Fastest trip to Colorado EVER

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!

Hmmph

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

Uh oh!

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!

Ludington, my old sweet "home"

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.

Moving, painting, packing

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!)

New "hobby"

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. :)

A long meandering journey back to... where I was in the first place?!

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

Proficient Motorcycling

Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains

How Heavy is the Mountain

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!

ARGH!

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...

The near domestication of the wild Lisa

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

 

Lance

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. ;)

This journal brought to you by...

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"!

 

free to ride my machine!

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! ;)

Been around the block...

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

Tree climbing chainsaw kitten... and random news

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.

My turtle!

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.

 

Rafting the Gauley

Action shots from my trip! I'll blog a travelogue some time soon, hopefully.

To the zoo!

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. ;)

New River Gorge pictures

Just the first batch of photos - I won't get the ones of me kayaking back until Friday.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia

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? ;)

Let's roll... Eskimo roll!

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!

So, what's there to write about anymore??

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.

Surrounded by lap dogs

 

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... :)

Trilliums

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

No regrets

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. ;)

Happy Anniversary?

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.

Montana Family

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 sunset
Until it was gone, and down with it went our pain and fear
As we slowly broke contact more and more, with every beer
And we passed out in each other's arms, both admitting we never felt better, never felt so warm
But awoke in each other's eyes, without wearing a stitch of clothing, we were both deeply in disguise
And maybe i just set aside the fact that you were broken hearted, in my own special selfish way
And if i hadn't set aside the fact that you were broken hearted, hell knows where your heart would be today
Maybe with me
It seems like it's been so long since we kissed through the darkness, until it was dawn
Up with it came our pain and fear that we'd already lost each other, we both knew that the end was near
Maybe i just set aside the fact that you were broken hearted, in my own special selfish way
And if i hadn't set aside the fact that you were broken hearted, hell knows where your heart would be today
Maybe with me"

Woof

Just pics of our mutts, because I know how much my mom can't get enough. ;)

Tiny

Wilson

Tree Care Health Practitioner Assistant, 30%

Finally, 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!

"Real dogs eat seal fat!"

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.

T-shirt fetish

Anybody else really love unique t-shirts? You're in luck! I stumbled across Threadless T-Shirts. And hey, if you're creative you can submit your own designs! I really like the Fire and Ice penguin one. ;)

I'm moving out soon! Well... hopefully soon. I was all set to sign a lease when my parents mentioned the idea of buying a condo. This had never crossed my mind, seeing as I have never had a full-time job that didn't END after the summer. Heh heh, silly me. So now, an adventure in real-estate land! I probably won't be able to afford anything spectacular, but all it takes is a nice little condo and a sugar glider (flying squirrel) and Wilbur the turtle and I can call it home.

What else is new? Obviously, not much worth writing about. I know it's time to take a trip somewhere when I run out of interesting stories to tell. I did go and see my friend's former bandmates play a show this weekend to celebrate their CD release. Check out the Dirty Americans if you dig some "Easy Rider, raisin' hell, alcohol fueled brand of rock 'n' roll that the legends of Detroit rock made famous and infamous in the glory days" as their website says. Joe introduced me to the guys and them seemed pretty cool too. Listen and love it!

Seton

The memorial service for Seton was this morning. It's weird when you haven't talked to somebody since high school, to hear about all they've accomplished and what they hoped to do since then. He got his B.S. in physics and math and was working on his teaching certificate. He was on his way back from class the night the accident happened. They even thanked the EMTs that tried so hard to save him. So so sad.

Since his parents are musicians, they had some people from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra play in a brass quintet with an oboe. The music was absolutely beautiful and brought back memories of being in band with him. I had totally forgotten that I used to work on German video projects with him - I think somewhere around here I still have one. The music was nearly as emotional than the family's tribute to him. The things you learn that you never knew...

:(

Hey any of you NHS people,

Remember Seton (trumpet) from band? He died in a car crash last night (Robert was his first name).

