Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Work

So far so good. The hiking we'll be doing is pretty flat, which is fine by me because it is DAMN HOT and we'll be carrying heavy stuff. When I asked how much I found out it's never gonna be more than 4 gallons of water, which is like, 34 pounds.
Oh.
Well
I can do that!

I have been having a bit of trouble with the heat though. I've been drinking water like a person who drinks a lot of water and I still am getting headaches. Whats the deal? I'm totally hydrated, peeing all the time, still with the headaches? Is it because I have low blood pressure? Maybe I need more electrolytes? ("it's got electrolytes in it!") Is my hat too tight? What the helllllllllccckkkkk. I'm trying electrolytes tomorrow. The next day I will try the hat. One variable at a time people.

So far my crew seems pretty cool. I'm excited to get to know them better. I haven't been as loud as I normally am because we are still indoors. Gotta use my inside voice. Sometimes I slip up though. Today I told an abbreviated version about the history of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr to the crew at lunch and gave my "elevator research talk" to my boss.
Ruh roh, my nerd is showing

But, the crew seemed mildly entertained(mildly) and my boss said this about my research
Boss "Sooo is this for your masters or phd?"
Me "ummm, it was just for undergrad..."
Boss "Woah, was undergrad research required?"
Me "No....I just love science"

Boss says there is a lot of research at the park and they will try and get me hooked up with some mad chill research and send me out with the ologists when they can. Wah hoo!

Did I tell you about all the cool research that there is at the UofA? There is a lot. They pioneered tree ring studies. Climate change. Cool stuff.

Today I saw baby Javalinas. Oh my goodness. The cuteness. THE CUTENESS.
And Lizards! I still get excited.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A yearbook

Mom left yesterday which was okay until Mom started getting sad as we loaded her bags. Then I got sad, then it was a sad fest, then we got brave. Then Mom went to the airport and I went to the library.

I get a better internet connection sitting on my balcony which, even when it's 106 degrees isn't so bad. It's shady thanks to the overhang and my tree. I think this mesquite must be pretty old, it's one of the bigger ones I've seen. Lots of thing live in or around it. Woodpeckers, sparrows and doves frequently flit around looking for little bugs. Speaking of bugs, there are (what I think are) cicadas in there too. I've never heard cicadas before. How strange they are. My favorite, of course, are the lizards. They usually climb around in the morning while I'm drinking my tea.

I binged and read my whole yearbook last night. You are all so sweet to me. It made me want to bring all of you down here so we can all crash in my apartment then explore the desert together. I'll probably read it again and/or until the pages fall apart. We filled up the College Inn massively that night (though, I know yous were all just there for the beer.) I wish I hadn't been so busy in my last 3 weeks in Seattle. I feel like I was a bit flippant with some of yous due to my haste and zeal to belittle the move I was making.

I've been listening to the local radio station KXCI a lot. Usually I listen to a lot of radio stories and whatever albums I'm currently attatched to due to my hatred of scilence, but down here I've just had this station on. Its a weirdo mix of all sorts of things. At any point you're likely to be hearing Robert Johnson or MIA or irish reels or a whole 3 hours dedicated to bluegrass or christmas music... in June. It's the first radio station that I regularly want to listen to more than what I can mix myself.

I was sitting on my balcony last night watching the sun go down beyond the mesquite and palm trees. I think I really like it here.

If any of you are interested in what it is I'm doing down here work wise, this pretty much explains it.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Photos I took


This is what I expected to see when I moved out here. Saguaros every once is a while. Why else would they be protected right?

This is what it's actually like. They are FREAKING EVERYWHERE and it is so rad. A forest. A forest!




These pictures were mostly taken at the Arizona Sonoran Museum. It's pretty much the best. Part zoo part botanic garden, part natural history museum complete with SPELUNKING. I'm thinking about buying a membership because I'm going to make everyone who comes to visit me go.


