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January 21, 2004 - News Some sad news has hit me this week. My cousin, Ruth, lost her boyfriend to a work accident on Sunday. He was working on a telephone poll and was hit from behind by a power wire. He didn't see it coming and he didn't suffer. Please send your thoughts out to my cousin and her daughter. Love you Ruthie. January 26, 2004 - General Electric Bad, Home Depot Good I just wanted to take this space here (since it is my space) to express my displeasure with General Electric. We bought an electric range through Home Depot at the end of December. The range worked perfectly for two weeks and then one day decided to shut off as it was preheating. After several attempts with the circuit breaker and GE's phone number, I managed to schedule a service call. They rescheduled three times due to overbooking. The final rescheduling put my service call off "indefinitely" until a part they think they need would be back in stock. No one from GE actually ever came to my house, they diagnosed the problem over the phone. We were restricted to cooking in the microwave for over two weeks. After getting nowhere with GE's customer service people (who I'm still waiting for a call from), I went to Home Depot figuring that if nothing else, I would walk in there with my range and demand a refund. Home Depot bugged GE for me and after a week of getting no further than I did, Home Depot offered a swap for the same model. The only catch being that we had to uninstall the busted range and install the new one ourselves (which is not as hard as one might think). Anyways, the whole point of this little rant is General Electric Bad, Home Depot Good. February 7, 2004 - Memorial William David "Mac" McFadden July 17, 1971 - January 18, 2004 April 1, 2004 - April Fool's! No surprises today. Life has been pretty busy lately. Work has been a big part of that. Working on the first draft of our annual report for last year's field season took a lot out of me. Long hours in front of the computer both at home and the office. But I managed to get some fun in as well. Clarke and I spent Valentine's Day at the World Famous San Diego Zoo (see pictures!). My Valentine's Day present was a beautiful rose bush (see my Blue Girl here). We spent the whole next day working on our huge backyard, cleaning out the weeds and miscellaneous stuff we found buried underneath. At the beginning of March, Clarke and I added to our family...our surfboard family. While rollerblading around PB we stopped in the South Coast Wahine shop and found a beautiful nine-oh (that's a nine foot long board). After several trips in and out of the shop, we finally decided to buy it. Clarke took it out right then and there for its first ride. I managed to get a turn in last weekend when the weather warmed up. I'm still surfing the whitewater, but I love the new board. Plus, it makes a great addition to our living room. See pictures of our new board here. But with the end of March comes my next field season. Always a bittersweet time of year for both Clarke and myself. I love my job, but leaving Clarke and our house and my family and San Diego never gets any easier. Before I left we went bowling with some work friends and had a family BBQ to try out the ammenities of our complex. After packing up the office, I spent a day running my errands and going through all my camp clothes and equipment, which all smell a lot like dirt and a little like the dryer sheets I store them with. After a 10 1/2 hour drive yesterday I have made it safely to Silver City. I'll be here until Saturday when I head up the mountain to camp. Check back soon, I hope to have new camp stories and pictures. May 4, 2004 - Dispatch from camp Well, it only took me a month to finally write an letter from camp. Things this year are super busy. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down and read my first dispatch from the Gila for 2004. Things back home seem to be going well. Clarke sent me some pictures of my beautiful Blue Girl in full bloom. See her in all her glory here. No flowers out in here in the forest yet, still too cold. If you want to keep up with the weather that is currently attacking us out here, check out this website. Reserve is the nearest town to camp, about 35 miles and about 2,000 feet lower in elevation. I hope to get some time soon to add new camp pictures. For now, take a look at last year's pictures. We're gearing up for un gran fiesta tomorrow since it's Cinco de Mayo. Chips, salsa, and margaritas!!! May 9, 2004 - Happy Mother's Day! For all the mothers out there - Happy Mother's Day! And for both my mothers, thank you for everything you do for me. I love you very much. You are amazing women and you inspire and teach me every day of my life. p.s. Take a look at new pictures and letters from camp. May 14, 2004 - Sitting in the Sunport Well, thank goodness for wireless internet access. I've been sitting in the Albuquerque International Sunport for just over three hours now as my flight home is now two hours late. Forgive me for not telling most of you that I was taking a brief, but deserved, vacation at home. Since I'll only be there for five days (assuming I actually leave ABQ), I won't have time to see