I took Maya, my oldest sister's 70 pound and wired chocolate lab, to Falling Creek today. It wasn't the day-long or even really half-day excursion that we usually take together but it was still enjoyable. It was my first hike since I got back home a few days ago and the weather couldn't have been more perfect for winter at 50 degrees.
Coming home is a different experience everytime. I am pretty sure I have slept in the guest bed more than "my own" bedroom the past couple of visits since the semester ended for the summer. Grandma has been staying with us from Florida and she has taken my bed because it is the shortest open bed in the house. I am not here most of the time and it is only sensible that she get to have a room of her own. Over Thanksgiving I slept on the couch when all the beds were taken up by visiting family and my sister's boyfriend, Eric. Our family, which I have always taken as a small one, has become busier and is growing fast. It really is not a big deal to sleep elsewhere; I slept on the ground or in a hammock for about half of my summer and on a camp-style bunk bed with a 1-inch mattress the other half. Sleeping on the couch feels similar to being upgraded to sleeping in a castle where there is a room that is just one giant mattress for me to sprawl out on with as many feathery pillows and soft blankets as I could want. I say it "feels similar to" but really I don't know what that is like at all. Anyway, I can't remember the last time I slept in the bed I have had for years in the room that I created as my "safeplace" and that is all I should have said instead of committing an entire paragraph to it. But I did and I refuse to delete it.
Moving on. Coming home.
In response to the continuous presence of people in the house getting away is all the more pleasant. It is not that it is bad being here, it's fun to see family because the dynamics between everyone has changed so drastically, especially since Enslee was born. She has just begun to smile and "coo" at people and the reaction to her doing this is as if she were awarded a Nobel for it...if they were to give those sorts of awards away. I am pretty sure that if I were to win a Nobel tomorrow Enslee would probably smile during my award acception and everyone would turn to take her picture and I would not have any photographic evidence of my honor ever. But it all is with plausible reason. She is the cutest month-and-a-half old baby girl I have ever seen, and I do find my heart melting in acknowledgment that she is smiling because I made her smile. Babies have secret powers and if someone were to acquire these powers the whole world would throw itself at their feet. Enslee is more of a source of pride than I ever would have imagined and I cannot wait to share hiking and nature with her.
When I do need to get out for a little bit it usually takes some form of hiking with Maya, bouldering at the Bald/climbing gym, or indulging in lots of sweet treats with some good friends. Today it was hiking with Maya at the camp I have worked at for the past three summers. It is great to get out there in the off season when there is about 400 less people. Maya and I made up the population in camp today, and she was a great companion to have with me. Walking around with her knowing that we were the only two brought back the same rush of camp in a completely different setting. It placed me in thought; the same thoughts I eased into while star gazing at the lower lake dock or writing underneath the dining hall porch as people played music above me. The trees are bare now but it opens up the forests and revealed bits of camp that I had never noticed before. The lakes were almost entirely frozen but it didn't stop Maya from wading in them. Camp had a completely new and more placid pace that I love as much as the race to formulate last minute nature lesson plans that never proceeded as planned.
John Muir is infamous for attesting the healing powers of nature for the soul, mind and physical body. There is every bit of truth in his words. It is a place of solitude and tranquility. It is calm but busy with the activities of birds to bugs. Nature is forever creating, destroying, and restoring. That is what these woods have explained to me. And this is why I love coming home. I love coming back to the place where I learned to respect nature and to enjoy living out a simple series of moments. I can make each experience what I choose to; quiet, adventurous, crazy, challenging, relaxed. Each one is always fun and from each one I always take something away from it (experience-wise though, not physically. I wouldn't be a good witness for Leave No Trace if I took sticks and rocks with me everytime!)
Hmm, I didn't really write much about the holidays. I will save that for when Christmas and New Year's are more in sight. We will actually be in Hendersonville this year so I am sure I will have lots to say...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Birder's Nerd Fest
You can laugh and make fun of me. This is simply me geeking out about the vast mixture of bird species that hang out in my backyard in Hendersonville. And I have lots of spare time while I am home for winter break. My mom has built up a bird sanctuary for her to spy on the various mated pairs from the kitchen and back porch. Unfortunately, it has also become a squirrel sanctuary, and although the white squirrel is a big captivating experience for tourists in this area, they are constantly seen as a nuisance flipping their tail all the way up the bird feeders. So I have compiled some personal experiences and what I've noticed to facts on Nat Geo or other bird sites. Not very extensive research but good to come back to.
Bluejay- Cyanocitta cristata : These guys are bullies. They are big birds, but generally pretty smart. At the zoo where I "interned" ('was enslaved to' would probably be synonymous here) there were two Black-throated Magpie-jays (related to bluejays) that were incredibly intelligent birds; playful too. Anyway, bluejays supposedly do not receive their color from pigments like most songbirds do (there is a neat article somewhere on BBC about how the chemicals for pigmentation in songbirds are making them 'weaker' but 'more attractive'). Instead, their blue color is derived from the internal structure of their feathers and an interaction with light. This is supposed, I need to find something to back this up.
Edit: found the website on BBC due to Melise's inspiration for me to search for it. It's here. Enjoy! Also, here is a site for bluejay feathers and other facts.
Chickadee, Black-Capped- Poecile atricapillus: These guys are incredibly social and widespread. Everybody has seen and heard this species of chickadee, not to mention they are pretty darn cute too. They make a raspy chicka-dee-dee-dee that is lower pitched and slightly slower than a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), which we also have. They are all over the place in the winter, and their contrast with the snow is beautiful!