What sad news. :(

Missing out

My timing couldn't be worse. I started doing fire last summer, which was a relatively slow fire season. But according to my FMO (fire mgmt. officer) and an article on msn.com, this year is gonna be rippin'! And I'm going to miss out! :(

Oh well, I have until I'm 37 to play with fire.

I finally got a few more pics developed from Montana - just a couple shots from my going-away party. It was nice to see photos of my "family", since I probably won't see any of them any time soon.

My last night there, after eating the most delicious elk ever and saying goodbye to everybody, I made a last pit-stop on the side of the road to take this photo. For three months, home was the first exit in Montana, Exit 0... No services. Go east of Monida for about 45 minutes to an hour, and you'll reach the place that part of me never left. :)

 

when worlds collide...

The unheard of happened today - my "worlds" collided! As in, my old coworkers/friends met my new coworker/friend! These things aren't supposed to happen! Those sorts of friends don't usually meet EVER - except Steve met a few of my city boys once upon a time. And the best thing is that it all turned out ok! No rift opened up in the universe, and they actually got along really well. It's just a big deal because NONE of my other friends have or will ever meet the city guys. It's just one of those things... :)

Spent the day learning all about tree climbing, rigging, knots, and goofing off. I think I mastered the goofing off part; the rest is all kindof fuzzy. Hee hee!

Life has been weird to me lately. Ultimately, it seems things happen for a reason in my life... but I can only say that I don't care why certain pleasantly unexpected things are happening, just that I love every second of feeling so warm and fuzzy. Is it the butterflies? ;)

Sun in Aries

Heh heh heh, maybe there IS something to this whole horoscope thing...

From Astrology.com:

"When Lisa was born, the Sun was in the Sign Aries, the Warrior. Lisa has a fierce capacity for loyalty, and expects it in return. Like a warrior, she prefers honesty and directness, without a lot of verbal frou-frou or psychobabble. There is an elevated need for shared experiences of extremity, adventure and intensity, and if the relationship does not offer enough of them, Arian energy can easily turn tense and edgy, even combative. A great intimate art for Lisa, one upon which the viability of all her relationships depends, is to make sure she is fighting about what she is actually angry about. There's a risk, in other words, of expressing the energies of sexual frustration in the form of what appears, for example, to be a stupidly inflated argument over politics. Still, Lisa brings many wonderful qualities to the table of love: the warrior's ability to make strong vows and keep them, a fierce devotion to truth, and a grand quality of aliveness."

Although of course, I'd like to think that I can never be summed up in one paragraph. ;)

Jenna showed me a site with more free readings - Astro.com, plus they don't start sending you email like Astrology.com does. It's always fun to read, even if you don't really believe in it. Though it is eerily accurate... ??

Look out, I might bite

GRRRR!

I'm grumpy today. Not sure why. In my disgruntled mental ranting, somehow I started thinking about all the things I spend a little extra cash on. I don't mean like new CDs or anything like that; just certain things that I don't skimp on when it comes to buying the good stuff. What am I "snobby" about?

COFFEE - always buy the best organic and sometimes fair trade I can find.

Spaghetti sauce; fruits and vegetables (organic whenever possible, but always organic lettuce); eggs (again, more of my granola-crunching organic/free range tendencies coming out); herbs and spices; cheese...

I know there's many more, but I'm figuring out quickly that I take pride in my condiments.

I also decided that maybe I shouldn't take afternoon naps anymore. I had this bizarro dream where suddenly this giant eruption sent this huge plume of smoke, ash, and mud straight into the sky. At first I didn't know if it was a bomb or something, but it ends up it's a volcano - and it's the eruption to end all eruptions. So then I didn't know if I'd have to worry about a wave of lava pouring my way, or a mud slide, or things on fire. I was scared but had to figure out what was happening! I turned back and then saw all this smoke and ash and mud washing down the mountain towards us, and the earth was opening up like the tectonic plates were moving and creating a new big fault line. I think the eruption was supposed to be of huge proportions and was going to wipe out a BIG area. I don't know if I was going to die or anything, but I just remember being scientifically fascinated by it all...

