This spring has brought warmer weather, meaning sandals are an afternoon possibility, only a light fleece is required in the morning hours, and an hour of mid-day sunbathing can occur on breezeless days. With the excitement of warmth coming, I have invested in the pleasant company of those on the greener side, i.e. a few herbs (chocolate mint, varigated Thai sage, and lemon ?), a patio tomato, and some leafy lettuce.
Yesterday afternoon I finally planted three confederate jasmine plants I bought last fall and have neglectfully left sitting their 1 gallon pots for far too long. Weaving the vines through the fence, it made me wonder how much they will grow before I leave and if the next renter will hack them down.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Warmth and motivation
This morning I was able to raise my sleepy body from bed at a decent hour and successfully meet up w/ a friend to play racquetball. Although the previous night I stayed up later than intended, partially due to the good company and being able to sit outside after the sun had set without a jacket, I was pleasantly able to make it to the gym only slightly later than our 7:30 a.m. time to meet.
Although I was not overly energized, the early morning physical activity was pleasant and made the remaining day even more so. Being that the weather has been warmer recently, also aids in me pleasant mood. When others are moaning in any available spot of shade possible about the miserable heat, my spirits lift... not because of their discomfort, but for the heat is what motivates me to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Conversely, during the colder times, which last far too long here in North Carolina, I am the one grumbling about the awful weather while others glare with looks of insanity.
Although I was not overly energized, the early morning physical activity was pleasant and made the remaining day even more so. Being that the weather has been warmer recently, also aids in me pleasant mood. When others are moaning in any available spot of shade possible about the miserable heat, my spirits lift... not because of their discomfort, but for the heat is what motivates me to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Conversely, during the colder times, which last far too long here in North Carolina, I am the one grumbling about the awful weather while others glare with looks of insanity.
By the end of the summer my goal is to have a kick @ss Chaco's tan.
Monday, April 23, 2007
bodacious
Popularized in the comic strip Snuffy Smith, bodacious is probably a blend of the words bold and audacious, whose combined senses are evident in the following description of Sevier County, Tennessee, as "the most bodacious display of tourism this side of Anaheim" (Los Angeles Times). A more traditional meaning is "remarkable, prodigious": "a bodacious amount of smoke" (Springfield MA Morning Union); "the most bodacious tale of hidden treasure" (Lawrence E. Will). Bodacious can also be an adverbial intensifier: "She's so bowdacious unreasonable when she's raised [irritated]" (William T. Thompson). African-American speech in New York City retains this Southernism as bardacious. Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary cites the form boldacious, which is the likely source for bodacious.
Painting by Gil Marosi
Popularized in the comic strip Snuffy Smith, bodacious is probably a blend of the words bold and audacious, whose combined senses are evident in the following description of Sevier County, Tennessee, as "the most bodacious display of tourism this side of Anaheim" (Los Angeles Times). A more traditional meaning is "remarkable, prodigious": "a bodacious amount of smoke" (Springfield MA Morning Union); "the most bodacious tale of hidden treasure" (Lawrence E. Will). Bodacious can also be an adverbial intensifier: "She's so bowdacious unreasonable when she's raised [irritated]" (William T. Thompson). African-American speech in New York City retains this Southernism as bardacious. Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary cites the form boldacious, which is the likely source for bodacious.Painting by Gil Marosi
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Mineral Sale
Annie, Amanda, and me from left to right in the back and Kat is in front.
Saturday, was the first Greenville, NC Pirate Festival and the geology club rented a space to sell their rocks and mineral, which is our fundraiser normally held on campus twice a year. It was a lot of work, but we did well and everyone seemed to have a good time.
Hilariousness
John Cleese Letter to America
(Notice of Revocation of Independence)
Variant of 'Notice of Revocation of Independence' purportedly authored by John Cleese (Dec. 2004)
To the citizens of the United States of America, in the light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. You should look up revocation in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up aluminium. Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour', skipping the letter 'U' is nothing more than laziness on your part. Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters. You will end your love affair with the letter 'Z' (pronounced 'zed' not 'zee') and the suffix ize will be replaced by the suffix ise. You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra' e.g. Edinburgh. You are welcome to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you can't cope with correct pronunciation.
Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up vocabulary. Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up interspersed. There will be no more 'bleeps' in the Jerry Springer show. If you're not old enough to cope with bad language then you shouldn't have chat shows. When you learn to develop your vocabulary then you won't have to use bad language as often.
2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.
3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard. English accents are not limited to cockney,upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier). You will also have to learn how to understand regional accents - Scottish dramas such as Taggart will no longer be broadcast with subtitles. While we're talking about regions, you must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is Devon. If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become shires e.g. Texasshire, Floridashire, Louisianashire.
4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as the good guys. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors to play English characters. British sit-coms such as Men Behaving Badly or Red Dwarf will not be re-cast and watered down for a wishy-washy American audience who can't cope with the humour of occasional political incorrectness.
5. You should relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not want you to get confused and give up half way through.
6. You should stop playing American football. There is only one kind of football. What you refer to as American football is not a very good game. The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays American football. You will no longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football. Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies). We are hoping to get together at least a US Rugby sevens side by 2005. You should stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.15% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders,your error is understandable. Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls' game called rounders, which is baseball without fancy team strip, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.
7. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous in public than a vegetable peeler. Because we don't believe you are sensible enough to handle potentially dangerous items, you will require a permit if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but only in England. It will be called Indecisive Day.
9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts. You will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time,you will go metric with immediate effect and conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips. Fries aren't even French, they are Belgian though 97.85% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium. Those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat. Waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.
11. As a sign of penance 5 grams of sea salt per cup will be added to all tea made within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this quantity to be doubled for tea made within the city of Boston itself.
12. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all, it is lager. From November 1st only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer,and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. The substances formerly known as American Beer will henceforth be referred to as Near-Frozen Knat's Urine,with the exception of the product of the American Budweiser company whose product will be referred to as Weak Near-Frozen Knat's Urine. This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen,Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of confusion.
13. From November 10th the UK will harmonise petrol (or Gasoline, as you will be permitted to keep calling it until April 1st 2005) prices with the former USA. The UK will harmonise its prices to those of the former USA and the Former USA will, in return, adopt UK petrol prices (roughly $6/US gallon- get used to it).
14. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
15. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.
16. Tax collectors from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).
Thank you for your co-operation and have a great day.
John Cleese
(Notice of Revocation of Independence)
Variant of 'Notice of Revocation of Independence' purportedly authored by John Cleese (Dec. 2004)
To the citizens of the United States of America, in the light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. You should look up revocation in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up aluminium. Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour', skipping the letter 'U' is nothing more than laziness on your part. Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters. You will end your love affair with the letter 'Z' (pronounced 'zed' not 'zee') and the suffix ize will be replaced by the suffix ise. You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra' e.g. Edinburgh. You are welcome to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you can't cope with correct pronunciation.
Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up vocabulary. Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up interspersed. There will be no more 'bleeps' in the Jerry Springer show. If you're not old enough to cope with bad language then you shouldn't have chat shows. When you learn to develop your vocabulary then you won't have to use bad language as often.
2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.
3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard. English accents are not limited to cockney,upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier). You will also have to learn how to understand regional accents - Scottish dramas such as Taggart will no longer be broadcast with subtitles. While we're talking about regions, you must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is Devon. If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become shires e.g. Texasshire, Floridashire, Louisianashire.
4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as the good guys. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors to play English characters. British sit-coms such as Men Behaving Badly or Red Dwarf will not be re-cast and watered down for a wishy-washy American audience who can't cope with the humour of occasional political incorrectness.
5. You should relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not want you to get confused and give up half way through.
6. You should stop playing American football. There is only one kind of football. What you refer to as American football is not a very good game. The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays American football. You will no longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football. Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies). We are hoping to get together at least a US Rugby sevens side by 2005. You should stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.15% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders,your error is understandable. Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls' game called rounders, which is baseball without fancy team strip, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.
7. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous in public than a vegetable peeler. Because we don't believe you are sensible enough to handle potentially dangerous items, you will require a permit if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but only in England. It will be called Indecisive Day.
9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts. You will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time,you will go metric with immediate effect and conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips. Fries aren't even French, they are Belgian though 97.85% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium. Those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat. Waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.
11. As a sign of penance 5 grams of sea salt per cup will be added to all tea made within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this quantity to be doubled for tea made within the city of Boston itself.
12. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all, it is lager. From November 1st only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer,and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. The substances formerly known as American Beer will henceforth be referred to as Near-Frozen Knat's Urine,with the exception of the product of the American Budweiser company whose product will be referred to as Weak Near-Frozen Knat's Urine. This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen,Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of confusion.
13. From November 10th the UK will harmonise petrol (or Gasoline, as you will be permitted to keep calling it until April 1st 2005) prices with the former USA. The UK will harmonise its prices to those of the former USA and the Former USA will, in return, adopt UK petrol prices (roughly $6/US gallon- get used to it).
14. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.
15. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.
16. Tax collectors from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).
Thank you for your co-operation and have a great day.
John Cleese
Monday, April 16, 2007
While reading a friends blog, I was reminded of this 1993 Porno for Pyros song...
It's sad to know that even though over a decade has passed, humans are still in the same state. How can numerous people individually progress, but the population as a whole remains static? Is there hope for the human race? Sometimes I think we deserve the outcome.... it is our actions that create them.
It's sad to know that even though over a decade has passed, humans are still in the same state. How can numerous people individually progress, but the population as a whole remains static? Is there hope for the human race? Sometimes I think we deserve the outcome.... it is our actions that create them.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Sick in Savannah
This is the tale of one students excursion to a coveted vacation spot....
At the end of May, a group of geology grad students headed south to Savannah, Georgia for the Southeastern Geological Society of America (SEGSA) conference. Obligatorily, we created posters and prepared to present our work, our research, what we have been living and breathing for over a year now. Nervous for fear of ridicule and uncertain of events to unfold, we laboriously worked on our posters.
Finishing ahead of schedule, one student makes the last revisions and prepares to print the final version. However, at this same time, the printer has decided it does not want to print the poster correctly. Distraught and aggravated, she stays up until 3:30 a.m., with only a pixelated version of her crisp detailed poster. In a last effort, she send the file off to the mediacenter on campus, hoping their printer will be able to print it correctly.
Early the next morning, a day before they are to leave for Savannah, she wakes feeling horrible, only to progressively worsen during the day. With a fever growing, she retrieves the printed poster from the mediacenter in a delusional state. Somehow, the mediacenter was able to fix the issue and the poster looks crisp, clear, and ready to present. However, her feverish state is making her feel nauseous and riding in a van packed full of people for 6 hours does sound appealing, let alone presenting a poster. Not sure what to do, seeks out one of her advisers.
While he is trying to dismiss her, she informs him she is not well and may not be able to attend the conference. Trying to be responsible, she asks what she should do. Should she give her poster to one of the students ans ask them to hang it up for her? Should she find someone to stand by it and tell people that the presenter is ill? He tells her that he or her other advisor will present it, if she cannot make it and with that she leaves the poster in the hands of one of the other students and heads home to rest, hoping she will feel better after some additional sleep.
Later, much later that day, she wakes in a cold sweat, feeling somewhat better, having finally broken the fever. A kind friend brings her food and although she is not hungry, she eats and within a few hours is feeling much better. Even though she knows she is not well, she arranges to make the journey and attempt to follow through what she has started.
After a long night's sleep she loads herself into the van and with the other students, she heads south on I-95 to Savannah. Ah, Savannah... she has wanted to visit this place for many years now and has made multiple attempts and planned trips, all of which did not come to fruition. Now, she is finally going, but will she be able to enjoy it?
