New Blog

Hey Everyone!
Be sure to bookmark my new blog now located at http://calmclam.tumblr.com/


More updates to fallow, but seeing as this is my busiest day (awake from 5am work to 930pm class...) it shall have to wait for another day!

LIFEGUARD

ITS official im now a lifeguard!!! This weekend I passed the final skills and written tests to become a lifeguard. The skills test was pretty intense and we basically took over lifeguard shifts and had many people go swim in the pools around us. We were equipped with a lifeguard rescue tube, whistle, and first aid pack to use at our discretion. We each had a few victims to save and had to be very alert to what was happening around and make sure to stay clam. In one case a victim dived and did not come up.... I responded by blowing the whistle, activating the EAP (emergency action plan), SLID into the water (because in this case they could have a potential spinal injury), and called for a backboard and AED. I then had to secure the victim and their spin and set them on a backboard which would be used to pull them out of the water... Once out an initial assessment was necessary and then I proceeded into rescue breaths then cpr. I feel very well trained now and am very glad to be done with all this and now have time to put more energy into school.
In metal shop we are now welding which is incredible and very difficult. We learned oxy-oxy acetylene welding which involves mixing pressurized gases to produce a very hot temperature that can melt through steel! We also learned about a few more machines such as sanders and machine cutters, however welding is by far the funnest. My science class is going well and we now have class on monday nights also which is nice. Tomorrow I hope to check out grays harbor and see some of the hundreds of thousands of birds stopping there for spring migration... The past weekend a festival happened in downtown Olympia which was fun and exciting plus it was sunny and warm for a change! Anyways it great to be done with all the job stuff for the summer now and am ready to really focus on biology and metal! Its already week 5 of school and I cant believe how soon summer will arrive...

Lifeguarding

Well this weekend has been very pleasant and its nice to have a day to rest and enjoy the sun! The past week literally flew by because I had no time to recollect on any of the moments. Anyways im well into lifeguarding now and have passed all the initial tests! The past few classes were basically all spent in the pool practicing escaping, pulling drowning victims who were submerged and on the surface, using a backboard, and other lifeguard techniques. Only one more week left of the course! My science class is going well and I have received all the books I ordered and have a lot to learn. Im hoping to start my empirical work once lifeguarding ends. My other teacher in this class has returned from Panama so we will be having more classes and time to meet soon. Metal working has been awesome!!! We have learned how to use a plasma air gun, sand blaster, and spot welder! The studio is a lot of fun and it is open just about every day to work which I have been utilizing! I finished my first project which was based around a box that I turned into a star... Anyways right now im sitting under a new porch that the roommates built and watching the sunset collide with rain. Life is well although moving all to fast despite have incredibly long days...

Spring!

Signs of spring are starting to arrive in the Northwest which is very exciting! Finally get to break out the shorts again.... Anyways the past two weeks of school have been extremely busy. Im currently still finishing my proposal for a project this quarter and am planning on attending a massive bird migration to learn about the group flock dynamics... I have had two metal working classes so far and it is very amazing. I am now proficient in many tools and machines to work with copper, steel, brass, and aluminium. We have been forming sheets with punches, rollers, rivets, along with a variety of hand tools. Additionally I can now braze and solder which involves heating up metal with torches to make it more flexible or fuse it together. I have designed some blueprints and have already started my first project which is a tiny geometric box... There is plenty of time to work in the studio and its nice to be working with my hands again.
The past weekend Remy came to visit for three days during which we went to explore Fairhaven in Bellingham. I had a great time and although it was short I was really impressed with the school and city. We even sat in on a class and it was very intriguing and enjoyable. The school was really exciting and had a lot of aspects that were really appealing. If I had more time left in school I would definitely consider trying Fairhaven. It was a very brief trip, but we managed to cover most of the campus including Western Washington University and also stopped in Seattle for a few hours.
Well I have a little break this weekend which is nice, plus we have had some sun and I can finally ride the rode bike around town! At the capital building large protests have been occurring with thousands of people attending. People have even been sleeping in the building at night to protest the budget cuts... I stopped by for a little and was pretty amazed how many people were out including news crews and politicians. My lifeguarding class starts on Monday so soon I will only be busier, however I am excited for this class and I have been doing a lot of swimming lately.

