Giving thanks....

What a mellow Thanksgiving I had this year!

Paul and his family were able to make the trek up to Groveland, where it was crisp and cold (perfect for the hot tub!) We were lazy all weekend (in a good way, of course. We even made it up to Yosemite, where Paul showed off his ice skating skills in the rink at Curry village. I hadn't ice skated since I was in 7th grade (at the same rink, no less!) I'm proud to say that I didn't fall or get a concussion, though my ankles hurt a little bit!

Enjoy the pics...


mmm....turkey....


The Bolings (minus dad and Jean)


Cadence got to meet Reggie

I need your help!

In case you haven't heard yet....

We (Sophia Teper and Shannon Fulton) are going to start our own nonprofit. Pretty big step, right? This is where we need your help. We're just in the beginning planning stages now (and maybe for the next year), but have developed a survey to get a sense of what you think about the idea, how you could be involved, and any advice you may have. Like we said, it's just the beginning stages...

A little about our idea: After working with each other just for a few months, we've realized that we both have amazing ideas that can be developed into something bigger. With Sophia's knowledge in marketing, web development, and general worldliness, and Shannon's background in nonprofits, social work, and the outdoor industry, we feel that our combined efforts can change our small portion of the Bay Area.

We envision taking East Bay area youth (Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Leandro, etc) on outdoor day/hiking trips in the area. Our focus is to introduce the wonders of the natural (and local) world to disadvantaged youth. We would develop a small curriculum for the students, and have the trips lead by volunteers with a variety of expertise (from Shannon's rafting buddies to Sophia's film friends).

Please fill out the survey now: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=h4W4IM2jlqOr6RgpQvBpqg_3d_3d

Please pass the word along to your friends!

pssst! don't tell paul!

I think I'm going to get him a leg lamp for Christmas. Some of you may not know the story...

When we moved into our place in Alameda, I really wanted to get a cat. Paul wasn't a fan of Uintah (my cat currently residing at my parent's ranch) so we had to get a new one. He told me that if I got a cat, he would get a leg lamp. Not just any size leg lamp, but the real McCoy...I shuttered when he mentioned it, but I really wanted a cat! And now we have Jazzy....

Paul has yet to buy the leg lamp. Maybe since Christmas is coming, he'll remember the deal. I'm hoping not. He's not getting the 6ft tall one, no way! But perhaps Santa will leave him a nice desk-sized version...

we made it!

I was just browsing on the One Brick page (an awesome volunteer organization here in the bay) and noticed that my friend erin and i are on their photos page! we "volunteered" (i use the term very loosely) to serve beer at the beer fest back in april. yes, we drank beer and got free t-shirts. isn't volunteering awesome?

I love my island city

Alameda is the shit. It calls itself the "Island City" even though it is just a man made island (but who's keeping track?) Since moving here in June, I've found all of Alameda's secret spots, from the natural grocery store (with an amazing selection of herbs and sweet peas) to a spicy vegetarian restaurant (that even Paul loves) and an old french bakery (that my mom visits every time she's in town!). I've been trying to get to know the city more, since I plan on staying here for a while. So in addition to trying out new bars and restaurants (there aren't too many we haven't hit...I mean, it is an island after all!), I am tackling the thrift stores. There are only 3 or 4 that are listed on Yelp.com, but I may snoop around a little bit more to find that treasure lurking on one of Alameda's dead end roads. Wish me luck!

7 truths meme

I've been tagged by my friend jasmine, (malcomama), to do the 7 Truths meme...and since I'm bored at an unnamed location (hehhe) I thought I would answer the truths now...

1) I am passionate about helping people...the world...animals...

2) I secretly love decorating my house, making yummy treats, and being martha stewart-esque

3) I love my family and friends more that words can say, and would do anything in the world for them.

4) I can play the guitar but can't sing for shit.

5) I want to start my own nonprofit within the next 2 years.

6) I am infatuated with my cat. It's sad, and it's true, and I have embraced the fact that I will be a "cat lady" in my old age.

7) I am so happy to have met my boyfriend, Paul, and look forward to many many years with him....

It's foggy in LA

I thought southern california was supposed to be sunny - the beach, the palm trees, the girls with blond hair? Not so much the case this weekend when Paul and I drove down to LA to celebrate our 1 year anniversary....

After buying a huge tres leches cake from the mexican market down the street from Paul's house in Van Nuys, we headed south to the O.C. (bling bling!) I found a sweet deal at hotwire.com and we stayed at the shee shee Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach. Holy dolla-bill! No wonder there is a show called "The Real Housewives of the OC". We spent most of our time inside because the weather was pretty shitty....the hot tub wasn't so bad, but it definately wasn't pool weather!

After that we headed up to Redondo Beach, where I was staying for a few days for work. Paul liked the Best Western better than the Hyatt (what the fuck?) but he's just weird like that. We met up with my cousin Ali and Bubba, and again, hung out in the room since it was cold and BLAH outside. My work site visit went really well...
I would say the highlight of the whole trip was eating at the same Cuban restaurant 3 times in a row! I became a local instantly. You know I love the mojitos!!

Debauchery...

Yes, I was Amy Winehouse for Halloween. Tattoos, cigarettes and all!

Jenny and I got ready at her house while watching the Red Sox win another World Series Game - she was dressed as a 50's housewife, and I as the famous rehab singer. There weren't too many people dressed up in Berkeley, on this Saturday night before Halloween, which we found unusual. Even though we were the only ones dressed up, people commented on the authentic-ness of our costumes. Jenny had her pearls and oven mitt too, which made the outfit!

Hope you enjoy the pics...it was quite a debaucherous night, with a long cab ride to the bars, and an even longer cab ride back home (or so it felt like). I woke up this morning a little sore...maybe that was from sleeping on the bathroom floor (but now that's a whole 'nother story!)

Sweet Caroline....

It's just not the same watching the Red Sox in the world series if you're not in Boston. People just aren't that into it around these parts...

If I were in Boston...my world series schedule would look something like this: Leave work early to pre-party, get my finest jersey on (and the hat, of course the hat!). I'd take the T to Kenmore square and be instantly swimming in a sea of people, all chanting "Yankees suck". There'd be vendors lining the streets with Red Sox apparel (most of which is anti-Yankees). I'd push my way through the crowds to whatever bar had room - the Cask and Flagon, the brewery or that other sports bar on the corner that I don't remember the name. I'd be drinking many beers with fellow-minded friends...cheering and yelling and jumping at (almost) every play. We'd sing "Sweet Caroline" when the game was over, and "Love that dirty water" in between....
After that, I'd party into the night and cab it home 'round 3am. (and really, this WAS my schedule when they won in 2004).

