European Beachgrass Harvest and BBQ

Today was a big event I've been coordinating for the last month. We had 50 folks out on the dunes pulling beachgrass and then had a great BBQ with a Slough view. Yep, I think I have about the best office possible and great folks to work with. For those of you who don't really know what my job is you can find out more at the Friends of the Dunes website.

Bedbug...

I've had spiders in my bed. When I lived in North Carolina there were the real no-seeum bedbugs. This is the bug I awoke to this morning. It's actually a Western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis). While this is a common bug it is rarely seen for it spends the majority of it's life in tree canopies. I consider myself lucky to be witness to this beautiful beetle in my bed and all.

statistics take home midterm...

I'm currently in the trenches of statistical combat. Yesterday I was on the defense as the outliers have been on attack. Today I shall make my move. It shant be easy but it must be done. These outliers are of another planet and will require several strategies of computer powered analysis. Have no fear, these outliers will not bring me down but the dummy variables that follow... well, I'll let you know how I fare after facing them.

Tonight was Jordando's 2nd B-day celebration. Ask him what color is this? The answer will either be "green" (for every color) or his new favorite word, "yep." I prefer yep. I think I might try to incorporate the word into my vocabulary more often. Yep just seems to be a little bit more fun than yes.

Other happenings... Went to see Josh Ritter and Jamie Cullum perform last night on campus. Josh was his great happy self. I must admit I had a bad attitude concerning Jamie prior to the show. Jamie Cullum is a young British bloke that sounds very similar to Harry Connick Jr. He came out on stage all punked out, jeans sagging just a bit, hair hanging over the eyes, kicking his piano bench down purely for dramatic purposes. I was not impressed, but as the show went on I couldn't help but be swept off my feet. He may have a bit of an ego but he is super talented in many ways. His voice gets inside you and touches you whether you want it to or not. I guess that's why music is just so awesome. YEP!

Hurray for coffee and bike helmets!

I owe the discovery of this comic strip to Duaneo. Saying I like coffee would be an understatement. I LOVE COFFEE! Albeit, I'm not one of those who awakes droopy eyed and unable to function without a cup or two. No, I often arise from a nights rest and make freshly ground coffee just for the wafts of aroma it creates. I might wait an hour or two before I take my first sip. My love of coffee is not for the extra boost of energy (sure, I need it from time to time) but more so for the enjoyment of enjoying a good cup of dark coffee. The smells, the aromas, the conversations to be had with others enjoying the same brown concoction.

Bicycle aftermath update - My bruises are beginning to fade into green. My rib cage is increasingly sore; it's having a delayed reaction. I now have about 85% use of my shoulder and right arm. Zed, the bike surgeon stopped by to discover my bicycle tire had done a complete 360, thus wrapping wires in ways they weren't meant to wrap but was able to mend the bike with only minor scars. Thanks Zed! And remember kids, always wear your helmet.

Hurray for bicycle helmets!!!!

Didn't get much sleep Saturday night and was in a bit of a mood Sunday morning when I decided to go for a "get in a better mood bike ride." Within 5 seconds of launching down the semi-steep path behind my house my trip came to an abrupt end as a bush overgrowing the pathway snagged my handlebar and gravity through me head and shoulder first into a cement ditch. Yes! I did have my helmet on. Needless to say my bike ride did not continue or make me very happy. As soon as I got a hug from my roomie, Everafter, I was much better. Now I'm walking around like an old lady. It's amazing how many different places on your legs are involved in a bike accident. The worst is my shoulder and neck that took all the impact, but I'm basically fine. Just VERY sore and very bruised. Thank goodness I already have a massage scheduled for Wednesday.

I think my bike took the worst of the crash for the two of us also ran into a sturdy pipelike light post before hitting or simultaneously hitting (it all happened rather fast) the ditch. I called my friend Zed, the bike surgeon, right away to make an appointment to bring the bike in. At the moment I'm not able to even straighten the handlebars

What does this all mean? Where's the lesson? One theory is that if I hadn't been wearing my bike helmet that it wouldn't have happened at all (yes, a bad theory). This stems from the fact that I wear my helmet about 3% of the time I ride my bike. That percent will most likely be higher once my bike recovers from surgery. Next theory, an obvious one, is that I need to slow down in more ways than just on my bike, but don't we all? A final theory, this is just good mental practice for healing and remaining happy with life. I'm already feeling much better.

harvest time...