Northern Cardinal- Cardinalis cardinalis
Wren, Carolina- Thryothorus ludovicianus
Titmouse, Tufted- Baeolophus bicolor
Catbird- Dumetella carolinensis: These guys are related to mockingbirds and thrashers. They repeat songs of other birds and even frogs and will sing them for up to 10 or so minutes but do not repeat the notes as many times as a mockingbird does. The catbird's own call is exactly what the name would suggest-it sounds like a raspy "mew" from a cat; except for bird-like. They're primarily grey but have a black cap on their heads and black tails. Diet consists of mainly insects and any available fruits/berries. Interesting fact, catbirds will eat poison ivy. "Dumetella" (their genus) means "small thicket" which is where they are usually found.
White-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta carolinensis
American Robin- Turdus migratorius: I don't know why there are so many robins that come around the feeders. They eat insects, not seeds. They do always tend to hang out on the ground instead of actually taking seeds from the feeders so maybe it is simply a good spot to find some grub. In the winter they become much more gregarious. According to Nat Geo they group at night up to almost 250,000 robins at one time. Crazy! Females tend to have a more orange breast and males red but they tend to look very similar.
Towhee, Rufous-sided (Eastern)- Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Great Horned Owl- Bubo virginianus : I love owls. Simple as that. If I could be transformed into an animal it would probaby be a Snowy Owl or Eurasian Eagle Owl. These guys weigh about 3-4 pounds. We have one in the woods outside of our house someplace and I want to go searching for it soon. The first time I held the Great Horned Owl that SFL rehabilitated it was so powerful. Their talons are tremendously sharp and backed up by an even stronger grip (about 30 lbs of force). Through my glove R2 had left me with a bruise from digging his beak into my wrist. To compare their eyes (which can't move) if you kept the same ratio and placed them in our skulls they would be about the size of tennis balls! Extra vertebrae in their spine help them to turn their heads between 180 and 270 degrees in each direction. And the tufts of feathers on their tibia and tarsus allow them to be silent predators. Several other birds will sometimes run an owl out of an area before it has a chance to prey on them. Nothing like "Big Mama" from Fox and the Hound!
Woodpecker, Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus)- We had one a long time ago, they are amazing to see so close up. When you see this bird think of Woody the Woodpecker from the old cartoon. Their call is similar to a loud, really obnoxious laugh. They can be easily spotted by the red crest superiorly on their head.
Woodpecker, Red-Bellied(Melanerpus carolinus)
Yellow-Shafted (Northern) Flicker- Colaptes auratus: A type of woodpecker. This bird got me into wildlife rehabilitation my senior year of high school when I found an injured one in our backyard. Dad and I took it to someone in Brevard but it had died by the time we made it there. From there I eventually gained contacts to Falling Creek where my interest in birds (primarily raptors) increased. Flickers mainly eat insects but uncharacteristically form woodpeckers they don't always get their food from pecking holes in trees. They eat lots of ants and are known to use acid in ants to rub on their feathers (anting).
Eastern Phoebe- Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Wood Pewee- Contopus virens : Probably one of the cutest birds. I saw one over the summer perching on a low branch. It startled me because it was so close to my head. But as I marveled at its beautiful gray-olive plumage it entertained me with a couple of soft, quick "pee-wee's" before it flew off. It was in no way similar to the call usually heard, which is high-pitched and loud. It is hard for me to identify this bird (honestly, almost all birds) because it looks so similar to other pewees, phoebes, and flycatchers.
Bluejay- Cyanocitta cristata : These guys are bullies. They are big birds, but generally pretty smart. At the zoo where I "interned" ('was enslaved to' would probably be synonymous here) there were two Black-throated Magpie-jays (related to bluejays) that were incredibly intelligent birds; playful too. Anyway, bluejays supposedly do not receive their color from pigments like most songbirds do (there is a neat article somewhere on BBC about how the chemicals for pigmentation in songbirds are making them 'weaker' but 'more attractive'). Instead, their blue color is derived from the internal structure of their feathers and an interaction with light. This is supposed, I need to find something to back this up.
Edit: found the website on BBC due to Melise's inspiration for me to search for it. It's here. Enjoy! Also, here is a site for bluejay feathers and other facts.
Chickadee, Black-Capped- Poecile atricapillus: These guys are incredibly social and widespread. Everybody has seen and heard this species of chickadee, not to mention they are pretty darn cute too. They make a raspy chicka-dee-dee-dee that is lower pitched and slightly slower than a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), which we also have. They are all over the place in the winter, and their contrast with the snow is beautiful!
Northern Cardinal- Cardinalis cardinalis
Wren, Carolina- Thryothorus ludovicianus
Titmouse, Tufted- Baeolophus bicolor
Catbird- Dumetella carolinensis: These guys are related to mockingbirds and thrashers. They repeat songs of other birds and even frogs and will sing them for up to 10 or so minutes but do not repeat the notes as many times as a mockingbird does. The catbird's own call is exactly what the name would suggest-it sounds like a raspy "mew" from a cat; except for bird-like. They're primarily grey but have a black cap on their heads and black tails. Diet consists of mainly insects and any available fruits/berries. Interesting fact, catbirds will eat poison ivy. "Dumetella" (their genus) means "small thicket" which is where they are usually found.
White-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta carolinensis
American Robin- Turdus migratorius: I don't know why there are so many robins that come around the feeders. They eat insects, not seeds. They do always tend to hang out on the ground instead of actually taking seeds from the feeders so maybe it is simply a good spot to find some grub. In the winter they become much more gregarious. According to Nat Geo they group at night up to almost 250,000 robins at one time. Crazy! Females tend to have a more orange breast and males red but they tend to look very similar.