...but I'm not in Boston. I'm in the East Bay Area, CA - where talk is of the Oakland A's relocating, and the recent shootings at a Raiders game. I went over to my friend Martin and Emily's house. There we ate pizza, drank beers, and watched the game. It was fun, no doubt, but not the same.

By the way...I couldn't resist...

Who would you vote for?

The mountains RULE. I just spent a nice, relaxing weekend at home with all 4 parents, drinking wine, dancing at the iron door, listening to an awesome blues band, and of course eating yummy mexican food. My mom and I did have TOO much fun dressing the 3 dogs up in the Halloween costume I bought.

Tell me, who would you vote for as top dog halloween costume model??


Sophie

Ruby

Reggie

P.S. I'm watching the Red Sox as we speak and they are kicking ass! Go Red Sox!!

I can't help myself....

Okay, here's the good news...

Reggie can always get a job being a dog halloween costume model if his "ranch dog" job doesn't pan out.

Here's the bad news....
I'm obsessed with dog costumes!

Costume for Reggie

Anyone who knows me knows I love animals. Any kind...you name 'em! (except for horses, I'm still getting used to them. They are so big!)

I also love dressing up my animals. Not the Paris Hilton or Britney Spears way with ugly pink bows and such. Just silly costumes on special occasions (ie. christmas, the red sox winning the world series, etc)

Here's the costume I got Reggie for Halloween. I'll post pics when I bring it to him this weekend. And no, do not report me to PETA or anything...no dog was harmed in any way while wearing this outfit.

Trick OR Treat!

It's that time of year again...spider webs and pumpkins, candy corn and ghosts...

In an attempt to be festive (and original), I've decided to be Amy Winehouse for Halloween. Now for those who have been living under a rock for the past year or so, Amy is a brilliant British singer with a soulful voice. Oh yeah, and she's cracked out, literally. Supposedly, she's gotten clean, but I'm not too sure about that. Now I have no intention of getting cracked out on Halloween, but I will be wearing Amy's signature beehive, cat-like eyeliner, and many, many tattoos.

I had an exciting weekend visiting many friends....Kim came down from Truckee, where it's already snowed 3 times. Yeah for snow! Yeah for water! We spend the day walking in downtown Alameda, shopping, checking out the "Classic Car Show", and drinking Mojitos at La Pinata. It's not a trip to Alameda without going there!

After that I headed down to the Cruz to see Kristin, Jill, and Tracy. We had some great Sushi at Mobos (yum!) and of course, drank some beers at the Red Room. Ahhh...the Red Room! It was fun as always, though not the same that I remember it. Sure, I recognized some of the regulars there, (and Blaine, the bartender remembered me)...but I still felt like a stranger there! Oh well, guess that's what happens when you move on....

It's been a long time baby

Has it really been more than 1 year since I've last blogged? Ughh, that's disturbing. Anyhow it's on my new list of things to do in order to keep in touch with people, and share my ideas with the world.

First off....

Since Paul has been gone in LA, I've had a lot more time on my hands (you know what they say about "idle hands"...) Anyway this has renewed my interest in doing all of those crafty things I used to do in high school. I have to warn you, you may be receiving macrame pot holders and crocheted ipod holders (again) real soon. With my current (and future) lack of funds, it's looking like I'm going to make some gifts for Christmas this year.

Secondly...
What's up with Oakland drivers, huh? I left the island today with my coworker, Sophia, as we were craving In-and-Out for lunch and the closest is in East Oakland. I think we almost got side swiped twice, run over by a semi once, and there was an accident right behind us on the 880. I also heard that this morning there was a body in the middle of the highway in Hayward that people were just running over. Really? Come on people! There are no racoons in Hayward! This is not "roadkill"!

Okay, enough of my rant, I should get back to work :)

sometimes the best cowboy.....is a woman

hello from utah!

man, am i tired! i just got finished teaching a 9 day junior whitewater school to 7 teenagers. it was super fun, hot, lots-o-mosquitos, but definately worth it. the highlight of the trip may have been seeing my grandparents on the side of the road on the last night at camp! (it's a long story...i'll write more later).

so now i just finished 2 days of preparing for our next trip. i have 1 on the water with 6 guides and 24 people, and we're launching the same numbers tomorrow. CRAZY! it never gets this busy in utah! it's good for work, but man am i tired! and i don't get to hang out with uintah as much as i want. luckily she has some amazing grandparents next door that love her to pieces....they spoil her rotten, even more so than me!

i just wanted to let everyone know that i'm surviving out here! having a lot of fun for sure, trying not to stress out about stuff, and enjoying the summer! more later, i promise...it'll have to wait for my next day off :)

hello from utah!

i know, i know...it's been WAY TOO LONG! the joys of living in utah, no wireless access anywhere, and it takes days just to get dial up. so i'm sitting here in the library, trying to get work done on my couple days off.

so i'm HERE! and life is great! the first couple trips have launched and we've had some really good people, good weather, and just fun in general. i got to row my own boat on the last trip, and it was SO nice to be on the river again...the canyon hasn't changed and is still as gorgeous as ever. it reminded me of why i spend my summers in utah....

when i'm not on the river i've been cleaning up the guide house. it's kind of white trashy (which is unavoidable in utah), but could use a lot of work to clean it up a bit. so i've been painting the inside (the kitchen and the office) and the outside (the chicken coop where some guides sleep). i've also landscaped the whole yard so it doesn't look like a trailer park. and i cut the grass with a beer in my hand. i'm in heaven:)

and i'm sure most of you have heard that i've adopted a sweet little orange kitty that i named "uintah" (the name of the mountains around here). she's adorable but loves to play. and i mean at 4:30 in the morning when the roosters across the street start crowing. that kind of sucks, but otherwise she's great. i accidently rolled over on her last night when i was sleeping and she let out the cutest little "meow!"...awww, poor baby :)

so saturday my friend isaac and i are teaching an 8 day junior whitewater school. i'm SO excited, i think i'm one of the only guides that has never taught a school! hopefully the mosquitos aren't out in full force, otherwise we will be lucky to escape the put-in without getting west nile. i'll let you know how things go!