most of you. I've gone through several chapters of my current book (Desert Solitaire as Clarke and I are planning a visit to Arches later this summer), browsed the internet, emailed my mom and im'ed with Clarke. Again, very thankful for free wireless service in public places, and for my relatively new work computer with built-in wireless card. But enough bragging. :) I've also managed to give Quizno's some business (as have many people on my eventual flight since it's located right next to our gate) and buy a pair of overpriced glow-in-the-dark socks. May 26, 2004 - Sadness in Guinnessville Just the other day I received some sad news. One of my favorite San Diego bands, The Hatchet Brothers, are playing their last Wednesday night at the Ould Sod...tonight...in San Diego...where I am not. Sniff. I've been a Hatchet Bros fan for several years now, and have spent countless Wednesday nights with them at the Sod. I'm even more bummed that I didn't go to the Sod last week while I was briefly in San Diego. I only had a little bit of time at home and figured that well, the Brothers will be there every Wednesday when I come back in August. Sigh. Now I'm really kicking myself (which is not easy). So, in honor of the Hatchet Brothers' last night at the Sod, have a Guinness, listen to loud music, shed a few tears. June 2, 2004 - Update from Camp There's a new update in the Camp section, and some photos have been added of camp life and the field work of the behavior crew. I've been super busy out here the past few weeks...tons of owls (and owlets!), plenty of jets, and not nearly enough sleep. Enjoy! June 4, 2004 - Something Wicked This Way Comes Today is the day!! Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opens in the US! And here I am sitting in the middle of the forest. My movie date is set for the 19th of June when I'll be in Albuquerque on (gasp) a break. I've heard great reviews about it, mostly saying that the new director has really got into the heads of thirteen-year-olds (Harry and crew are now the magical age of thirteen). I just finished rereading the book for the umpteenth time (well, probably actually the fourth time) and can't wait to get to Albuquerque in two weeks. Here's the official Harry Potter website: www.HarryPotter.com. Think it will be too warm in ABQ to wear my Gryffindor House scarf? July 2, 2004 - Memorials Too much sad news these past few weeks. My Great Uncle Don passed away a few weeks ago. He was such a wonderful guy. I will always remember watching football with him on Thanksgiving day when we'd go to visit him. Clarke's grandmother, Gaga, passed away last weekend. I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her listening to her stories and looking at her old pictures. Matthew and Jamie's father was killed in a car accident earlier this week. I was never able to meet him, but his kids are amazing. July 6, 2004 - The Countdown Begins We're in to the last month of this field season. So much to do in such little time. I've stolen away some time for another letter from camp and some picture updating. There's some great pictures of Arches National Park, where Clarke and I went on vacation, and lots of family fun at Lake Powell. The Ye Olde Tavern's 11th Annual Worm Races in Alpine, AZ on July 3rd was so much fun, and of course our Fourth of July party at camp was a blast. Read about everything in my latest letter from camp and don't forget to check out the pictures. July 21, 2004 - Yet Another Update from Camp A brief camp update before we finish up and get the hell outta Dodge. Less than one week to go! Don't get me wrong, I love my job...I'm just such a homebody and four months is a long time to be gone. If you haven't had the chance, check out the photos from camp. August 6, 2004 - Ketchup Ok. I've been home from camp just about a month now. I've managed to upload a few more pictures from the end of camp. Packing up camp was a bit more difficult this year due to the unforgiving rain. It always rains in July, but there's usually at least some time off to allow for packing. We managed to get everything packed and off to Eager, AZ for a week. Luckily for us, Lex lives in Eagar so we had a place to hang out in the evenings that was much more interesting than the Rode Inn. If you are ever in Eager/Springerville, AZ or remotely near there, stop in at Java Blues for some great food (I recommend the grilled roast beef and brie sandwich and the espresso shake). Lex, Ky and I had an awesome bike ride in the rain and mud, although my tires practically doubled in size with all the mud caked on them. The next morning was departure day and as happy as I was to be going home, it was terribly difficult to leave Lex and Ky (and Stephen and Maggie too). My slightly delayed departure put me in Phoenix, AZ about, oh, 1pm, at the start of August. Yick. At some rest stop, I glanced at the temperature gauge to realize that the poor car was overheating more than I was. So, once we returned to the road (we being me and the aging station wagon - thanks mom), I resigned myself to the desert heat, draped a wet bandana across my neck and rolled down the windows. We made it home in one piece (for I was almost permanently stuck to the car seat at that point) that evening and I