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101 things: month 14

continuing on my 101 goals

This month, I've got just one goal done, and I'll finish it out in this post. I've taken several macrophotography photos, and I'll post some here. These ones are from the camping trip Matt and I took to Sakatah State Park a few weeks ago.

Nodding Trillium

Wild Columbine Showy Orchis a morel

0 more in progress for 5 total in progress
1 more completed for 38 total completed

fun!

The following picture should tell you just how awesome my weekend with April was. More to come in the following days, but I just have to share this one first. Visiting Casper was awesome, even if the weather was atypical.

Thank you

A day late due to my vacation, but still . . .

Thank you for your sacrifice, dedication, and hard work in keeping the world safe.

The Equality state?

Alternate Wyoming state slogans

Wyoming: where men are men and women have to be too
Wyoming: we don't need no stinkin' reststops
Wyoming: land of silhouette figures on hilltops
Wyoming: where we all leave each other alone

Just a few more hours . . .

and I will be taking off. I have to make it through the day of work and lots of fieldtrips first. We had a bunch of 5th graders this morning, and I'm about to do pond dipping and a hike with some first graders once I wrap up lunch.

Then, tonight, I'm flying to Denver! I'll stay with family tonight, and I'm driving to Wyoming tomorrow to see April!. We're spending the holiday weekend doing fun Wyoming things which I cannot specify at this moment in time. I'll also be keeping an eagle eye out for nature centers that want to hire me (PS if you hear of one, let me know!).

I hope everyone out there has a great Memorial Day, and I'll update on all the fun April and I have when I get back.

The Trek

Somehow, I managed to go 26.5 years without being pulled into a Star Trek movie. A solid Star Wars fan from my young days, I’ve been content to live in Lucas’ universe. But meeting new people also means embracing new things, and it turns out that my boyfriend is a closet Trekkie.

Tonight, we went to the Star Trek movie, and it was pleasantly enjoyable. The movie is a “beginnings” type movie that examines the early life of James Kirk and Spock.

I don’t know a lot about Star Trek, so I’m not sure what would be a spoiler. I’ll say that I enjoyed the movie and was able to follow it without seeing any other Star Trek movies. Obviously, like any sci-fi enthusiast, I do know a bit about it all . . . but not a lot. I think Star Trek knowledge would add to the enjoyment of the movie but does not seem to be necessary.

All in all, I’d recommend it, especially for those who enjoy other space-movies like Star Wars and Firefly.

Something there is that doesn't love my nose

Overnight, spring has sprung. Literally. Somehow, it's been so long since I've paid such close attention to any deciduous trees. One day, the woods were all brown. Then, spring wildflowers began to carpet the ground, and I enjoyed the patches of color they provided in an otherwise barren landscape.

Today, while biking in to work, I was stunned. Miraculously, from out of nowhere, the forest has become full again. Leaves have appeared on branches, flowers are bursting forth everywhere, and all is green.

Of course, I know this potential has been waiting for quite awhile. All winter long, buds slept on the trees and roots protected sap, the lifeblood of the plant.

And then, last Friday, it all came out in full force. And with the awakening of full-fledged spring came the awakening of my allergies. This has been my worst year so far; Saturday found me practically incapacitated and then floating along on a haze of allergy medication. I've evened out in my response to the medication, but even with a combo (recommended by the doctor), my nose is still dripping. I don't remember ever having such a sudden onset of vicious sinus lashback, but it's here now.

side note: I've been trying to use a cloth handkerchief in my attempt to make household changes to be environmentally friendly (#49). It went really well for two weeks, but the handkerchief is a retreating army in the face of my current nasal discharge.

I appreciate my modern pharmaceuticals, as there's no way I want to miss this beauty. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes summer has in store for me.

Still alive over here

I'm still going strong; I've just been really busy with everything. Namely, I've been applying to jobs. I vacillate between being excited for the opportunities and being freaked that I haven't heard back from anyone yet. So far, I've just had one interview, and I have another week until I will hear back.

I've got a job through August, so it's debatable how much worrying I should currently be doing. But in my field, a lot of jobs get hired a few months out for some reason. Therefore, I'm applying for lots of different stuff and hoping something comes through.

I've decided that applying for jobs is similar to online dating. You suss out all the possibilities, work hard to write a witty, informative message that isn't too long, and send it out into the ether. Ideally, you'll get a response, but that doesn't always happen. And sometimes you'll meet and realize you're just not meant for each other. And occasionally the worst happens: you like someone, they say they'll call you back, and you sit at home and agonize over whether or not you should still be contacting other people.

And, unfortunately, online dating seems to be the simpler of the two for one reason alone: the aggregating of potentials is much better. With dating, there are just a few sites to visit. With jobs, I've lost track of all the websites I use for finding openings. A lot of times, I stumble upon job postings due to a lucky combination of google search terms.

Anyway, I suppose the point of this all is that I'm quite frustrated with my job searching. It's never been an enjoyable task for me (is job searching fun for anyone?). When I was a kid, I thought people just gave you the jobs you were suited for. If I ran the world, I'd so make it that way.

International Astronomy Day

Today is International Astronomy Day! I don't know a whole lot about astronomy, but I've been studying up (interestingly, this is also an astronomy awareness year, so today is doubly important).

In the spirit of the day, I'm doing a little program at work. It's a geocaching class, and my students will be navigating between points and collecting hints to help them guess a few different items up in the skies. Here's one of the hints from the trails; see if you can guess what it is before getting to the last clue! (please note: the "xxx.2" is where the GPS coordinates will go. I haven't quite sorted that all out yet but will have it done before the class. The last number in GPS coordinates is only important for being super accurate, so it's possible to change it in order to make the rhyme work.)

#1
Today we celebrate the sky / and all the things that by us fly / as we orbit 'round the sun / let's learn some facts and have some fun!

to start your search and get your clue / your first stop is xxx.2

#2
Up in the sky, I travel round/ a glowing orb that makes no sound/ my days are just as long as yours / but my cold and icy winter bores

journey on for your next clue/ your next stop is xxx.2

#3
my mountain towers 15 miles high / and I look red in your night sky / I'm close to you but not as hot / your rovers have landed here a lot

journey on for your next clue! your next stop is xxx.2

#4
Covered in dust from all my storms/ my sky's not blue, it's brown and orange/ the god of war gave me his name / but my Martians do not play that game

think you know? don't climb a tree!
return to xxxx.3

101 things: month 13

Another month down in my journey to complete 101 goals in 1001 days.

Continued progress on
49. Implement three household changes to be more eco-friendly -- #2.

I have started using vinegar and water in a spray bottle in order to clean. It actually works quite well! This makes an effective glass cleaner, and I also used it as an all-purpose surface cleaner for doing the stove, kitchen counter, and bathroom sink. No more windex for me!

I finished . . .

3. Visit gym five times a week for a month.

Turns out that making my weeks go from Wednesday to Wednesday made it all so much easier.

29. Get my itunes to 13 gigs of music (currently a bit over 15.5)

and I'm finally ready to load up some new stuff now that I've made room!

-1 more in progress for 5 total in progress
2 more completed for 37 total completed