another post will follow as soon as i get my internet running...hope all is well my dear friends!!

goodbye beantown

yes, i've said my goodbyes to the best city in the east....

i had quite an eventful last week in boston. i finished my wilderness first responder (WFR) class on an island off the coast of south boston. it was a pretty rad place, and we even got to do a night time search and rescue. i was a secondary responder, which meant i got to talk on the radio. it was awesome...who doesn't like ending every sentence with "copy?" or "10-4"!!

then i basically partied for 2 days with my BC friends to celebrate our graduation and my goodbye. i was in charge of picking the venue, and of course i picked the shady-est dive bar in boston. now what did you expect?? some of the higlights include:

eating lots of free popcorn

taking shots of whiskey with my professor

beating 2 guys at pool

and getting beer poured on my head by a guy who was pissed off that i wouldn't go home with him. (it was a good thing that i wasn't in a bad mood, otherwise i would've kicked him in the balls! but in my stupor i didn't realize he had intentionally poured it on me...i thought it was "spilled". oh well, the bartender felt bad and gave me a free shot. SWEET!)

after a semi-hungover flight home, i made it to my mom's house. we've been putzing around the property...she bought this little go cart 4 wheel drive looking thing called a "mule". we took it out 4 wheeling and i thought i would tip it for sure! i've been spending some quality time with reggie, and preparing for my flight to utah. i wish i had more time to hang, but the river calls!!

viva las vegas.....

what a weekend! jenny, my mom, my brother, and i ventured into the hot desert to spend a weekend tanning and gambling in las vegas. it was the shit, seriously :) i won $150 playing the quarter slots, and my mom won $300 playing the craps table! and i got to see some old friends from santa cruz which was AWESOME.

we basically spent the weekend lounging by the pool, playing bocci with my grandparents, drinking special mojitos, and gambling. and i'm not a big gambler, but i was winning. now i know how people become gambling addicts! anyway the only thing that sucked was the fact that my flight home was delayed. i was supposed to get into boston at 7pm and i didn't get home til 12am. yeah, sitting in the airport sucked for sure. but at least they have fat tire beer on tap there!

now i'm back in boston, trying to pack my stuff up and get ready to go. i start my wilderness first responder class tomorrow off the coast of boston. it should be fun, but the weather was been REALLY nasty and i'm supposed to take a ferry out there that could be cancelled. it's too bad, my friend clarissa has been visiting and it's been pouring rain. we haven't been able to do anything but go down the street to get coffee and groceries. we came home soaked tonight, but brightened our spirits with a bottle of wine, yummy dinner, and office space.

only 1 more week to go in boston! i'm sooooo sad but excited at the same time. i can't believe these past 2 years have gone by so fast!!!

the light...the tunnel...

so i've just recovered from a case of strep throat. doesn't that sound like fun? like what you used to get when you were 7 years old and got to stay home from school? although now it's not that fun to stay home from work, knowing it's piling up on your desk. and assignments (i.e. FINALS) aren't writing themselves. but i'm proud to say that i've recovered...the nasties in my throat are gone, the phlegm is almost out, and i'm not sleeping for 18 hours a day. it's a lovely world, ain't it??

so i've come up with a really good metaphor to describe how i'm feeling about this whole i'm-finishing-grad-school-what-the-hell-am-i-gonna-do connundrum. it's like when you first see the light at the end of the tunnel, you get all excited because, hey, you're gettin' out! that's how i'm feeling now. but you know once you get closer, and the light gets brighter and brighter...so bright that it blinds you and you get all anxious and worried because you're not quite sure what's outside of the tunnel? like what makes you think the tunnel is so bad, anyway? well that's my prediction of how i will feel in approximately 3-4 weeks. scared as hell because i'm blinded by the light. (hey, isn't that an 80's song or something?) i digress. anyway, the good news is that the blindness lasts only for a split second, because pretty soon your eyes adjust to the outside world, and you have a better idea of where you are, where you're going, etc. my prediction of those feelings = approximately 5-6 months. i guess that's not a "split-second" blindess, but oh well.

only 1 more week of classes. it's pretty stinkin' unbelievable!!

maaaa-tha's vineyard

yes friends, it's time to see some pics from the vineyard. i've been so busy with school that i didn't get a chance to post 'em when we got back. but needless to say, monkey and i had a really great time! we took the ferry out, and checked into our (GHETTO) motel in vineyard haven. yeah, it was ghetto for sure! then we walked down through the little streets and went into the shops. alot were closed becaues it was sunday, but we probably couldn't afford anything anyway so that was okay. with all the shops closed, we decided to have a photo shoot on the beach. yes, a photo shoot! we took pics on the beach, in the water, on the dock. many looked like they were straight outta dawson's creek! after that, we were very much the "early bird" old married couple becase we went to go eat dinner at like 5pm. i went to order a beer, but it turns out vineyard haven is a DRY TOWN! you know what that means? no alchohol! so i was sad to say the least that i couldn't have a beer with dinner! oh well, it was ok.

so the next day we got coffee and rode the little bus around the island. we were surrounded by 3 old couples from tennessee who were concerned with "what time the bus would pick them up", and kept saying so EVERY 2 minutes in their southern twangy accent. i was getting super annoyed and i swore to monkey that we would NEVER be like that when we're old and travelling. we stopped at the oldest town on the island (edgartown) and took pictures next to the lighthouse. it was so east coast and so pretty! if anyone ever comes to the east coast, you've gotta go to the island for a day, just to check it out! all in all it was a great trip. i didn't buy a floppy hat as promised, but i did get lots of pics in my searsucker pants :) enjoy!





isn't this a great pic? hahahah the view form our hotel. i told you it was ghetto!

floppy hats and searsucker pants

floppy hats and searsucker pants, you ask?

well....this weekend monkey (my partner in crime) and i are taking the ferry to martha's vineyard. or as they would say here in massachusetts "the vineyard" or "maaah-tha's vineyaaahd" (crazy accents). anyway we're leaving on sunday night and just staying one night. but i definately have envisioned what our trip will be like there: it's gonna be sunny and warm, we're gonna rent some cruiser bikes and ride along the coastline and have picnics on the beach. i'm going to be wearing a big floppy white hat, very large jackie o. sunglasses, and blue searsucker (striped) pants. and we'll stop at bakeries and marvel at the victorian "gingerbread" houses.