have never been so glad to bounce over the half-dozen speed bumps it takes to get into our complex. After that, I took two glorious weeks off and had a great vacation at home. We were able to do some house stuff that we'd be thinking about since before I left. Our fridge died (temporarily) on us the day after I got home and right after a major grocery trip. After spending a few late afternoons in the living room sunshine, I discovered just how badly we needed blinds for our sliding glass door. See our latest home improvements here. Of course, there was plenty of unpacking for me to do, both from camp and from when we moved in. And then plenty more to unpack once I returned to the office. For those of you who haven't asked me yet (there must be one or two of you left), I don't know how long I'll be home. At least 8 months I suppose (well, 7 now) maybe longer. We won't know until the end of the year if the owl project funding is going to be renewed. No worries though, there are a few other projects in the works that I will be a part of so I won't be jobless (hooray!). I've been surfing so much more now, I don't know how I survived four months being land-locked. Clarke got me soft racks for my car and now I'm not dependant on him to drive me and the surfboard to the waves. I have been taking the Coaster up to Carlsbad on Fridays to meet up with Clarke to catch the waves in North County and help him avoid the gnarly southbound Friday commute. I wish the Coaster weren't as expensive so that people would use it more. Not that it's expensive exactly, it just doesn't cost less than a month's worth of gas for most people. But that's Clarke's rant. :) Thankfully, the turons are leaving San Diego as I type this so the beaches will be less crowded come Tuesday morning. Once of the great things about San Diego is that the summer weather season lasts much longer than the summer tourist season. (if it's called tourist season, why can't we shoot them?) Warning: major rant following. Shortly after I returned to work, I received an email from my neighbor Jenni saying that as she was checking the mail she noticed birds flying into our office window (not inside, into the window). Upon closer inspection she noticed that there were about 100 termites swarming our curtains!!!!!!!!! So I went home and she helped me vacuum them up for about 2 hours (yay Jenni!). There were at least 300 of them, they just kept coming. I found their hole (I hope) and plugged it up with some spackle. I've called the property management company and a termite company has set up an inspection. Just last week the home owner's association board voted not to tent the townhomes but that they will do spot treatment upon request. We had that exact same window spot treated 9 months ago before we bought the place. The inspection then recommended tenting but the seller wasn't going to pay for that. What really gets me is that for at least the last 6 months the board has been debating on whether or not to tent the townhomes. Some owners/residents are opposed for various reasons (most of them being inconvenience) and one of them (who happens to live in my set of townhomes) is super opposed to it and sent out propaganda and an unofficial ballot asking the owners to vote on whether or not they wanted tenting. The propaganda along with the ballot of course only gave the anti-tenting information. Clarke got this when I was away at camp and emailed a member of the board asking if this was official (because it didn't look like it came from the board or property management, and it was VERY one-sided). She emailed him back saying that it sounded like "someone was trying to stir up trouble" and not to vote. Well, that same board member asked Janet (the propaganda spreading neighbor) for those ballots at the last homeowners meeting AND based on those ballots, the board voted not to tent the townhomes because the majority of those that voted said no (18 no, 9 yes, 33 total townhomes). And while 18 is a majority, if I were sent this one-sided ballot without any other info, I'm sure a lot of people voted no based on the propaganda. I'm just so so so upset that they voted no and not one week later our office is swarming with hundred of termites. End of rant. Not everything has been that crazy (thankfully). Clarke and I went to my first Padres game at Petco Park! Steve Poltz was doing a pre-game show at the Park in the Park so we trolley'd down early and gathered on green grass just past the outfield. Check out a few picture of San Diego's new baseball stadium...named after a pet store. We also went to a game just last Saturday for the retiring (for the Padres) of Tony Gwynn's number 19. And I'm headed to at least two more games before the season finishes! On a sad note, our beagle Lady had to be put down. She was suffering from congestive heart failure and could not eat or take any medication. Lady was technically my brother Anthony's dog, but she belonged to all of us. We found her, or truly, she found us. A few Christmases ago we were visiting Karen's family in Oregon and driving down the road to the farm one night we saw this dog trotting up the road toward our car. We stopped to let her get out of the road, but instead she came right up to the passenger