Spring!

Well spring break went by very quick and the quarter is already off to a fast start. The past week I went back home to California and spent some time with family and friends... On Friday I departed in my new 1995 Honda Odyssey! The drive north was around 750 miles and I spent one night in Ashland at some hot springs and camped in the car. The next morning after a quick soak I hit the road again and made it to Olympia around 6pm... It was a long weekend that surprisingly went by quick. On Monday I reoriented myself with campus and had a long list of tasks to complete. I drove to campus and parked then ran to buy a spring pass and get it on the car in time... Luckily I made it in time and had no tickets! So then I went to print and scan forms both for work and insurance. Next I paid tuition, got my paycheck, and a new sticker for spring quarter to prove I was updated for spring. My boss wanted me to get a set of keys to the Rec Center so I signed out keys to open the building! After all the business I went to lab stores and checked out a flash recorder, microphone, pole for the mic, and audio cables. I had also requested many books from the library and will hang on to them till the end of the quarter. Lastly I went to lab stores and checked out a spotting scope, tripod, and gps unit. I currently have some ideas brewing for a project and want to have all this equipment at my disposal before everything gets checked out. After finishing my list I then sat down and started writing a rough draft of ideas for my class. Once all the important work was taken care of I then desperately needed to relax. Fortunately the climbing wall is getting new crash pads so the grips can be raised even higher, however this mean the climbing wall is closed the next few weeks... Instead I did some cardio and weights then the good ol sauna. That night I made an effort to try to get to bed before 12 which was very difficult.
This morning I awoke at 5 am, scrambled around, and somehow ate some food... I then drove off to campus, and arrived at the rec center at 545am... I was surprised that people were already waiting for me to let them in. The morning shift was pretty relaxed and I worked till 8 am... Once I finished my shift I then had an hour and half to spend working out before class began. I haven't done serious swimming in a while so it was finally time to hop in a public pool again... My lifeguarding course begins on the 11th and I want to train and improve my skills a bit. After warming up with laps I then went to the diving pool and practiced pulling a 10 pound brick from the bottom of the water, carrying it above the surface with both hands, and maneuvering it onto the deck... I tried this many times with and without goggles. The first day of the course we have to pass a proficiency and this is one of the skills they test on. I feel pretty prepared, but will keep swimming the next few days to get even better! Then after a sauna I had my first day of class... In the morning we had a lecture about the scientific method and predictions. In the afternoon we discussed project ideas then analyzed animal adaptations! It was a good first start and later this week I will be meeting one on one with my professor to work on a project proposal. I have also received my new heavy duty backpacking bag today and strolled around the block while having it loaded up with many books... Cant wait to be backpacking! Also Remy is arriving this weekend and we will be exploring her potential college (Fairhaven) together up in Bellingham ! Well I have many things to keep me busy now and lots of reading to be doing, all I need is a little sun!