in reality it will most likely be raining and/or foggy. i'll have my down coat on and no floppy hat. and the bakeries will be closed. and the bike store will be burnt down.

the good news is, it's supposed to be at least 50 degrees and partially cloudy. and we've got a hotel right on the beach. who needs bikes anyway? :) i'll definately keep ya'll informed. in the meantime, i gotta go get some big jackie o. sunglasses....

almost like an orgasm....

yeah, so that's how my friend shannon (and fellow intern and social work student) described her feeling of accomplishment after our lobby day today. and i have to admit, it was quite a relaxing and very joyous moment in my eyes as well! yes my friends, the event that we put on was a success! we had over 500 teen parents there from all over massachusetts, and a whole bunch of legislators, reps, and press. they even covered it on the 5pm news. (now...don't say it was a slow news day!) it was great to see all of the girls we visited and presented advocacy training to. they were representing themselves and it made me feel all warm and gushy inside. go social work! :)

speaking of being warm...or NOT being warm, it's frikkin' FREEZING here in boston! it's almost april for christ's sakes! but monkey and i battled the cold for the annual south boston st. patricks day parade on sunday (aka drunken irish-fest). there were bagpipes and all...and no i didn't witness any puking in the streets, but then again we left a little earlier than most. i have to say that as much crap southie gets for putting on the parade, it made me feel all patriotic or something. must've been the cute policemen in their uniforms...



oh yeah, and my brother, his girlfriend, and my cousin alison were in town 2 weekends ago. was that fun! we went to the sam adams brewery, fenway park, a celtics game, and to the aquarium. i swear i must've gained 5 pounds when they were here, since we drank a lot of beer, lounged around and ate, and kept going to get pastries (on aaron's request). don't ever ask him about mike's pastry shop in boston. he'll go nuts.


only 2 months til i go home! (well, to utah....) despite the cold, i am gonna miss this place...

vegas party 2.0

well, you know you're getting old when you spend st. patricks day eating cupcakes, getting drunk off of 3 beers, and find joy in swiffering the floor at 12 am. yes friends, that was the extent of my st. patricks day celebration! well, i told myself that i couldn't go out because i have a mess of things to do this weekend, and i couldn't afford to be hungover (i'm saving that for sunday, when i head off to southie to watch the world famous boston st. patricks day parade!) so yeah, monkey and i were pretty pathetic....we ended up trying to watch law and order but it wasn't on. damn!

anyway i wanted to let everyone know that i will be in vegas the weekend of may 5-7th for my birthday, version 2.0! for those of you who don't know, i spent my 21st birthday in vegas. and yes, it was as crazy as you would expect, with me and 7 other girls! you know it was a success when someone had to puke before getting on the plane on the way home (sorry, judy!) it was great. and i'm inviting everyone that can make it to join me in the fun this year! i don't really promise a puking-ly good time (although you never know!) but i am getting old. we'll be on the strip, but i plan on spending most of my time lounging around the pool at my aunts house, drinking cocktails all day, and maybe even dancing at night?? please let me know if you can attend :)

slideshow...

march madness

march madness is RIGHT! it's friggin' grand central chaotic station here in my life as a grad student, policy intern, babysitter, beer drinker, reader, etc....

in between midterms (1 due last week, 3 due in the upcoming weeks) my co-intern at the Alliance on Teen Pregancy and i are putting together a Lobby Day. march 21st at the MA state house. mark your calendars folks! right now we're busy running around trying to get speakers, getting rsvp's from legislators, calling catering companies, ordering displays, etc. and doing advocacy trainings for teen parents all over the state of massachusetts. tomorrow we have 2 in worcester (pronounced WOOO-sta!) and 2 next week in the wee corners of the state. crazy, i know.

AND.....my brother, his girlfriend, and my cousin are coming to visit in 3 days! yeah, i'm so excited! i'm trying to put together a little itinerary for us, since i figure this may be the last time i'll really get to toot around boston. i'm thinking the sam adams brewery for sure, fenway, some clam chowda, you know the usual boston thing. if any of you bostonians have any suggestions, let me know!

....it's back to working on midterms for me. hope everyone else is enjoying this crazy month of march. oh yeah, where did february go, anyway???

honestly!!

...can i get some motivation over here? just a little bit? i'm struggling, my friends. it's like i am a senior in high school all over again, and have senioritis BAD! i'm so proud of myself that i'm not procrastinating on the "busy work" of the semester. but the big projects? well, i'm the QUEEN of procrastination in that department. kind of like this blog...i keep putting it off, and putting it off. do i think it will just write itself?

things are in full swing here at my internship at the Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. My fellow intern (Shannon...coincidentally) and i are in charge of putting together the annual Teen Parent lobby day at the state house. it's been a bunch of busy work and designing information, etc which i really love. but since we haven't had much contact with the programs/teens/legislators that will be at the event, i'm getting nervous that no one will show up! and we've put so much time into it! but as my supervisor says, it's surprising how quickly and wonderfully it comes together. so i guess i just gotta put some faith in the fact that my hard efforts will pay off.

he's probably reading this as we speak, but things are going well in the boy department. you know, hanging out, going to the irish pub to drink, watch the olympics, and chat with the irish bartender. watch silly movies and argue about politics. eat good food and way too many cookies. but it's nice.....

and for those of you who also adore my dog (my mom's dog) reggie, he had an unfortunate accident. well, he was kicked in the mouth by a horse, and lost one of his canine pointy teeth! he had to get it removed because it shattered in his mouth, and now he looks like a ghetto 1-tooth dog when he smiles. i think that my mom should put a gold tooth where the old one was. that would be cool :)

random thoughts....

i hate getting sucked into the whole celebrity news thing. why do we need to know about brad-gelina's baby? who cares about britney wanting a makeover? why did nick and jessica really get divorced? yes, i'm sure these are all things you are also comtemplating these days. and as i sit here, reading this week's Us Weekly, i'm disgusted with myself. but also very, very interested...(and in case you were wondering, the baby is supposedly due may 2...i day before mine!) hahahah. please save me from this trash! well, at least i don't watch tv. this is enough of a guilty pleasure for me.

it's quite a cold and dreary day here in boston. i thought we were supposed to get a big nor'easter....but it was just foggy this morning with no snow. i'm kind of looking forward to the snow (gasp!). we haven't had much this winter so far, and i know i'll be cursing myself when it snows in may. but whatever, i'm ready for it!