And then I remember that Steve is visiting Brian this weekend in Seattle... Mt. Rainier... volcano... yikes!

being "responsible" or something like it?

Ya know, I could be tired all day and just yearning for a nice long cat nap, but the moment I try to get myself to bed at a decent time, I suddenly am wide awake and can think of 20 things I wanted to get done today/this month/this lifetime. Funny how that works, huh?

It definitely doesn't help that Jeff and Amadeo are going to check out the new club night at Scorekeepers in A2 - dancing and drinking and staying up late without me! Those were the days... one month ago. ;) So what did I do this evening instead of having a good time in high heels and a little tank-top? I went grocery shopping in my PJ pants. Argh, I feel so... DOMESTIC!

Obviously haven't updated in a while, between working and boyfriend (that's right, a  boyfriend! Jeff! My old housemate and friend of most of my ex boyfriends. Hey, stop laughing, crazier things have happened! Nobody ever said I do things the right way...) and trying to sleep somewhere in there too.

Looking back... wow, I didn't even write anything about the ski-trip weekend from hell! Let me recap, G-rated:

Hot tub, lots of alcohol, naked girls making out... and it only went downhill from there, no pun intended. The snowboarding was great, until one nasty spill where I thought I sprained my thumb. Ouch. It got even better when the next day, my binding broke so I had to quit early and wait in the lodge for my friends. An hour later, right outside where I was sitting, I go to grab my new Burton board... Funny, I swear I put it right here... Oh. Shit. Yeah, I was mad my binding broke, but I was even more furious that MY BOARD WAS STOLEN!

We'll just say that board wasn't cheap.

Two weeks later my thumb still hurt, and I decided it was time to see a Dr. and find out what's up.

BROKEN.

First broken bone ever. What a let down - people always said "Oh, if you break something, you'll know it! It will HURT terribly!" Guess what? You were WRONG and I feel like I missed out on that vital part of breaking a bone. Not that I WANT it to hurt... but if I'm gonna break something, I wanna do it the right way. ;)

So I was put in a cast, right after I started my new job. Doh! Fortunately now I have a removeable cast... it's still tender one month later but hopefully I will be given the clear soon from the Dr.

I'm really loving a few song's right now: "Evil" by Interpol and "Time is Running" by Muse. I work a lot of overtime. All this snow, and no snowboard!

Ontop of everything, I've gotten a few job offers since taking this full time job.... such as a wildland firefighter seasonal job in the U.P., one in Butte, Montana (sigh!) and one on another exotic plant management crew in Yellowstone. It took all I had, but I bit my lip and said "I'm sorry, I now have a full time job... But perhaps next year?" ;)

And that's that. Crappy journal update, and I don't even have any good pictures to put up this time. Instead, I'll just put up an old picture I found of me and my Broadway housemates during my junior year of college. But some of us have to get up for work in the morning and can't spend all night dot-com-ing like we used to! Ha!

The Broadway Gang: Tom, Me, Brian, Jeff, Kevin, and Steve!

Environmental News...

"To save a tree, remove a Bush" - bumper sticker I saw a few days ago.

Obviously, it's a bit too late to remove a Bush... But man the news in the natural resources and environmental world has just made me angrier and angrier. Maybe I should go to law school so I can sue all these stupid politicians. Want to know why I am upset with the current administration, and the next 4 years will be soooo painful??

Bad:
Audit: EPA minimized mercury risks - Internal agency report finds rules based on industry plan

Good:
Rule on shooting gray wolves overturned - Judge: Bush administration violated Endangered Species Act

Battle:
Calif. sues U.S. over Sierra logging plan

Not looking good:
House to move on arctic refuge drilling

Don't even get me STARTED!!:
U.S. Waters Down Global Commitment to Curb Greenhouse Gases

WOOOOOOOOO!!!!