Surprisingly, the drive down was not bad. A fellow student and kind friend, comfortingly sat next to her on the drive, helping to create a buffer so as to keep the sickness from infecting others. Her constant coughing did nor seem to upset anyone but she was fading as they approached the hotel in Savannah. After checking in, the students headed out to explore the town, but she decided to stay in and rest. Her poster session was at 8 a.m. the next morning and she wanted to feel as good as possible. She did manage to make it out to grab dinner. The hotel was located next to River Street with a beautiful view. Walking to a restaurant, the air was chilly and slightly weighted with the warmth of humidity. The old facades and tourist feel of the town reminded her of her home town and how much she missed it. There were people out strolling along the uneven brick streets and live music drifting from the restaurants and bars.
Accompanied by a few other students, she resigned to the hotel room to rest before her poster presentation in the morning. She endured the deep dreamless sleep of sickness only interrupted by a inconsiderate drunken phone call. Regardless, she rose early and after yet another trip to a nearby drug store, she made it to the poster session on time. Although she couldn't really talk, because the cold had settled in her throat, she tried to interact and communicate with people perusing her poster. When her session was finished, she packed up her poster and rested the remainder of the afternoon.
The second day of the conference, she was not feeling much better, but the fever had seemed to cease. Trying to make the best of it, she headed out into the town to see how much she could explore. However, little effort exhausted her, so she spent most of the time, sitting by the river enjoying the warmth of the sun, wishing she was in better health and capable of exploring the town as she had wanted to for long. However, by the afternoon, the days effort caught up with her and she was ready to head home.
As they came, the students loaded into the department vans and headed north on I-95. Missing her dog and her comfortable bed, she wondered if she would make it back to Savannah another time. A time when she could enjoy the town and its southern beauty.
At the end of May, a group of geology grad students headed south to Savannah, Georgia for the Southeastern Geological Society of America (SEGSA) conference. Obligatorily, we created posters and prepared to present our work, our research, what we have been living and breathing for over a year now. Nervous for fear of ridicule and uncertain of events to unfold, we laboriously worked on our posters.
Finishing ahead of schedule, one student makes the last revisions and prepares to print the final version. However, at this same time, the printer has decided it does not want to print the poster correctly. Distraught and aggravated, she stays up until 3:30 a.m., with only a pixelated version of her crisp detailed poster. In a last effort, she send the file off to the mediacenter on campus, hoping their printer will be able to print it correctly.
Early the next morning, a day before they are to leave for Savannah, she wakes feeling horrible, only to progressively worsen during the day. With a fever growing, she retrieves the printed poster from the mediacenter in a delusional state. Somehow, the mediacenter was able to fix the issue and the poster looks crisp, clear, and ready to present. However, her feverish state is making her feel nauseous and riding in a van packed full of people for 6 hours does sound appealing, let alone presenting a poster. Not sure what to do, seeks out one of her advisers.
While he is trying to dismiss her, she informs him she is not well and may not be able to attend the conference. Trying to be responsible, she asks what she should do. Should she give her poster to one of the students ans ask them to hang it up for her? Should she find someone to stand by it and tell people that the presenter is ill? He tells her that he or her other advisor will present it, if she cannot make it and with that she leaves the poster in the hands of one of the other students and heads home to rest, hoping she will feel better after some additional sleep.
Later, much later that day, she wakes in a cold sweat, feeling somewhat better, having finally broken the fever. A kind friend brings her food and although she is not hungry, she eats and within a few hours is feeling much better. Even though she knows she is not well, she arranges to make the journey and attempt to follow through what she has started.
After a long night's sleep she loads herself into the van and with the other students, she heads south on I-95 to Savannah. Ah, Savannah... she has wanted to visit this place for many years now and has made multiple attempts and planned trips, all of which did not come to fruition. Now, she is finally going, but will she be able to enjoy it?
Surprisingly, the drive down was not bad. A fellow student and kind friend, comfortingly sat next to her on the drive, helping to create a buffer so as to keep the sickness from infecting others. Her constant coughing did nor seem to upset anyone but she was fading as they approached the hotel in Savannah. After checking in, the students headed out to explore the town, but she decided to stay in and rest. Her poster session was at 8 a.m. the next morning and she wanted to feel as good as possible. She did manage to make it out to grab dinner. The hotel was located next to River Street with a beautiful view. Walking to a restaurant, the air was chilly and slightly weighted with the warmth of humidity. The old facades and tourist feel of the town reminded her of her home town and how much she missed it. There were people out strolling along the uneven brick streets and live music drifting from the restaurants and bars.
