Utah Sojourn

My life and experiences while I work towards my MS in Utah.

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Location: Gitting, Manyara, Tanzania

Just finished my MS in Watershed Science at Utah State University. Am now embarking on an adventure in Tanzania through the Peace Corps. After 2 months of training, I have just started teaching secondary Chemistry and Physics, which will be for 2 years.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Idaho Football and

Fall Foliage

Today was a great day for getting out and spending time with labmates...as if I don't see them everyday during the week too. My morning started out with a trip to the farmer's market, which is basically a couple dozen (or less) people who set up tables at a park and sell things from fresh foods to photographs to jewelry. It's rather small, especially when compared to Syracuse but there is some good fresh food there. I ran into Christy at the market and she invited me to join her and Molly later to hike the Wind Cave trail...sounded like fun to me if the football game was over or really boring by then.
I made it to the second half of the women's soccer game, which was a decent game. We ended up winning too so it was pretty nice. For lunch, I decided to check out the Ag Day Barbeque (remember, we are an agricultural school). Although it cost me $8, I figured it was worth it because the money goes toward a scholarship and I could eat whatever (and as much as) I wanted. I tried a lot of different meats and most were really good...must make a difference in how they are cooked...which is why the Dinosaur is so good. So I stuffed myself, grabbed a few yogurts and milks, and booked for the game that was starting soon.
As I was walking to the student section in the stadium, I passed Andy (labmate), Greg (whom Andy lives w/ and I played b-ball w/), and Manning (Greg's son). Even though they were there w/ Andy's parents and grandma, they invited me to join them. Seeing as how I really didn't care whether or not I sat in a Utah State section, I joined them...plus they are cool people. We found Andy's family and a way to get to them w/o getting stopped by a security person looking at tickets...since we got in free w/ our student IDs, we didn't have tickets for the "posh" seats (note extreme sarcasm). Andy's parents and grandma had all gone to Idaho for school and are big Vandals (yes, that's their nickname) fans. We sat in front of the Idaho marching band and it was cool hearing music during a decent portion of the game...USU's marching band played maybe once during the game other than at halftime. Since my Aggie pride is somewhat limited and I was at the game because I wanted to watch a football game...I cheered for good plays in general whether they were Utah or Idaho. It was great because I focused more on the good stuff happening and had more opportunities to get excited. I highly recommend this way of watching sporting events as it is less stressful and more fun. I even did the Idaho fight song...it's rather simple so it didn't take much to figure out and remember.
The game itself started out really well since the two teams are both really bad D-1 teams. Utah actually played well in the first 5 or so minutes and scored a couple of touchdowns. From then on, it was mostly Idaho. Of course, I didn't care as long as there were some good plays happening. The game remained exciting despite the score (Utah losing by a good amount), so I decided to stay instead of meeting Christy and Molly for some hiking. It was a great day for a football game...perhaps even a little too warm...and I had a great time. Sure beats sitting among strangers and cheering for a losing (and pathetic) football team.
After the game, I figured I should either do work or go hiking. I chose the latter and figured I would take the Wind Cave trail and possibly run into my labmates. Just before reaching the hollows (the wind "cave"), I saw them on the trail. They waited for me and joined me at the "caves" for a bit. We took a couple group shots of us on the top with the fall foliage in the background. Christy and Molly are birdwatchers so they were identifying any birds that they saw. I was impressed because my eye is not keen enough to spot birds very well much less accurately id them...unless it's a turkey vulture or some such other easily distinguished bird...the smaller ones, like finches and warblers, all look pretty much the same to me...small. I'll have to learn some things from them.
All in all it was a fantastic day full of fun and camaraderie. Now there's just making sure I do some schoolwork on Sunday...

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Dinner
Today I had my first day of teaching CCD (aka religious ed) to 4th/5th graders. The lady who originally was going to teach them is moving to Indianapolis but she is teaching for the first few weeks. I'm glad that she is there to start the lessons and such. It's similar to student teaching where you kind of observe and participate a little before being given complete responsibility...thank goodness as I don't know how I would fare without the bit of modelling. It is definitely going to be a learning experience for me not only because I am not used to actually teaching this age group (we mostly play at Rec during the summer) but because my scriptural/Biblical baackground is not very extensive. Good thing I learned so much at Oneonta...especially from the many questions Steve so graciously and patiently answered...yay for open forums! It will also be a little more work than I had anticipated in order to make it fun, interesting, and applicable for the students. Maybe Shannon and I can collaborate on ideas for the different lessons. Plus the lady who is leaving has already written out some lesson ideas and such that should help me get a jump start on expanding the stuff that the students can do in the booklets they'll be getting. I certainly don't want them to have to work out of the book for an hour every Sunday...how dull.