AHHH!!

I GOT A FULL TIME JOB! Like, I'm going to have benefits and money and security and get to drive a snow plow!!

Ok so it's not firefighting and not natural resources... but I get to do forestry work and that counts!

I never thought I'd be so excited to NOT move out of Detroit, doing a blue-collar job... But hey I like it, and that's all that counts!

Detroit Winter Blast Festival

Friday night, southeast Michigan was greeted by another snowstorm. Of course, I decided to wait until there were at least 4" on the ground before I decided to try and drive home. (It's more fun that way!) In these situations, I am always reminded of one simple fact: Just because some one has 4x4 does NOT mean they know how to drive in the snow. Seriously, some of these SUV drivers think that just because they have four wheels working for them, they will automatically be fantastic winter drivers; no need to exercise caution or patience, the car will take care of those details itself. Pfft. I might not have four wheels, but I do have more than a few braincells and common sense. :P

This set up a beautifully wonderful challenge in getting to downtown Detroit for the Winter Blast Festival yesterday, but Steve and I did make it (half an hour drive turned into over an hour, making our own lanes on the freeway). It was so worthwhile, and I can't wait until 2006 when the Super Bowl is coming! Detroit did a fantastic job of clearing snow so parking wasn't a huge issue, and the new Campus Martius park was alive with glowing lights, which reflected off the falling snow; 20 ft. tall burning torches; a huge Christmas tree; warming tents every 150 ft; plenty of live music... It was packed with people bundled up but having so much fun! They also had a huge snow slide, but the line was too long so we didn't get to ride it. There were, however, excited fuzzy huskies present for the dog sled demonstrations and to give dog kisses. :) Even better, they had large mobile HEATED restrooms instead of nasty little port-o-potties. We didn't end up eating there, but some of Detroit's best restaurants were serving food, all under $6.50.

So here's first-hand experience that Detroit is gonna ROCK next year for the Super Bowl, despite the cold! My pictures are on my Trekshare site.

 

I was playing on Photoshop and thought this looked kindof cool. :)

I moved, I worked... and I came home!

Yeah, you read that right - I moved, I worked... and I came home.

Believe me, I never expected to drive all the way down there, work one day, and leave for home less than 24 hrs from when I arrived! But trust me, it was one of the best decisions I've made in 2005. ;)

All signs pointed to staying in Michigan - including the heavy snow I was greeted with on Tuesday morning, forcing all freeway traffic to one or two slippery lanes, crawling along at 30 mph. The snow morphed into freezing rain somewhere in Ohio, but the clouds weren't done with me just yet! It poured nearly all the way down through Virginia or North Carolina. Overall, I think the weather cost me an extra 2 hours.

 Thank you, Mother Nature

I spent my one day of employment raking pine needles and cutting down scrub oak within a 15 ft. radius of longleaf pine trees that had endangered woodpeckers in them.

Later that afternoon, I went into town to check voicemail and email and communicate with the outside world. Got some crazy news and I HAD to go home. I don't want to write down why I had to leave, but we'll just say it was entirely necessary and a very good decision!!

Left back for MI that night, but it was late enough that I knew I'd have to stop for the evening. So I call up my friend in Virginia out of nowhere and just ask him "What are you doing at 1 am tonite??" "Umm, drinking beer around my bonfire maybe? Why what's up??" And hence, I spent the night in Blacksburg, road weary and a bit flustered from the day's events, and passed out in the basement. I doubt he reads this, but Matt I promise one of these days, we'll sit down for longer than a few minutes when we're both healthy and not exhausted!

So began - and ended - my South Carolina adventure. Regrets? None. Just happy to be home where I belong right now!!

 

Wilbur my Navi-turtle, somewhere in Virginia? BTW, the weather was about 72 degrees down there.

One more for good measure...

Going away dinner at Papa Vinos!

Tired! Not done packing! 2-4" of snow tonite! Waking up in 5 hrs!

