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October 17th, 2007
09:01 pm - What? A Post within three months of the last one?
Yes, I live. And guess what? I quit my job! And the new one does not involve any asbestos. Just lots of field work! Yep, that's right. I get paid to be outside again. Everyone is very cool at the new place, and I am already well thought of. Wee! I took a little trip to Seattle last month and also went out to LA to visit my awesome friend Wil and attempt Mt. Whitney. We didn't make it because it snowed for two days before we went, but it was still a great 20 mile day hike ;-). And I did manage three other fourteeners this summer, Democrat, Quandary, and Harvard. I've been to a bunch of Rockies playoff games, a Broncos game, and last night was at the Avs game, so I think I'm keeping up on my sports fanaticism. Also, get this, can you even conceive? Sheryl has met, holy crap, what??? a what?? a GUY?? Sheryl? Really? What? Are we all reading the right post? Too early to go wild here, but it can still be exciting right?
Oh and anyone needing a place to live in lovely Colorado, I am in search of new cool roommates :-).
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/smile.gif) pleased
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August 8th, 2007
12:30 pm - No, I'm not dead. I promise. Really!
I swear I'm still alive! I'm just not writing anything! Really! It's been an interesting year so far. Too much has been going on, most of it not terribly positive, so it hasn't been interesting to write about. Not that everything as been negative, but part of the stress was having a broken right hand. Not so easy to type when your fingers won't bend!!
So let's see, the crappy tenants turned out to be super crappy and actually did sue me, but they were extremely stupid and had no grounds to sue me. I won and got money, too. I broke my hand while snowboarding at Vail in February, which really sucked. It has healed now, but, they are worried that I have developed Carpal Tunnal in that hand now. Test results yet to be determined. Dating is generally non-existent. I met one really nice guy on the ski lift over the season but he flipped out on me rather quickly, so nothing going on in that department. I have been suffering through my new office in Denver. They never have any work, field or otherwise. I'm completely under-utilized and ready to murder people. I am now on a contract (still with my company) to work for the EPA full time. They promised lots of field work. How I fell into this trap is beyond me, and I have recently spent a month in an asbestos lab in Montana (middle of nowhere) prepping soil for analysis.... No, I'm not analyzing it, no I'm not collecting it. All I'm doing is wearing full body Tyvek and a respirator in a little plastic box all day long. Can we say Sheryl's tortuous hell? All together now.... Anyway, I am trying to decide what to do now and how to go about it. I have plenty of options, just have to decide which one is best and how to get there from here. Whether it's braving through this piece of crap to see if there's anything better on the other side, to getting a new consulting company to hire me (not difficult, I'm awesome), to finally getting around to getting my master's... Heck, I even have a program in mind. How odd is that for me??
I did just meet my only living family left (aside from my mother)in Chicago. That was pretty amazing to me. I know it's run of the mill to most other people in the world, but hell... I have a family! They actually wanted to see me and spend time with me! They think I turned out well! Holy crap if that's not some kind of miracle I don't know what is.They even want me to come out for Thanksgiving. So weird.
Lollapalooza was fun, too. So many people... Ugh. But I got to see Pearl Jam, and the concert was great. Yay! Kings of Leon, also very cool. I'm hanging out in Minnesota for a couple days now, so all you locals should start calling me up quick!
Current Location: Sonia's apartment
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/blank.gif) lazy
Current Music: Minnesota NPR
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January 8th, 2007
03:44 pm - You all didn't think I'd keep up the writing did you!?!?!
Hahaha! I bet I fooled a few people with the blast of posts I managed! Ah well. I try. Really I do! So, December was extremely hectic. From an unplanned trip to San Francisco for a culture boost and some fun, to field work in Fort Morgan, to packing up to move back to Denver, to going to Hawaii, to spending hours on end in airports, to kicking my crappy tenants out. And that's not even the half of it! Probably not even the quarter, but it was so madly busy I can't even remember what I did. That's why I'm supposed to write things down isn't it. :-P Anyway, I'm now trying to clean up straggling ends, like the fact that my cat is still in Arizona and it keeps on snowing here (yay!) and making it hard for people to deliver things like estimates for repairs to my house (boo!). So yeah. Still working on getting caught up but maybe just maybe the end of chaos is in sight (I'm fooling myself into thinking this). Now, today is not the day for details, but let me just say this...
Pomegranate.
Yep. That's it.
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November 24th, 2006
01:33 am
Happy Thanksgiving! Based on a new friend’s online journal post, I’ve decided to write down some of the things I’m thankful for this year. I am grateful for my life and the people in it. I can’t express some of the things he mentioned any better than he did already, so I won’t even attempt that, I’ll just feel that they are right and be thankful that they were written. Theses are just some of my own.
So with that…
Thank you body for not falling apart on me when I put new physical demands on you with every passing year.
Thank you field work. Even though you can make life more difficult at times, you make it so much better and fulfilling, it’s always worth it.
Thank you dancing, for making me love to be alive every time I hear a beat.
Thank you colors, for being so vivid.
Thank you black and white, for all the grays in between.
Thank you sky, for being so big.
Thank you Minnesota for being so very homey. I will always have a special place in my heart for you no matter where I live or how far I wander. Just like my accent, you’ll never be far beneath the surface.
Thank you Seattle for being the best city I ever lived in for so many reasons.
Thank you Mojave Desert for some of the best days of my life, living in the outdoors with amazing people all working for the same goal.
Thank you Colorado for being my new home and always welcoming me back when I’ve been away.
Thank you New Mexico and Arizona for being beautiful and amazing places to live. I will take memories with me forever.