Towhee, Rufous-sided (Eastern)- Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Great Horned Owl- Bubo virginianus : I love owls. Simple as that. If I could be transformed into an animal it would probaby be a Snowy Owl or Eurasian Eagle Owl. These guys weigh about 3-4 pounds. We have one in the woods outside of our house someplace and I want to go searching for it soon. The first time I held the Great Horned Owl that SFL rehabilitated it was so powerful. Their talons are tremendously sharp and backed up by an even stronger grip (about 30 lbs of force). Through my glove R2 had left me with a bruise from digging his beak into my wrist. To compare their eyes (which can't move) if you kept the same ratio and placed them in our skulls they would be about the size of tennis balls! Extra vertebrae in their spine help them to turn their heads between 180 and 270 degrees in each direction. And the tufts of feathers on their tibia and tarsus allow them to be silent predators. Several other birds will sometimes run an owl out of an area before it has a chance to prey on them. Nothing like "Big Mama" from Fox and the Hound!
Woodpecker, Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus)- We had one a long time ago, they are amazing to see so close up. When you see this bird think of Woody the Woodpecker from the old cartoon. Their call is similar to a loud, really obnoxious laugh. They can be easily spotted by the red crest superiorly on their head.
Woodpecker, Red-Bellied(Melanerpus carolinus)
Yellow-Shafted (Northern) Flicker- Colaptes auratus: A type of woodpecker. This bird got me into wildlife rehabilitation my senior year of high school when I found an injured one in our backyard. Dad and I took it to someone in Brevard but it had died by the time we made it there. From there I eventually gained contacts to Falling Creek where my interest in birds (primarily raptors) increased. Flickers mainly eat insects but uncharacteristically form woodpeckers they don't always get their food from pecking holes in trees. They eat lots of ants and are known to use acid in ants to rub on their feathers (anting).
Eastern Phoebe- Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Wood Pewee- Contopus virens : Probably one of the cutest birds. I saw one over the summer perching on a low branch. It startled me because it was so close to my head. But as I marveled at its beautiful gray-olive plumage it entertained me with a couple of soft, quick "pee-wee's" before it flew off. It was in no way similar to the call usually heard, which is high-pitched and loud. It is hard for me to identify this bird (honestly, almost all birds) because it looks so similar to other pewees, phoebes, and flycatchers.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
"Texts from last night." Not quite. But almost.
Last night consisted of a series of study fails. In this post you will have the pleasure to read about these failed attempts and also gain helpful study tips for long exam nights.
I arrived at the library about noon after battling gusts and flying shards of ice crystals to the face. Uppon arrival to the 3rd floor of the libary I realized that I had left my phone at the apartment, and was suppose to meet a friend to work on an online test together at 2 or 3. It sounds like cheating, but I assure it was only borderline and actually not cheating. Found him. Did the test. Got a 91. Class=ace! Sounds like a good beginning for getting things done, right? Wrong. At this point I still had an online Spanish exam and 2 other exams(History and Cartogprahy) to study for for the next day.
Remember-no phone.
One of my best friends from high school and his girlfriend were planning on visiting yesterday, even though Boone just received 2(+) feet of snow in the last four days along with gusts up to 50 mph. They also planned to stay at our place, arriving at 5:15, me with no phone, and Caroline stuck on campus someplace because I drove her here and her only contact with me was via Facebook. The universe created Facebook for a reason.
Aaron picked her up, and I took the opportunity to begin my Spanish exam. I have been doing pretty well in Spanish and so I didn't expect my online 2.5 hour exam would take too much time to do, and I could move right along happily with my evening. It had only been taking me about 45 minutes to finish my other tests in the class.This test in particular took me 2 hours to complete and it felt as if every single bit of Spanish I have learned since freshman year of high school left my body at that very moment to go have a coffee break. She even gave us a picture of a spanish dish and asked us to name it and tell where it is served. I had never seen the dish before though it looked a lot like jumbalaya. All-in-all, I found out today that I did better than I thought and still have an A in the class. Ace #2!
But after that catastrophe it was back to studying. I kicked off with Tip #1:
After this I proceeded to complain about life and grab coffee with Melise who was working on her paper at the computers on the same floor, the Silent Study floor, of the library. She asked the cashier at the Wise Scholar to pop her bag of popcorn for her, which ended up burned. He apologized. Melise apologized. Even though it was her dinner they have just converted into charcoal. But another girl working there insisted on giving Melise two free croissants to make up for it. Sometimes random acts of kindness like that can lift up an entire day. We made it to the 2nd floor and sat to talk while we stuffed our faces with chocolatey croissant-goodness. Melise and I were doing a pretty good job of annoying people studying around us on our own but the universe knew we could always use extra help and he sent Caroline, Aaron, and Annika through the library doors! It was wonderful procrastination to see them and catch up with Aaron whom I have not talked to in a very long time.
After a little bit of Christmas singing with Sha and the La-Las (you've probably heard of them. They're pretty big here in Boone) they left, Melise and I went back upstairs and resumed studying. I put in a solid 10 minutes of looking up informative details about the Separatist Movement in Sinkiang, China before Mike Fisher walked through the doors to guide my attention elsewhere. After half an hour I updated with Tip #2:
Watch "greatest freakout ever" videos on YouTube (preferably with a friend who also needs a mental breather). You will find in these videos that you do not want to end up like what that kid will be in 12 years and will be inspired to study harder for your exams.
