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...!

Wilderness Leader

Whew its been a busy week here full of lots of work... Yesterday I worked one of my longest shifts from 8-11, 2-5, and 5-915... It was a very long day, at least during my few hour break I was able to go running and climbing. This week has been very stormy and we have received lots of rain and might even have some snow! On Monday I did some work on my research project and then went to a meeting with a student activities board to support the new budget proposal. As part of the CRC advisory board we are asking the board for money to rebuild facilities and improve the rec center. You can check out the board here http://www.evergreen.edu/reccenter/advisory_board.htm
... I'm representing the student users for the board. Also we have a new roommate now! Mirises boyfriend, Justin, arrived yesterday from New York and they will be living together... Justin is great and we all met him about 6 months ago when we first moved in. About a week ago Mirise and me switched rooms so that she could have the larger one since there would be two living in it... I really like my new room a lot and it was a nice switch.
I had exciting news earlier in the week which was that I got accepted to be a Wilderness Leader at Camp Tawonga. This means I will be spending my summer around Yosemite taking kids on backpacking trips! I will also be doing a variety of other activities such as working at the ropes course! Next quarter I'm going to take a lifeguard certification class to work at camp this summer. The one catch is that I will have to leaving during the last week of school to make it up for training so its going to be a huge rush!! I cant wait, everything is getting so exciting!

OSR Humor

Everything has been going great the past few weeks! Its getting sunnier here, my project is going well, and I'm getting into lots of fun things! To start off the past week I decided it was time to embrace the new weather and went into my backyard and with the help of my roommates got a new hair cut... Over the weekend I went to a Tai Ji workshop which involved an amazing person from China who taught us about movement, language, and calligraphy. I have also been working on my project a lot so far and have been receiving great feedback! I'm studying the connection between OSR (operational sex ratio) and humor. OSR is the "ratio of sexually competing males to females that are ready to mate." This evolutionary theory is generally what dictates mating systems of species and changes behaviors. This theory also deals with limiting and non-limiting sexes which can be in terms of population or gamut size (small/mobile vs. large/sessile)... Anyways we are looking at phenomena of OSR skews that occur such as after wars and how it changes OSR and consequently behavior. We are doing behavioral samples and monitoring groups for 3 minutes and recording how individuals of each gender respond to jokes and laughter in different OSR situations. Basically we predict that humor is an adaptive force which selects members for group membership and cultural success... We predict that in different OSR skews each gender will have more or less incentive to display or receive humor. The next few days we will be collecting data and working on the large paper. I have no more class for the next one and a half weeks so I will be spending lots of time on this project and so working at the rec center. Im still trying to work out plans for next quarter and will hopefully have it figured out soon!

Amazing Westwinds

Time is moving ever so fast and the past days are becoming a blur. The past week I was in Oregon from Monday to Friday on a class trip. We met Monday early in the morning and divided into the vans. My van ended up stopping in Portland at VooDoo Doughnuts. They have a huge variety from bubblegum to bacon and also vegan options with a banana batter. It was a very tasty treat and right as we were about to leave our teacher and classmates in my van decided everyone in the class should try these amazing tasty morsels. So we then ended up getting around 50 doughnuts for the rest of the class to indulge on. The weather was amazing and it was the first real sun I had seen in days. When we first pulled in we passed a heard of elk and then hit the estuary. However, we realized we were on the wrong side and would have to backtrack to cross the river. We eventually found the correct entrance and unloaded all the gear. Only the cargo and 1 passenger van full of gear drove in on a small trail while the rest of us hike for almost an hour to arrive at camp. We arrived at a stunning facility in the middle of a forest looking out on a beach surrounded by large mountains and cliffs. There was sand everywhere and many cabins scattered about so that you could hardly see them through the temperate forest. The first day was pretty busy unpacking in the cabins and setting up. I did manage to go for a quick stroll on the beach which was awesome. I ended up staying in a cabin with 2 other friends and it had a nice view overlooking the beach. Additionally it had electricity, heating, and also a wood burning stove! This was very fun and homey; just about every night after a bon fire on the beach we would get a little one going in the cabin to keep us warm while the ocean waves lulled us to sleep. That night 4 other people and me were in charge of cooking dinner and we made a giant salad, pasta, bread, and for desert cookies. The night sky was amazing out there and due to the nonexistent light pollution the stars were very clear and bright. The next day we had breakfast at 8am, however I somehow managed to wake up early (!) and went jogging down the secluded beach before. After eating I got together with a group and went to the ocean at low tide. There were amazing tide pools with many star fish and anemones along with small sculpins cryptic in the sand. A few caves were also accessible at low tide and were very fun to explore, however you had to keep a close eye on the oceans once inside... At another side of the beach there was a group of seals that would haul out often onto to the beach when not feeding at the mouth of the estuary flowing into the river. Later that day I also saw a family of bald eagles flying around the beach and feeding from the ocean. The main goal of the trip was to learn about unique forms of life that exist in many niches all in the same temperate environment. The next day I loaded up at breakfast and packed up food for the day in my bag. I then began a long journey up a mountain, past lost lake, around an amazing meadow and then back to the other side of the beach and wondered into Lincoln City. This was a beautiful long hike during which I saw a beaver dam and the gradient along which species change and adapt at higher elevations and away from the coastal wind and ocean spray. I managed to return just before diner to shower off and then eat some amazing food... Every food group cooked up something very delicious and there was always a surplus of food and snacks. The next day I decided to summit a "saddle" on the beach with a good friend. This was a fun hike up very loose terrain and then got to slide back down. The majority of the trip was spent looking at things around the beach and also playing some games with class. On one particularly sunny day I even went for a little swim in the ocean. Our teacher also brought a projector and some other equipment and we received a few lectures. We heard a very fascinating lecture about senescence (the decline of vitality) and how biological mechanisms play a part. We also learned about a correlation between aging, cancer, tumors, and proto-tumors which I will have to share another time because it is very complex, but mainly revolves around the idea of telemeres. (click the blue word for a little info....). The weekend was a great break from everything and I have also finalized my project proposal for this quarter which you all will hear about soon. Today I turned in a human subjects review application which will be part of the project (very exited for this!)... I have also had work the past two days and am managing to keep busy and happy!!! Still getting lots of time in at the climbing wall and sauna, so dont worry... Im also on the CRC advisory board and we have been meeting and planing out future plans for the gym along with new equipment for the rooms and climbing wall... Well I need to get a good rest now. You can check out the rest of the pictures from Oregon here. If anyone cant view them let me know and I will post them on a different website.... Still have lots to tell but will save it for next time!

