15 Lines

So it has been a while since my last post, but I couldn't pass up the invite to participate in the 15 lines game. So here goes...

1. What is your current obsession?
Watching our dogs Charlotte and Cora track down any fly that is foolish enough to find its way in to our house. Cora takes a bit of convincing to attempt to catch a fly. Charlotte, however, is like a radar the second she heard the buzzing. To date, the two have snagged at least three flies.

2. What kind of clothing do you wear most?
Well, I know some would say an orange move-in crew t-shirt. Others might learn towards my badlands or england shirt. The correct answer is most likely a pair or REI shorts, or my Chaco sandals. Those Chacos are one of the best purchases I have ever made!

3. What's the funniest knock-knock joke you know?
Hmm, well I don't really know any good ones...and frankly the ones I know I am sure everyone does. I am sure though that at one point a long time ago, I found this one hilarious:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting cow.
Interrupting cow w--?
MOOOOO!

4. Last thing you bought?
Would be a coffee bender by Surly. Don't you dare think that a coffee/beer hybrid is absurd. Give it a try, it is amazing!

5. What are you listening to?
A few different noises are immediately apparent. The one the catches my ear foremost is the snoring of Charlotte.

6. If you were a god or goddess, who would you be?
Has to be Apollo. With music and archery, two things I enjoy, he is the clear winner for me.

7. Favourite holiday spots?
From days past, Galveston is my favorite. The cool breeze from the gulf feels so nice, especiallyl after a visit to the local chocolatier! For more current times, staying in Lutsen and spending time in Grand Marais is perfect.

8. Reading right now?
Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard. Halfway through. Good book.

9. Okay, what were you think just then?
There needs to be a more enforced sound restriction on automobiles...

10. Who's your hero/heroin?
Lloyd Christmas and The Dude, aka Duder, Duderino, His Dudeness (if you're in to the whole brevity thing). Not exactly heroes, but two characters who have changed my life, in comical ways.

11. First spring thing?
Lilacs! Well, that might be creeping in to early summer...but still!

12. Funniest thing you saw in your life?
Wow. My life has been full of funniest moments. Well the moments that come to mind are more accurately the funniest moments of two of my friend's lives.

The first was when I made my friend AJ laugh so hard that he threw up. All it took was a simple comment upon the way his breath smelled and the fact that he was drinking a pop to fix it. We all had a powerful laughing session.

The second was when I made another friend, Jacob, laugh so hard that his nose started to bleed. I can't quite remember what I did to make that happen, so I will have to ask him!

These don't even count my old "laugh attacks" I would get when I was younger...

13. Favourite film?
Well my answer is probably the same as every other person who has done this game: really?? There is no way I can say what is my favourite, so here are a few:

Dumb and Dumber
The Big Lebowski
The Last of The Mohicans
Big Trouble
Ace Ventura, Pet Detective
Saving Private Ryan
Gladiator

The ones in bold are probably my number one and two (in no specific order on the list).

14. Share some wisdom?
Don't spit into the wind.

15. If you could be an animal, what animal would it be?
Hmm, I can narrow it down to cat, dog, fox, wolf, bird of any type, bear, fish, lion, tiger, horse, llama, leopard, jaguar, any monkey, dolphin, or whale. Well, I guess that's not too narrow...

16. Fictitious character who made a lasting impression on you?
Basically the same as a question above, Lloyd Christmas and The Dude. Another would be Maximus Decimus Meridious, the hero from Gladiator. Anyone who has seen the movie knows how powerful of a character he is.

Minnesota "Weather"

It may just be me, but when I think of the word "weather", it conjures thoughts of a relatively repetitive and consistent thing. This is simply not the case in Minnesota, and especially not so in Morris. Yesterday was a cool day in the 50s and low 60s with a brisk wind. So naturally today was in the mid 90s. Also following accordingly to Morris trends, tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 50s with rain. Topping it all of is the prediction for Saturday: low 40s with rain and snow.