Yes, there are many folks behind the redwood curtain that are very excited this time of year. I mean very excited to harvest their crop. Then there are the orgainc farmers who are quite happy with their crops- not quite as excited. Well, the second group of farmers are my favorite. Even though I live in an often coldish and foggy climate, there are many great farmers residing just beyond the fog belt that are nice enough to deliver their farm fresh organic goods at many local farmers markets throughout the week. I've been indulging all summer and it's all winding down with a bang of melons, peppers, corn, and grapes.

Last weekend I made a big pot of my tortillaless tortilla soup with lots of fresh veggies. A favorite of close friends and roomies. For dessert, the cutest ever cantelope. Tonight I dabble with jalapeno peppers.

hugs and kisses

Today I was enlightened to the fact that I've been misusing my hugs and kisses. My entire life I've believed that X=Hug and O=kiss. You can only imagine the shock I've been exposed to realizing I've had it backwards all along. I instantly felt like a cyber hor sending plentiful kisses to countless friends, when I really thought I was sending platonic hugs. In disbelief of this news I asked my roomies and my friend Zed who all agreed with the correct use of X's and O's. This led me to looking it up online to yet find more proof of how wrong I've been.

So, to anyone I've ever sent a seemingling innapropriate cyber kiss, please forgive me. I did not know. Just think of the O's as being a friendly little peck on the cheek. And please forgive me in advance if I have a hard time breaking this habit, afterall, I've been doing this for nearly 20 years now.

dreaming

My roomie, Everafter, and I both dreamt of Taco Bell the other night. No, this fast food establishment had not been part of a discussion and neither of us eat there, especially considering there is no Taco Bell in Arcata. Coincidence????

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Today I went to a class on Sufism. It involved singing, dancing, hand holding, hugging, and lots of love. It's probably the most "hippie" thing I've participated in to date and I had a great time. I would definitley recommend it to anyone to try at least once. It's NOT a religion, and welcomes all religions of the world (at least that is the practice of the local Sufi group).

What is Sufism you ask? I'm still not completely sure. Google Sufism and you'll find a different answer on each Sufi website. But like most things in my life I embrace the parts that I like.

Side effects of participating in Sufism are: happiness, laughter, feeling joy to be alive, loss of ego, guilt and worry, and getting repative songs stuck in your head.

it did it again...

I did it. Braved the rain on my bike with my trusty fenders and super speed that actually evaporated the rain upon contact. Parked my bike, attached the lock to walk away into dry air. That's right... The rain stopped upon arrival as predicted.

here comes the rain...

First day of rain here in Humboldt County. This is a very scary time for people of this area. This is the official beginning of the rainy season and those that have lived here for awhile know all too well what is ahead. My roomies and I have been stirring downstairs all morning, backpacks at our sides feeling held hostage. You would think we've never dealt with wet weather before. It's as if we think the water is an acid that will burn our skin if exposed to it. Or if we don't feel it it really isn't real. We're in denial and don't want to admit that it's time to dig out the rain jackets, rain pants, and waterproof shoes so that we can walk/bike to campus without turning into soggy logs. This stand off won't last much longer as classes begin soon and it's most likely the rain will win this round. That's another thing about the rain here. I think it purposefully torments us, falling only when we need to travel, but once inside an office or classroom it kindly stops and says, "ha! just kidding." The downfall being that we're now completely overdressed, carrying around layers of dripping clothing, but hey at least the rain stopped.

winkers

Have any friends that you would classify as winkers? I know of a couple folks and it catches me off guard everytime. These winking folks wink often, as in at least a few times within an hour.

They offer several kinds of winks:

1. You're both listening to some conversation or both witness the same thing. You look at your friend for a mutual mental agreement and they slip in a wink.
2. They wink to say hello.
   
3. And then there's the wink coming out of left field, and you're not sure why. It just happens.
   

While I'm aware of the winking capacity of my friends, I just never get used to it. Everytime the wink happens I want to take a double shot. I mentally think, "did he/she just wink at me?" It takes my brain at least half a second to remember that he/she is a winker and then I'm busy wondering if I made some kind of odd reaction to the wink and did the person notice, which leads me to the question of how are you supposed to respond to a wink? Do you wink back? I dare not. It's just not my style and seems just a bit awkward as if you were making fun of his/her wink. At the same time you don't want to ignore the wink. It seems there must be a way to acknowledge the wink. A "yes, wink recieved" response. I've yet to come up with this.

Final note: I have no ill/bad/negative feeling towards the winkers of the world. Afterall, a wink is a kind gesture, only spreading goodness. I say wink away, maybe it will catch on and there will be more people wondering about those that don't wink someday.