My friends' adventure in Africa

Amazing. I just finished reading my friends' Kelli and Joe's blog account of their short-lived time with the Peace Corps in South Africa. I highly recommend reading some of it, even if you don't know them - it is fantastically written, has great pictures, and an incredible story (start reading mid-December, especially). Long story short: a mere few months into their 2 year tour with the PC, they got most of their stuff stolen, had to be helicoptered off a mountain and were forced to resign. I can't say enough how much I admire the dignity, optimism, and good faith that Joe and Kelli showed during their ordeal, and continue to show. Check it out: petrickafrica.blogspot.com.

Evidentally, 7.5 miles is my limit

I wasn't intending on doing Bloomsday, but was suckered into it by a very enthusiastic Forstie family. I was generously lent (too-small) walking shoes and other clothes; I started out in the walking shoes, but switched over to my new Crocs (yah, yah, "what about 'the compact'? you say) at about mile 3 (see me in mile 7's photo). Boy, I'm sold on those suckers - saved my feet, they did. But I am a bit sore in the hip flexor area ... we'll see what happens tomorrow, especially after sitting in a car for 4 hours for the drive back to Seattle.

Sidenote: In "researching" links for to attach to this blog about Crocs, I discovered an "I hate Crocs" blog. Do people really have nothing better to do than blog (and create t-shirts for sale... oh wait... could it be that they're making money?) about a shoe fad? yikes.

Ok, maybe I should see someone about this problem

See, I think I'm a book-aholic. I can't keep from buying used books. Especially kids' and nature books. Jonathan and I and a few other folks went to the annual Seattle Library Book Sale today. If you've never been, it's held in an old hangar (picture VERY large open building) at Magnuson Park and it's crammed full of tables of books. And people. (oh the people... it's downright dangerous in there). I've been every year for the past 3 or 4, and I think this is the easiest I've gotten off - I only spent about 8 bucks! (It was half price day). And I got 11 books!

So I got this brilliant idea to catalog all my books. I'm using Google Spreadsheets (YAY Google!!!!!!) and it's fantastic - it's the ultimate compulsive organizer outlet. I do love lists. So far, I've only done the children's, nature, science, and curriculum books in the apartment (no fiction yet). I might even post the link on my blog. Because I can.

Caught my favorite "I know the guitarist/singer" band at Easy Street Records for their CD release party on Friday. Go True Bugs and Curtains for You! I'm gonna be able to say "I knew Mike" back in the day....

Business cards and offices and assistants, OH MY!

These things are now a part of my life! One large part of me is so excited to have such items of professional maturity - I've never had them all to myself before - but another is worried I'll lose touch with "on the ground" EE as I get more office-y. But for now, I'm syked. I just picked up my business cards today - 100% post-consumer recycled paper, of course - and am breathlessly awaiting giving them away to everyone. "My" office, which I share with "my" assistant, an AmeriCorps volunteer (who is awesome!) is not quite "mine" yet, but I can't wait to organize and put up my own stuff! Those environmental posters I've been hanging onto for five years? They're goin' up!!

So, my first week (training) has gone well, and I now look forward to going to work. I've met volunteers and the board (so far, so good) and been on a tour of the hatchery (lots of stuff to know). The people I'll be working with seem pretty good, and I can't wait to actually get started.

I have one more day of soul-sucking work at the school-who-must-not-be-named. I was supposed to come in next week, but CANNOT! They'll do just fine without me. (@$%&*). I'll be so glad when I'm done with that place.

In other news: Jonathan and I just passed our 5 years together mark! It's been awesome. Also, we're going to visit our good friends Schimmy and Schimmy + pups + new house and forest soon. YAY! And, we had fantastic time hanging out with former IslandWood folks and playing knee coup at the Sculpture Garden (Park, whatever). Good times.

This picture has nothing to do with anything aforementioned. I just like it. Took it at the Volunteer Park Conservatory, one of my favorite places in Seattle.

People are funny!

Especially when they are in high school.

I had the unique and high honor of accompanying seven of the high school interns that I mentor to an environmental science competition called the Envirothon a couple weeks ago. What a sight we must have been - a bunch of Asian-American kids (OK, they had a token white girl) and their white women mentors, battling it out against 14 other teams of... dare I say... hicks (which I mean in the nicest possible way). Us: (sub)urban, AP-exam taking, raucous kids. Them: Carhart-wearing, FFA-attending, rural white kids from other counties. Not that we kicked butt - we did OK, with one of our 2 teams placing 3rd overall. One reason for our poor showing in general may have been this statement during the oral presentation: "It takes 300 acres of solar panels to power one." The judge asks, "One what?" The intern's reply - in all seriousness, "One lightbulb." Good lord. Oh, the laughter. And possibly the funniest part is that when we got their scores back the other day, THAT team did way better than most other teams on the oral presentation. We suspect some end-of-day slackness in the scoring.

Love the "get to know you" emails!

Since I'm very bad at filling those emails out, I thought I'd blog one! Aren't you thrilled?
Here goes-

Two Names You Go By:

1. Miss Tiger (thanks a lot Arbor School kindergarteners.)
2. Salal

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. orange shirt silk-screened by Kelli
2. ratty slippers

Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a Relationship:
1. laughing
2. kindness

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. walk around in the woods
2. eat

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment
1. to stop stressing out
2. a new hub cap (the darn thing just couldn't hold on any longer)

Two things you did last night:
1. make and eat yummy stir fry dinner with Melinda and Michael
2. sleep

Two things you ate today:
1. blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs and coffee at the Lockspot (OK that's 4 things)
2. sesame rice cakes

Two people you Last Talked To:
1. boyfriend
2. produce seller lady at The Fruit Stand

Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. prepping for a lesson on rainforests
2. lazing about

Two longest car rides:
1. Pennsylvania to Washington via National Parks and other points of interest
2. and back

Your two favorite beverages
1. coffee!!!!!!!!
2. beer

So, there you go. Who picks these topics, anyways?

I got...

rhythm!
I got music...
I got A NEW JOB!!!
and really, who could ask for anything more?

Finally, I've landed the (almost) full time gig I've been trying for for the past few years. Wasn't aiming for this job specifically, but A job that didn't end in the winter, or pay peanuts, or give me random hours here and there. So now I have one! It is for Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, as the Education Coordinator. I get to do many of the things I know how to do (teach, create curriculum) and some things I don't know how to do (deal with entrenched volunteers, be in charge of the schedule of programs). Let the learning curve begin!

So, to those of you who gasp at the notion of me - an idealistic environmental educator - (or anyone) going to work at a hatchery, I say, if this is me "selling out", I could do a whole lot worse. Just thought I'd get that out there.

By the way, thanks for everyone's support these last years and months and weeks!