Spring Break in a Nutshell

Turns out that I accomplished 4 out of 7 of things on my Spring Break To Do List. Over 50% isn't bad, right? The whole senior seminar and outlining a paper thing didn't really happen... K, they didn't happen at all. But oh well, I was pretty busy. I was going to apply for a job at Target online, but you have to be available to work within 60 days, and that is not possible yet. So, I'll wait a while, and then officially submit my application.


On Monday over break I met with some geologists/geotechnical engineers/hydrogeologists at an environmental consulting company in Bloomington. The people that I met with were all really nice and told me about what they do now, what they did when they started, and qualities that they look for in employees. All of their internship positions for the summer were filled, however, so I didn't come out of the meeting with a job. But hey, I wasn't really counting on that in the first place. The point was to learn more about environmental consulting and to set up some good contacts.


The trip out to UNLV went really well. The professors and students were all super nice and made me feel very welcome. I definitely got the impression that they genuinely wanted me to come there in the fall. It's nice to feel wanted, that's for sure. It also seems like there are ample opportunities for research and recreation in the area. So unless something completely drastic happens to make me fall in love with UMD, I'll be in Las Vegas next year.


It was also pretty fun to be able to hang out with my cousin and her friends for a few days. They're neat people and we had a good time. They exposed me to The Cupcakery, which is a place I will be wanting to visit a lot next year (if I can afford cupcakes all the time, yummy!)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'll be getting up bright and early tomorrow morning. Most likely it'll be sometime around 5:00 a.m. so I can get ready for the day, do a last minute check to make sure I packed everything, and then it's on the way to the airport.

Libby, the professor who is helping me coordinate everything for my visit to UNLV and a potential adviser for next year, sent me the schedule that I'll be following for the next two and a half days. Looks like I'll be pretty busy! I had guessed that I was going to meet with my two potential advisers and then maybe a few other profs and some students. It turns out that I have meetings set up with 13 different people (and this doesn't include lunches and tours with the grad students)! At first I thought that sounded a little overwhelming, but I'm hoping that it'll be really nice. It will give me a chance to really get a feel for the department and all of the people involved.

I'm really hoping that this trip goes well, because as things stand right now, this is more than likely the school that I'll be attending next year. I'm also excited to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins who I haven't seen in about a year (and their puppies)!

Sometime tomorrow morning, I'll be peaking out my airplane window at scenery such as this. Yay!

Spring Break

I'm surprised to see it's actually starting to feel like Spring. Today the temperature got above 50 degrees. I didn't even have to wear a jacket when I went to my grandparents! So nice!

I'm discovering that if I get everything done that I plan to accomplish this week, things are going to be pretty busy. And since I spent the last two days relaxing, I really need to start doing stuff!

Making a list is usually how I start the process of getting things done. I've always been a list person. Even if I don't finish everything on the list, I feel better knowing that I at least had my thoughts organized and that now I know what all is left to do. Even though I'm on Spring Break, I have a list.

1) Catch up with family and friends. I spent a good chunk of this afternoon at my grandparents, and I'll be seeing some more family later on in the week. Hanging out with my friends is a bit more of a challenge. Kyla, my best friend from high school, has grad school interviews out in D.C. and won't be returning until Tuesday evening. I leave Wednesday morning to go on a grad school visit. So, hopefully *crosses fingers* we'll get together Tuesday night.

2) Outline a paper for Global Change Ecology on the effects of acid rain on terrestrial ecosystems. I printed out some sources today, so I'll get to reading them soon.

3) Seriously start working on my Geology Senior Seminar! I also managed to print some sources for this today. Unfortunately, the sources that I have so far aren't too great, so I need to get searching for some better ones.

4) Internship Interview? My dad's friend works for an environmental engineering company in the Twin Cities that hires geologists, and he's been saying for years that I should come talk to some people at his work to learn more about what they do. Well, I'm shy, so that never happened. But now that I know more about what I'm (maybe) interested in, he really thought it would be a good time to meet with them. So, I might be meeting with a hydrogeologist and a geotechnical engineer tomorrow to talk about what their jobs entail. If things go really well, there's a slight possibility that I'll end up with a summer internship. But, I'm not going to get my hopes up...

5) Visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I'm flying out Wednesday morning and then I'll have a busy day meeting with two potential advisers, other grad students, going on campus tours, and such. I hope this will be a productive visit and that things go well. But, I've got a good feeling about this, and everyone I've communicated with from UNLV has been extremely friendly and helpful so far. I'm also excited to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins and it would be neat to see them more often if I end up going to school there next year.

6) Summer Job Hunting. If this possible interview doesn't end up with an internship (which I'm really not expecting, because it's not a formal interview--my dad's friend just hinted at it) then I'm going to need a job this summer. I'm hoping to get a job at Target/CVS/Walgreens where I could either work in the normal store or as a pharmacy clerk (that's what I do at Thrifty White currently) and work as close to full time as possible. If I don't get enough hours, I can always call up the catering company I used to work for and pick up a few shifts.

7) Make a baby blanket. My cousin Ginny and her husband Dave are expecting (early April, I think, is the due date). When my cousin Jill and her husband had a baby boy I made one of those tied-fleece blankets with a really cute baby blue whale print. Well, Ginny and Dave don't know if they're having a girl or a boy, so my blanket needs to be gender neutral. It took forever to find a pattern that I liked, but eventually I found a teddy bear pattern with lots of colors so it should be fitting for a girl or boy.

Some people's kids...

From Urban Dictionary:

"Some people's children.

1. a phrase used to describe something strange, unusual, mean, cruel, or just plainly something you wouldn't do that a person or more than one person did that you saw.
2. a phrase used to describe people that were not brought up by their parents very well.