Ugh!

Counting down...

I've spent my last weekend day in Michigan sleeping, thinking about packing, pretending to pack, avoiding packing, chatting with people, and taking lots of painkillers to dull the after-effects of excruciatingly wonderful snowboarding this weekend.

Procrastination at it's finest. :)

Actually, considering we got home last night around 3:30 am, exhausted and sore, and I still managed to wake up before noon is amazing to me. Of course, I did take another nap this afternoon... but I've spent hours since then getting rid of old clothes to give to charity, recycling four grocery bags full of paper, sorting out boxes I haven't touched since college... Moving may be a pain, but at least I get a chance to "simplify my life" or whatever Zen enlightenment I might get out of eliminating some of my material possessions.

So, since I'm trying to pack, I found time to search flight prices from Detroit (DTW)to South Carolina. :) There are 3 airports that one could fly into, and so far I've found some fantastic fares. (Hoorah for alliteration!) $153 round trip is the cheapest. Here are the airport abbreviations to make it even EASIER for ya'll to look up fares to visit me!
Charlotte, NC - CLT
Columbia, SC - CAE
Myrtle Beach, SC - MYR

While cleaning my room, I found all my old painting supplies. Yes, once upon a time I was an aspiring artist. :) I felt guity for not having touched a paintbrush in over a year, especially considering I was in the middle of a painting of some wolves that was turning out very well... until I stopped working on it. This is what happens when you have too many hobbies!

Our dog Wilson knows somethings going on. Every time I move or leave for a long period of time, he gives me this look... like he knows that I'm leaving him, and he's trying to understand why I am going. I'm not kidding at all, either. Everybody in the family notices he acts a little weird... just follows me arround, then stands in front of me and stares at me. Sometimes he nudges me, but he's not begging. My mom says it's because he heard her telling people on the phone. :) For some reason, it's really hard to look him in the eye and not feel guilty about leaving him!

Wilbur the turtle will be my travel companion. How silly will that look, a turtle in a box as my navigator. I don't think he's as distressed as Wilson, because frankly Wilbur isn't that smart and runs into the glass of his aquarium all the time. ;)

This weekend was fantastic and I'm glad I got to have one last romp in the hills with my snowboard and some good friends. We trucked up to Boyne Friday night and spent all day tearing it up on Saturday. I can now say I am Master of the Easy Hill! The guys prompted me to try a black diamond or two... and it scared the crap out of me. I made it down all right - if you consider sliding down on your ass "all right". I need to be Master of the Little Bit Harder Hill before I try that again!

Anyway, back to cleaning. Here's a few funny pictures from our hotel room. My batteries died (again) so there's not much to show but some debauchery on the bed.

And so ends probably my last entry from Michigan for a while!

 

Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it

EVERY TIME I finally decide to give up all hope of actually getting into Montana State, that professor that keeps telling me to hold on, she has to find funding, writes me to rekindle the possibility. What a sick game to play with my mind! :) So once again, after not speaking with her since October, she said that it might finally happen! Operative word is "might", of course, but it could happen as soon as April. The project wouldn't be my first choice of topics - chemistry of soil or something in wetlands, lots of microscope work - it would be sooo nice to go back to school, back into my "real" field, and NOT move for at least two years. Yeah, the nomadic Lisa is yearning for at least a sliver of solidarity in her always-changing life. Not to say fire isn't awesome and that I'm not excited to lace up those boots again, but that annoying intellectual side of me just won't DIE! and insists that I make use of it. Plus, I'd like to unpack my things from these unsightly boxes and KEEP them out for longer than 5 months. ;)

More pictures

I know, it's been all pictures lately... but people like to see pictures. Anyway, I hope to have stuff to write about again soon, moving to South Carolina and all. ;)

Here's some from when Brian was back in town, and also from another party Jeff had. Also a few pics from hanging out with Brynn, Casey, Kirk and Heather, as well as pics of Steve's house. Good times!

