Behind the appartments at work there is a wooded area. To strictly call it woods, because it isn't, but it is an area of trees . . . a thin strip of trees. ANYWAY, there are these kids that love to play in the wooded area, I mean, who wouldn't want to play out there, I would have TOTALLY been out there every day. Every so often I see a hut out there. It isn't really noticable because of where they build it and what the materials are, but I will catch a glimpse of one. Well Tuesday this is what we found. Not only are their huts back there, but over the weekend they (my guess is these three boys that are always running together out there and usually in the wood line) built a garden. A garden complete with planting beds, plant that they transplanted from other areas of the wooded area (and I think one or two from our transplant area behind the shop), stone lined paths, and remodeled huts.
I have climbed out from under the GRE rock, so back to life as usual. I was commenting today to a friend (on our run - can you believe it, I ran today) that when I worked around a computer most of the day I would come home and get back on the computer for a long time. Now that I don't work around a computer and can only check my email about once or twice a day, I come home and check my email and pretty much walk away for the night. There could be many explanations. I have my own assumptions, you can have yours - sound like a deal?
GRE . . . not what I had planned, but it is over. I don't think my basement score will keep me out of grad school, should I decide to go, but it was pretty much an ego buster. So what do I do now? I sit around and read books. Well that is what I did all day yesterday. Today? I blog while listening to Jon Foreman. Depressing because it started on his Winter CD rather than the Spring or Summer set.
I was over checking out Ben's new site today. Same as the old, just in a different, cooler place (I say that with a grumble because blogspot USE TO BE the cool place and now it has been usurped (bigger words because I am studying for the GRE). Anyway, on his page he has a list of blogs that he reads and mine was up there. It has been up there for awhile, even though there really isn't anything new to read here EVER! When you put your arrow over my site there is a Benesome (Ben and Awesome combined - totally just made that up and I don't think I like it) caption to go along with the title: "She is not watching TV for a year. Read all about it." That made me chuckle a bit, because I don't really talk about that much. I think the only people that have to hear much about it are the people that live with me.
I have been in countdown mode since January when I passed the six month mark - but the countdown hasn't really been that big of a deal. I'm almost to the point where watching TV or movies doesn't really matter. Sure it does on a Sunday afternoon when they are going to watch Ghost Town or something, but in the end it really doesn't matter - I just spend some more time in my room reading.
As if I wasn't already weird about society and how much I dislike the attitudes that I have embraced as being a middle class, white, sub-urban, American - this no TV thing has opened up my eyes to so many more negatives about society. Instant gratification vs. delayed gratification, the over use of sex in the media, and the pedestal we put actors and actresses on. I love instant gratification, and putting people on pedestals, and using sex to sell a hamburger - but that is so wrong. When did we go from looking at solders as heroes to forgetting their sacrifice and looking at people to see what Brittany is doing today?
I didn't realize it had been a month since I posted last. Sad thing about me - when more is going on in my life that might actually be fun to read about, I don't take the time to write. I don't know if I would call the last month "fun", but there has sure been a lot of thinking and shake up going around.
If you also follow my Flickr account you will see that I only posted one day's worth of photos for February. BECAUSE I ONLY TOOK ONE DAY'S WORTH OF PHOTOS IN FEBRUARY! Why is that, you may ask - well because I didn't take my camera ANYWHERE, and I grew tired of taking pictures of my dog looking at me like I was beating her when I pulled out the camera. So starting March 1 I started taking my camera with me to work. OK, really it all started when I saw my bread was L'oven Fresh. Not Oven Fresh - L'oven Fresh:
So, I took my camera to work and got all sorts of dirty pictures: This is my face after coming in from a power washing project. You can see where my safety glasses have been. The fronts of these pants use to be the color of the back. Not only are they beyond dirty - they are wet from the power washer. Other than that I haven't taken many photos. The month is young. I did take a few of a project I am working on in Tower Grove area, but I don't really have much of note yet.
So, this week I needed an Engineer scale at work. I don't have any scales at work, but the 1/8 scale or 1/4 scale are much easier to do with a standard ruler. The 10 or 20 scale can be a bit tougher. So what could I do? I went online to see if there was a printable version. Didn't find a printable scale, but I found printable graph paper. Not only can you quickly print off graph paper if you need a random sheet, you can also tailor the sheet to look like you want! http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/, this isn't the only place you can do such a thing, but it is what I found first. If you don't know this about me already, let me just tell you now: GRAPH PAPER IS MY FAVORITE. If I have a choice between plain, lined, or graph, I pick graph every time. Quirky? Perhaps, but it is me.
Other than working, taking random L'oven Fresh photos, and getting giddy over the amount of graph paper I can print in many different formats, I have been studying. Studying for the infamous GRE. That's right. I officially announce to the internet my vie for graduate school in the fall of 2009. You will be happy to note that my first blog was started and constantly updated while getting my undergrad degree. It was the most depressing drivel I have ever seen - and yes I have read this blog. I'm being open to these next steps that God has for me. The hardest part - I am currently very content. I am content and even happy in my job. I love my living situation, I love this town. If this thing goes through, I will be leaving it all behind and heading back to Oklahoma. I am applying for the Environmental Sciences Graduate Degree program studying ground water conservation, water reclamation, and storm water management. I am waiting to get in on a project related to low impact development (but it doesn't start until the spring). You didn't know that on the deepest level that I was a nerd. Take this video, for instance. I about wet my pants when I saw this and was captivated by the simple concept and the impact it could have.
It doesn't hurt that he has an accent. That makes things so much easier to listen to and take in.
I guess that is all. I had to emerge from the studying bubble for awhile, so I figured a blog entry would be the ticket. It only took me an hour to write. I guess I shouldn't try to multi-task.
Not only are their huts back there, but over the weekend they (my guess is these three boys that are always running together out there and usually in the wood line) built a garden. A garden complete with planting beds, plant that they transplanted from other areas of the wooded area (and I think one or two from our transplant area behind the shop), stone lined paths, and remodeled huts. 
The fronts of these pants use to be the color of the back. Not only are they beyond dirty - they are wet from the power washer.