If you have not seen these videos, you must. NOW! And while you do pray that you will not conceive a child that is as hot tempered and messed up as that kid. Seriously, who burns a Christmas Tree!?
I think it was at this point that Tip #1 started to take an effect and I left for a quick pee break. I noted Melise sitting with her back towards me at the computers and I instantly began to plan my attack. *Please keep in mind, I don't think I am a funny person, these are just accounts of Melise and I going crazy in the library. I do, however, have the potential to be a pretty dang good ninja minus one little detail.* So I started to sneak up on her but over years of soccer the synovial fluid in my joints has deteriorated and my ankles and wrists now pop whenever I walk/crawl. The only way I could keep them from making noise was to walk sideways (think 'crab') with a sneaky expression on my face because sneaky expressions help you to be even more sneaky. The following is a loosely interpreted yet exact account from Melise: "I saw a shadow in my computer but instead of turning around like normal people would do I looked closer into the screen to see if I could tell what it was." She then realized and turned around making a loud, "BO-UGH!" noise in the middle of the Silent Study floor and tears began to flow down our cheeks as we laughed at how funny we are (I promise we are not really that conceited) while simultaneously being the most annoying students on the floor.
Reluctantly I had to continue studying. It was almost 9 o'clock and I had completed about 23% (studies actually done) of what I had wanted to by that time. But alas, History was calling my name and I had important key terms to look up and I was almost 100% sure that Dr. Isaenko had made them up. I thought this because he literally said one day in class and I wrote it down in my notebook, "This is my term. Nobody else uses this," and used it in his published textbook. On a tangent, he also told us with his Russian accent, "My book is complicated. It is none of this, 'Mary has a goat' nonsense that they teach in American high schools." That is a snippet of my Tuesday/Thursday semester with a Russian professor from the Caucusus region who believes Russia is God's gift to earth, has been an advisor to several authorities within Russia, parts of Central Asia, and Duke while also being a national soccer star. Anywho, I began using Wikipedia to look up Islamic and other foreign terms from Central Asia ideologies, which then lead me to other America-bashing websites such as the "Official Hizb ut-Tahrir Webpage." I "favorited" the website and am almost certain that I have been red-flagged by the American government, which leads me to Tip #3:
Read about how other organizations hate the United States. An example includes the website for Hizb ut-Tahrir. Or go to certain articles on aljazeera.net; in doing so you will be motivated to not be so ignorant and act as a "typical, ignorant American" and will therefore study more.
Soon after Melise saved me with doughnuts she found from a random, giant box located at the main entrance of the library. It was getting close to 11 or 11:30 and I noticed the security guards making rounds throughout the floors. We decided to take a study break to retrieve more delicious doughnuts but when Melise looked over at the box the security guards were achieving every stereotype possible by sitting next to the box of doughnuts like they were all theirs! We weren't even sure they were for free of for us to even have, but who would tempt college students like that? Melise, embarassed for some reason, told me to look away but of course I just stared at them and laughed.
We were becoming giddy as if knowledge had been transformed into some form of laughing gas and had been inhaling it for hours. Irritability from other students towards us transcended now to every floor except the base floor.
So we turned away, no doughnuts in our hands or our bellies. I returned to my spot on the 3rd floor and updated with Tip #4:
Begin avoiding the security guards as they go around checking for IDs to make them think you are homeless and just putting up the facade of a student studying for exams so you don't have to go outside and sleep in the cold. When doing this, make sure to connect awkward eye contact so they know you are avoiding them.
Melise promptly added an additional and appropriate tip: "Steal as many donuts from sketchy bin as possible and leave total pocket change (about 17 cents) on table as compensation. When going for another round and aforementioned policemen are hovering over the donuts, laugh obviously while other friend stares and makes some quite obvious assumptions."
I want to take this time to mention to always leave pocket change where felt necessary, and leave before anyone has a chance to count it. If you need to question if the desired object in front of you is free or not, then it probably is not or is "free" with some sort of catch attached.
I was laughing at Melise's tip when I noticed the time: midnight. And at that very moment a security guard popped out of the elevator and I could see him through the windows checking IDs. I grabbed mine, just in case. I made sure to connect awkward eye contact with him as I circled to the other side of the windows (they make a big cylinder of windows so you can see what everybody is doing all the time, even on other floors) and got a drink of water from the fountain. I looked back as he had approached the seat I left and I again made eye contact as I disappeared (like a ninja) into the bookstacks. I found Melise, who was more than willing to join me. I didn't even have to ask. Just one example of why she is so freaking awesome. We waited for the security guard to head over to the computers and dipped into the stacks again, successfully dodging him while yet again making sketchy eye contact. Remember, if you have a sneaky expression on your face, it just makes you even more sneaky! And this, in return, makes you more ninja-like (but not without years of experience like I have).
He eventually found us, or really we allowed him to find us. Melise was convincingly holding the book "How to Speak Yiddish" and speaking as if she was seriously contemplating checking it out. He asked for her ID and as she lead him away to her computer I considered running away again. But I hesitated too long and he captured me in eye contact that indicated our game was over.
Before the night was over, I went to the bathroom again and attempted to sneak up on Melise a second time. This time I would not allow my shadow in the computer to give me away so I began crawling on the library floor. My cracking wrists gave me away though and she turned around with another loud, shocked "BOH!?" in the middle of the Silent Study floor.
Excellence achieved.
We eventually left the library at 1:30 AM to come home to several beloved friends in our apartment and we began to consume handfuls of cookie dough. Tip #5:
Tip #5: To handle the stresses of exam week, consume an equivalent of your body weight in chocolate-chip cookie dough within 48 hours.