so things i am/we all should be thinking about this week:

what will our fearless leader say during his state of the union address this week?

will there ever be peace in the middle east with the new palestinian hamas goverment?

will the democrats attempt a filbuster to stop alito from becoming the new supreme court justice?

and finally...

what does jen think about all this brad/angelina nonsense? is she really "okay" with it??

comments, concerns, suggestions?? please let me know :)

i can see the finish line....

yes, i'm back in cold boston.

it's taken me a week to transition into "school mode"...well, i'm *almost* there! i did spend the last week sleeping in, printing off class materials, getting my computer fixed, and catching up with friends over beers. it was a great weekend too - monkey and i saw brokeback mountain. you've GOT to see it if you haven't already. and i don't want to hear any of this "it's just a gay cowboy bullshit" movie. get over yourself....it's amazing. and even if you don't appreciate the story line, the scenery alone will leave you wanting to book a plane ticket to wyoming. i'm not joking.

so i don't know if everyone has heard my summer plans...i will be managing the Utah operation of ARTA river trips (the company i've been working for for 5+ years). scary to think i'll be in charge, eh? i won't get to be on the river as much, but it'll give me the opportunity to relax (kind of) after a hectic spring semester, and give me time to look for jobs online. start thinking about making a trip out to Utah...you've got a place to stay, and a kick ass tour guide! and who knows, maybe i could hook you up with a river trip or somethin' - hey, i'm the new manager after all!


it's finally starting to feel like winter out here. last week was unseasonably warm - almost 60 degrees in january, what?? but today it's back to 20 something, and the wind chill a couple nights ago was 0 degrees. today it was sunny outside, so i wore a skirt (with tights, of course), and i was freezing cold. when will i learn that, unlike the west coast, when the sun is shining it's not necessarily warm outside? in fact it's probably colder? silly californians....

almost home...

you know you're at a ghetto redneck bar when you have to use a piece of sheetrock to chalk up your cue stick. yes, my friends, as a farewell to my mom and her anxiety of flying to hawaii, we went at had a drink at the iron door saloon (said redneck, ghetto bar). one drink turned into 3, and before i knew it, my mom was not making her shots anymore....well, i wasn't really either! we eventually made it back to the house, only to find my step-dad waiting for us, all packed up and ready to leave. my mom was in no state to drive all the way to the bay area (she's a lightweight!) so kevin had to drive the whole way. and i heard all about it this morning at 8:15am, after kevin decided to wake me up. it was a very fun farewell party!

so now i'm left hear alone in the house with reggie. last night we bonded by watching a law and order marathon together, and i let him sleep on the bed. i've never had a dog that actually sleeps like a human on the bed - his head on the pillow and all! and then sometimes he turns upsidedown so he's laying on his back with his head on the pillow. awww....i'll miss him!

so my flight back home to boston leaves at 10am on monday. i'm NOT excited to return to the cold, but i am ready to finish off my LAST semester in grad school. whoohoo! i can't believe the time has gone by so fast....

happy new years!

happy 2006!

usually my new years celebrations suck. i always make plans, they never work out, and i end up hanging out with my parents or watching tv or something and it blows (no offense to the parents, they are great!). so this year i made a different plan of attack. i promised myself i would make minimal plans. i would go to san francisco, stay with my friend, and see what happens. we called a whole bunch of others, told them to meet up with us (with no expectation that they would...didn't want to be disapointed). in the end, i was ringing in the new year with 3 of my closest friends, and a whole bunch of other new friends. i was having an awesome time until the power went out, then the cops had to escort everyone out of the bar (thankfully they let me take my beer with me!) the next morning we had this incredible breakfast and i was on my way back to groveland. i've driven so much over the past few days (up to sacramento, then to san francisco) that i'm ready to just chill at home until i go back to boston.

...you know you live in a small town when the only convenience store burns down, and the whole town knows within an hour. yes, breaking headlines here folks! tiano's, grovelands only real 7-11 type store nearly burned down after reportedly plugging too many things into the sockets after a power surge. yep, the "town mayor" (as he calls himself) was there and everyone and their brother. what a sight! though i wasn't there to witness the event, my mom provided me with all of the juicy gossip afterwards. everything happens in groveland when i move away...i'm missing all of the excitement!

my mom has turned into a cowboy

yes friends, it's true.

i leave the state for a mere year and a half only to return to my cowboy mom. and she doesn't just have the wranglers and the belt buckle. she has expensive chaps, and 2 stetson hats. she listens to kenny chesney, and does the "be-donk-a-donk" dance. she rides her horse almost every day, and is having a barn build on her property. she started drinking scotch (well, i'm not sure how cowboy that is). it's funny, because since i've been goen, i'm definately more of a city girl (a "girly girl", as some would say). so as i get further towards the "city" side of the spectrum, my mom is getting further towards the "country" side of the spectrum. this is to the delight of my step dad. the rest of us are just in shock. it's just interesting....

my trip home has been fun so far...i've seen so many people from the past. that's when you know you're from a small town - when you see 10 people you know in the local walmart. we went into the iron door saloon for a drink, and we were seriously the only people in there. it was sad...now i remember what winters were like in groveland. boring!

i've also been learning how to knit which is pretty challenging. although because i know how to crochet, i'm learning at a faster pace. but i practice and practice...i show my mom a finished piece and she looks at me and says (in her motherly tone) "honey, that doesn't look right". awww, she's so nice. don't plan on me making any hats or scarves for anyone yet. i need to keep practicing...

pink bunny suits for christmas...

so have you ever seen the movie "the christmas story"? the one with the little boy who wants the red rider b.b. gun for christmas, and his mom always says "you'll shoot your eye out? well anyway, in that movie, ralphie (the little boy) gets a hideous pink bunny suit for christmas, thoughtfully made by his aunt. and his mom makes him run upstairs to put it on. he comes back downstairs, humiliated. i kind of felt like that last night while opening presents. though i didn't get a pink bunny suit, i did get a pair of hideously pink slippers from my aunt. they're pretty ugly. and though my stepmom did not make me try them on, i did feel pretty humiliated....

