bike up and NOT come crashing down... but in the process I NAILED my funny bone right smack on the corner of the ladder. My hand went so numb I couldn't even hold on to the bike with that hand and there I was, up this ladder holding a mountain bike with one hand and trying to get feeling back in the other hand. Not a good situation. Needless to say, my hand still tingled a few days later, and I was unable to hold on to the handlebars to ride - all that work for nothing!
Anyway, I finally made it out to the Island Lake Rec Area trail, a nice 9.2 miles along the river, past some lakes, through the hardwoods and the pines... The only thing I like better than actually riding is checking out all the hot mountain bikers! ;) And I always get at least a few approving looks from the guys (that is, until they see how much I suck! Ha!) when I hop on my bike and head out on the trail by myself. The last time I rode that trail was with Kevin, who blew me away with his breakneck speeds and death-defying mad skillz. He rides a bike better than most people BREATHE. There are a few hills that I just couldn't make it up that last time, but this time... Yeah I rocked it! Loose rock and treacherous tree roots while riding uphill were no match for me. Ok, it wasn't THAT easy and my legs burned, but it was so rewarding to see visible improvements. That is, until that LAST HILL... if you've been there, you probably remember that curvy uphill trail through the pines... I was so close to making it all the way up, my legs were pushing and I was so proud of myself... Then there's this lip at the end where the trail meets the asphalt, and I cranked the pedals to get up... UGHHHHH STOMACH CRAMP! I worked it a little TOO hard and my abs just tensed up and I practically fell off my bike! So close!
In other random topics: With spring comes softball. With softball comes the potential for hot guys. I say potential, because usually there are very few hotties in with all those beer-league players. That's ok though - Not only do I go and cheer for my cityworker boys, now Jess has a new job and those guys have a team too! So her and I are gonna go "cheer" them on... ;)
Oh, and is anybody selling a motorcycle for under $2,000? Heh heh.
Look, I managed to write an entire entry without actually saying anything important. Life is slow right now. Need more drama. Though I think my mom would argue otherwise... :)
From the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
The trilliums exploded today! Trilliums everywhere! One of my favorite early spring Michigan flowers.
I pity the rest of my family - I won't have to hear the incessant barking of our new puppy from my room all night. As if two dogs weren't enough...
My first time on a motorcycle tomorrow. Bought a helmet today. If I weren't so tired, I'd be really excited. ;) Joe picked out some bikes for me to check out. He's a bad influence - I need to be thinking of buying a HOUSE so I at least have a garage to put the bike in!
Here's my song-of-the-day/week/month (hopefully not that long?):
Tegan and Sara - Where Does the Good Go?
where do you go with your broken heart in tow
what do you do with the left over you
and how do you know, when to let go
where does the good go, where does the good go
look me in the eye and tell me you don't find me attractive
look me in the heart and tell me you won't go
look me in the eye and promise no love's like our love
look me in the heart and un break broken, it won't happen
it's love that breaks the seal of always thinking you would be
real, happy and healthy, strong and calm,
where does the good go, where does the good go
where do you go when you're in love and the world knows
how do you live so happily while I am sad and broken down
what do you say it's up for grabs now that you're on your way down
where does the good go, where does the good go
Alas, I am heartbroken. :(
But ya' know what? Dare I say it was probably for the best?
Naw, I'd never admit to saying something so noble and selfless. ;)
Exactly two years ago, I made the move that probably changed my life forever. Two years ago, I spent my first full day as a resident of Colorado... living in the Antler Motel and storing all of my possessions in the back of my car until my apartment was ready. If I remember correctly, Steve and I arrived in Estes Park on the 26th, and - seeing as it was my first time seeing the massive, snow-covered Rockies - I knew right away that moving to this unfamiliar environment was going to be the experience of a lifetime.
Looking back, I have to think: am I more successful now than I was then?
Sure, I have the full time job, more money, benefits, and hopefully soon my own house and dogs... But success can be measured in so many different ways. I have to ask myself, am I happier than I was then? Have I made progress in character and emotion? Am I as fulfilled as I was then?
Certainly, living in that crammed 1 bedroom apartment with a total stranger and a few hundred (thousand? yuck) of my closest insect friends (ants and ladybugs!), was not nearly as physically comfortable as where I am now. But can I go outside of my front door and have the mountains as my playground? Will I find a moose peeking in my window? Am I surrounded by energetic, adventurous people that just drink up life around them? Of course, the answer is no (save for my close friends that share my passion for living)... I may have more money but I am not any richer!
But nothing in life is 100% all of the time. I have come to understand that, but I'm not going to accept it! I NEED adventure and new experiences! So, to honor my 2 year anniversary of the decision that changed my life....
I'm learning how to ride a motorcycle. ;)
I've always thought about it, but being surrounded by guys that ride just gave me that last nudge to finally learn. It's only $25 at the community college, but I got lucky - last week, I looked and EVERY CLASS at literally every community college was totally full until August, including the more expensive class through the Harley-Davidson dealers. I just so happened to look today for one last time, and HEY! There's a new spot open! So for the next 3 weeks, I'll be either at work or at class for 15 hrs, 3x a week. I'm gonna be exhausted, but I need this. Otherwise I might just hop in my car and start driving West and never come back! Don't test me either - I've been known to do crazier things and right now, it wouldn't take much!