side door. Collarless, covered in ticks, bones visible under her skin, and paws so worn we wondered how she could walk on them. We took her home that night and bathed her, a lot. We had decided that she should stay in Oregon at the farm, but at the end of our stay she was given to Anthony as a belated birthday present. She's been with us ever since living at my Dad and Karen's place in San Marcos, escaping under the fence and trying to eat Chito's food as well as her own. She no longer resembled the skinny dog we found on the road that night. We had a ceremony for her this past weekend and scattered her ashes in the field behind the house where she always escaped. We've found comfort in the thought that without us, she probably wouldn't have been the fat happy dog she was these past few years. We'll miss you Lady. Take care everyone. Happy back-to-school. August 8, 2004 - Paddle the Pier 8:30 am on Sunday, September 12 marks the time and date of a really really cool event...The Surfrider Annual Paddle Around the Pier. In addition to getting together for this fun time (even if you don't intend to do the paddle, its still fun and an AWESOME scene to be apart of, see below for details), we are planning to hang out at the beach for the day afterwards and do all those things one does at the beach (smashball, sleep, people watch, surf, swim, eat, drink, and be merry!) We will set up a camp that morning north of the Pier in Ocean Beach in front of the Main lifeguard Tower off of Santa Monica Avenue. Throughout the morning and day, we will have a bar-b-que ready to grill your grub, and some chips n stuff. Bring your own grill grub and drinks though! This should be a blast, from watching people paddle their surfboards with their dog on the front around California's longest structure and catching some waves, to hangin out and enjoying the last bit of summer we can!!! Feel free to email me with any questions you might have. We'd love to represent out there and have fun in meantime with you all! p.s. We have some extra surfboards in case people are in need. Let us know and we'll see what we can do. Otherwise BYOBoard p.p.s. Check out the link here for pictures from last years paddle p.p.p.s. Please pass this on to anyone who might want to join....siblings, gfs, bfs, uncles, pets, and or disowned inmate friends. Official Mumbo Jumbo - - - - - - - (snatched from the Surfrider San Diego Chapter website) Our 13th Annual Paddle For Clean Water will take place on Sunday, September 12th, from 8:30am - 12noon at the Ocean Beach Pier. The Paddle For Clean Water is a noncompetitive event that consists of hundreds of local beach goers paddling around the Ocean Beach Pier in a joint effort to bring awareness to the pollution problem along San Diego's coastline. For the first time ever, other Surfrider Chapters from all across the nation will join the event. Chapters from New York, Florida, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Massachusetts will paddle out in waterways near their home town to demonstrate their support for clean water. This is a free event, and all ocean enthusiasts are invited to participate in the paddle around the pier. We expect more than 700 paddlers to attend this year's Paddle for Clean Water with many more cheering the on from the beach. Many paddlers will use surfboards, boogie boards, and kayaks to get around the pier, but all variations of paddling devices are welcome. The more creative the paddling device, the better. The intention of our Paddle for Clean Water is to increase public awareness and support of the value of clean and safe oceans and waterways. The preservation and protection of San Diego's beaches and waves is a continual process which demands the support and contributions of numerous individuals, organizations and businesses within San Diego County. As one of the leading grassroots environmental organizations fighting to preserve our precious coastal resources, the Surfrider Foundation activists and contributors truly are the ?Keepers of the Coast?. As part of the festivities, we will also be having free breakfast, guest speakers?City Council members Donna Frye and Michael Zucchet, music by local artists, a huge raffle with many large prizes and a beach clean up after the paddle. Proceeds from this event will benefit the many Surfrider Foundation programs here in San Diego, including water quality testing, education outreach, beach cleanups, internships, and pollution monitoring. October 7, 2004 - Bike Tour Arizona: Vote for Change Well, we all know the election is coming up. A friend of mine who I went to Costa Rica with during college is doing an awesome wonderful thing with a couple of his buddies to help spread the word and to derail those "fence straddlers". He and two friends are biking 400+ miles across Arizona to motivate the undecided. Read all the details here. If you're interested in donating, please email me and I will send you the contact info. October 20, 2004 - Work, Winter, Baseball Let's see. So much chaos in the past few weeks. Chris put in his two-weeks notice the end of last month so Tina and I were subjected to an intensive two-week course on Chris' job (Bioacoustic Technician. We're not taking over for him, but since he won't be around