we had a really nice christmas eve dinner last night here at my dad and step-mom's new house. yummy. it's still hard to believe that my dad built this house all by himself. he's such a handy guy! after dinner and present opening, my brothers and i went in the hot tub to relax. i think it's required to have a hot tub in the mountains...they are just so nice, you almost want to fall asleep in them! (but that wouldn't be a good idea now, would it?) i pretty much made it out with good gifts....money, a beautiful bracelet, some new workout pants, and lots of smelly pretty lotion. and the best gift had to be the new umbrella from my uncle james. it's one of those heavy duty ones with a wooden handle. i was so excited, and when i opened it i started laughing SO hard. the print is of a bulldog sitting next to a gazebo in a pretty english garden. the people in boston are gonna get a kick out of it :)

merry christmas, everyone!!

sad sad news.....

it's been one hell of a week.....

first, my computer gets a nasty virus and i have to have it cleaned or repaired or whatever they call it. basically erase everything. luckily i backed everything up. everything that is except my itunes. i'm hoping they can recover the songs. if they don't, i'll be REALLY depressed.

then, my trip to cuba gets canceled. at this point, it's canceled due to the fact that the US treasury won't issue us a visa. the trip has been going for 30 years, and they won't issue the visa. i didn't really know how to respond. of course i'm super depressed and i feel defeated - there's honestly nothing we can do. the school has appealed the decision, and we'll know by friday whether we're going or not. please cross your fingers for me....i've been preparing for this trip since last june...

i'm in amazingly high spirits considering the shitty week i had. must be because i'm going home in less than a week. YEAH! i can't wait to see my family and friends. and reggie, of course. gonna give him a big puppy hug.

a jaded love story...and a broken computer

so i'm actually not blogging on my computer anymore...it's got a nasty virus and i don't know what to do about it. everytime i open something up, it says it is sending "hot horny asian" emails to people (note: i'm sorry if you get one!) i've been downloading lots of stuff for my final projects that i've been working on. must've gotten it then (or maybe it was when i was looking at midget porn the other day? oh well!) anyway it's been such a pain in the ass because, well, it's finals week. and i have 2 major papers/presentations due on Friday. Luckily for me, work has been slow and I've been able to work on it here (don't tell my bosses....)

in other news of the weird, i've met a guy. weird, i know. and i'm jaded, so i'm not going to say how cool, or cute, nice, or funny he is. yeah, it just jinx's it...and i'm not ready for that. gotta enjoy it a little bit longer. once we get passed the "are we going to keep hanging out?" stage, i'll let you all know the details :)

and guess what??? i'm going to CUBA in less than a month! i'm soooo friggin' excited. thanks to all who have donated money/supplies to bring with me. i've gotten 3 huge boxes of stuff, and over $200 to buy things. so far i bought a lot of ast/school supplies for the little kids. i couldn't imagine not havin crayons growing up! i leave the bay area on january 2...to return in Boston on the 17th. and please, don't ask for cigars...they aren't allowed, and i'm not going to stash them in unmentionable places just for you :)

...and i'll be home in CA on dec. 16th for those that wanna hang out...just get in touch....

happy december!!!

wow, i'm such a bad blogger!

i deeply apologize to those of you who are thirsty for my blog. the truth is, i haven't had much to report besides the usual bits of drama and gossip - but honestly, nothing to blog about!

the semester is winding down here in chilly boston. i'm finishing up 3 big projects for school - one on marketing social work to young people (get 'em with free drinks??), one about the big dig (the bigest highway construction project in the world), and social security in cuba (for my upcoming trip). i used to be a pretty good planner/writer and would prepare and write papers weeks in advance. but i've learned that i still write damn good papers in record time. so i procrastinate as long as i possibly can. you would think i would have learned my lesson in undergrad. but i didn't! so, as the cycle continues, i'm writing 2 papers as we speak. and trying to distract myself as much as my brain will allow (read: writing this blog!)

my 3rd solo thanksgiving was grand - no turkey, but grand nonetheless. i spent the day with monkey making food, drinking wine, and we even took a nice brisk walk in the sun. ate too much (of course) and passed out on the couch. we took a little out of town adventure and travelled to new hamsphire and maine. now, to northeasterners that's not such a big deal since the states are so close together. bbut for us, passing through 3 states in 2 hours was just crazy! we ended up spending the night in portland, maine (the biggest city in maine!)....hit up some pubs, and retreated to the hotel hot tub.

and so, the winter begins. i'm excited to come home to california for christmas break....to see friends and family of course, but mostly because it means the semester is over and i only have 1 semester left! it's incredible how fast time flies....to think that i've been in boston for a year and a half now.....

it's snowing in OCTOBER

yes my friends....it's SNOWING in october.

and granted, it is oct. 30 (almost november) but still. snowing. the winter has officially made it to boston. although looking out my window right now, it's sunny. the northeast weather is such a tease.

shit is hitting the fan out here in beantown. and not in a bad way, it's just all hitting at once. kind of like the saying "when it rains, it pours". yeah. i have presentations up the wazzoo and a few midterm papers. and professors who aren't that great of teachers. doesn't that sound like fun? at least my internship is going well. we have our annual conference next tuesday, and have to be in worcester (pronouned "woo-sta") at 7am. and it's an hour away from boston. we will most definately have to stop at dunkin' donuts on the way there!

i'm happy to announce though, that my cuba class has officially begun, and i'm getting so excited about it. we're already doing research for our projects, watching videos, etc etc and i just really can't contain myself when i think that i'm actually going to get to visit cuba while fidel is in power. i feel so friggin' lucky.

...and i bought my ticket home for christmas, so if anyone wants to meet up, i'll be home dec 16th through jan 3rd. new years, anyone??

apple picking...and a moment of silence

so, my weekend started off on a bad note....my mom had called to tell me that my dad had put my childhood dog to sleep. sadie was such a great dog, and lived a wonderful and energetic 13+ years. i don't think it's hit me yet that i won't see her again...

it was a beautiful and crisp day here in massachusetts. it finally stopped raining for a few hours, the sun came out, so monkey and i decided to go apple picking. it was absolutely chaotic of course (it being sunday, there were tons of families out, and i was starting to get a little clausterphobic on the "hayride" up to the orchards). but it was gorgeous, and we ventured far into the hills, looking for the perfect apple. there were about 4 varieties in season, and we tried every one of them. i know that apples taste different, but i guess i've never compared them at the same time. and i kind of felt guilty because i ate so many of them, but i figured it was better than the little kids who just picked them and threw them on the ground! and needless to say, i had a little bit of a stomach ache on the way home. just like eating one too many cannoli's from mike's pastry :) the fall foliage is jsut beginning to emerge in western mass, and it's looking very very pretty. and it's starting to be scarf season, whoohoo!