Tip #6: Listen to your "Favorited" songs on Grooveshark while eating the aforementioned cookie dough.
From this I learned: I could "all encompassingly" be a ninja if it wasn't for my cracking joints. That is the ONLY thing holding me back...
I also just realized how the name of my blog is "Shaping Motivation" and majority of this post consists of procrastination techniques than actual study skills. Oops.
I arrived at the library about noon after battling gusts and flying shards of ice crystals to the face. Uppon arrival to the 3rd floor of the libary I realized that I had left my phone at the apartment, and was suppose to meet a friend to work on an online test together at 2 or 3. It sounds like cheating, but I assure it was only borderline and actually not cheating. Found him. Did the test. Got a 91. Class=ace! Sounds like a good beginning for getting things done, right? Wrong. At this point I still had an online Spanish exam and 2 other exams(History and Cartogprahy) to study for for the next day.
Remember-no phone.
One of my best friends from high school and his girlfriend were planning on visiting yesterday, even though Boone just received 2(+) feet of snow in the last four days along with gusts up to 50 mph. They also planned to stay at our place, arriving at 5:15, me with no phone, and Caroline stuck on campus someplace because I drove her here and her only contact with me was via Facebook. The universe created Facebook for a reason.
Aaron picked her up, and I took the opportunity to begin my Spanish exam. I have been doing pretty well in Spanish and so I didn't expect my online 2.5 hour exam would take too much time to do, and I could move right along happily with my evening. It had only been taking me about 45 minutes to finish my other tests in the class.This test in particular took me 2 hours to complete and it felt as if every single bit of Spanish I have learned since freshman year of high school left my body at that very moment to go have a coffee break. She even gave us a picture of a spanish dish and asked us to name it and tell where it is served. I had never seen the dish before though it looked a lot like jumbalaya. All-in-all, I found out today that I did better than I thought and still have an A in the class. Ace #2!
But after that catastrophe it was back to studying. I kicked off with Tip #1:
Exam all-nighter TIP #1: Drink lots of water in order to ensue several pee breaks. It also helps if you only fill your water bottle up halfway so you also have to re-fill more frequently.
Other friends commented that other liquids may help. These include the following: coffee, hot tea, or alcohol. But I don't recommend alcohol. Alcohol may only increase apathy towards the test taking.After this I proceeded to complain about life and grab coffee with Melise who was working on her paper at the computers on the same floor, the Silent Study floor, of the library. She asked the cashier at the Wise Scholar to pop her bag of popcorn for her, which ended up burned. He apologized. Melise apologized. Even though it was her dinner they have just converted into charcoal. But another girl working there insisted on giving Melise two free croissants to make up for it. Sometimes random acts of kindness like that can lift up an entire day. We made it to the 2nd floor and sat to talk while we stuffed our faces with chocolatey croissant-goodness. Melise and I were doing a pretty good job of annoying people studying around us on our own but the universe knew we could always use extra help and he sent Caroline, Aaron, and Annika through the library doors! It was wonderful procrastination to see them and catch up with Aaron whom I have not talked to in a very long time.
After a little bit of Christmas singing with Sha and the La-Las (you've probably heard of them. They're pretty big here in Boone) they left, Melise and I went back upstairs and resumed studying. I put in a solid 10 minutes of looking up informative details about the Separatist Movement in Sinkiang, China before Mike Fisher walked through the doors to guide my attention elsewhere. After half an hour I updated with Tip #2:
Watch "greatest freakout ever" videos on YouTube (preferably with a friend who also needs a mental breather). You will find in these videos that you do not want to end up like what that kid will be in 12 years and will be inspired to study harder for your exams.
If you have not seen these videos, you must. NOW! And while you do pray that you will not conceive a child that is as hot tempered and messed up as that kid. Seriously, who burns a Christmas Tree!?
I think it was at this point that Tip #1 started to take an effect and I left for a quick pee break. I noted Melise sitting with her back towards me at the computers and I instantly began to plan my attack. *Please keep in mind, I don't think I am a funny person, these are just accounts of Melise and I going crazy in the library. I do, however, have the potential to be a pretty dang good ninja minus one little detail.* So I started to sneak up on her but over years of soccer the synovial fluid in my joints has deteriorated and my ankles and wrists now pop whenever I walk/crawl. The only way I could keep them from making noise was to walk sideways (think 'crab') with a sneaky expression on my face because sneaky expressions help you to be even more sneaky. The following is a loosely interpreted yet exact account from Melise: "I saw a shadow in my computer but instead of turning around like normal people would do I looked closer into the screen to see if I could tell what it was." She then realized and turned around making a loud, "BO-UGH!" noise in the middle of the Silent Study floor and tears began to flow down our cheeks as we laughed at how funny we are (I promise we are not really that conceited) while simultaneously being the most annoying students on the floor.
Reluctantly I had to continue studying. It was almost 9 o'clock and I had completed about 23% (studies actually done) of what I had wanted to by that time. But alas, History was calling my name and I had important key terms to look up and I was almost 100% sure that Dr. Isaenko had made them up. I thought this because he literally said one day in class and I wrote it down in my notebook, "This is my term. Nobody else uses this," and used it in his published textbook. On a tangent, he also told us with his Russian accent, "My book is complicated. It is none of this, 'Mary has a goat' nonsense that they teach in American high schools." That is a snippet of my Tuesday/Thursday semester with a Russian professor from the Caucusus region who believes Russia is God's gift to earth, has been an advisor to several authorities within Russia, parts of Central Asia, and Duke while also being a national soccer star. Anywho, I began using Wikipedia to look up Islamic and other foreign terms from Central Asia ideologies, which then lead me to other America-bashing websites such as the "Official Hizb ut-Tahrir Webpage." I "favorited" the website and am almost certain that I have been red-flagged by the American government, which leads me to Tip #3:
Read about how other organizations hate the United States. An example includes the website for Hizb ut-Tahrir. Or go to certain articles on aljazeera.net; in doing so you will be motivated to not be so ignorant and act as a "typical, ignorant American" and will therefore study more.