This afternoon basically consisted of me buying a few groceries and baking an apple pie. I had said that I would bring the pie to Christy's where we went for dinner. I've made an apple pie a couple times before when I was in Germany. Brilliant me forgot to buy a peeler and a rolling pin at the store and couldn't find anything smaller than probably a 5 pound box of lard, which I needed for the pie crust (I substituted shortening). Needless to say, it was a little more work to make the pie than I had anticipated but I didn't mind as it is rewarding work...manual labor tends to be more enticing when you have a lot of intellectual stuff going on. I even made a little apple with a leaf out of the extra dough and put it on top. However, unlike my grandpa, I did not mix food coloring in with the dough so my hands are not colorful. My apartmentmate does have some food coloring though, so I mixed a tad with water and flour and sort of painted it on with my finger. It ended looking pretty good when it was baked.

After Church, I met the rest of the crew (Andy, Molly, Christy who have the same advisor and a workstation where I do and Clint, who is Christy's neighbor and in our GIS class) at Christy's for some pizza...with homemade dough...mmm. We socialized and ate and then played the game Apples to Apples. We were just laughing most of the game we had so much fun. I'm sure that there will be pleny of comments to come relating to that game. Some words will just never be the same...lol. While playing, we had some of the pie topped with vanilla ice cream. It tasted really good and I got some great compliments on it. Since I told Jen (apartmentmate) that I would bring her a piece back if there were leftovers, I'll make sure she gets a piece and then the rest is going in the lab, which Andy is thrilled with. It's nice to be able to make things and then have a place to bring the leftovers where they will be eaten and appreciated...and not by me. My body is happier about that...save for my taste buds of course.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Lake Ontario

I heard the second half of a great talk by Dr. Steve Chapra today. He created a model in the 70's that used population data and land use to infer and predict phosphorus levels in the Great Lakes through time. Basically, the pollution in the lakes was increasing exponentially, largely due to human waste and detergents. His model was used by the US and Canada to help develop levels of allowable phosphorus coming out of sewage treatment centers and in detergents. The model predicted a specific decline that would occur by the implementation of the proposed regulations. For the past 3 weeks, he has been entering in some data that was collected in the intervening years on phosphorus levels in the lakes to see if his model was accurate. He couldn't believe that data he was getting. The pollution in the lakes has regressed at similar rates to those predicted. However, Lake Ontario had the best rate. In fact, the phosphorus levels are much lower than they should be compared to the amount entering the lake (it's called the amount of loading). The rate is also very steady and does not have much variation at all (aka the dots fall along a curved path not around a curved path). As he was talking about this and how he is perplexed and can't publish data he can't believe he got, I was thinking that perhaps zebra mussels were the reason. Lo and behold, a couple minutes later he mentions that he thinks that zebra mussels may have something to due with the abhorrent values for Lake Ontario (as well as have some affect on the other lakes). This is brand new data that won't be published for at least a couple of years too. Yet, it seems that the efforts of those around Lake Ontario have helped clean up the lake a bit so that it is not eutrophic or in danger of being so...it's amazing, perplexingly, clear. I wonder if SUNY ESF (or as Matt, my advisor, says, "SUNY"...as if there aren't a couple dozen more SUNY schools) or Cornell or some school locally will be investigating why this phenomenon occurred. It's just so cool.

Earlier today, I meet with a lady down at St. Thomas Aquinas to fill out some paperwork for teaching religious ed (aka CCD). I'll teach 4/5th graders from 11:15-12:15 every Sunday and there are materials provided so I don't have to make up lesson plans...they come right out of a new packet every week that the students receive. I'm excited to be able to work with kids again as I always seem to miss it when I'm at school and around adult-type people all the time...even if we don't always act like adults. I already have a couple of ideas of integrating some other cultures (like Germany) into the class as well as stuff from World Youth Day. Since there is a large Hispanic community within the parish, which includes some of my students, I think it would also be neat to do some bi-lingual stuff so we can all learn a bit of Spanish along the way and make the Hispanic students feel more empowered and accepted...that's the goal at least.

