Didgeridoo

As usual this week has been jampacked and its always a relief to make it to Friday where i finally have some time to relax a bit. Last night we had a large potluck at our place and there was so much food that for the first time we actually had leftovers!!! I also went to a crystal shop which a family operates in their barn and got some cool rocks, candles, and incense. This morning i went downtown and purchased some pvc and will be making a didgeridoo with a beeswax mouthpiece. I am also going to paint it and add lots of color and patterns. The rest of the day i have spent at work and once i get off i will sit in the sauna for a little and then head back home.

Yoga

As usual my week has been packed and filled with lots of school work. We started reading An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks which contains many accounts of neurological disorders such as color blindness and tourettes syndrome... Its amazing how the brain can restructure itself(neuroplasticity) and how it can overcome/compensate for ailments. After class today i went to a yoga class which was great and hit the sauna after. I have been cleaning my room up a lot today and also did some laundry. The weather is beginning to get much colder and it has been very rainy and gray recently. Halloween will be here soon i am going to be Aladdin and some companions are also dressing up to that theme. A friend is having a party at here place and there will be some djs and bands performing!!! Everything is zooming bye and i cannot believe its already week 5.

Sweet Food

This week has been the busiest so far and things are definitely starting to pick up. Over the weekend i went to a potluck at a friends house and had a fun night with burritos and some fun games. We also hosted a sprouting workshop at our apartment and my roommate, Ed, taught people how to grow sprouts such as lima, broccoli, alfalfa... We have been eating amazing food and some of my roommates also gathered parasol mushrooms and we made a big soup with potatoes. I have been doing lots of reading and writing and just turned in a mid-quarter portfolio. The weather has been pretty mild and there has been a bit of rain and a little sun. I have met many amazing people and it feels like i have a community around me.

Week 3

This weekend was a lot of fun and there always seems to be something to be doing. On Saturday the organic farm on campus had a harvest festival with pumpkin carving, garlic tasting, live music, fresh cider, and many instructional classes. I went to this in the morning with a bunch of people from my building and had some amazing coffee cake and bread people made. Later i went mountain biking in the forest with a friend and rode some trails and also went back to the farm to chill for a bit. That night my roommate Pat had a show downtown and we gathered a large group of people and all enjoyed some amazing music. Class has been great and i am currently doing a research project on the implications of shoes. There is a significantly high rate of flat foot and other foot ailments in children who wear shoes compared to those who don't. I have found many research articles and overwhelming support(i.e. worlds fastest long distance runners originate from Africa and use no shoes and rarely have injury's...). I still have a lot to study but basically shoes should be avoided unless to protect against lesion or cold... I have two regular shifts at the rec center now. I am working Tuesdays from 8am to 230 and Friday from 2pm to 830. This schedule will remain for the rest of the quarter. Yesterday i went to a yoga class and today i played racket ball! im feeling very healthy and have been eating great food! The weather has been very rainy here and the winter is definitely setting in(we may get snow at night in a few days!)

Draconids Meteor Shower

Yesterday i had class in the morning during which we had a seminar on texts and a lecture about biology. Later i went and relaxed on the sunny field with some friends and also went to the sauna. Im starting to feel much better now and it should be a great weekend. Last night we had a potluck in the apartment below us. Our place cooked up a friends recipe which contained some tomatoes, squash, onions.... At the potluck we also had cucumber bread, vegetable rice, a mixed green salad, and many cookies. After eating and socializing i went out to the field with some friends and heavy blankets and got comfortable while watching the draconids meteor shower. I had a very early morning today and am working at the rec center from 8 to 11. yawn....

Warm Days Cool Nights

Everything has been very amazing and the weather has been beautiful. I try to spend as much time as i can reading or with friends out in the sun on the field. On Friday i worked at the rec center and later went to a friends apartment and chilled with some friends. On Saturday after doing some reading i went into the forest with friends and ventured all around. Later that night we had a big pasta meal and watched a movie. On Sunday i had a training at the rec center which basically reviewed safety and shifts. We are still on a temporary schedule and should have a regular one soon. Part of the training included a glove wearing test with fake blood to make sure we could remove bloody gloves without getting it on us... Iv never seen anything that bad occur here though. On Monday i had class and my other teacher, Brett, was finally here. He is my seminar leader and is very interesting. He reminds me of a nicer version of House. Unfortunately i have had a cold the past few days and am trying to recover as fast as possible. Everything has been pretty low key and iv just been lay low and reading lots.

Time Flys

This year seems to be moving even faster than last year. Its hard to find any down time and there is always stuff going on. Today i had class from 9 to 3, in the morning we had a seminar on both a child development and a Richard Dawkins book. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is an amazing book and it actually traces the earliest forms of life and how they developed. The beginning of life all started when atoms managed to fall into a stable pattern creating a molecule. Eventually a molecule called a replicator was formed and it possessed the unique ability to create copies of its self. Nothing is perfect however and some of these copies had errors and the ones which proved beneficial survived. These new survivors were able to break down other molecules and could also live longer. They began to grow more and more complex and soon starting building "survival machines" for themselves. Replicators essentially exist in all life including humans. The book also explores selfishness and altruism in all living forms. My class has been very interesting so far and i have been doing lots of reading and writing. After class i went for a short bike ride downtown, unfortunately its started to rain on the way back and i got pretty soaked. I am currently at work and am working 5-9 today and tomorrow. This weekend we are having a meeting and will begin a normal work schedule soon. I now have a three day weekend to work and possibly fit in a little relaxation.