Gearing up for a new year...

...literally. I hit REI today in a big way, and am the proud owner of new gortex boots, a non-leaky therma-rest, and a bunch of new smartwool socks. Christmas present to myself!

So I had a very busy semester between TA stuff and research. My qualifying exam is this spring, so I'm starting to get seriously worried that I won't have a solid research plan in time. Guess what I'm doing for the next few weeks. Yep, writing a research proposal. I'm working with David Mohrig now, studying the effects of hurricanes on Gulf Coast barrier islands. A little different than last year, but a lot more fun for me. I was in San Francisco for the week before Christmas, at the big geology conference that happens there every year. I presented my work, drank some free beer, and enjoyed all the delicious Thai and Japanese restaurants near Union Square. After the conference, I took a little roadtrip with a couple friends up to Redwoods National Park, where we hiked and camped for a couple days. We then crossed the Coastal range to visit Lassen volcano (snowshoeing and skiing!!!) and spend a night at my friend Lauren's house (with 4 dogs, 3 cats, 6 sheep, and a lonely goose!) Then I flew back to Chicago for the family solstice celebration (we're kinda over christmas these days). I'm back in Austin now, and so happy to be hanging out with Jasper again (my miniature poodle, adopted him three months ago!)

There's the update on what I've been doing the last couple months or so. Happy new year ladies!!!!!!

~katie

Doncha just love clouds?

Hey lovelies. Just thought I'd share a few photos I took over the past few days. I've just been feeling really grateful for the natural beauty around here. The first photo is the Marine Science Center this morning at sunrise. The second photo is from Hurricane Ridge just before Sunset and the bottom one is a few hours earlier. Both are gloriously up above the clouds.

Love you all and would really love to hear about your lives.

-Jess

Hey Buddies!

HI!

Sorry about that thing that I did where I didn't post for a while. Like three months.

...

Would you like to know what I'm going to do today? I am going to spend 10 dollars seeing what I can only presume is the worst reviewed movie of the year: Sex and the City 2. And you know what? I don't really care what anyone thinks about that because I love that show and I bet I'm going to like the movie, too. Especially because Cynthia Nixon is now a queer who is engaged to a woman who she describes as "a short man with boobs." Ho boy. THAT's hot.

Ironically, having to write that you don't care what people think about something means that you probably do care what people think. Sort of like when the POTUS has to tell the public that he's in charge of an oil spill. HAHahah. haha. ha.

So, work is okay. I sort of had a nervous breakdown about it and then miraculously felt okay about it again once I had cried a river of tears in my boss' office. Anyway, I want to quit and find a new job but, hey, who knew, the job market sucks so for now, I'm stuck here. Actually, though, I'm okay with it. I'll hang out here for another year, take some classes at WashU, party hardy with my friends and cook and walk and drink lots of good coffee and...just enjoy being young and cute and employed. I go back and forth about that. Like, when I was at EC over graduation and everyone had these lofty plans and I thought, "my God. I'm not only plan-less. I don't even have a plan to find a direction." I got all neurotic about it and then I remembered that I did have a pretty lofty plan and a direction to boot and look how well THAT turned out. (Not good).

Let's see...the dating scene is okay. I met a cute girl who I like a lot (for now) so we'll see if we can manage to make it past the first hurdles. I doubt it, if past experiences are any indication. Whatever. Dating. I'm bored of it.

I was at Earlham which was awesome. I stayed with Abby and Joanna at Janna's cute little place above the Aveda salon. We had a really good time; such a good time that we neglected to go to either Commencement or Baccalaureate. We're hoping to meet up in Bloomington over July 4th and live at the farmer's market for a few days and hopefully also blow some stuff up :) God Bless America, my home sweet home.

I also went to Nashville for 24 hours to see my dear cousin get married. It was a beautiful wedding and it was great to see the family in all their bigotry. Nashville is the ugliest city in the nation. My uncle and I went for a walk in the evening after the reception and it was completely indescribably surreal with six year olds playing electric bass guitar on street corners, crazy old hippies playing the spoons... stinky street urchins trying to come up with innovative ways to play the fiddle. I mean, it was weird as hell.

I don't have too, too many exciting plans for the summer except to spend as much time as possible in the park, grilling with friends, playing in the dusk, swimming in my friend's rooftop pool and eating gelato. Summer!!!! Sigh. We have a family reunion in August in Madison and yeah, the Bloomington trip and...maybe a trip to see an old friend at Yale and maybe a trip to Chicago? Who knows.

Oh, and Chuckles is grand. Right now he's alternating between chewing up my pillow and licking the salt off my knees.

I miss you guys. I hope that your lives are really, really happy.

All my love,

Mimsy

come on y'all! dish about your lives!

ok so I'll begin. This is what a blog post looks like. maybe we all can try to create one once in a while. I hear they're FUN!

No seriously, I miss y'all! Life is going really well out here. I continue to LOVE the Pacific Northwest, my job is excellent, my friends/co-workers are wonderful and it's all going along swimmingly (aside from the minor stress of having no clue what I'll be doing next year)

Miriam visited and we went snow shoeing at Mt. Rainier! It was basically the highlight of my whole life... we even had yummy pie at the end of the day.. and since I'm such a bore we stayed inside our little bunkhouse hotel room and chatted all night. So this is my proposal: ALL of you guys should come and we can ALL stay up late chatting at the base of Mt. Rainier. We can even snack on snow.

ok? sweet. let me know when you book your tickets.