Speaking of learning some Spanish, a professor at the university who teaches Spanish will be having informal Spanish lessons at the Newman Center on Thurdays starting soon. So I can learn some Spanish and not actually have to take a class...pretty sweet! :-)

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Small World
Today after Church, I met a few people and realized just how small the world is. Since I've gotten here, I've discovered that more professors know SUNY Oneonta than I expected. Most people also know Syracuse, NY and some have even been there. However, I was thoroughly shocked today by a couple that I met.

The social was designed for students and faculty to meet eachother. One of the couples I met turned out to be from Syracuse...both of them too, not just one. The real shocker is that the wife not only knew Central Square, she had been there yesterday! I couldn't believe it and am still trying to get over the shock. She had been home to visit her mom in Camden and filled her mom's prescription at Wal-Mart...the same place I know several workers. Her parents used to live on CoRt 37 a couple miles or so up from Camic Road in a house her dad built. When the husband died, the mom eventually remarried and moved to Camden...all information I know you were dying to know. ;-)

The guy I met also happens to be a geology professor and dean of the College of Sciences. He started college at Oneonta but dropped out and ended up finishing at Potsdam, where he met his wife. They are a really kind couple and I think could be very useful resources in the future. I mean, geology...dean...sweet.

NOTE: I'll put the names up when I check them...they are hanging on my wall in my room...where I am not.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Weather
I thought the weather in NY is highly variable until today. We had rain this morning, sun, thunder, and of course some decent hail. It was crazy but neat. It was nice when I went to the Farmer's Market even though a bit cool. Then while I was watching the women's soccer game, there was thunder and hail. Despite the conditions, the refs allowed play to continue...I can't believe they didn't stop it when there was some really loud thunder and there was no doubt that it was thunder (aka you couldn't pretend it was a loud truck/plane/etc.).

In the evening I went to the football game against UofU (University of Utah). It was fun even though I probably could have played as well as our team. We really are quite pathetic. I was surprised at one point when we actually caught the ball. There was a UofU guy in front of me who was w/ his USU friends and it was funny when he would make fun of our team...he was right but it was funny b/c he was doing it in our student section so he was surrounded by USU students. I found out that on first downs (of which we had a paltry few), the fans do a tomahawk chop in front of their bodies to the side (the same motion the ref uses) and yell "FIRST DOWN" after the announcer says, "It's another Aggie...". Cheesy but fun. I left at the beginning of the fourth quarter as it was rather chilly out, the game was getting boring, and I wanted to go see Superman Returns at the theater...which I did and it was great. I'm glad that I got to see it in the theater because it's so much better.

At some football game, I think that it would be a blast to get some people together and we can paint our stomachs and stand in the first row. If not a football game then a basketball game...especially since we actually have a good team (so I've heard) and it's warmer inside. I'll just have to gather some folks...like maybe my labmates....

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Basketball
I played some pick-up basketball today and it was great. Andy was meeting some of the guys he works with at the Rocky Mountain Research Center (it's on campus...aka Forest Service guys) for some ball and he let me come along. We played 3v3 full court and boy do I need to get in better shape. It wasn't really bad but I am definitely not where I should be. The guys are all pretty fair players...and Andy who claimed to not be a very good player is much better than he lets on. I mean, he actually looks athletic with some good ups, a good shot, and the ability to finish. Not very good...sure he's not. Now I just have to get in better shape so I don't feel old even though I'm the youngest.
One of the great things about playing is that my knee is feeling better and seemed to hold up alright with the brace on. My range of motion increased significantly since yesterday too. Yay for short injury time! :-D
The guys try to play at least once a week so hopefully I'll be able to play with them some more as it's awesome to play again...even out of shape. :-)

