Earth Day

When I was in Denver a couple weeks ago I had a small window of time to do something fun.  I chose the Natural History Museum.  I'm actually thinking about making it a life theme - to go to as many Natural History Museums as possible.  Amazing what the interpretation of the concept manifests itself as.  Very different than Chicago.  I think Portland has one too.  Hmm....anyway, the point was to wish you all a Happy Earth Day and encourage you to find something you can do to make the world a better place.  There are several websites out there with recommendations and I trust you can pick one that fits your life.  I'm going to continue my quest for a paperless household.  Because paper is heavy to haul around....and store....and stuff.  And because before you know it you will be a fossil in a museum somewhere and it won't matter how good your paper records were that the tax man never came to inspect.  So focus instead on getting outside more and maintaining paper files inside less!

Last Ski Weekend

Technically the resort does not close until next weekend, but I won't be around to participate.  And frankly, good luck with that.  There are trees and rocks in places I have never known them to be on this mountain.  I have serious doubts about there being enough snow for any backcountry tours when I return.  But even a crap ski season is still a SKI SEASON.  

It's always amazing to me when someone recognizes me and says hello.  I totally did not recognize my boss, even after he said hello, until almost a minute later.  I was trying to be relatively incognito in my green jacket.  I was originally scheduled to do dog work, but I could not find my beacon.   The irony of that is sooo not lost on me.  And no, my dog could not find it either.

It was beautiful and sunny in town.  The extreme wind on the drive to the mountain should have made this scene not really a surprise, but somehow it still was.  The amazing part of skiing here? Constant change.  One minute it's almost sunny and you are flying down the hill.  In the blink of an eye you can not tell where the ground is and all I can think about is not getting injured.  I'm tired of injuries.  

The rest of my weekend.....was spent attempting to tame the chaos.  My legs ached immediately upon exiting the chairlift because I spent 12+ hours the previous day schlepping stuff up to the 2nd and 3rd floors.  I'm looking forward to seeing the results, both in my legs and my abode.  When did I acquire all this crap?

Spring is for the Birds

It's thinking about being spring here.  Which means some days I wake up to snow and overcast skies and some days it's sunny and icy.  It means there are more birds out talking up a storm.  It means I sometimes forget that isn't water in the driveway, it's ice.  Every time.  I'm sure it would be hilarious to show a movie of me stepping onto the driveway from the wood steps every morning and squealing as I slip on the ice.  Very Three Stooges.

It also means the return of field studies where you don't freeze as much.  I helped set up a snow/dog science methods experiment last weekend at the resort.  It's been almost a year since I graduated.  Know what I discovered?  I miss real science.  This is a picture from an article in the Dispatch today about reduced numbers of this species.  The closest I get to this these days is the science of 'where did I put that?' from my move and reading about studies other people have done in the Arctic or places that I want to travel to.

New Digs

Been a little busy ... moving....with a sprained thumb.  Simple skiing fall, but it is truly amazing how much stuff you need your thumb for.  It's been interesting and has resulted in bruising of my arm from trying to substitute that for the thumb grasping ability I'm missing.  And I might have a large shelf destined for the top floor studio (instead of vice room) stuck on the bottom floor.  In the stairway.  With a broken light fixture.  Maybe.  Don't ask.

The dogs and big white cat love the new place.  Frog especially likes the acoustics of the stairwell for 'singing the song of his people' at 2am.  I'm hoping to find enough clean socks to get me through the week without raising too many eyebrows about my work outfits.  And I'm hoping to find my running shoes so I can resume training for triathlon.  But really, since we have had winter decide to hang on a little longer I wish I could get to my skis and find my ski boots.

Travel

I remember when I was a 'kid' and I went to my first airport.  Spokane.  My sister was flying to Europe.  It was sooooo exciting.  I had an overwhelming sense that I would do a lot of travel in my life.  And then I promptly forgot about it and went on being a kid.  I remembered this scene as I was navigating my sixth airport in two weeks last week.  It was Denver and was nothing like Spokane has ever been.  I think this pic is from my window seat landing in Portland for a couple hours before my final hop home. 

It was pointed out to me (by my defacto dog sitter) that I have been gone a lot in the last six months.  Believe me, I know.  So do my dog friends.  And my dogs.  And my cat.  And my credit cards.  And my frequent flyer account.  And my work accounting department.  I think these are the Cascades a couple weeks ago when I went to see Mom.  For the day. 

And I know this is Denver.  I realized as I was landing that I haven't been there in over a decade and I have never landed there.  The beta I was given about this place was spot on.  Except for the part about not renting a car.  NEVER going to do that again.  Except maybe in a foreign country.  Let's just say I do not have an overwhelming fondness for cabs.  And that I am happy to have caught up with my one friend here the night before she moved to Hawaii.  And that I am happy to hear I now have a friend in Hawaii!  I did not enjoy the daily double nose bleeds or the weird weather.  But the hotel was great and the training was quality.

I'm pretty sure this is Denver in the afternoon.  I was really happy I didn't miss this flight.  The rental car return was farther away than I remembered and the security system would not let me check in on my phone like I normally do.  For once I was grateful I travel so much - the frequent flyer status can get you through hoops a bit quicker.  Who knows what the future holds; for now I'm just trying to make the best of wherever I find myself.