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!!!