Thank you pseudo-dad for being a wonderful friend as well as a great father figure when I was left without one. I love you.
Thank you long hair girl. You are amazing and special and persistent. You will always be one who understands me more than most. I love you.
Thank you, closest friend, for every day I’ve known you. I will cherish every single one and will hope we remain as close in the coming days, weeks, months, and years, no matter what. I love you.
Thank you MASLC man for carrying me when I couldn’t walk and being there for me in tough times and good times alike. I love you.
Thank you grumpy badger for being the most loyal and wonderful friend who could never give an ounce of good advice to save his life ;-), unless we’re talking about how to hide bodies or poison wells. I love you.
Thank you roommate for being a great new friend in such a short time. You should move to Colorado with me.
Thank you thankful one, for making me remember that it’s Thanksgiving today and for finding out what 93% is like.
Thank you Cousin for wanting to be family and renew those connections we never really established. Thank you distant family I hardly know for being proud of me, though you don’t really know me yet. I am proud of you, too.
Thank you strange little girl I used to throw over my shoulder. Your distant friendship still means much to me.
Thank you quiet hydrologist for your steady friendship and utmost sarcastic snarkiness.
Thank you uber-JPL geek for making me laugh and have a good time, every time.
Thank you Tigger, for making me feel special from afar.
Thank you running buddy for helping me get up in the morning, being a positive force in my quest, and a good friend besides.
Thank you light-bulb shipper and sneaky flower buyer. You’re special and unique.
Thank you fellow Minnesota transplant for being a faithful Vikings fan with me and a dose of home. I’ll miss sitting next to you at work.
Thank you old game master, for some of the best memories of college I have. I’ll always think fondly of Del and Ringold.
Thank you blond biologist for being such a happy and upbeat girl. Your smile is infectious. Your energy rivals mine as no one else’s does.
Thank you old dance partner for going to the top with me. It was a long, tough journey, but always remember that we made it together.
Thank you old college boyfriend for realizing the value of our friendship and deciding it was worth the effort after all.
Thank you first dance coach for being one of the best teachers of anything I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. You got me to strive to be the best I could be without even asking for it.
Thank you old high school friend for remembering that we used to be close and honoring that every time we get to see each other.
Thank you high school chemistry teacher for being my friend first and my teacher second. For that, you taught me more than you ever could have had those roles been of different precedence.
Thank you far away friends for keeping in touch with me even though we have such busy schedules.
Thank you life for having led me down all of these roads to know so many interesting an unique people and places. Thank you for the opportunities I’ve chanced upon as well as the ones I’ve sought out and made happen.
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November 22nd, 2006
02:16 am
Ok, so I learned this from reading a book. Why do I learn more about history from reading fiction than from anywhere else? Today is the day JFK was assassinated in 1963. How many of us from this generation know that anymore? Besides American History majors… I think my lack of knowledge of history is somewhat shameful, but entirely common. So common, in fact, that were someone to do a poll today and ask what the relevance to Americans this day holds, perhaps less than 10% would say JFK. Maybe I’m being pessimistic about that, though. Perhaps that’s the percentage that would know from my generation. For people who were alive and aware of the time, I imagine it’s more like asking “Where were you when the planes hit the twin towers?” I know where I was. I was in the Mojave Desert. Most surreal thing ever. It was our first day back from 10 days in the field, and someone’s parents called and told us to turn on the TV. That was it. We were all in shock. Watched it over and over again all day. All of two days later we were out in the field again, disconnected from normal life. I’m glad for that. But anyway. History. Why don’t we know more about our own country and its history? Since we keep repeating ourselves… Maybe we should examine our actions of the past more. At least I have the non-human history of the world under a slightly firmer grasp ;-).
I need a vacation. I think I’m going to take one, by force! I found out what my hours for this week were. 104 hours. Yes. That’s a lot. I’m taking a vacation. Where should I go? And when? I have to do this before the end of the year. Otherwise I start with a clean slate again work-wise and have to build up extra hours again. I’ve been toying with a trip out to California for the past several months, but I was kind of waiting on Kelda to free herself from the grips of grad school so she could come,too. That won’t be until summer at least. I think maybe if we revise that and play in Oregon and Washington, I could just do some California fun now. Or I could just leave the country! I haven’t done that for a while. I’ve been considering Italy (actually had thoughts of doing that in November when there was a Pearl Jam concert that would have coincided with the visit). I’d really like to go to Brazil, but my timing is off on wet season. I’d also like to drag one of my Spanish speaking friends with me (even though it’s a Portugese-speaking country). I have so many drillers here that are from Mexico, I’ve been trying to pick up a few words from them, but it’s slow, because they speak so little English and are not really interested in learning more (so they can even understand what I’m asking) or teaching me.
On an aside, this language barrier is very disturbing for this line of work. Drilling is dangerous enough without adding complications like inability to understand what someone is saying. What happens if there’s an accident? Do they know what I’ve been saying about helicopter landing pads? Or calling both 911 and the local ambulance? Remember, we’re in the middle of nowhere. These things are important to understand and be able to communicate. If I ask them, will they know what township and range we’re in? Will they be able to give directions to our location? No. I don’t know if they know where the hospital is, even though we go over it almost every single day. So, yes, disturbing. I want everyone to be safe.