Soon after Melise saved me with doughnuts she found from a random, giant box located at the main entrance of the library. It was getting close to 11 or 11:30 and I noticed the security guards making rounds throughout the floors. We decided to take a study break to retrieve more delicious doughnuts but when Melise looked over at the box the security guards were achieving every stereotype possible by sitting next to the box of doughnuts like they were all theirs! We weren't even sure they were for free of for us to even have, but who would tempt college students like that? Melise, embarassed for some reason, told me to look away but of course I just stared at them and laughed.
We were becoming giddy as if knowledge had been transformed into some form of laughing gas and had been inhaling it for hours. Irritability from other students towards us transcended now to every floor except the base floor.
So we turned away, no doughnuts in our hands or our bellies. I returned to my spot on the 3rd floor and updated with Tip #4:
Begin avoiding the security guards as they go around checking for IDs to make them think you are homeless and just putting up the facade of a student studying for exams so you don't have to go outside and sleep in the cold. When doing this, make sure to connect awkward eye contact so they know you are avoiding them.
Melise promptly added an additional and appropriate tip: "Steal as many donuts from sketchy bin as possible and leave total pocket change (about 17 cents) on table as compensation. When going for another round and aforementioned policemen are hovering over the donuts, laugh obviously while other friend stares and makes some quite obvious assumptions."
I want to take this time to mention to always leave pocket change where felt necessary, and leave before anyone has a chance to count it. If you need to question if the desired object in front of you is free or not, then it probably is not or is "free" with some sort of catch attached.
I was laughing at Melise's tip when I noticed the time: midnight. And at that very moment a security guard popped out of the elevator and I could see him through the windows checking IDs. I grabbed mine, just in case. I made sure to connect awkward eye contact with him as I circled to the other side of the windows (they make a big cylinder of windows so you can see what everybody is doing all the time, even on other floors) and got a drink of water from the fountain. I looked back as he had approached the seat I left and I again made eye contact as I disappeared (like a ninja) into the bookstacks. I found Melise, who was more than willing to join me. I didn't even have to ask. Just one example of why she is so freaking awesome. We waited for the security guard to head over to the computers and dipped into the stacks again, successfully dodging him while yet again making sketchy eye contact. Remember, if you have a sneaky expression on your face, it just makes you even more sneaky! And this, in return, makes you more ninja-like (but not without years of experience like I have).
He eventually found us, or really we allowed him to find us. Melise was convincingly holding the book "How to Speak Yiddish" and speaking as if she was seriously contemplating checking it out. He asked for her ID and as she lead him away to her computer I considered running away again. But I hesitated too long and he captured me in eye contact that indicated our game was over.
Before the night was over, I went to the bathroom again and attempted to sneak up on Melise a second time. This time I would not allow my shadow in the computer to give me away so I began crawling on the library floor. My cracking wrists gave me away though and she turned around with another loud, shocked "BOH!?" in the middle of the Silent Study floor.
Excellence achieved.
We eventually left the library at 1:30 AM to come home to several beloved friends in our apartment and we began to consume handfuls of cookie dough. Tip #5:
Tip #5: To handle the stresses of exam week, consume an equivalent of your body weight in chocolate-chip cookie dough within 48 hours.
Tip #6: Listen to your "Favorited" songs on Grooveshark while eating the aforementioned cookie dough.
From this I learned: I could "all encompassingly" be a ninja if it wasn't for my cracking joints. That is the ONLY thing holding me back...
I also just realized how the name of my blog is "Shaping Motivation" and majority of this post consists of procrastination techniques than actual study skills. Oops.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Why Thailand?
I came home for a little bit to defrost my toes that have been cramped in my wet boots for the past couple of hours. It's a frigid 15 degrees here in Boone according to Ray's Weather . I briefly saw the sun for the first time in a few days earlier this morning, and I am constantly reminding myself that this absence of sunshine is not ubiquitous. However here this collection of some 15 inches of snow is not atypical weather and everyday I think about orographic lifting, low pressure systems, polar westerlies, and the Bergeron Process. I think the sun is suppose to shine again by tomorrow.
In weather like this I like to daydream about Thailand. I was hoping that by this time next year I would have my plane ticket, my shots taken, and gathering supplies to leave in March. Instead I find myself delayed a couple months more because of school. Whenever Thailand is mentioned as my hopeful destination post-graduation and pre-graduate school, a lot of people ask, "Why Thailand?" Sometimes it is simply out of curiousity. Then other times their complete bewilderment causes their eyebrows to furrow and I receive this tone in their voices that expresses that they may as well have said,"Seriously? Thailand? Of all the places that people usually go to like Mexico you couldn't find one of those places and instead chose that tiny country? Thailand...Is that close to China?" And most of the time the only thing they know about Thailand is that they've been to a Thai restaurant before or at least know about one and they serve lots of noodles and rice. It's okay to be ignorant but when it comes to my dream, don't be crude.
So...then why Thailand?