Another highlight of the day was the thunderstorm. Luckily September is not nearly as dry as August (I've seen the average precip graph). There was some thunder and lightning accompanied by some heavy rain :-D. I miss the amazing summer thunderstorms in New York. The only semi-downfall is that the storm was a result of the cold front that means a temporary end to the really warm temps. It's been a high in the 80's all week and next week is only supposed to be in the 60's-70's. So cold :o). However, we are forcasted to get some snow Friday-Saturday at least in the mountains and mabe here in the valley. We'll see...fall/winter is trying to push summer away.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Indoor Soccer
I'm playing 3v3 women's indoor soccer at a new complex in nearby Hyde Park. Something fell through with intramural outdoor soccer so I figured that I may as well play indoor. It's not a bad deal either as we have 10 games (every Tuesday night for 10 weeks) for only $50 a person. My team currently has 5 players, which means 1 sub as there are 3 field players and 1 goalkeeper that play at a time. So basically we will be getting a lot of playing time even if we get another person and everyone is there. The dry air was killer on my trachea and lungs (got the blood taste pretty bad) but I think that may improve as I get in better shape and my body adjusts more to this climate. There is a problem we discovered with having only one sub. With about 1.5 minutes to go in the first half, I was tripped pretty well and fell rather hard. Normally I fall so as not to hurt myself but I must not have fallen right this time. In addition to the expected turf burn (this is the killer kind), my knee was hurting fairly badly. I sat out after the halftime to stretch and try to get the knee feeling well enough to go back on the field. When it seemed okay, I subbed onto the field and played for a few minutes without any problems. Then my knee started feeling unsteady and after one play I had to step off the field before it buckled. So I iced it, stretched and waited until it felt okay again...then went out and finished the game. My knee is pretty sore and will only bend to about 90°. Jen, my apartment-mate (mitbewohnerin), asked me if I was going to wash the blood off my knee...to which I responded, "yeah, when I take a shower." She was pretty grossed out (when she merely scraped her arm on something and couldn't see if it was bleeding, she asked me if it was and seemed all concerned...total opposite of me who scraped my leg on my desk drawer and took awhile to realize what had caused me to bleed when I noticed blood on my leg later). So I got injured but it was great to play soccer again and I played pretty well. I scored 2 of our 5 goals and we tied our game. Not bad.

Also today I went to a Newman meeting for a trip to the Grand Canyon over October break. A group of students did it last year with a guy who will be guiding. We will be hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim in one day!! We'll start on the North Rim and hike 23.5 miles with about a mile elevation loss and gain to the South Rim. There will be someone who will drive the car (or people driving cars depending on how many we need) and she will meet us on the other side. This is one of those things that you aren't really supposed to do as all of the signs and literature dicourage it...for good reason too as it can be quite dangerous if you are not properly prepared and careful. However, it is on my list of amazing things to do so it'll be sweet to be able to do it :-D. I have about 5 weeks to get in great shape...I can't wait. :o)

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Utah State Fair
Shannon and I decided per her suggestion that we experience a bit of Utah culture by going to the state fair. She asked several people around her what it was like and none of them had been or at least not in decades. Between that and the extremely cheesy commercials that we watched online, we were very dubious as to the entertainment and enjoyment values of this event. So we decided to go on a day that the PRCA Rodeo was there. Of course we had to wear attire to support home while there. Shannon doned a Syracuse University shirt (not to be confused w/ Syracuse, UT) and I wore my I ♥ NY shirt.

Compared to the NYS Fair, the Utah State Fair is tiny. I'm not sure just how to accurately depict the small size but it was a fraction of NY's. One of the buildings had fine art by amateurs (like in NY) and we were rather impressed by some of the works. When you see artwork by kids that you can only dream of creating, you feel very humbled and like you are way behind the 8 ball because you can't do anything so neat. One display was particulary striking. A girl who is disabled (some sort of muscle degenerative disease but I don't remember the name...maybe MS) creates these incredible drawings and she can't even sit up! She did some pointillism and even had a piece of work on cards sold by an organization at Christmastime that uses the proceeds for research or something (you know, the fundraiser cards). Amazing girl.

Shannon was most apalled by the meager animal barns as she was well acquainted with those in NY, which are much larger and fuller. I must agree with her on the disappointment...you'd think it'd be better in an area that has a decent amount of agriculture and farm animals.

The rodeo was really neat despite the cool, gusting wind. We saw bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, and women's barrel race as well as a demonstration by a big horse group (don't remember what they're called). There was also bull riding but we were rather cold and wanted to do some more things before the fair closed. My favorite is the barrell racing as it looks like fun (Ati and Ian say it is too) and not nearly as insane as the other events however neat they are. I can't believe more people don't get more hurt more often. Crazy people...but still cool.