New Years Eve

New Years Eve pics are now up!

It was a fantastic evening at Leopold Bros bar in Ann Arbor, where my friend Erich's band, The Book Was Better, played a show. The last time I actually saw them was two years ago, at my old house in Ann Arbor - it was their first show, and they've come a long way since then! They played with two other bands, one which isn't worth mentioning, the other one called the Great Lakes Myth Society, which I really liked also. So me, Steve, Jeff, Kevin, Beth, Jess, and a few other people rocked to some good tunes, had a champagne toast at midnight, and welcomed 2005 in one of my favorite bars ever. Some of those other pics in the album were from me and Jeff hanging out at Kevin's, playing games and just being goofy. I'm gonna miss being around here!!

Procrastination, Part Two

Uhh, so much for getting a few extra days to let me move. The dude wants me there the 10th... not even two weeks notice to get down there. He's mad at human resources; I'm irked because they weren't going to let me have enough time to fix my car, get packed, get shit taken care of... BLAH! So we "comprimised", and I'm moving TUESDAY! :(  Excited to work, not excited about the time crunch.

So if you want to see me before I leave, you have 6 days. Then you'll have to visit me!

Procrastination

So I hinted at the idea that I have a job in that other entry. Not just any old job, like BLAHretailBLAH. Another fire job! My next adventure will be spending the next 5 months in South Carolina doing prescribed fire. I just found out last week, and they'd like me to start really really soon... like, I'd have to leave in a week. I'm going to ask for a few extra days though to try and tie up at least a few loose ends (I have a habit of having lots of those, it seems). It's weird to think I'll be somewhere "warm" and practically void of snow - I guess they sometimes get some flurries, but it was 70 degrees there today, for example. Figures that I get into snowsports, and I move where there is no snow. :)

I'm obviously very excited, sounds like this time I really get my own room, free rent, and - best of all - I get to bring my pet turtle Wilbur! I know it sounds silly but I had to send him to Steve's for over a year last year so he could be a foster turtle-parent. I've had Wilbur for 14 years and hated leaving him. :) I'm also about 2 hrs from Myrtle Beach = cheaper airfare. Now ya'll really don't have a good excuse to not visit me!!

Plus, I started reading "Looking for Alaska" by Peter Jenkins and it's making me want to head West - way, way West! - to Alaska again. I've thought about it ever since freshman year of college and I know that some day, I'll move there. It would drive me nuts to think about it and not at least give it a try! Who wants to move with me?

So that's the job news. Still much more to write about, but hard to make up for weeks of slacking off in this journal.

Oh yeah - where the heck did all the snow go?! Dammit!

 

Family Holiday Photos

This is more for the benefit of my family than those of you out there in Dot-Com world, just some photos of Xmas and Turkey Day at my mom's house and my dad's house. More fun pics coming up soon!

Next new adventure!

Drama! Exciment! Pain! Surprises! EMPLOYMENT!

All this and more sums up why I haven't written in a long time! Too busy living and being crazy and making my mom roll her eyes and being beat up by myself and my friends to sit on the computer!

Amadeo had some friends in over the holidays, and they were crazy fun! Probably too much fun for my own good... so here's my stupid story to end 2004. Ori, Andrew, Eric and Amadeo all headbutt each other for - fun?? Affection? Who knows why boys do things like that, and who knows why I joined in. Ok, so maybe the alcohol had something to do with it. This went on all night. I think at one point, somebody may have hit me a bit hard, but at the time it didn't hurt too bad.

So comes into play one of my favorite phrases: "It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

Dancing and more "good idea at the time" things happened - all in good fun! - and hot tub for hours and hours.... One of the craziest nights I'd had in a while. Grrr baby!

Woke up the next morning and my forehead was just aching! I had a huge bump on my head and just wasn't feeling all there. What a motley crew we must have looked like at Denny's in the morning - me holding my ice water to my forehead, everybody hung over, Ori eating mass quantities of cole slaw, half of us falling asleep... We were supposed to leave for our ski trip up north later that evening. That sure wasn't going to happen because...