Off to Oregon!

Well I'm off to Otis, Oregon till Friday with my class. You can check information and pictures out here http://www.westwind.org/ . Its going to be a great week and I am bringing lots of rain gear, books, binoculars, and a spotting scope... I will give everyone the scoop when I return!

More Snow Pictures!!! and Eagles!!!

Time is flying by, and school is going very great.... Last week we had one day with a crazy amount of snow! I had just gotten off work and within my four hour shift it managed to snow over 3 inches of snow! Luckily a coworker was leaving also so I was able to get a ride home. I had a three day weekend which was a big relief and had some quality time with room mates. The past week after an early day of work I biked to a very old preservation spot and set up a spotting scope and tripod (rented from lab stores) and watched some amazing wildlife. I was very fortunate on my arrival because I instantly saw two large black massive creatures on top of the oldest tree in the area. These were a mating pair of bald eagles and there nest was a little bellow them. After ten minutes passed by I was started to see two eagles flying in the sky... One stayed on the tree perch, the second fly up and away, and a third was aggressively diving after the other bird. It was amazing to witness and I have never seen anything like it, especially though a spotting scope. The two birds in air would leave eye sight then return and eventually they collided and spiraled down. Sometimes birds of prey will actually kill themselves in these agressive acts which are similar to a game of chicken. After a minute or so the birds returned and the invader left and the other returned to the other eagle on the tree. It was an amazing day, and I ended up staying there until it got dark then biked home... Well time to go to bed!
Here are some more pictures of the snow and birds....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23083581@N02/5362847374/in/set-72157625715803353/

SNOW

The has gong by very fast within the past week I managed to work 20.5 hours and additionally have shifts today and tomorrow. Work at the CRC has been busy and additionally my boss was able to obtain funding for new equipment and it seem that I will be helping to develop plans and install new crash pads/cushioning in the climbing gym. Class has been very interesting and the size has gone done to almost 40 students now so its even more personal. Yesterday I woke up at 8 and was very pleasantly surprised to see SNOW everywhere! Of course I had to take advantage of the beautiful environment and falling snow so I biked to school on the mountain bike. It was very exhilarating and by the time I made it to school I was covered in snow! Luckily I brought a change of clothes to keep dry. Class involved a long lecture about mating systems and territoriality. After class I did a quick work out then started my job. After work I biked home and had some good friends over and we cooked an amazing miso and butternut squash soup. Im on my lunch break right now and in 15 minutes I will be leading a debate on R vs K. They are both strategies that utilize different environments and behaviors. R would be something like bacteria that lives in an unstable environment, has little to no parental investment, and rapidly reproduces. K would be humans who live in a relatively stable environment, have high levels of investment, lots of competition, and reproduce only a few times. We will be examining pros and cons to each one and helping the class discuss them. All the snow has melted by now, however I believe we will be getting a lot more soon!

Pictures

Check them out here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23083581@N02/sets/72157625645771083/

New Year + 21!!!

I had a great winter break including a very fun new years! Its good to be back in Olympia and there is plenty to keep me busy here. The house is coming together very nice and everyone is back now! Yesterday I had class from 930 to 3 and then work from 4 to 7. I dealt with tuition and other little tasks to take care of then went to work. After my shift and went and tried my new climbing shoes for the first time and had a blast in them. Rock climbing is really growing on me and I may go on a trip in the future with people I have been meeting at the wall... After that I finished working out, saunaed, then biked home in the frigid weather. Everything is completely frosted over all day and night and I'm expected some snow soon! I got home pretty late and ended up just celebrating my birthday at home with friends and roommates. I tried to go to a local micro brew shop that makes mead and other exotic drinks but they were closed so it will wait till another time. I was a great day anyhow and I'm very excited to see how this next quarter works out. Today I had class from 9 to 12 and after that I did some climbing and am now just reading and brainstorming future project ideas. I also checked out a gps and spotting scope to mess around with... I have a late shift at the rec center from 5 to 9 so I have some time to relax. Wish me luck at the summer backpacking job interview tomorrow, hope it all works out! I will upload pictures form the break soon!!!