Glad the snow came and went after that brief yet obnoxious visit we had from winter this past weekend. I tried to take pictures of the snow on my violets, but they were all buried! It's always great this time of the year, when I get home after dark and I can hear the frogs in chorus all around our house. It's that little bit of peace and solitude only found at night and reminds me that life goes on, even when I'm asleep. Even when things are bad, confusing, or coming to a close. With that said, I'm going to bed.
Working four 10-hour days may be tiring and intense, but these three day weekends are fantastic! Too bad I went out and partied last night and got only a few hours of sleep (and a nasty hangover!) when I had to work the next morning, but now that I have tomorrow off, I didn't do much tonite except study for my Arborist exam. Funny how that works, no?
Here's some pictures finally of my Montana family - which was essentially the entire population of Lakeview when I left in the fall.
It seems like all the trees just decided to EXPLODE with leaves in the past 3 days. I mean, I woke up and went to work in the morning, and when I came home there were suddenly flowers on our plum and pear trees. I love this time of the year, but it's so short-lived that you could almost literally blink and miss it. Even some violets I had planted last year in our landscape - which aren't SUPPOSED to be perennial, or so I thought - already have their purple, white and yellow flowers smiling up at me. I'll have to enjoy them before the rabbits remember how much they liked eating them last year. I think I might take on a little "project" - every day that I go trail running, it seems there are new flowers blooming. Seeing as to how I am trying to brush up on my plant ID, I might try and write up a little something on what flowers are blooming at the time. If I'm REALLY ambitious, I'll take some pictures too and post them.
... IF I'm that ambitious. ;)
Tomorrow, house-hunting in the afternoon! I'd like to say I'm excited, but I have to say I expect to be disappointed. No need to rush things though.
Alkaline Trio - Sorry About That
"It hasn't been that long, since we drank to the sunsetFinally, after two years of waiting for funding from Montana State, I got an unexpected email.
"Lisa, are you still interested in a graduate student position?"
Of course, this happens only after I had finally decided I was going to "settle down" for a while. I'm in the process of house-shopping, dreaming of dogs and sugar gliders, hyping myself up at the thought of a stable and - dare I say? - domestic lifestyle. Ok, more like force-feeding the thought of staying put down my throat... But still, it was a plan, which is more than I can say for what I had before. (Though, having no plan was a helluva lot more exciting!)
Seeing as I applied long ago, I had to find my grad school application statement and read it a few times to remember what I had even wrote! I knew I would probably have a hard time with the interview, just because I hadn't even given grad school much thought in so long!
I got a call from three people over speakerphone - which always distracts me enough as it is, with all that echoing! - and did my best to sell myself. The project sounds pretty cool, it's been ongoing since 1996 and there will be three students working on it. It involves a lab experiement involving constructed wetlands and waste treatment; one student works on how wetlands break down waste, one student works on microbial aspects, and the position I interviewed for would be a greenhouse and lab job. It isn't exactly what I am geared towards when going there, but I think it would be great experience. I have no clue how the interview went, but I'll know in a week!
There was one catch though: When I asked when they want me to start, they said "Yesterday!" As in, they want me there as soon as possible, before the summer. They said they MIGHT be able to postpone it until the fall, but it's not what they prefer.
Yikes. Every time I sit down to relax, I have to make some huge life-altering decision! Leave my full-time job and head west??
Hey, maybe I won't even have to make that decision if they didn't like my interview. :)
I just finished up a three day Certified Arborist Course, so I can take the test and officially become a tree dork! Though I really do like forestry. If anybody needs any tree work done, I'm your chainsaw kitten!
I've been reading another book by Peter Jenkins called "Looking for Alaska" - the story of him and his family moving to Alaska just to experience it. It's a great book if you want to know what it's REALLY like to live in these small, remote towns and the culture of each different place, all through a series of essentially short stories tied together. Personally, I still like his first book, "A Walk Across America", better, but I still am in love with anything Alaska. I'm at a point right now where he is training and following around a sled dog musher named Jeff King. Did I mention I have this thing for wanting to learn how to dog sled? Hee hee. Anyway, so this Jeff King guy and his wife own 80 dogs and he's won the Iditarod and the K-300 a few times, or something like that - in other words, he's a great racer. Coincidentally, I sat down to watch TV, which I rarely do during the week, and what's on the Outdoor Life Network but coverage for the Iditarod, which took place during mid-March! It's on this week through the 6th for all you dog-sledding enthusiasts. :) Did you know that Michigan has it's own dog sled race? The UP 200! Maybe some day I'll be a contender. :)
The funniest part? I recognize more names of mushers than I could probably name in that basketball game that is going on right now. Between all the Alaska and dog sledding books I've read and the stories about Paul Gebhart and Jeff King and Robert Sorlie in Adventurer and Outdoor magazines... I like a quote from the commercial for OLN's coverage of the race - "Real dogs eat seal fat!"
Totally unrelated: I discovered the brutal enjoyment that is SPINNING. As in, a cycling class at the gym. Poor Donna is my work-out buddy, and she told me today that she hates that I love the class. :) Trust me, if anybody has the opportunity and masochistic tendencies, this class is for you. When the instructor tells you, "You can rest in 45 minutes! But right now YOU'RE MINE!" and "I know you hate it and I DON'T CARE!", you know it's gonna be hell on wheels. Not only do you burn fat and make your legs look muscular and HOT, but it's also great prep for the mountain biking season that is soon upon us! Saddle up, suck it up, and LOVE THE PAIN! :)
And one last act of randomness before I go to bed... Takin' photos at work. Trees, chainsaws, and men in chaps. Enjoy.