oh, so sad :(

i'm sure you've all saw the terrible news. perhaps you even watched in agony, just like everyone else in red sox nation. but those with the white socks won this time. monkey and i just couldn't take it anymore, and turned it off after they lost the lead. i know that's not true fan behavior, but i just couldn't bare it. oh well, there's always next year, right??

in other (better) news, i did go to a FABULOUS show last night at the somerville theater. his name is amos lee, kind of a combo of ben harper/bob dylan and lots of others mixed. hard to explain, but he's folky/bluesy/jazzy. i adore his cd and was excited to see him live, but i was BLOWN away by his performance. honestly, he rocked the place, and i'm just dying to see him again. check out his website www.amoslee.com and see if he's coming to your town. i promise you won't regret it!

is it going to be fall in boston, EVER? i mean, it's been pouring all day which is fine, but it's still 75 degrees and gross. you can't even go outside without getting frizzy hair and soaking wet shoes. the leaves are changing color which is nice, but it's still so yucky out!!! i guess whatever keeps the winter away is just fine with me!

....i love that dirty water!

the sox made it (barely) to the playoffs. whoohooo!

i'm most definately looking forward to the playoffs this year. lots and lots of beer drinking, camraderie, cheering "yankees suck", and eating wings. fun! and i even have a new jersey to wear, since my pokey reese jersey just ain't cuttin' it (he was traded last year). i have to admit that the month of october last year was the best i had in boston! and i'm really looking forward to this october.

i actually got to go to the game on friday when the sox played the yankees (suck!) i won't reveal my connections, but i will say that i was eating fenway franks and drinking coors light on friday night, watching the game with 35,000 other folks. they ended up winning and "sweet caroline" was sung by all...(if you're not from boston, you wouldn't get it)

here's to the curse being reversed AGAIN!

bonnarooooooo 

arrrr matey.....

i thought that i was born to live in the water....but today i was proven WRONG.

a swimmer at the age of 6 months? check. a participant in swim races? check. constant earaches from swimming as a kid? check. river guide? check. water skiier? check. hut tub lover? double check. ohhh...but cruise ship captain? not so much....

well, i wasn't actually the captain of the cruise ship, but honestly i should have been! it never occurred to me that i would be getting sick on the "booze cruise" from sea sickness. too much to drink, sure, but not sea sickness! and while i never got physically sick, i did feel like puking the whole time i was on the boat.

let me back up here....my friends and i signed up to go on this grad school "booze cruise". something that i would never sign up for alone, but they wanted to go and i said, hey, why not? the company of my friends was great, but the rest of the 650+ stupid BC grad students was unpleasant to say the least. that's not fair, some of them were cool. then again i didn't even start talking to them, as i passed by conversations that included "well, when I went to harvard"...and "no way, he was eating her out!" yuck. not my kind of people. but people watching was in full effect, and the cheesy-ass d.j. kept the bad songs rolling so i could get the full view of bump-age and grind-age on the dance floor. now THAT was worth the $25!

and while i looked forward to the post party downtown, i decided to catch the last train home. a party pooper, i know, but this poor girl's stomach is seriously hurting. it's in the genes, i know since my dad always gets seasick. i could've saved myself the $25 with a little more thought...but then i wouldn't have gotten to see everything i saw!

"until the city and the country ain't divided....until then"

last night i went to my first live music show since i've been back in beantown. i've been craving live music, (since i got so much of it this summer), and i'm taking advantage of the fact that there are so many great bands and artists coming through boston. the guy's name is citizen cope, and he's fuckin' amazing. i can't even describe his music, but he's just great. check him out! the place was packed and there weren't too many anooying BC/BU students there. actually, it was a chill crowd which was nice. although i do have to admit that i *may* have had too much to drink, and towards the end of the night, i was chatting at a very high volume (hey, the music stopped and i didn't adjust my voice level!) whatever...it was a great night. makes me wish that i had a musical gift of some sort. well, i've always got my rythym, that's for sure!

tomorrow night i've signed myself up for a BC grad school booze cruise...what have i gotten myself into? yeah, trying to mingle with law and MBA students? that's gonna be great. i can't wait. no really, i can't (damn, sarcasm is hard to portray in blogs!) anyway, i know that my friends and i will be the plastered ones in the corner, making fun of the aforementioned students. heaven help me if i ever become one of them! (no offense to anyone out there fitting that description....it's just not me). but hey, i'm a team player, and my friends really wanted to network (aka get some law school ass) so i'm supporting their decision and going. plus, i have to show off my fulton fashionista self (as jenneth cole calls it). an occasion to get dressed up and drink is one i'm always down for.

this song has no title...just words and a tune

i don't really know how to feel about today....

i was talking with my mom on my way to target. she shocked me with the news that a student from my old high school (a 16 yr old guy who was there when i was doing my americorps service) had committed suicide. obviously, the news took me by surprise. but not until after talking with my good friend (the principal at the high school) did i realize just how hard it would hit me. i mean, 16 years old and feeling like that is the only way out? uhhhh, it just makes my heart hurt....for him, for his family....for the other students...for the small town to lose a youth....

i guess the "silver" lining in this story (which is played out among small communties across this nation) is the way tragedies bond people. boundaries and personal barriers that once stood on the way are broken down with support - whether it's a phone call, or a hot meal.....it made me think of the hurricane, and how we are bombarded with images from katrina...and how through the devastation there is also a silver lining (a national one, at that).

the social worker in me tells me to always look for the silver lining, no matter how small it may seem. i can only hope that the students, the family, the community, can look for the lining as well.....

a night of random adventures

so things got a little bit crazy last night.....

my friend megan called me in the afternoon to let me know that our friend had VIP tickets to the free Cake show downtown. never one to pass up a free show, i decided to head down there and see what it was all about. we all met up amidst the chaos of screaming 13-17 year olds and couldn't find the way into the VIP section. we gave up, yes, but we were now on another mission: to drink as much as possible that evening. it doesn't sound healthy, i know, but we were all "celebrating" the survival of the first week of school. and you know me, never one to pass up on drinking beers with good folks!