But I can't complain. We are Minnesotans and hearty. This is nothing we can't handle!

One Step Closer

So on Tuesday I gave my Senior Seminar presentation. This event is meant to be the culmination of four years, or in most cases three years, of geologic studies (yet several people, myself included, hold indignations about how it is run...). First and foremost I have to give thanks to Julie who pushed and encouraged me to finish, made my presentation look pretty, cut all the cheese and prepared the crackers, waited for my flyers to print, and was always there to help. I also owe thanks to Donnie who listened patiently as I talked-no, stumbled through my practice presentation two hours before the real thing and provided me with valuable suggestions of things to revise or add. Without the help from these two people my presentation would not have gone as smoothly as it did.

That being said, it was a tremendous relief once Brugger began asking the silly questions during the question session after the presentation (for those who are unawares, Brugger is notorious for his feistiness in the question session, so you know you are off the hook once he asks a silly question!). However, with the onset of "senioritis" having set in weeks before, it is going to be important to pull myself together and make sure I keep up the good grades in classes and not let the completion of senior sem be the end of school work.

Regardless, with the most time-consuming project of my life completed, I get to focus more on cooking some cool meal!

"I think I gotta case of the Strep."

Who was it that once said, "Thine whom defeats the perils of the Strep, comes out the victor"? I don't know, maybe I made it up. It seems like an appropriate maxim this week, as I watch my friends fall victim to streptococcal pharyngitis, and I myself feel its powers dwarf my desire to study. With the help of some possibly undesirable antibiotics I should be back at full strength come senior seminar time.

It does quell my nerves to know that in a week and a half, I will have expunged the senior stress syndrome from my body, as well as the more physical manifested strep throat, and will be on the road for warm weather and geology! I will, however, miss having spring break to spend times with those I hold closest to me...

As I sit back now, reviewing this latest post, I begin to feel the massive amounts of vitamin C, green tea, and water hit me and the bed looks even more inviting than it did earlier today when I took my 7th nap in the last 10 years. So to that bed I shall retire now and hope that tomorrow the women at the Health Services will provide me with medicines such that I do not make sick any more innocent people.

A note on the picture....something about Charlotte just makes me want to hold her like a backpack, I can't really explain it. And as ancient belief goes, and now scientific as well, laughter and happiness make you healthier, so who knows.....after enjoying this picture I may wake up tomorrow feeling better than ever!

In the kingdom of the animals

Animals are the perfect companions. They give you everlasting love and friendship, and only ask for companionship in return. One who has known the companionship of an animal (our in the case of our home in Minneapolis, several animals) is effected by it for the rest of there life.

Two animals in the picture are no longer with our family in this life (Lelu, the black cat, and Loro, the parrot). The picture shows those two doing what they loved most, being with my dad. They left a permanent mark on our whole family and, along with Gracie and Q, will never be forgotten.

Quite the day...

Today was quite the day. I woke up to walk home for breakfast, then walked to school for two classes. Following this I read non-stop until my 1:00 pm class. Following this I discusses my senior seminar with a professor, then walked home. A walk to the store at 4:00 pm followed this. I made cheese ravioli (homemade) which was fun and tasty! Next was a volleyball game at 7:00 pm that lasted for 1 hour. This was followed by a walk home. When I got home, I got a phone call from Julie telling me that a woman was found dead in the backyard of our neighbors house. The woman went missing on Saturday after being seen at a local bar and was found today. Not much it known now, but it seems like she was lost and the bitter cold of the night ended up being lethal.

My thoughts go out to her family and friends.

GEOLOGY!

Geology. Truly the great science of the world. The one science that requires deep knowledge of all other sciences to understand. Sure some other sciences may come close, but let's be honest...none compare. Tell me, what other science requires you to know the chemical structures and components of a material (chemistry), the type of vegetation that grows on a material (biology), the physics and thermodynamics of how rocks come to be....the list can go on!