Allison and Lacy saw some boys run an old lady off the sidewalk purposely when they rode their bikes by her really fast.
Allison: That was rude!
Lacy: Yeah.. some people's children

Other variations: people's children, some people's kids"

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Days until lease is up: 78

Photo: Queen's University Housing Website

Community

"Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." ~ Morrie Schwartz

Photo: Not sure who took it exactly, but it was someone from UMM Office of Residential Life. I'm the one in black shorts next to the girl wearing yellow.

Tragic Event

While checking my email this morning, this headline caught my eye:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_school_attack

My thoughts go out to the parents, families, and friends of those who were killed in this event.

I remember the previous shooting mentioned in the article. I was in my high school German class when we found out. Most of the people in our class, including me, had spent time as exchange students at a high school in Germany, though not the same one. Everyone was pretty rattled.

Bye Bye, Blizzards

I received notice today that I got admitted to UNLV and am being offered a teaching assistantship!! While I don't want to make any decisions until I've visited all of my schools and figured out the best place for me, this news pushes UNLV far above UMD (where I have not been funded, yet). This news just makes my trip to Vegas next week all the more exciting, because now I can ask better questions and get more out of the experience.

In other news, Morris is experiencing blizzard conditions. For the first time in over 10 years, UMM closed down the campus due to the winter weather. I could barely see when I walked home from my class today (that was cancelled half-way through), and couldn't help but think of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo on the frozen planet, Hoth. By the way, I'm a HUGE Star Wars nerd...

I want the storm to continue through to tomorrow, because another day off of classes would be pretty nice. But I'm hoping that the conditions clear up by Friday so that everyone on the roads for Spring Break can have safe travels home or to wherever they are going.

Bright Lights, Big City, and... Rocks!

Looks like I'm going on a Spring Break excursion to Las Vegas, Nevada!! I applied to UNLV for their master's program in Geoscience, and while I haven't officially been accepted yet, my chances are looking pretty good. So, I'll be going to Las Vegas for a few days to meet with professors, check out the school, and spend some time with my family that lives there. I just need to book a plane ticket and take care of some other details, and I'll be on my way.

I'm not what one would call a party-girl (or anything close, for that matter). So it's funny that this is my second Spring Break trip to Las Vegas that also happens to fall over St. Patrick's Day. Now, Vegas is a pretty crazy city to begin with, but add in St. Patrick's Day, and the craziness exponentially increases! What usually is a 20-minute commute for my Aunt turned into a stressful 2-hour stop-and-go ride on St. Pattie's last year. In the evening, Fremont Street was bustling with people decked-out in green attire consuming green beverages. Definitely a site to see!

So why is this fairly sheltered suburban girl looking at a school in Sin City? It looks like they've got a pretty solid geology program at UNLV and there's a lot of cool geology within a reasonable driving range. One of my pictures that I posted here is from Red Rock Canyon, which is a great park with some awesome geology in it. There's also plenty of water issues (desert metropolis?!), in which this future hydrology student will surely find some interest. I'm really excited for my first of (hopefully) three school visits. I'm a huge planner, so not knowing what's going on next year is definitely a big source of stress in my life right now. Going on this trip brings me one step closer to being able to formulate some of those decisions.

Pile of Thoughts

• I really want to plant a vegetable garden. And an herb garden. Unfortunately, both of those require a yard, which is something I do not have yet (and probably won't for a while).

• I'm really eager to start apartment hunting for next year. I enjoy looking at different places and imagining how things would be set up. The only problem is that I don't know what city to look at (Duluth, Las Vegas, or Austin), nor do I know a price range. So, I've been keeping an eye out for decent places at decent prices (or, rather, what I'm guessing are decent prices), but then I have to stop myself because I should be doing something more productive.

• I am excited to test out the two really cool candles that Erik got me for my birthday. They have wooden wicks, which are supposed to make them sound like a crackling fire when they burn. And they both smell rrrreally good!

• I'm craving chocolate (what's new?).

• I keep acquiring penguins. I currently have 4 penguin stuffed animals in my room (not including those which are at my parents' house) and I recently got a penguin note-pad. I should note that I love penguins. I think they are absolutely adorable. With that being said, none of my penguins have been self-acquired. They are all gifts. Someday, I hope that my kids like penguins, because they will be getting the hand-me-downs.

• I miss summer. Perhaps, if I hear back from UNLV soon, I'll be able to spend a decent chunk of my Spring Break in Las Vegas. I'm hoping that the dose of sunshine and heat from Vegas will pull me through what's left of Minnesota's winter and "spring."
  

Two Forms of Intimidation

1) Really big snow blower/plow/tractor that clears out our backyard (a.k.a. our parking lot). Morris received a hefty dumping of snow this past week, which makes it pretty difficult to get cars out of our snow-covered lot and into the alleyway. Thankfully, our landlords use a snow-removal service when it snows more than the manageable amount. Though, I do not have a car, I still benefit from our lot being plowed (it makes it much easier for my wonderful roommates and friends to give me rides, for which I am very thankful!). I was also lucky enough to be home at the time this snow-plowing beast arrived. I stayed inside (where I was still intimidated by the plow).

2) School: It's getting down to crunch time. I came to the realization today that I have a rather large paper draft due about a week before my Senior Seminar (that I have yet to seriously put time into). Separately, I wouldn't worry so much about these because I have about four and a half weeks before they are due. Combined, I'm slightly worried. So I'm hoping that with my last few days of rest and relaxation (thanks to strep throat), I will now be up to the challenge of getting my bum in gear. Productivity, here I come!