Here is a wild boar thing named a Javalina, or Javy, and they are adorable. Just roamin' around the desert, being mad chill.

Saguaros are in fruit! Yes. These are fruits not flowers. The flowers are white and, like all cactaceae, have many parts spirally arranged. DUH. THIS IS CLEARLY A FRUIT. Which I hear are delicious


This is my kitchen. I am drunk on counter space.



This is my new car in some parking lot.
This is how I feel about said new car.
TO THE RONDO

Went to a minor minor league baseball game today. It was thirsty Thursday. Beers, sodas and lemonades one dolla. ONE DOLLA. For two hours after the first pitch. I love this city

Mom leaves tomorrow
Work starts Monday

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

This is real. This is a real thing. Bearizona, gateway to the grand canyon. BROOKE: If you come visit me and Lindsay, we are driving up to see this. Have I ever told you how much I love drive through zoos? I love them.

Last night there were a bunch of birdies in my tree. I think they were Inca Doves? Or a white winged dove? I dunno. Birds. People always ask me what birds are but, heck, all I know is plants. Usually I just make something up. Name a body part and color, then the color of most of the bird, then say bird. Red winged Black Bird. Boom, you're a bird expert.

ALSO A LIZARD. Just a little guy! Climbed right past my window. What a cutie.
I know even less of lizards. Good thing I've got lizard training coming up.

Bought insurance today, by tomorrow or friday morning I will have the Rondo.

Haven't read my year book yet. I'll read it this weekend probs.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

First off. The name of the bus system in Tucson: Sun Tran. Yessss
Bought a car today. Should be in my sweet hands within the next few days.
At the dealership I told the guy what I wanted, what makes I liked etc and what my budget was.
He recommended a PT Cruiser
"0h..." I said
Usually I really don't care much about cars. If it runs I like it, but I think PT Cruisers are some of the ugliest cars that have ever been created. Those and the cars that look like boxes. Dude! You forgot to round the corners!
Anyways,
I tried not to let the horror show on my face. Mom blew my cover by cracking up and saying
"She HATES PT Cruisers!"
It's true, I do.

Or did!

Nope, still do.
As if by Magic a Kia Rondo appeared. I've been scoping these cars on the intertubes and as if by providence they got one in TODAY
I drove it and now it shall be mine. IT SHALL BE MINE.
As long as it passes their "190 point certification" otherwise THEY GONNA FIND ME A BETTA ONE. Yes.

After our major Car win, Mom and I went back to my chill pad (getting chiller by the minute!) and scoped some insurance rentals. What the heck why am I so grown up. Insurance. What a racket.

Then we went on a drive to East Saguaro. Guys. It is so pretty here. There are so many neat things to look at and saguaros have so much personality! Man. It is freaking hot though. I walked to the grocery store to try and get used to it, it wasn't so bad, but it was evening time and I was in the shade. I saw a hummingbird!

Monday, June 21, 2010

First Impresions




Everyone here is so nice to me. A lady at the Albertsons told me what was the best sunscreen, the guy at the Discount Mattress Barn was really helpful, my apartment manager is going to rival my old managers in awesomeness.

I made a new tree friend. It's a velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina and it is super cool. It grows outside my balcony keeping my apartment nice and shady. It's flowers are mimosoid and borne in catkins. The leaves are pinately compound looking a lot like a sensitivity plant but it's leaves only close at night time. This is it's natural range and I guess it can be quite noxious outside of it, but this is where it's supposed to be and it is adorable. Mine is way bigger than the one in the picture above.

Mom and I were pulling down the win today as we got pretty much my whole apartment squared away. Mattress, chairs, lamps, shower curtain. Big Checks. Also I've got a sweet guest bed set up.


Tomorrow starts the ever frightening car hunt.