For the longest time it was central, western Africa that I daydreamed about conservation and humanitarian work. And hopefully someday, it still will be. And if it wasn't Africa then it was Brazil or Ecuador. Really Thailand was 3rd on my list of destinations, having heard Wes talk about it since I was 8 years old while I hung out at the plant nursery during all of my summer free time as a kid. A couple of years ago Thailand was bumped up to 2nd, then tied with 1st, and now in the lead. Like, I mentioned a lot of my passion for the place is through Wes' stories from when he served in the Peace Corp and his 3-month (Dec-March) returns every year during the winter. If you remember, I said that by this time next year I had hoped to be anxiously awaiting to leave in March. Our plan was that after I graduated, I could look after the nursery for Wes, maybe meet him in Thailand for a couple of weeks, then he would head back to the nursery while I stayed there to volunteer with an organization that is currently undetermined.
I've seen his pictures, heard stories, learned some Thai, worked with a man from Thailand, listen to cd's and tapes Wes has recorded for me, wear Thai fisherman pants (tourists' version though), learned to make curry. It already seems like a piece of me and much of their culture/ideaologies coincide with several of my personal beliefs. Like several places, there is a lot of corruption in Thailand; primarily in Bangkok. But in more rural regions their religious foundations teach them not to harm a single thing, and to understand the interconnectedness and complexities of the earth surrounding them. And I hear climbing in Thailand is phenomenal!
Really, I just want to do a piece of this world some good. R.W. Emerson wrote, "to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!" I know this can be accomplished here but I hope that I take the opportunities I have already to make life easier or better even for one person. And trust me, I could do so much more for the people in my life and those who are not. But I choose Thailand. To let another place embed itself into my life and service. To go somewhere else and not say, "Let me help the way I know how," but to ask,"What can I do to make this world a better place for you?" Even if it means learning a whole new set of skills.
Here is some info about Thailand:
Government: for several years, lead by military but most recent years is democratic and civilian lead; Thailand is a constitutional monarchy
King Bhumibol: assumed the throne in 1946 and is the world's longest-reigning monarch
Main Religion: Buddhism
Capital: Bangkok
Monetary unit: 1 baht= 100 satangs
All of this is off of the BBC website in the country profile section. Holy blogging, Batman, this is a super long post! Sorry for that, if you are reading this far down I want to give a sincere thanks for puttin up with my ranting.
In weather like this I like to daydream about Thailand. I was hoping that by this time next year I would have my plane ticket, my shots taken, and gathering supplies to leave in March. Instead I find myself delayed a couple months more because of school. Whenever Thailand is mentioned as my hopeful destination post-graduation and pre-graduate school, a lot of people ask, "Why Thailand?" Sometimes it is simply out of curiousity. Then other times their complete bewilderment causes their eyebrows to furrow and I receive this tone in their voices that expresses that they may as well have said,"Seriously? Thailand? Of all the places that people usually go to like Mexico you couldn't find one of those places and instead chose that tiny country? Thailand...Is that close to China?" And most of the time the only thing they know about Thailand is that they've been to a Thai restaurant before or at least know about one and they serve lots of noodles and rice. It's okay to be ignorant but when it comes to my dream, don't be crude.
So...then why Thailand?
For the longest time it was central, western Africa that I daydreamed about conservation and humanitarian work. And hopefully someday, it still will be. And if it wasn't Africa then it was Brazil or Ecuador. Really Thailand was 3rd on my list of destinations, having heard Wes talk about it since I was 8 years old while I hung out at the plant nursery during all of my summer free time as a kid. A couple of years ago Thailand was bumped up to 2nd, then tied with 1st, and now in the lead. Like, I mentioned a lot of my passion for the place is through Wes' stories from when he served in the Peace Corp and his 3-month (Dec-March) returns every year during the winter. If you remember, I said that by this time next year I had hoped to be anxiously awaiting to leave in March. Our plan was that after I graduated, I could look after the nursery for Wes, maybe meet him in Thailand for a couple of weeks, then he would head back to the nursery while I stayed there to volunteer with an organization that is currently undetermined.
I've seen his pictures, heard stories, learned some Thai, worked with a man from Thailand, listen to cd's and tapes Wes has recorded for me, wear Thai fisherman pants (tourists' version though), learned to make curry. It already seems like a piece of me and much of their culture/ideaologies coincide with several of my personal beliefs. Like several places, there is a lot of corruption in Thailand; primarily in Bangkok. But in more rural regions their religious foundations teach them not to harm a single thing, and to understand the interconnectedness and complexities of the earth surrounding them. And I hear climbing in Thailand is phenomenal!
Really, I just want to do a piece of this world some good. R.W. Emerson wrote, "to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!" I know this can be accomplished here but I hope that I take the opportunities I have already to make life easier or better even for one person. And trust me, I could do so much more for the people in my life and those who are not. But I choose Thailand. To let another place embed itself into my life and service. To go somewhere else and not say, "Let me help the way I know how," but to ask,"What can I do to make this world a better place for you?" Even if it means learning a whole new set of skills.
Here is some info about Thailand:
Government: for several years, lead by military but most recent years is democratic and civilian lead; Thailand is a constitutional monarchy
King Bhumibol: assumed the throne in 1946 and is the world's longest-reigning monarch
Main Religion: Buddhism
Capital: Bangkok
Monetary unit: 1 baht= 100 satangs
All of this is off of the BBC website in the country profile section. Holy blogging, Batman, this is a super long post! Sorry for that, if you are reading this far down I want to give a sincere thanks for puttin up with my ranting.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
After extensive research it is proven what I was in my past life
You know how people sometimes say, "I think I was probably a (insert desired past life here) in my past life," and it is always something like a king, or a wizard, or a firefly. And then you respond to them, "Why would you ever presume you were an Egyptian prince?" They say along the lines of, "Because I just know," without providing any logical or scientific proof whatsoever.