Orcas Island

Well we made it up to Orcas Island the past Tuesday. Luckily the majority of the snow had melted so we were able to make the drive up to Anacortes and catch the ferry. We ended up at the ferry destination early so we decided to go drive to Deception Pass for a quick hike. This pass was very amazing and the sky was filled with military planes from the air base close by. The ferry held many cars (including our three large vans) and stopped at Shaw, Lopez, and finally Orcas Island. Once we got onto Orcas Island we had about a half hour drive to Moran State Park. This island is one of the largest and there is a surprisingly large amount amount of land including many farms and state parks on the island. There are even a few mountains... We arrived pretty late and after unpacking and moving into cabins we then proceeded to gather in the mess hall and have dinner. The entire class divided into food groups and a few people would cook and clean for every meal. The food was amazing, and my class can sure cook up some feasts! The next mornings after a 730 breakfast we decided to make an approach up Mt. Constitution since the weather was moderately clear. The mountain was about 2400 ft and we were basically staying in cabins at the base. I prepared for the worst and brought lots of gear and was wearing heavy hiking boots with gators. As we began ascending it got snowier and layers of ice began to build. It was a long and strenuous hike and the switchbacks began to get very steep. With every two steps we seemed to loose one... Eventually we made it to the summit and on the top a 1000 ton tower had been built as a lookout post and shelter. Once we stopped moving it began to get very cold and we all gathered inside the stone wood shelter and refueled. We were going to do a loop but by the time we made it to the top it began to snow and we were worried about visibility. After a long rest we all began descending and had a blast literally sliding down all the slush and ice. We even took a few breaks to have some snowball fights with a few people and the teacher. When we returned to camp a nice hot lunch was waiting for us. Also, I forgot to mention on these trips coffe is consumed constantly so everyone has energy all day.... After eating I proceeded to go canoeing on a large lake with a friend. The water the deceiving and after making it out it began to get very 'choppy' and we had to tack somewhat to avoid being tipped over... Later I on a walk and looked at some old growth trees with friends. At night we would all gather and play games or have a fire. The next morning we went to the coastal side of the island to look at shorebirds. I was on lunch crew later and we cooked up an amazing tai feast with exotic food and peanut sauce. After cooking I took a long hike around the lake and was able to observe and identify many species! The next day after lots of cleaning we departed back to the ferrys and arrived in Olympia around 6pm.. Everyone required lots of rest after this trip, however the weekend was still packed with many hours spent working on our projects.
Im very pleased with how my paper turned out and it has some interesting and informative information and potential causations and correlations. We presented the project and powerpoint on monday and received excellent feedback about it! This quarter has been a great learning expecting and I am being exposed to a whole new vocabulary and scientific mindset. If anyone want to read the paper or view the powerpoint I will gladly email them!
I registered for classes a few days ago and will be staying in my current program for 16 credits and most likely attempting to create a framework and potential model for plumage taxes in birds and how the 'dilution effect' changes species... Still a lot to figure out. I will also be taking a four credit metal working class and will be learning how to forge metals and work with them! This was an extremely competitive class (it only has 8 students!) so I feel very fortunate. I had my last day of class today and only have one more day of work at the rec center. I will be going down to California on tuesday and am ready to relax a little.
To see the rest of the photos check them out here

Remy In Washington with a little bit of SNOW on top

It seems there are never ending activities to fill my time in Washington! Remy came to visit me the past weekend and luckily I had free time to go on lots of adventures with her. When she arrived on Friday I had just returned from biking, climbing, the sauna, and grocery shopping. She arrived on a nice sunny afternoon and after settling in we went for a walk downtown. There is a nice nature trail which leads to the water. Once we made it to the inlet we walked down old railroad track which lead into downtown. It started to get pretty cold so we then went and got some hot beverages and played a game of chess. We made a large dinner with all the roommates that night. On Saturday, we took advantage of the good weather and went to campus to go hiking in the forest. We walked through the forest, down the beach, and back to campus... On the way back we heard an owl call and ran to track it.... Fortunately we somehow spotted it high in the canopy!!! I then showed Remy the new college activities building on campus. That night everyone at the house made a few pizzas and a big salad for dinner. We had a few thin crusts and one large deep dish pizza. The next day was a little bit colder and rainier, however that didnt keep us inside and we decided to go on a bike ride. Remy borrowed Mollies bike and I showed her the country side of Olympia where a giant lake was created by beavers... We made it home nice and soaked then after warming up decided to go eat some Thai food! We had two giant meals which were both very tasty. After eating we went to the mall and watched the movie The Green Hornet. It was funny but lacked substance... On Remys final day within a hour of her pickup time it started to snow! She finally saw a flash of what it is like when Olympia is covered in snow... However, that was just the beginning... After Remy left it really started to come down and proceeded to snow from Wednesday to Sunday! We had around two feet on the ground and Olympia was basically shut down... Almost every school was closed and most businesses also shut down. On Sunday I had a cpr and first aid certification class at the rec center. It was all paid hours so I figured it would be good to refresh my memory, earn a little money, and also have a new certification for an extra four months (most certs. are only good for two years..). I was set to leave to Orcas Island on Monday, however due to poor road conditions we postponed the class trip. Tomorrow morning, if the weather permits, I will be ferrying onto Orcas Island till Friday! There is a lot to look at on these islands and each one is unique with species and ecology... My final project is going well and should be done soon. I have also talked with my job backpacking and it is sounding very exciting! Also heard from REI today and sounds like they really want to hire me.... So who knows, its going to be a busy three months ahead...!