Ok, so back to daydreaming about my vacation. Where to go… Tahoe! I’ve never been there. I need to go snowboarding like I need to breathe right now. I want to whoosh down a hill full of snow. Really, I just want a lot of snow. And it fits in with a California visit. For all that I’m in Wyoming in November, there’s not a speck of snow on the ground. It’s windy, of course, but warm. Very strange. I just went on another run in steel-toed boots. Better the second time around. Just a simple mile and a half on a rutted power line track into the wind. I know I could have gone further this time, but I didn’t want to push it at this elevation. It’s amazing I’ve even managed to get myself out twice in the last week without Ryan around to run with me! Let’s hear it for self-motivation! (Remember, I hate running! Maybe it’s growing on me…) Oh and I had an audience of pronghorn today. About thirty of them came for the entertainment.
Wait, vacation. Can’t I stay on this one subject that I really want? The only down side to field work I have noticed so far is that I can never plan ahead for the trips I like to take so much. At least it’s much more unpredictable. Too many delays and unexpected results in field work to know when you can actually take time, unless of course you plan way, way in advance. Ahh! I still don’t even know what I’m doing this weekend! Let alone next weekend… Such is life. I’ll figure something out and will have fun doing it!
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November 20th, 2006
08:02 pm - I post this for my roommate's edification.
Because you all know this. Everyone who hears me speak even once knows this. To this, I say pop!
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." | | The Midland | | | The Northeast | | | Philadelphia | | | The South | | | North Central | | | The West | | | Boston | | What American accent do you have?
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07:49 pm - More random field writing in my slow time....
I had a quite nostalgic drive across California in May. I went to meet my friend Wil in Palm Springs one weekend early in the month and took I-10 the whole way. It brought back fond memories of working in the Mojave. I stopped in Blythe at the border, thought about our crew’s floats in the Colorado River and camping in the humidity there. I remembered our awesome base camp for that area. We had a lawn chair over our pit that served as a comfortable “throne.” We had a tree! And we managed to hook a tarp up to provide shade! Our “kitchen” was the best it ever was in that location. Even the sites we rehabbed out there were especially good and satisfying. I probably could have found them again had I taken the time to explore the back roads. Anyway, it was a good place. As I was making the rest of the drive toward Palm Springs, other memories of the same sort were returning. Living in the Mojave was such a good time for me. Great people, great work, great playing. I miss it, but it’s hard making no money without some constant creativity. Hmm, maybe I should write down more about that wonderful time. We had such good fun! I mean, who wouldn’t want to go live on the ground in the desert for 6 months? One of these days I’m going to have to make a drive back to Ridgecrest to visit the great people I rode (horses) with and hopefully see the mustangs that I rode most often, Joker and Cody. Two great characters if ever there were. I even have the business card of the place I got my tattoo in San Diego still. I could go back and make it better now that I make money! I’d love to revisit the whole area more than I had a chance to that weekend. Even though I returned to California the next weekend to visit Kelda before her big conference in Long Beach, there’s just so much I want to see!
Anyway, Wil and I met up in a funny little courtyard in one of the endless ritzy shopping areas. It was kind of fun, since we had never met in person. We got on the phone and I was directing him to my “hiding” place in plain sight. I was camped out under a tree in the grass because he had been stuck in traffic for quite a while. Once we were finally there, we ended up wandering, talking, and eating all day. I had a lot of fun, personally. It’s really nice to spend time with someone you get along with really well from the start. And I can’t think of all that many people I could walk through a shopping mall with and still be completely entertained (the closest Jamba Juice was there). I’m sure we walked more in that town than most anyone else would have been bothered to. Why pick Palm Springs for meeting? Well, it was somewhere in the middle. I ended up driving to Riverside that night to stay with SCA friends anyway, so I could have kept on going initially. That’s where Wil and I ended up having dinner anyway. Pretty tasty Indian food. I had my favorite Saag Paneer. Mmmmm. It was wonderful catching up with Chris and Karen over a bottle of wine that night as well. They’re such fun and active people. We went out to breakfast the next morning with a few of their friends and had great fresh food. Then the long nostalgic drive back again. It was a good albeit short weekend.
I, of course, was back in California the next weekend as well. Flew into LA and Wil was kind enough to pick me up at the airport. We went out to breakfast near UCLA and then walked around the campus. We even found the geology building and I got to have fun looking at minerals I’ve never even seen a specimen of before. Yes, I went to a small college. Our mineral collection just wasn’t that extensive. So, I’m sure he was laughing inside about my glee from looking at a bunch of rocks… But it was definitely cool! We eventually ended up outside of JPL in Pasadena on a hike. Who knows how far we went. There was more talking, less pace, involved in this. It was very pleasant and green. I had been in the field for most of March and April walking wash delineations in the desert, so this was a great feeling, being surrounded by trees and water (no matter how much I love the desert). After that hike (where we took no water with us, doh!), we eventually ended up at a Brazilian restaurant for dinner. (Anyone not familiar with this experience should go try it. Typically there is a buffet of salads that you can visit at any time, but the main attraction is pretty much an endless supply of meat. They just keep bringing out skewers of grilled meats until you are completely stuffed. This place served not only beef and chicken, but duck, quail, lamb, etc. However, my veggie friends, the salad buffet is not in the least lacking by any stretch of the imagination, and I could have made a satisfying meal from that alone, which is an option at every place I’ve ever been to.) We pretty much kept up our endless stream of conversation the whole day and wound up stuffed and sleepy by the time he dropped me off in Riverside to stay with my SCA friends again. All in all a very pleasurable day. The next morning was my first time in 5 years driving through congested California coastal traffic. It actually seemed tame after the idiots I’ve had to live around in Phoenix for the last year. Can you imagine?? I made it to Long Beach in good time, even before Kelda arrived. So I ended up exploring the area around her hotel on foot, looking for good places to eat until she got there. Good food is important after all. We settled on a seafood place for lunch, seeing as how we were at the beach. Then it was a visit to the aquarium. I haven’t been to an aquarium other than Seattle’s in quite some time, so this was kind of a surprise. They had a “theme” of visiting animals. Dazzling, Dangerous, and Deadly I think it was. Something like that at least. I was impressed with it in a couple ways, mainly from a kid perspective, although I found it perfectly entertaining myself (probably because I act like a little kid). If I was a kid who had been taken or dragged to the aquarium I would find endless fun at this one. They had little embossing presses with fish and animals at different stations all around that you put in your guide. They had a bird sanctuary that you could walk in and feed the birds (yes, at an aquarium). There were plenty of areas indoors and out to “pet” the sea life, including rays and sharks!!! They also had an education playground area set up. Now that was great fun to watch. They had a giant model of one of those fish that can spit above water to catch insects set up, and an appropriate giant insect with a target on it. Yep, the fish would actually spit water under a child’s control. Chaos! Now, as an adult, it’s a little on the depressing side to walk through some of the tanks and such. The animals you could touch weren’t in the greatest shape…. There was a tank of sharks out there. It was…. Terrible. That’s the best I can say. And I don’t want to dwell on just how bad it was. I’m sure you can imagine if you try. Think old-school zoos… Overall, though, it was a relatively nice aquarium, and I really appreciated their kid creativity.