Had my first In-n-Out burger experience today (Sonic burger is here too!) and it was pretty good. I GUESS. I miss Dick's burgers.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Here

Oh heeeeeyy. Here I be in TUCSON
Woah. It's totally weird and different to be in a desert.
First off: FLAT
Second off: Holy crap it's hot. Not unbearably hot so far but jeepers.
Third off: Cacti are totally awesome and I get excited and point at them whenever I see them

I'm reading a book called Cadillac Desert which Janneke gave me before I left. It's about the West and the disappearing water. So far it's really interesting and changed how I looked out the airplane window.

Tomorrow I go check out my new digs and start the car shopping process.

Also, Twilight zone slots in the Vegas airport. ANOTHER DIMENSION

Saturday, June 19, 2010

'bout to get REAL


Well, I'm headed to SeaTac around Noon. Should arrive in Tucson at 8:45pm.

(We've a layover in Vegas. WOO WOO WOO)


Crazy. Town.


Thanks to everyone for coming out on Friday night! We filled and destroyed the College Inn. YES. My friends love beer.


I haven't read my yearbook yet. I know most of you don't believe that I haven't yet to which I say y'all don't know nothin' bout me. I was most tempted yesterday though as I was packing it into my carry on. Maybe I'll wait until I'm alone in Tucson before I read it. Maybe I'll gorge on words before the plane takes off. WE SHALL SEE.


I'll miss you Seattle. You being moody in weather. Your mood usually being Seasonal Affective Disorder. You with your infestation of Californians, it's okay Seattle, we all make mistakes. You with your housing of all my friends who have miraculously restrained themselves from punching me in the face for so many years. I'll miss you all....well, most of you (you know who you are. *Fist shake*)


The high in Seattle the past few days has been the low in Tucson. Here's to my last sub 65 day! See you suckers in the sun!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Welcome to my new Blogball game!


Friday June 18th Seattle

Sittin ' in my increasingly empty apartment with BROOKE JAMBOREE who always seems to be around when I'm packing.
(Also it's not possible to say or write this particular BROOKE's name without imagining it in all caps. I imagine a lot of things in all caps though.)


WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOGGGGGG
Lot's of peeps want to keep up with the haps so I'm gonna try and write this blog thing so that I don't fill your inbox with a bazillion pages of emails. Also this is the age of social networking. Email is so 2001.

Oh man I'm gonna miss my little apartment. It's the tiniest thing in the world but it's the first time I really lived by myself and not just mostly by myself like winter quarter in the dorms when my roommate was never around except at like 3 am whenever I had to work early or popping corn to cover another, more illicit, scent which only resulted in the room smelling like socks.
Good times!
Moral: I love living by myself. I'm never going back.

My apartment in Tucson is gonna be 3 times the size of this one. It has doors! and closets! and a dishwasher

I got super sun burnt at graduation both from the sun and from a boiling embarrassment for our ASUW president (Were you high during the grad speech? Really bro? Go dawgs?) and now it's starting to peel. It looks like I have leprosy on my neck. So much for that tan. It wasn't so much a tan as it was skin that had atrophied. I am SO PREPARED for the Tucson sun.

I should probably buy some sunscreen...eventually

I received my work schedule for the first week of my job. Most of it is awesome training on things like WILDERNESS FIRST AID and going to MUSEUMS for CULTURAL TRAINING. Also plant identification. I'm gonna ace it.
It also says several times. Meet at Helibase, Tour of Helibase, Set up Helibase
HELIBASE?
HELIBASE = HELICOPTERS
HELIBASE = IRENE IN HELICOPTERS!?
HELIBASE = BEST EVER?

Oh man, helicoptering in to a remote location to do invasive removal would be just about the most bad ass thing ever.
Also totally unreasonable for a government plant removal job. A single helicopter drop probably costs as much as an entire decade of this projects budget.
But I can dreeeeeeeaaaammmmmm
Aprox 48 hours until Tucson.

Also, should I totally buy this Jeep? (The answer is yes)
http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/1796254164.html

Also the photo above is pretty much what I expect the Saguaros to look like