Dudes. write. on. the. BLOG!

Holla! (anybody watch that kid on American Idol???)

Hello lovely ladies!
Thanks Em for urging us to write more often! However, you have to tell US more about your life too, otherwise it just ain't a fair deal.

So here's my update: life is going swimmingly. I still love my job and my co-workers (2 of which are also my roomies). The Pacific Northwest is insanely wonderful- I'm actually thinking that I may move to Seattle next year and take classes at the University of Washington to prepare for grad school/ vet school. It's just a matter of figuring out finances- AmeriCorps makes it all so easy right now!! I'm realizing how much I hate money- loans, loans, loans and if I do end up going to vet school (which is my current plan) it'll mean adding a LOT more money to that pile of loans. *sigh* However, if it means doing something that make me feel alive and happy, then it's worth it.

Ummm some things I've learned in the past few months:

1. Natural hot springs are totally awesome if not a wee bit stinky. We went to some in Olympic National Park and they instantly tarnished Valerie's rings!!! (She's one of my co-worker/roomies). Sooo weird but awesome!! We hiked in 2.5 miles.
2. Hooded nudibranchs smell like watermelons. No really. They do. We went night-seining and knew we'd caught them first by their scent!
http://ptmarinesciencecenter.blogspot.com/2009/11/hooded-nudibrachs-and-their-dance.html
3. Dead Orcas are exceptionally stanky. Ok- I can only vouch for a flipper (with flesh still on it) and a mostly clean skull.. but EW. Blubber is also very, very stubbornly oily.

The pectoral flipper looking gnarly (aka AWESOME):

Most of us from the Marine Science Center, holding catscans and x-rays of the flipper (so when they articulate the skeleton they'll know exactly where all the teeny tiny bones go!). From left to right: Heather (AmeriCorps), ME, Sue (volunteer), Julia (AmeriCorps), Valerie (AmeriCorps), Chrissy (Marine Program Coordinator):

4. Salamanders are equally as cute in the NW as in the Midwest.
5. It is indeed still possible at 23 to get a butchered haircut (NO "please give me a 1 inch trim" will never, ever, ever mean "please lop off 4 inches). I'm grieving.
6. How wonderful it is to have friends that are spread all over the country and world! You guys are great!

I miss you all tons and tons and tons and want to hear all about your lives!!!
-Jess

Stride with Haiti-Disaster Relief

Hi folks!

Inspired by close friends' pleads in Haiti, here's an idea my friend Lindsay has put together- http://stridewithhaiti.blogspot.com/ for Partners in Health who have been providing effective healthcare in Haiti for almost 25 years (have you read Mountains beyond Mountains?).

She thought of 'Stride with Haiti' Tuesday and since have been pitching it to several running/biking retailers around Austin, with the finale of the Austin Marathon committee Friday- great feedback so far & will know the Austin involvement by Tuesday b/c of the time sensitive funding needs.

Please pass blog to any friends around the world that may be inspired by PiH's relief in Haiti to get something going in their town.

The fault I am studying in Jamaica is an extension of the Enriquillo fault in Haiti, and because of this disaster being so prominent in the news right now, Matt's project in Jamaica has just received funding for the next couple years. I feel frustrated that my funding to do field work comes in the aftermath of such a tragedy. I'm trying to help the Jamaican people be better prepared by understanding the hazards they face, but it comes at the high cost of seeing how Haiti is struggling.

I'll be going to Jamaica in March for field work. Before that, I want to feel like I've given enough back to the people of Haiti.

Peace,

Katie

Haiti Earthquake was my Fault

Although the specific risks of the fault zone near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, may not have been known until recent years, the region has a long history of major earthquakes, including the earthquakes that destroyed Jamaica's capital, Kingston, in 1692 and 1907, that also occurred along the Enriquillo fault, which extends hundreds of miles through the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. These are the earthquakes I am studying, and a magnitude 7 or 8 quake would be nearly as damaging in Jamaica as in Port au Prince. This earthquake was perhaps timely for my continued funding, since we're waiting to hear from NSF if they'll continue to fund our work. It doesn't hurt to have sudden political interest in our work.

In more cheerful news, I just returned to Austin after a four day stint in Richmond. It was a last-minute trip to get some more sediment analysis done before classes started here. I got a lot of work done, ate Shannon's awesome cooking, and met Meg's 3-month-old son, Henry, who is a very happy baby. I got caught up on all the committee gossip, including the latest ridiculous things Amy M has said.

My classes start today, and I'm looking forward to them. I need a little more structure in my days than I had the past month, it is too easy to just keep pressing the snooze button if I don't have to get to an early class. I'll be studying basic programming languages used for geologic modeling as well as Marine Tectonics, a class co-taught by a slew of geophysicists who don't really get the concept of lesson plans. Fun.

My goals for this new semester are to actually start using the yoga mat I bought myself for christmas, and to show up at work on a regular basis, especially on Wednesdays, when there is free food. And have more dinner parties.

Ahem.

PEOPLE! write on the blog! i need reading material. jeez.

ps nothing exciting is happening in my life. i just work until really late at night.

pps okay it's a little more exciting than that, like when my team decides to sleep in a pile (see image. they were inspired by watching the movie "Where the Wild Things Are" a few months ago; most of them didn't really like the movie but were nonetheless attracted to the concept). but i want to hear about you all more than i want to tell you all about me.