After that we got together for dinner with a bunch of physicists/chemists, which, as a relative outsider to those sciences, is really kind of amusing. It was a nice group of people, though. Oh I almost forgot our enjoyable time drinking Seattle’s Best Coffee and playing UNO! One can’t go around forgetting our awesome tradition of snarking at one another while playing “competitive” UNO. I can’t remember what our current score is, but it’s somewhere in the 11,000 point range now (we’re aiming for 100,000), after six years. (How did this start? On an overnight night ferry ride from mainland France to Corsica in 2000.) I can imagine us as old women, sitting in a coffee shop playing UNO, 97,321 to 98,348. I’ll never get tired of it. Anyway, an early night was called since Kelda was there for a conference. The next day we ended up walking the beach and having an enjoyable time just being in California. My main reason for being there was to keep her from being too stressed about the impending presentation. We had some tasty food for lunch, and then I rolled on my way back to Riverside. Wil picked me up from there and somehow we eventually ended up at a Target (it was too early to go to the airport but we couldn’t make it to REI in time). Oddly enough, Target is lots of fun to walk through when you’re with a friend. We had some early dinner and a quick pleasant ride to the airport. That weekend went too fast.
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November 16th, 2006
08:48 pm
Yes, more delays in drilling out here. We just finally got the drill stem unstuck after about 12 hours. Which means I can entice you all more with things I’ve been meaning to write down about what’s been going on this year. Just don’t know where to start, because I can’t remember the order in which everything happened. It’s been that busy. Really.
Well, some time in August (maybe the third weekend?), I went camping with Troy to attempt a 14er ascent. We decided on Mount of the Holy Cross. There was good camping to be had around 10,000 feet to help with acclimation, and Bucky (awesome dog of Troy) was allowed to be there. Yay! We started off with a hike lower on the mountain after we set up camp to get a good feel for the next day’s hike. It was really pretty and a welcome respite in the tall pines from my temporary desert home. I even managed to get a few nice pictures of Troy while playing with fun slide film. It started raining on us eventually, however. This was pretty much what happened the rest of the weekend, too. Everything was pretty damp, but we still made a very nice fire for a while when it wasn’t raining. It was quite pleasant sitting around in the mountains drinking a Leine’s. Bed time came quickly as the rain started again. We couldn’t let Bucky get too drenched after all. Wet dog in a tent? Pew! Well, it rained ALL night. By morning it was a full-fledged thunderstorm. And no one hikes up a fourteener in lightning. So, we waited that out and got the latest start ever on climbing. At this point I think it was still possible to make it up that mountain, but it was not to be. Our initial climb went very well. The weather was chilly, but not too bad. A few sprinkles here and there. Bucky was having a great time. However, on the other side of our first pass, at tree line, 11,600 ft, it was snowing. Well, it couldn’t decide if it was actually snow or frozen rain or something else. It was, however, part of another thunderstorm directly ahead of us. Damn! Temperature dropping fast, snow falling on us, and lightning ahead? At tree line? We decided we weren’t crazy. Good thing too because Troy’s boots had started giving him problems by that point too. So, we were forced to turn around pretty dang early. By the time we got back down, that storm was following us. I fought for staying (because I’m a crazy outdoor girl) but we ended up packing up for home due to the impending doom of another long thunderstorm that would make it impossible to try another attempt the next day. Ah well. We can’t always make it to the top, right?
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November 15th, 2006
08:29 pm - Woo! Another post! Don't faint!
Yes people, it’s amazing. I’m writing again! I’ve discovered that I have extra time to fool around on my computer during this particular field work in Wyoming (drilling is stopped at the moment). Amazing, I know. It surprises me, too! Just in case you all were wondering, since I never get to tell any of you about my cool job, I’m going to bore you with at least a few sentences about what’s going on out here. Mainly this is for my own memory that seems to be spotty at times.