to train the new person (once he or she gets here), Tina and I have become temporary brain storage for all of Chris' tasks. We're kinda like human tupperware. Needless to say, work has been hectic. I'm trying to balance my own job, keep up with the Bioacoustic Tech job enough so that we don't get too far behind, and hold interviews for both that and a new Research Assistant position to help out me and Tina. It's amazing how much time a few interviews can take out of your day. I finally got the pictures from the Surfrider's Paddle around the Pier developed. I guess we didn't take that many, we were too busy paddling our arms off. But, I have posted what I've got, see them here. Otherwise, it's just business as usual. Winter's on the way...rain, sweaters, soup, fireplaces, cold water, full suits, ugg boots. p.s. GO RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! November 2, 2004 - VOTE I voted...did YOU? Today is the day! Get out and make a difference! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! My friend Pete is still out biking through Arizona making sure people get to the polls. Here's the emails about his journey. Thanks Pete, for making a difference.
November 6, 2004 - Now What? Let's just say, this week has been long, tiring, draining and very frustrating. So many people I know, people I care about and respect, have been seriously considering moving out of the country. Canada and Costa Rica seem to be the top choices right now. Part of me doesn't blame them...I've thought about it myself. But instead of looking at it like we've just been screwed out of four years, why not look at it as four years to educate people (including ourselves), four years to fight back, four years to let everyone know what we think. Everything isn't completely out of our hands. Yes, the voter turnout was better, but what about those 18-25 year olds? They, more than anyone else, are going to be affected most by the next four years. Where do you think the draft will start? This past week has been a fog. I'm afraid for my boyfriend and my brothers who could get drafted to fight this senseless war. I'm afraid for myself...just because Bush doesn't think a woman can make decisions about her own body, doesn't mean he won't ask her (or force her) to carry a gun into battle. I'm afraid for my younger siblings who are going to inherit this mess. I'm afraid for all those people who are serving Bush's ideals under the guise of serving our country. I'm afraid, but I am hopeful and thankful. I'm thankful for my friends Jill and Pete (and countless strangers) who got out there and spent so much of their time campaigning, getting people to the polls. I'm thankful for the person in my complex that makes me smile as I drive past her car plastered with bumper stickers, letting everyone know how she feels. I'm thankful for all those friends who called and emailed me on November 3rd with condolences and uplifting photos, bumper stickers and t-shirts (Republicans for Voldemort!). I'm thankful that I do live here, despite it's current state of affairs, because I have a choice, I am allowed to make my choice and to make it known. Pete sent out his final email journal from his trip to Arizona today. Please read it, it gives me hope. November 28, 2004 - Holidaze Well, we zipped through the end of October right on into November. I have decided to black out my memories of the beginning of this month in order to make it through the end of this year. We did the pumpkin carving thing, per usual (see pictures!). Clarke and I actually celebrated Halloween this year. We've managed to skip it the past few years for assorted reasons (too much work, too much vacation, too much fire). Adam and Heather hosted a "Come as your favorite sci-fi or fantasy character or if you can't admit that you have a favorite, come as your inner nerd" party. So of course I went as Sydney Bristow from Alias (one month until new epidsodes!!) and Clarke went as a Sony nerd, just to tease Adam. Check out some photos here. But of course, that was a month ago. We just finished up Thanksgiving. This year we decided to take it a little easier than normal and instead of family-hopping through the four-day weekend, we had Thanksgiving dinner with Clarke's Uncle Pierce and then the Saturday after Thanksgiving at the new cabin in Julian. Being so close to all of our family is great, but the holidays tend to get a little crazy trying to make sure we get enough time with everyone. And somewhere in the last couple of days, we celebrated the first year in our home. It's hard to believe it's already been a year since we moved in...there are still unpacked boxes and unpainted surfaces hiding around here! Anyways...I hope the holidays go well for everyone! p.s. Harry Potter 3 came out on DVD last week! December 4, 2004 - OB Christmas Parade Just a quick note, the OB Christmas Parade is tonight! 5:05pm (OB Time) on Newport Avenue. My hula halau will be waving from a flatbed truck in the parade. We're spending the day decorating the float and practicing for our Ho'ike (like a recital) that is set for next Sunday. If you're in the OB neighborhood tonight and feel like a little holiday cheer, pull up some sidewalk down on Newport Ave and bring the hot chocolate. |