Since I have started climbing more I have acquired an inkling that whatever I was in my past life has really left me hanging in the Arm Length Department. To jump ahead, here is a picture of my conclusion ----it's right over there------> It's a Deinonychus, similar to a velociraptor, but please don't get them confused.
I am not very tall as is but I feel holds that should easily be within my reach are considerably harder to get to. Well last night I discovered proof that I was not just making up blind hypotheses to excuse inability to stretch out to holds that really aren't far apart at all. I was at a party talking with a few other climbers about arm spans and one of them had the idea of how we could tell our Ape Index using a wall. You touch your finger tips of one hand to the floor against the wall and stretch out up the wall to the extent of your span and then compare it to your height. Most of them were +1, Daniel was even +2 or 3 inches. Mine...-1 or 2 inches. Lame. So the only logical explanation is obviously that I was some sort of dinosaur with little arms in my past life. Who has ever seen a dinosaur climb rock faces before? I just had to figure out which one. Here were my options:
The second one is a Deinonychus as well, just a much better picture of one. The Muttaburrasaurus was in for a fairly close run but I don't think that if I were actually a dinosaur that I would have been an herbivore. I crave meet almost four times a day.
So now I just blame the universe for my shortcomings in inches and accept the challenge to just get stronger so I can pull harder on the climbing wall and make more dynamic moves of excellence in order to reach holds that sit mockingly out of reach.
Since I have started climbing more I have acquired an inkling that whatever I was in my past life has really left me hanging in the Arm Length Department. To jump ahead, here is a picture of my conclusion ----it's right over there------> It's a Deinonychus, similar to a velociraptor, but please don't get them confused.
I am not very tall as is but I feel holds that should easily be within my reach are considerably harder to get to. Well last night I discovered proof that I was not just making up blind hypotheses to excuse inability to stretch out to holds that really aren't far apart at all. I was at a party talking with a few other climbers about arm spans and one of them had the idea of how we could tell our Ape Index using a wall. You touch your finger tips of one hand to the floor against the wall and stretch out up the wall to the extent of your span and then compare it to your height. Most of them were +1, Daniel was even +2 or 3 inches. Mine...-1 or 2 inches. Lame. So the only logical explanation is obviously that I was some sort of dinosaur with little arms in my past life. Who has ever seen a dinosaur climb rock faces before? I just had to figure out which one. Here were my options:
The second one is a Deinonychus as well, just a much better picture of one. The Muttaburrasaurus was in for a fairly close run but I don't think that if I were actually a dinosaur that I would have been an herbivore. I crave meet almost four times a day.
So now I just blame the universe for my shortcomings in inches and accept the challenge to just get stronger so I can pull harder on the climbing wall and make more dynamic moves of excellence in order to reach holds that sit mockingly out of reach.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Dalai Lama: Coolest Guy I Wish I Knew
My other half/ roommate/ climbing partner/ ASB co-leader/ co-nature enthusiast/coolest girl that I do actually know sent me an article from elephantjournal.com (GREATEST ARTICLE IN THIS GALAXY <--This is the article if you would like to read it. Basically the greatest article you might ever read) about what the 14th Dalai Lama had answered to an interviewer when asked what the first thing that he thinks of when he wakes up in the morning. His response: Shaping motivation. Also an amateur comedian, the Dalai Lama said that shaping his motivation on a daily basis allows him to extend love to everyone, even the Chinese. He has also been cited on a separate occasion saying that having more Monks is the solution to the world's overpopulation. The previous sentences are what makes the Dalai Lama the coolest person that I wish I knew. Motivation underlies every action in our lives. It is like the wind: you cannot see it but it is evident in the sails of a ship or the leaves in a tree. For the goals I want to achieve, for the people I strive to help, I will never maintain the work ethic and passion I need in order to make it to the places I want go. We have to remind ourselves on a daily basis what keeps pushing us through the crap and chaos we see everyday. 
Look at this man, how can you not love him? He represents a country that he cannot even live in but he pretty much just said, "F you, Tibet" and continued to inspire the world. By the way, he really would not say "F U" because he is a holy man but for dramatization's sake imagine him flipping off Tibet or something while giving the most innocent and genuine smile you have ever seen. When the first Dalai Lama was exiled in 1959 he continued running the country because people freaking love him and know that this is the wisest lineage of leaders in history.
I have got a lot of getting in shape to do in order to get halfway of what he has figured out. Let's put it this way: He is the Michael Phelps of swimming and I am still 4 years old, standing on the diving board afraid to jump off on my last day of swim lessons because I do not want to drown (true story).
Time to jump in.
Look at this man, how can you not love him? He represents a country that he cannot even live in but he pretty much just said, "F you, Tibet" and continued to inspire the world. By the way, he really would not say "F U" because he is a holy man but for dramatization's sake imagine him flipping off Tibet or something while giving the most innocent and genuine smile you have ever seen. When the first Dalai Lama was exiled in 1959 he continued running the country because people freaking love him and know that this is the wisest lineage of leaders in history.
I have got a lot of getting in shape to do in order to get halfway of what he has figured out. Let's put it this way: He is the Michael Phelps of swimming and I am still 4 years old, standing on the diving board afraid to jump off on my last day of swim lessons because I do not want to drown (true story).
Time to jump in.
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