This project has been quite an interesting one. I’m sitting out here in Wyoming (look up Medicine Bow, Hanna, and Elk Mountain, it’s between them) where almost no wells have ever been drilled (the more wells drilled, the more knowledge we have about what’s down there). The geology is incredibly screwed up. If you can get your hands on an aerial photo of the area, you can see anticlines sticking out at you (those are huge folded beds of sedimentary rock, in some places enough that it’s older-over-younger). This makes our job a little harder. The beds are dipping from 30 to 45 degrees. We have to try to figure out where the beds of sandstone we’re looking for will be down below. Remember, this is the middle of nowhere. Without the knowledge of how these beds might be behaving underground, we’re really making very expensive crap shoots based on what we see at the surface. We’re geologists. We’re daring! So far, the first well has been completed, the second well has the pilot hole done and is reaming out, and the third well is drilling the pilot hole. We had high hopes for that first well. The tests were promising. However, in the last few days we’ve been doing pump testing and discovering the water just isn’t there. For no apparent reason! This is bad. We were hired to find water, not just make holes. The second well is much deeper and probably has more capacity, but now we’re maybe a little nervous about it. The third well is currently switching over to another drilling method because we effectively hit quicksand 250 feet below the ground (this is bad). Possibly the most exciting well for water though, as it was simply pouring out from around 90 feet and below. A rudimentary guess by the drillers estimated the flow around 230 gallons per minute. While I don’t think it’s that high, it’s still a lot of water! And that is, in fact, what we’re here for. Amazing. Anyway, the samples we’re pulling out of the ground are very interesting. Keep running into the weirdest stuff out here! One little tiny piece of igneous intrusive rock in the middle of all this sandstone and shale! Crazy! Big pieces of gypsum, pyrite replacement, beds of coal, strange unconsolidated sands, possible fossiliferous fragments… All a little geologist could ask for. I’m geeking out on you all because this may be the most like a classic geologist I’ll ever be. Being in the environmental field is generally a more interdisciplinary activity. Much more chemistry. More soil and water than rocks. So, I’m enjoying digging really, really big holes. I just thought you all should know ;-). These projects don’t come around all that often.
Hmm, I’m sure I’m very far behind in other news as well.
I still have Coal of course. We’re nice and feisty together. How could anyone separate two such as us? However, he’s been worrying me nonstop this year. He decided back in June to start throwing up repeatedly for no apparent reason. As in, not your common hairball. So, he’s been to the emergency clinic, had a stay in the hospital, an ultrasound, blood tests, and so on. I keep getting different reactions to test results from each new vet that looks at them. I have no answers until well after the fact. It’s been quite frustrating and stressful. This last time with a new vet, she thought it might be a digestive problem. My poor cat has lost a third of his body weight and is down to 8 pounds. For those of you that have not known this cat personally, he’s a big cat. He’s also a very dominant “king of the castle” guy. So, having him be so light (he’s never been anywhere near fat) and almost scrawny has been scary. Anyway, it hasn’t really had any effect on his temperament. He’s as cranky as ever. Just as he should be. So, now he has new stuff to take, and he gets his favorite wet food all the time. So, he’s a pretty happy cat, aside from me never being there. I’m hoping that by the time I get back to Arizona, he’ll have gained a few pounds and this latest vet visit will have given me the solution I needed. Coal is certainly an important little creature in my life.
Speaking of creatures! I want to say, watching owls taking off from fence posts in the pre-dawn as I drive to work is Very cool. And yesterday I saw a little weasel running across the road, black-tipped tail raised in the air. So funny! Quite hilarious actually! He was really booking. As fast as his tiny legs would take him. I kept on yelling, Ahhhh! for him. Ahhhh! He wasn’t making a sound, so I made it for him. Ahhh! We had a hawk out here for a while, too, but I haven’t seen him around this time out. He’d do the fence post hop. I’d drive, he’d fly. I’d drive a little further, he’d fly a little further. All the way to the rig site nearly. I think we entertained each other a bit. There are the usually rabbits of varying sizes and the occasional coyote as well. Also both mule deer and white-tail deer hanging out in Elk Mountain and in one little forested spot on the road to work. Oh and yesterday a group of 50-60 pronghorn came on through.
I know people often look at me with great skepticism when I say how beautiful Wyoming is. At least they do after I start describing the endless sage, rolling hills, and big sky. All they can think of is wind. And yes, there’s plenty of that here. But there’s so much lost on a perception that stops at the surface. Wyoming is wild. The hills have stories to tell (at least to geologists). Walking on the sage produces the most wonderful smells. I can’t even describe how the smell of fresh live sage makes me feel. I had the same reaction to the one place we found down in the Mojave Desert. A place where the sage present smelled so good, most of us were moved to collect and dry bagfuls and give bundles out as presents. Yes, that good. Better than any crap you could buy in a store. The same is true out here. I don’t think this stuff is very collectable because of its size, but it’ll be one of those scents that can produce vivid memories with just a whiff. You know what I mean.