I was driving home and started to feel not so good. Seeing things, not thinking straight. Concerned, I went to the ER. For 3 hours. Minor concussion from headbutting. STUPID! STUPID! I just told the Dr. I didn't remember how I hit my head, and he just said "Must have been one hell of a party!"

"Well, it was fun at the time!" Even the Dr. got to hear my philosophy for the weekend. ;)

Needless to say, everyone else was too hung over/too slow/too lazy to leave that night, and I went to bed early. I noticed my eyes were getting bruises around them; the ER nurse told me "Oh, it will get much much worse." Apparently gravity pulls the blood from the bruise on my forehead down to the "softer tissues" of my face, like around my eyes. I was warned, but still, nothing could prepare me to see myself in the mirror in the morning...

With big black circles around my eyes. Like a raccoon!

This was the 22nd. They JUST totally faded away today. Way to have to explain that to my large extended family over Xmas. :)

Since I was sleeping, didn't realize that my ride was leaving early in the morning on Monday. Fortunately, Amadeo was going up later that evening so I got to hitch a ride with him. Phew! I would have hated to miss my first chance to try out my new board.

And since life is full of surprises, we got a big snow storm on our drive up there. Couldn't even see the lines on the road. So fun! But I like weird things like snowstorms and low visibility and fishtailing. Ha!

We pulled up to Boyne Highlands, about 4-5 hrs northwest, and see some guy wandering around outside in the snow, a christmas ornament in his ear. Wait... we know that drunken fool! It was Ori, wandering hopelessly about the lodges.

"Ori, what are you doing?"

"Looking for a warm place."

What?? He was looking for his room but couldn't remember what building his room was in. We gave him a few suggestions, but he just shrugged off our ideas and kept on wandering.

Amadeo and I met up with the guys at the bar, who were already well into their drinks. We got two rooms - Amadeo had the more expensive one with a few people, I was in the cheaper one with Ryan, Jeff, and Ori - and we ventured out, feeling "warm and happy", into the snowstorm, running through snowdrifts and being loud and having fun. A little too much fun, as the "off-duty" rent-a-cop came by and scolded us bad children. We apologized and scampered off to raise hell elsewhere. :)

They had a huge outdoor hot tub, which was supposedly closed for the night... but what fun is that? We put on our suits and ran thru the snow, piled our clothes and towels on the side, and soaked in the hot, wonderful water while the cold air and snowflakes melted over the tub. Everything was so silent, blanketed in fresh white powder,the pines illuminated by the parking lot lights and just everything was so beautiful!

Eventually, everybody found their way into a bed somewhere and somehow, except poor Ryan. Apparently he was driving in the parking lot and got his car stuck in a snow drift! Amadeo and I looked at it to see if we could help, but he only option was for him to wait until the plows came by early that morning. They eventually got it out, but I do wish we had pictures! By the way, apparently Ori pierced his ear with a paperclip to get that ornament through a closed-up earring hole. Crazy crazy weekend!

We hit the hill on Tuesday, which mean that I had a very sore butt and lots of exciting new bruises to sport afterwards. Snowboarding is hard, but I'd like to think (at least, pretend) that I sortof understand how to do it. I absolutely loved it, despite the degrading humiliation of face-planting a few times in front of everybody going up the ski lift. That whole area is beautiful - it's hard to think there are such great views and rolling hills in Michigan, but I can't wait to go back some time!

Unfortunately, it was a very short stay - we had arrived Monday night and left Tuesday night - but well worth it. Of course we partied some more when we got back to Ann Arbor that night, but everybody was exhausted. I had a great time with some great new people and lots of stories (most of which can't be posted on here, of course)!

So here's my first update, now I still have to cover X-mas through New Years! Plus, I got a job and am moving in less than 2 weeks! All this and more, coming up (hopefully) soon!