Accompanied by a few other students, she resigned to the hotel room to rest before her poster presentation in the morning. She endured the deep dreamless sleep of sickness only interrupted by a inconsiderate drunken phone call. Regardless, she rose early and after yet another trip to a nearby drug store, she made it to the poster session on time. Although she couldn't really talk, because the cold had settled in her throat, she tried to interact and communicate with people perusing her poster. When her session was finished, she packed up her poster and rested the remainder of the afternoon.
The second day of the conference, she was not feeling much better, but the fever had seemed to cease. Trying to make the best of it, she headed out into the town to see how much she could explore. However, little effort exhausted her, so she spent most of the time, sitting by the river enjoying the warmth of the sun, wishing she was in better health and capable of exploring the town as she had wanted to for long. However, by the afternoon, the days effort caught up with her and she was ready to head home.
As they came, the students loaded into the department vans and headed north on I-95. Missing her dog and her comfortable bed, she wondered if she would make it back to Savannah another time. A time when she could enjoy the town and its southern beauty.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Another day....
Good Friday. What's so good about it? Besides the fact that campus is closed, yet I am still expected to work. Granted, I enjoy working when campus is empty; however, it frustrates me that I am expected to be here, yet no food is available for purchase because all the vendors are closed.
Although it sounds like I'm trying to bitch, which ok maybe I was, but there is something about today that sets it apart form the monotony of other days. Is it the exemplary dichotomy that the day had already displayed, the lightness of the cold air, or the fact that it is Friday? Unfortunately, for grad students, Friday does not really mean anything. It is just another day, although we like to think there is something special about it. Perhaps it is the end of the semester vibe, that is resonating from anxious students, scrambling to complete projects and reports. Not being enrolled in any classes, thankfully deceases my stress level, but it can still be felt emanating from others.
It feels like things are coming to a head, a climax of sorts. Up until now, I have been worried, scared, and hesitant, but today I feel liberated and free. Why? I have no idea, but I have tried to stop asking such questions and simply revel in the feelings, both negative and positive... although the positive are so much easier to accept without question.
In googling 'freedom', the image below was the first to appear. Simplistic, with vibrant colours, I can easily identify with the artist's representation of freedom. I see a child-likeness in his simplistic forms and colour choice. Perhaps that is what makes it so easily identifiable.
Hopefully, this euphoria will remain throughout the weekend....
Although it sounds like I'm trying to bitch, which ok maybe I was, but there is something about today that sets it apart form the monotony of other days. Is it the exemplary dichotomy that the day had already displayed, the lightness of the cold air, or the fact that it is Friday? Unfortunately, for grad students, Friday does not really mean anything. It is just another day, although we like to think there is something special about it. Perhaps it is the end of the semester vibe, that is resonating from anxious students, scrambling to complete projects and reports. Not being enrolled in any classes, thankfully deceases my stress level, but it can still be felt emanating from others.
It feels like things are coming to a head, a climax of sorts. Up until now, I have been worried, scared, and hesitant, but today I feel liberated and free. Why? I have no idea, but I have tried to stop asking such questions and simply revel in the feelings, both negative and positive... although the positive are so much easier to accept without question.
In googling 'freedom', the image below was the first to appear. Simplistic, with vibrant colours, I can easily identify with the artist's representation of freedom. I see a child-likeness in his simplistic forms and colour choice. Perhaps that is what makes it so easily identifiable.
Hopefully, this euphoria will remain throughout the weekend....
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Coastal field trip winter 2006
Last winter, our coastal processes field trip headed over the the OBX and met up with a class from VIMS to discuss various processes and see erosional hot spots. Here are a few pix taken from during those very cold days on the windy beaches, courtesy of Mr. Hornsberger.....
ECU Geo girls posing for the camera.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse shining in all its glory.
Sunset on the marsh facing west into Pamlico Sound.
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