Another thing I want to remember is the light out here. Especially after this ever-present wind has blown the snow around enough to make long capes for the sage. It gives the land a different feel when you look at it. And the sky is so big. The lines where the land and sky meet are so sharp and yet melded together. Why oh why can’t I simply express these things properly in my photography? Yes, I’ve taken some photos that I think achieve at least part of what I’m trying to express, but Wyoming is too “much” for my simple lenses. Maybe I should bring a medium format out here. Or invest in a wider angle lens. I think Wyoming is Good at escaping though. It wants to stay mysterious. Not many people appreciate how beautiful it is, and maybe it’s better that way. I can appreciate it. I’ve even thought of buying land here. Maybe. I love the desert in the same, and yet a very different, way. Not many people I know think the desert is beautiful. And no, I’m not talking about the spectacular sunsets that most can appreciate, or the more interesting and strange formations or mountains. Think of that vast empty stretch, what most everyone calls a wasteland. “Nothing grows!” “It’s empty!” “It goes on forever without changing!” “It’s boring!” Having spent as much time as I have in the desert, I can’t comprehend these statements at all. There is so much to see. So many animals, so many plants, so much variety and life. And it is Always changing! It’s just a little harder to see if you don’t know how to look. I love stumbling across a desert pavement that’s never been disturbed. A few months ago I was out in mid-Arizona doing some field work and saw three incredible spiders in one day. My first black widow in the wild… with two grasshoppers caught at the same time. This was both frightening and exhilarating. I stepped only a few feet away from that nest of venom before I saw it. But it was absolutely fascinating to watch once I saw it. And it was the Biggest black widow I’ve ever seen. That alone made my day. But then I found a spider blocking my access to the next well head. I’m sure this wasn’t any rare spider or anything, but he was highly engaging to watch. Such long front legs that he didn’t seem to know what to do with them. Yes, a clumsy spider if one exists. He clung to things, then would try to move and not know where to go from there. That amused me well during my stay at that sampling point. My last spider was exhibiting super-spider strength in his harrowing attempt to haul a dead ant up the side of my last well head. The ant was almost twice as big as this little spider with a bulbous body, but he was scaling the vertical metal well, dangling that carcass like a hero. I even called a friend, just to tell someone about the cool spider experience. I know I’m not doing the spiders justice in my descriptions, but it was a great day in the field for me. And I didn’t even talk about the work (which was methane gas monitoring)!
I just finished another random graduate course in my non-pursuit of a higher degree. It was in Environmental Chemistry. I definitely bit off a much larger bite than necessary in that. I was really wishing I had had the time to take Organic Chemistry in college, considering that was a hidden pre-requisite for the course that I found out about after it had already started. Ah well. I survived. It was really interesting material, some of which is even useful to my work (Amazing!). However, I realized yet again how very very much I hate writing useless papers without meaning. No one will ever care that I wrote a little paper describing nitrate contamination. No one will ever read it. That, I feel, was an absolute waste of my time. Had it been “real” research, with meaning, to serve some purpose, it would have been fine. But that? I just couldn’t get over it. I can’t remember the last time I had such trouble writing Anything. And I have to write some really technical reports in Phoenix!! Ah well. While I felt like the tests kicked me around the block and the text was over my head in some places, I still feel I learned a good amount overall. And I know I’m exaggerating, because everyone tells me I am, since my test scores haven’t shown any problems thus far. (That’s because I worked on them for hours upon hours! Not because they were easy!)
Obviously I have some stories built up from all the fun I’ve been having. I just haven’t had time to write them all down. Now you all get them in a big lump. Lucky you! I haven’t even begun really. The last year has been incredibly full, with so much field work and time away from the computer… I love it! And yet, it means I’ve been terribly delinquent in keeping up an online journal or corresponding properly in other ways to everyone. I think it’s going to be a little different working out of the Denver office. I don’t know what it’ll end up being like, but I’m going to make a concerted effort to keep this up again. Too many interesting things (to me) that I want to write down and remember as well as share. I will now be endeavoring to remember the things I want to remember ;-).
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November 14th, 2006
09:26 pm
I should write in my journal more. I really should. People want to know what's going on in my silly little life don't they? I'm in the field! Woo!
So yeah. Wyoming is cold... and snowy... and windy... and muddy... and awesome! Yes, I am a geologist. I really am. My drillers out here are fun. They all appreciate having a girl around, even a girl in 5 layers of clothing, a hardhat, steel-toed boots, and funny safety glasses. No I will NOT post a picture thank you.
Now the only thing I wish I was doing tomorrow, however, is snowboarding. There is some serious snow happening in the mountains in Colorado right now, and I want to be on those slopes. DAMN! I'm trying to figure out the first trip of the season. I want to snowboard so badly!!!
In other news, I'm transferring to Denver! Yay for getting to go home! I can't wait to get back to my house. I really miss having my space. I miss my yard. I miss my mountain view. I miss my dance floor! I miss my hardwood floors! Ahh! Home! I can't wait to have breakfast on my sun porch again. Mmm, now that I have a new mountain bike, I can't wait to start riding on the trails in Colorado. I guess that'll have to wait somewhat, considering the season. But that's because I'll be busy snowboarding! Yes! Snowboarding! (Can we say Sheryl is a little excited?)
Ok, so my bedtime is nice and early, because I have to wake up at 5 am every morning to work my 6 am to 6 pm shift. Yes, I know you're all envying me. Really, it's not all that glamorous, although rubber boots are so sexy...
Oh and let's hear it for my dinner the last three nights in a row for no apparent reason...
Avocado, fresh mozarella, greek olives, english muffin, and smoked trout. For some reason, this really hits the spot. Just wanted to share. If/when you notice that I've slacked off in posting again, yell at me appropriately. :-) I mean it!
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August 31st, 2006
July 13th, 2006
12:52 pm - Another reason to love field work
In my travels, I have run into so many odd street names and exit signs. Some of them have stuck with me for the long haul, while others have been forgotten. Well, I came across two more yesterday and decided I just had to share them with everyone. Mainly I just wanted a reason to write down the new ones and remember a few of my favorite old ones.
Yesterday (east of Phoenix):
Silly Mountain Road
Jumping Cactus (Who knows if it was a road, street, or something else. All I know is that there is a green street sign next to the highway pointing to quite an unnatural phenomenon. Previously I had only heard of jumping Beans and jumping Ropes.)
Historically:
Carefree and Nonchalant - intersection in Colorado Springs
Pergatory, followed on the next block by Deliverance - also in Colorado Springs
Horse Thief Basin and Bloody Basin - on I-17. Where's Free Fry Bread Basin and what about Stolen Horse Storage Basin?