In the time before the fair ended, we got a candy/caramel apples to top off our day of fair food. Earlier in the day I had a gyro, some nachos (good ones), corn on the cob and some of Shannon's fries. Mmmm...food is one of the best parts of this fair. Then we went to make a Danceheads DVD. Basically, you sit there and try to lip synch the words to a song while you sit in front of a green screen and behind a half green screen with the effect that your head is isolated. Your head ends up on the body of some dancing character on the screen and the result is hilarious. We got a free DVD of ourselves to laugh at for years to come...too bad I didn't pick a song we knew...opps. :-P It was great fun nonetheless.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Rain
It has finally rained again! Since I've been here (18 August - now), it has only rained one other time. That time we had a good thunderstorm that woke me up and persuaded me to close my window to avoid further wettening of things (on the floor as usual) under the window. I was excited when I saw dark clouds this morning on my way to class but dubious as to whether they would release rain that would make it to the ground. A couple of weeks ago I thought that we would get hit pretty well because there was a really dark storm cloud across the valley to the west of here. Alas, we only got a couple of raindrops from it. Yay for rain! (sorry to you New Yorkers who have had a wee bit much lately...)

Also today, our workstation computers came! Mollie told me that she was in the office/lab when Matt (our advisor) came in, announced that they were in and then promptly left. He is more excited than we are I think. He even named them. Each of the computers is named for a part of a river. So here's some homework: Find out what the names of our computers mean. I already know and can tell you if you are right. The names are: Riparia (Mollie), Rithron (Christy), Potamon (Andy), and Crenon (mine). And no, Potamon is not Pokemon's cousin. The sweetest thing is that we have 2 screens :-D. The extra screen comes in really handy when working with GIS, Matt's class that all of us are in and something we will have to utilize when working on our theses/dissertation. We are blessed to have as our advisor and eachother as his fellow grad students. Already we pick on eachother and generally have fun together. We even make and appreciate corny science jokes...like when Andy said our computers form a meander due to the way in which our workstations are set up. Although we talked a joked for a bit in the lab today, we were also able to switch into work mode without wasting too much time. That's going to really helpful when we have even more work to do (not just the reading we have now). And it'll be fun to take breaks from studying with them. Definitely glad we have the same advisor as it's going to be a blast.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Social
On Wednesdays, I have an hour in between Small Watershed Hydrology lecture and lab. As Andy and I have identical class schedules, we ate lunch outside the NR building and enjoyed the sun while talking. I found out some things about him like that he has actually traveled quite a bit and has been to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich so he could kind of relate when I talked about Shannon and my Oktoberfest experience compared to the real festival. He has also traveled to Central and South America so I have to interrogate him further some time on those travels (I'm insatiably curious). It was cool to be able to sit and talk for awhile (usually it's standing/walking and for less time). I think I could get used to doing this every week. I also think it'll be nice to do the same with Mollie and Christy sometime when all of us get together...which is inevitable as we all want to and enjoy a lot of the same activities. My fellow grad students are great.

Today I also had seminar which is a joint "class" between the different sections of the CNR (College of Natural Resources). In fact, Andy and I had to leave our Small Watershed Hydro lab early to make it on time since they overlap...some weeks we won't be able to make the seminar so it's a good thing we only need to be at 2/3. This first seminar was an introduction...literally. The professors stood up and introduced themselves then us grad students had to do the same (I was first as I was sitting up front).

Following the seminar is a social at a house just off campus that everyone is invited to go to. It entailed free dinner (sandwiches, chips, cookies) and a chance to meet others in the college so I was there. I met a couple of biggish profs (Chuck - a famous? ecologist; and Nancy Mesner - does some work with teachers and has lesson plans for Earth Systems Science classes). Moreover, I met some fellow grad students whose names I don't remember but Eamonn knows them so I can always ask him who they are. It was neat talking with them and funny how everyone does outdoor activities, especially during the winter. I mean, a lot of people here really look forward to winter and the coming of snow. It fascinates and warms me...ironic.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Oktoberfest
(Déjà vu anyone?) Although tempted, I have not returned to Germany for this festive event. Shannon had found a local festival listed in a publication I had grabbed so we decided to check it out together. Now for those who don't know, Shannon was not only my partner in crime in high school, we also hung out for 12 days in Germany on a school trip with our German classes (landschaft...hehehe....).

