Cramming

One week left til the interview for the Oregon job. I am spending my evenings cramming my head full of information--some that I already know, some that I am just learning. It's exciting to be exposed to all of this knowledge, and even more exciting to imagine living and working in Oregon one day soon. However, I am desperately trying to keep my expectations in check and not get my hopes up. Right now I only have an interview, and while I'm doing everything I can to wow them, I also know that it's quite possible that they already have a candidate in mind, and just posted the job because legally they have to. So, excitement levels are up, but expectations are low. I'll just try to have fun with it and do the best I can.

In the meantime, we are painting our entire house. We finished the bathroom and are now moving on to the office. We chose some nice colors (actually I tried to stay relatively mum while Adam chose colors that ultimately, I would've picked anyway), and we are planning to paint our bedroom, living room, dining room and kitchen. Yes, we are ambitious. Yes, we are already tired and unmotivated. But we shall complete the project!!!

Kika and House are doing well, living in relatively respectful cohabitation. Kika keeps her distance and House does too, until that is, he decides she's too interesting to stay away from. Then we hear Kika's yelp which means she has snapped at him, and he shrinks back in discouragement. While still kinda annoying, House has definitely staved off from his trash can attacks, jaunts on the kitchen counters and attempts to run out of the house. While he still does all of these things, I'd say he does them 20% less now than a few weeks ago. It's the small things that can make the difference.

Do You Like Ze 'Do?

Ads and I went with George and Em to our friends Jim and Cecilia's wedding last night. I decided to go ahead and chop off my hair (finally) for the occasion. Here it is.


Ads and I moments before the big event



The happy newlyweds!



Had to get one good shot of my hair before the dancin' fool inside me made it go flat!



Adam taking Em for a dip


George and the military brass gettin' down to YMCA



One last pic before we turned into pumpkins

Sleep, Eat, Work, Interview, Sleep, Eat, Work

So the past two weeks have been kicking me in the butt in the good ole fashioned way. Lots and lots of laborious work, but I'm not complaining. It's nice to be out in the field in this beautiful weather, meeting with sweet, down-to-earth landowners and hanging out with my wonderful coworkers. But I definitely come home exhausted everyday after 8-9 hours of driving all over the state and trudging through tallgrass prairies. It's no joke.

Tonight Ads and I had strawberry ice cream for dinner. I was too tired to cook, in fact, too tired to really eat anything substantial. He had already eaten a little earlier so I dished up some ice cream for us to enjoy as we approach the longest day of sunlight for the year. I crashed on the couch to watch "The Office" while Adam applied to more jobs. Life is becoming rote.

One thing to mix things up a bit, though. I have a phone interview for a job out in Salem, Oregon. I had applied to this job (kinda sorta my dream job) a month or so ago, figuring I didn't have a chance, considering I've heard nothing from several jobs I'm overqualified for. Lo and behold, I got a letter stating I am qualified for the job; 30 minutes later I received a phone call from the agency asking to schedule a phone interview in a couple weeks. I am psyched. In addition, I got an e-mail from a Forest Service Ranger Station in Lytle Creek, California, asking if I was still interested in a wildlife biologist position there that I had applied to a few weeks ago. Things might be looking up on the job front.

However, for now, routine calls. Time for...oh yeah, sleep. Good night.

Fourteen Years On

In 1994, I fell in love, with a song, an album, a band, a man. The song was called "Always", the album entitled "I say, I say, I say", the band Erasure, and the man...well, of course the mysterious, reclusive and damn-right sexy Vince Clarke.

Fourteen years on and goodness only knows how many albums later, I am still in love. I've met him a couple times over the years at concerts and signing events, and he was just as much the gentle, quiet mystery in person as he exudes in concert. Vince is married and a father now, and I'm happily with Adam, but you can never quite forget your first love. Even if you never knew him.

A toast to musical genius and my first love, Vince Clarke.

Butt-f*ck Kalamazoo

Years ago, a friend came out to Michigan to visit us, and passed by a sign for Kalamazoo St. He went crazy laughing, saying he couldn't believe that there really was a Kalamazoo. Adam and I couldn't figure out what the big deal was; our friend said, "you know, all the way to butt-f*ck Kalamazoo?". So, that's where I am now. Butt-f*ck Kalamazoo.

I'm staying at the Kellogg Biological Station this week to help an undergrad student with her research here. Yes, Kellogg like the cereal. Kalamazoo is near Battle Creek, Michigan, also known as Cereal City for all you non-Michiganders. You can actually smell the sugary goodness once you cross into the Battle Creek city limits. Anyhoo, the wealthy Kellogg family donated their historic summer home to Michigan State to serve as a biological research station. It's quite pretty out here. If I can get myself out of bed early enough I'll go birding in the early morning hours.

That's it for now. Gotta go back to watching "I Love the 80s", cause I still do.