There have been so many over the years. Where is my memory going?
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/hyper.gif) silly
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July 9th, 2006
11:08 am
Cookie monster! Rawr!
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July 6th, 2006
01:42 pm - I would apologize for the utter delinquency....
but you all know I'm going to do it again. I am finally stuck in the office again for a few weeks. January-June were really pretty great as far as field work versus office work goes (only 3 days in the office in all of June). I was almost never in town. So many jobs! So much to do! And now I'm here sitting in an office for two weeks. Can we say not happy? And yes, I am bouncing up and down in my chair constantly. I'm running out of billable hours and my boss is on vacation. Agh!
In other news (since I'm obviously such a delinquent), dancing has been sporadic but interesting. I was on the news a few weeks ago for a mini-competition for a dance studio promotion. This was quite flattering to me since I was asked by one of the instructors at the studio upon first meeting if I would dance with him! Sort of cool. I still haven't seen the tape though, so I have no idea how that looked. However, it makes me miss competing even more. I have one guy in my sites as a possible partner for next year. He has decided to compete in Pro-Am Novice, so adding Division III couples with me wouldn't be a big stretch. It would just be finding the time. I know we have pretty good dance chemistry, especially in our cha and wcs. Don't know how we'd fare as partners, though. I also really got back into the "swing" of things last weekend when I stayed out till 5 am dancing. Let's hear it for wcs coneventions! There'll be a country competition next month, so maybe I'll figure out how to compete in that if possible. It's been far too long. I'm downright antsy (like that's new). Oh and I've started learning a few more ballroom dances just for the hell of it. I figure, why not?
Let's see, snowboarding was great this year (since I'm so far behind on updates). I went the last time over Memorial Day weekend! I have now taken jumps successfully and even tried the half pipe. Go me! Oh and yes I have a helmet, thank you. I can't wait for next season. Another big trip is going to be planned so make sure to tell me if you want to be included! We're trying to decide between Steamboat again, Utah, or Tahoe... Of course Steamboat would be the cheapest/closest.
Travelling has been great so far. I'm looking for more trips. Been to Cali twice this year, Colorado many of course for snowboarding, and Grand Canyon in May (although they were doing a prescribed burn dang it). Oh and on a completely random expedition I visited Montezuma Castle National Monument on the 4th of July. Wee! Lots of fun. I'm still trying to find an interesting volunteer opportunity to embark upon before the end of the year. Costa Rica is a small possibility or maybe something closer and easier. Also, if anyone is interested, I think I found a new expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro for next summer. I'm thinking about it since I have all the vacs, and I didn't go last year... I need to try to set up this year's volunteering fun for before the fall semester starts, however because I may be going back to grad school Yet Again. I might as well take advantage of the free coursework through the company after all. It'll be something nice and useful like Groundwater Contamination or Environmental Chemistry, though. Ahhh. :-)
Football season will be starting soon. Yay! I'm going to try not to be overzealous and do 5 fantasy teams again. I'm not optimistic about my poor Vikings, but I can hope. Just as long as they beat the Packers at least once this year, I'll be fine.
Oh, here's news! We need hydrologists! Who wants to move to Arizona and be a hydrologist! Personally, I'm glas I'm in Site Investigations. Much more my area. And I get to call myself a Dirty Girl quite often.
Ok, now for something a little more fun. Along with my extensive field work last month, I was working overtime finishing a large project for Klondyke. I was the trustworthy one that was sure to get things done. Yay me. So, after many hours of staring at numbers (over 800 samples), I finally moved on to the report. And after many More hours of report writing, I finally got to the end. Discussion and Conclusions. Can you imagine how burned out I was at this point? Let's just say I was getting punchy. This is what I wrote. And yes I even gave it to my boss this way.
Discussion
Surface Soil Sampling
Yep, there's lead in them thar hills.
Subsurface Soil Sampling
And under 'em.
Stream Sediment Sampling
Even in the stream!
Conclusions
The extent of contamination is vast and unnerving. Run for your life.
Ok, enough for now. That should satisfy you all for a moment or two. Bug me for more!!
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November 9th, 2005
09:08 am - I live!
Yes yes, it's been awhile. Everyone thinks I've disappeared off the face of the earth. Well, perhaps you're all right after all. I have moved! To Mars! Well, actually just to Phoenix, but with this landscape who can tell. I'm not exactly settled in because I get to do field work now! I'm out all the time! Yay! Go go geologists! Wooo! I haven't even had time to really meet people here or find cool places to hang out, dance, or anything. I'm working on it though. It's interesting here. Wish I had more time to describe things, but suffice it to say it was probably a good move. Except I miss my house and friends. Anyone want to rent a house in Denver? Anyone know cool people in Phoenix? I promise I will find more time to write. But not right now!!
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August 15th, 2005
03:10 pm
Llama.
That is all. Thank you.
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July 29th, 2005
11:52 am - Yarg
Well, I've needed some stress relief recently (and have only been getting more), so instead of posting all the silly tests I've been taking, I just saved them on the Web site that produces them. So if that has entertained you in the past, and you want to see what Harry Potter house I was sorted into, how fucked I am by Bush, and whether I'm more of a wings or tail person, you can go to www.okcupid.com and look up greatrumpuscat. And if you take some tests to compare to me but don't sign up, please give me the enjoyment of knowing your scores too! Small pleasures you know.
Now, the more interesting news. I'm being flown out to Phoenix for a job interview next week! I don't really want to leave Denver, but sometimes these things happen. I need to go where there's a good job that I can actually enjoy. Having such a horrible time day after day has been taking it out of me more than I can possibly describe. And nothing has turned up even remotely close to Denver. So, I could stand Phoenix for a while, right?! I mean, it can't be any hotter than the Mojave...