We were ready a little early so we headed to a Dick's Sporting Goods store that Shannon and her mom had found last week in Salt Lake City. This store is sweet! It is 2 floors with an area in the middle where you can look at the other floor. Plus there is a climbing wall that goes through both floors and to the high ceiling. It is wicked cool. We also got some great deals on a couple items of clothing...real steals actually (metaphorically, not literally, of course).

Oktoberfest was at Snowbird Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon, 2 miles down the road from Alta and where we had biked to the previous weekend. It was started 34 years ago by a couple of Germans who were inspired by the mountains that looked like home (aka the Alps). And I certainly understand about missing that area and wanting to recreate it as close as possible.
At the entrance (no entrance fee! :-)), there are some vendors selling some things but only 2 had actual German merchandise. I ended up buying a polo shirt with the German flag on the right chest and Deutschland written above it (not Germany! :-)). We also have a brochure for a store that sells lots of German stuff, including chocolate (highly overpriced though). We'll have to check it out sometime.

Mostly we were excited about eating good German food and were not disappointed. Both of us had spaetzle with gravy for lunch. This was real spaetzle too, not just some noodles out of a bag. Mmmm..... It also happens to be a dish native to Swabia, the area I studied in in Germany...so it was doubly exciting for me.

The bands that played were quite good and we enjoyed listening to them even though we didn't have any guys to dance with (nor were any seemingly available to dance) and we couldn't remember the words to the songs (some of which Mr. Breckenridge had taught us). So we want to go back next year, bring some guy friends (whom we can drag or otherwise coerce into dancing), and know the more popular songs.

The big disappointment for me was the crowd. To say the least, the people were dead. Sure they would clap when the same half dozen to a dozen would get up and dance. Yet they wouldn't even participate when one of the bands (really great band) wanted them too. It was pathetic. Completely opposite of the real Oktoberfest where 95%+ of the people are standing on the benches/tables singing, dancing, and drinking. sigh

However, the crowd did consist of quite a few kids so this Oktoberfest is more of a family event. So that's good, but the crowd was still really lame. I'm sure the kids would have a better time if the adults weren't so blah.

Being Oktoberfest, there was beer. Most of the beers were local German ones (made in Utah but in the German way....I think) but there was at least one true German beer being served (Paulaner...not the one I had over there). In Oktoberfest tradition (if you can call it that), I joined Shannon in drinking a beer. We both chose an apricot hefeweizen (lighter color wheat beer) and shared a pretzel that didn't look like the ones in Germany yet still tasted scrumptious. Due to (funny/interesting) Utah laws, beer can not be served in more than 16 ounce servings, which is approximately .5 liters and half of what is served in a real Oktoberfest mass. I still gave Shannon half of my drink and I stand by my first conviction that beer tastes bad. I really only wanted the plastic mug anyway...it says "Prost!" (Cheers!) on the side :-D.

I had a great time and look forward to going again next year. Next weekend, Shannon and I are taking on the Utah State Fair...at the very least, we'll get to see a Rodeo. Yeehaw!

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Shopping
This morning I headed down to spend a couple days with Shannon, my friend from high school who just moved to Layton, Utah as she took a job at Hill Air Force Base. Being a Sunday, we weren't sure what touristy things would be open and how late. So Shannon made an executive decision to go to Park City. Park City was one of the big venues during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. It also has outlet shops that we just happened to hit up on Labor Day weekend.

We weren't really in a hurry but did have a goal of trying to find Shannon some good hiking boots and basically enjoying ourselves. Now I normally do not like shopping as I find it frustrating and tiring as I usually go when I need something and can never find what I want when I need it. This time, though, I didn't really need to get something and was just on the lookout for things that I would use and were great deals. Boy did we do well. We perused stores and tried on a myriad assortment of clothes to see if we could find anything we liked that was also on sale.

Shannon ended up getting a pair of Merrell hiking boots for $80ish (same ones that I have actually) as well as a pair of shorts for $10 and some other things. I got a pair of shorts for $9, capris for $15 (both Calvin Klein), a lightweight zip-up hoody for $10, and a pair of running sneakers for $60 (which isn't an amazing deal but still good...and I can take them back to a store in Logan where I may have to get a bigger size due to my variable sized feet...it's annoying.