On the dance front I feel half good and half discouraged. In every dance crowd there are some people that make others feel unwelcome just because they're new or can't dance as well. This irks me. Yes it's fine that better dancers want to dance with people that can follow or lead as well as them. But why not expend a little effort to introduce those newcomers who want to learn and enjoy as much as the veterans? Now, most of the time I find this to be the case in the groups that I choose to return to, but there are always exceptions, and then there are entire groups that I just don't bother with because of the snobbery. Why am I on this rant today? I don't know. Just that a few of those dance snobs have crossed my path recently. I'm trying out a few new dances myself (as you've read) and have even felt the snubbery on myself a few times of late. Anyway, perhaps I'll flesh out this argument further soon. I just wish it was a little easier to come to a new dance and be welcomed by everyone. I certainly haven't gotten back to as many dance days I used to have yet because I'm still searching for those good groups out there.
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July 14th, 2005
12:05 pm - Yarg
So I'm definitely enjoying my expansion into tango these days, but salsa is coming on slower. Haven't been able to find a good teacher or parctice place just yet. Love the music, but where to go!! That's the issue. And I'm still faced with the wasteland of trying to find good partners. No one out there under 45 is interested in good country dance and competition. At least that's how it's beginning to seem. And I've already proven that a 45 year old cannot keep up in my division. Oh well. Perhaps it's just not the right time. I'll bide for now.
Just got back from a last minute trip to Seattle. I miss living there. Except that I know I like Colorado more in some very basic and important ways. Like--the sun; it shines here. It's July. It rained every day... And I had to put on my fleece at least once every day too. In July! Maybe I'm just notused to it any more. But I can still go back to Minnesota in the middle of winter and love the hell out of below zero temperatures. So, Seattle and I just weren't meant to be I guess. I still love visiting. I wish I had stayed a few more days. I didn't get out on my regular ferry trip and for the first time, I didn't bring back a huge load of fresh fish! I'm very disappointed about this. I like to extend my fresh fish eating for as long as possible after I get back. But no luck this time. On a positive note, I am picking Troy up from the airport today, and he may have a nice big cooler full of fresh lake fish. So I can hope for that. Wow, I didn't even get to dance this time! Definitely must have been too short a trip.
Now, for the new experience in Seattle for the year. I had the pleasure of going to Teatro Zinzanni! Talk about hilarious as well as amazing performances. It was crazy. There was even a set of twins doing a hanging bar act. While we ate in front of them. Yes, and old car dealership converted into a tent has extraordinary uses. I was highly entertained. I could certainly reccommend. And they had great margaritas and wine to boot. Very good evening all told. And I've decided I have to figure out how to make chilled cucumber soup, because it was particularly nice. Best out of five courses. But of course I wasn't cool enough to get dessert. Stupid nut allergy strikes again. Bah!
Well, back to work. Has anyone found a better job for me yet??? ;-)
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June 23rd, 2005
03:39 pm - Pi
I found a happy poem. I must share, for it is done from Pi. My favorite number. Yay for Pi! I am up to 22 memorized digits. That's actually down from 3 years ago when I had 38, but I forgot them from not practicing. Oops! I'm on track again though. 3.1415926535897932384626
For your reading pleasure.
http://users.aol.com/s6sj7gt/mikerav.htm
The random facts:
The Pi memory champion is Hiroyoki Gotu, who memorised an amasing 42,000 digits. (I don't think I'm going to try for that many.)
A long time ago people thought there was an illness attached to trying to 'square a cirle' called Morbus Cyclometricus. (Should I call in sick with this one day? Probably not since my task manager is a Math PhD.)
The sequence of digits in Pi so far passed all known tests for randomness. (Chaos!)
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June 22nd, 2005
01:50 pm
now for random things. i don't promise they're interesting. just need a place to write things that occur to me. isn't that what this is for?
I have decided I should be interested in learning more about World War I. Been rereading Anne of Green Gables books, and when you get all the way to the end, you realize the last book is all about that war, from a Canadian perspective. It's really quite odd. Those books are so amazing. They truly give a glimpse into another time period and place that feels real. The author concentrated on the world she knew completely, without trying to make things up. It still hits home.
Ok. Dragonflies. I've been wearing my glass dragonfly a lot lately. It always ends up that the few odd little pieces of jewelry that I buy myself are the only ones that get worn in the end. Makes sense of course. The others become emotionally charged objects and all. The dragonfly is being good to me though. So, if I take the view of one of my friends who believes in spirit animals.... She would say the dragonfly is in my life right now to break down illusions, see the truth in the situation, help me understand dreams, and bring about change. Of course there's also the swiftness and flight parts. So maybe I should just run away!
I feel like... the world is coming apart. People don't interact with each other as they used to. Not since all this technology made communication so easy. It's like we've all become disfunctional. And even with this easy communication, do I hear from people? Not so much.
The development of weather systems in Colorado is really quite a wonder to behold. I can look out my window periodically all day long, and the scene is never the same. It's cloudy, then sunny, then raining, then hailing, sunny again, on and on. The other day I was driving back from a hike in Eldorado Canyon, watching a storm out ahead of me. I not only saw a rainbow witha few extra bands of color, I saw it's mirror. Almost a complete one, too. It was quite beautiful. I was wishing I had my camera with me.
Cameras. I need to get my film camera out and find some money to stock it up with expensive film. I miss taking pictures. Real ones. I miss developing things too. It's one of those hobbies I need to pick up and dust off.
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