So we really scored some great deals today and had fun just hanging out. :-)

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Remodeling
Today I helped Eamonn (pronounce "A-mon"...it's Irish if you want to look it up) with getting his room habitable so that he can finally move in and stop sleeping outside the Newman Center in his tent. While he and Shelley (I think that's her name) went to get some supplies at the store, I started with some sanding. Eamonn wanted to "muddy" the walls which entailed covering the walls with an uneven layer of plaster. (I don't know how to describe it so you can look it up if you really want to know.) So I learned how to do it and helped with that as well. Since painting had to wait until the plaster dried, I did do some weeding out in the front garden. While I was out there, Eamonn came out to help and asked me if I knew some of the plant names, which I didn't (in fact I still don't). I think he knows all of the plant names in that garden...turns out his undergrad was in horticulture, go figure (now I don't feel quite as foolish).

It felt good to be able to help and I am looking forward to visiting Shannon tomorrow to (hopefully) help her with unpacking on Monday even though I will miss the Newman mass again.

Friday, September 01, 2006

WOW (Week Of Welcome)
USU has this whole week of activities that they call WOW. Monday started out with free Aggie Ice Cream (see previous post), followed by the Scotty Dog and music on Tuesday (also see previous post). Wednesday's big event was at the quad in front of Old Main where school groups and businesses had tables set up that students could go to for information. Some of the "booths" were giving away free food or other things and were frequented more by the students, of which I am one. Not a day of healthy eating to say the least. I had an ice cream sandwich, a Creamie (basically a slighter less caloric fudgecicle), and fried dough with honey. Maybe there was more but I don't remember. I did get some good information though including the ORC Rental List, some student groups, renters insurance, and an indoor center. Plus, set up a checking account through Wells Fargo that I finalized on Thursday. I got a free USU t-shirt and free checks! Now I have 2 checking accounts, 2 savings accounts, 2 debit cards, and 2 credit cards....crazy.

Thursday evening the RHA (Resident Housing Association) had a BBQ that was actually really good. They had some sort of chicken but I had the pulled BBQ beef in a bun with baked beans, corn on the cob, and potates with carrots in a cheesy sauce. Then I topped it off with some sort of crusty thing, strawberries, and a Creamie. There was also a slip-n-slide complete with accelerating soap (aka dish soap) but it was a little chilly with the breeze and I passed it up. It was interesting to watch the underclassmen (measly undergrads mwah hahaha...) and spend a few minutes with my roommate outside our apartment.

Instead of participating in the WOW activities today (Friday) (dodgeball, kickball, a dance), I went mountain biking instead. I had stopped at the Ranger (Information) Station yesterday and asked about easy trails for biking as well as some good hiking trails. I drove up Logan Canyon to the Temple Fork Saw Mill path that the woman ranger had said is her favorite for biking. This is no easy trail to me as there are several big rocks that are difficult to traverse and impossible in some spots....even if I could get my tire through, my pedals would have caught. Needless to say, I stopped several times to move around rocks and otherwise maintain a feeling of safety. I ended up walking my bike a good distance higher on the trail as it was narrow and I didn't think I could navigate it without falling down the slope into the creek. Although I didn't think I'd made it very close to where the saw mill was, I realized later when I looked at the trail map again that I couldn't have been too far from it when I turned around.

I did try to ride a bit more on the way down and was a little more successful and only managed to fall once with minimal consequences ...did have to fix my chain at one point but I managed just fine for never having done it before. :-)

Before heading back to Logan, I attempted to take some photos of the beautiful canyon but don't think that my pictures will come out that great. Driving through the canyon is amazing and it's nearly impossible if not impossible to capture it on film. It also doesn't help that I had to drive and couldn't easily take pictures while doing it. The pull offs are not at the best photo ops either and I missed a couple that may have proved useful for a good shot. Guess I'll just have to go back and try some more.

After eating and cleaning up, I headed over to the Newman Center to drop off my info sheet and see if there were still plans for doing some gardening tomorrow. Turns out that they did have movie night (they weren't sure earlier in the week) so I joined the other 3 people and watched what remained of "The Mission"...very good movie..."a sad feel good movie" as someone else put it. I found out that Eamonn (another grad student in NR and an officer) still has not moved into his room at the Newman Center as it is not finished. Because of that they are working on his room tomorrow instead of yard work so I decided to join in.