after we had 2 drinks at this shee shee place downtown, we headed up to beacon hill to get some pizza and beer. the random plan of the moment had turned into feeding ourselves, and drinking. so we got some pizza, some beer, and headed over to the boston common (the park) to eat and drink said pizza and beer. only we didn't drink the beer....we shotgunned them under a big dark willow tree with little mallard ducks everywhere trying to eat our pizza. it was quite hilarious, considering 2 of the girls had difficulty shotgunning the beers and it spilled all over them. imagine us 4 girls, emerging from under the willow tree, with beer all over our shirts, pizza in our hands, and ducks at our feet. it was CLASSIC.

onward now to clery's, some pub in the south end that i had heard a lot about. i immediately felt out of place because i wasn't showing enough cleavage (guess i didn't get the memo....) oh well, we danced until 1 then headed down to southie for one more beer. like i really needed it.

those familiar with the movie "good will hunting" know that southie is where the characters come from. and since i've moved to boston, i've been wanting to go to the L street tavern, which was in the movie. since i was crashing at megan's place (she lives in southie), we decided to have just one more at the tavern. now i have to admit, that part of the night was a little blurry, but it didn't look too much like it did in the movie. i mean, the outside looks the same, but not the inside. oh well, it was worth it.....

a night of random adventures....always a good time!

new friends...

you know what one of the coolest things in the world is?? meeting new friends. yeah, and though i don't like to admit it, i am judgemental. for example, if i see a girl wearing pearl earrings, a ralph lauren polo shirt with the collar popped, 7 jeans, carrying a louis vuitton purse, OF COURSE i'm going to make fun of her. and probably not want to talk to her other than ask where the closest H&M is. i'm sorry, it's a character flaw in me, but at least i admit it! so anyway, in a town that's full of the aforementioned population of females, it's SO great to meet others like me. and that's like finding a needle in a haystack, considering my hippy/socialist self.

this has all become apparent to me after drinking beers with a friend tonight. see, she had met 2 really cool girls on her recent social work trip to africa, and was like "i can't believe you guys don't know shannon....you would totally get along!" i had my doubts, i have to admit, and was pretty much betting on them being the coach purse carrying type. but to my surprise, they were COOL. and that's awesome, considering the fact that i haven't found too many cool people in boston. i mean, it's a great town and all, but it's too consumed with pretentious bullshit. and come on, that's just not me!

so anyway we all spent the evening envisioning a perfect world (as all social workers do)....questioning the powers that be and vowing to motivate our fellow BC students to end their complacency to the "man". it's a large feat, i know, but i'm optomistic.....

isn't it great to find needles in the haystack???

it's a bad thing that my new apartment has a tv....

i've been watching the coverage of hurricane katrina, for what seems like hours. and getting frustrated....very frustrated! if this would have happened in manhattan, would the reaction be the same? Or some shee shee east coast city? or even somewhere on the west coast? i can't help but think that relief would have come faster. our response to feed/clothe/shelter victims in foreign countries is faster than this. and we're the richest, most "powerful" (i.e. greedy) nation in the world. what the fuck???

....and i digress.....

jenny went with me yesterday to harvard square to get my latest tattoo. and i LOVE it. i sat there for an hour and a half getting inked, and jenny watched (actually, cringed) the entire time. i told her that her stay in boston wouldn't be complete without me getting the tattoo i've been talking about all year long. closure....that's what i like to think of it as!

finishing off this chapter in my life here in boston is getting off to a great start. it's hard to believe that i moved here a year ago. all of the new students are walking around aimlessly....while i stare at them, smile, and think "i was pretty much lost like them around this time last year". red sox games to watch, new bars to find, adventures to be had....

back in the saddle again...

yeah! i've made it to boston in one piece!

the summer of travel and adventure is finally coming to an end. i'm sad about it, but ready to get a move on with this whole grad school thing. it's hot and humid in boston, and we're supposed to get some rain from the hurricane down south....which makes me long for the hot, dry weather of good ole utah. oh, so sad!

monkey and i both moved our lives into new apartments on saturday. i seriously felt like i was on crack, since my plane landed at 7am in boston, and by 2 pm i was helping monkey move all of her stuff. by 11pm i was moving stuff into my own apartment. i just wanted to get it done! i'm happy to say that i'm all moved and relaxed in my new place. it's soooo much bigger than my old nasty apartment...and i feel like a princess because i actually have a bed frame and i'm not sleeping on the floor. (wow, it's the little things in life, really!)

the rest of my visit in california was great. the day after i got back from utah (which was a long journey...isaac and i brought back the new guidehouse kitty "hobbes" to his mom in sebastapol) i went on a 2 day tuolumne trip. it was so awesome to be back on the tuolumne, and fun to row a boat with steve. the best part was when we perched/wrapped on pelican rock in the middle of clavey falls. yeah, i was highsiding and it was fun....though i don't think steve would agree! let's see, we also had a bbq at my parents house which was great....koob was played on the new grass, and lots of fun was had. all in all, a great way to end the summer!!

i don't start school for another week or so, so i'm just hanging out in boston now. jenny and i have to "clean" up our apartment tomorrow...but other than that i'm just chillin' as usual. i'm gonna go look for a job (gasp!) to help me pay for my upcoming cuba trip. then i might go down to the gauley for a trip or two...we'll see about that!

groover reading material....

yanno, sometimes i think my blog would make great groover reading material. groover reading material you ask? what's that? well, let me tell you a little story about the groover (both my friend, and my enemy). see, on river trips we bring this great little white box called a "groover". this box holds all of the human waste from the trip. yum. and the *best* part is emptying it out at the end of the trip. fun!! my favorite part about shopping forevery trip is finding the best magazine to be used for groover reading material. this is a very important task, as some people are nervous before using the groover and need a magazine to get this going (or flowing, if you know what i mean) i usually try to get outside adventure magazines, but this week i went for the "utah" groover material - Country Music Weekly. george strait (the legend!) was on the cover, and i swear folks were fully enjoying reading about the 29 things they didn't know about george. things were definately flowing, as both groovers were filled to the brim. mission accomplished.
so, as i was saying, i think my blog would make great groover reading material. funny satire thrown in with bits of random information and adventure.

and besides the two full groovers, this trip was absolutely fantastic. 9 guides = hardly any work, which = lots of beer drinking. in true ARTA fashion, we had a dress up night at jones 1 camp. i wore my lovely pink bridesmaids dress, while ken sported a brown velour 70's robe, and val's mom wore the liger suit. i even managed to convince a 68 year old texan to don a st. patricks day green 70's dress (a thrift store find) he even bought me a milkshake at the end of the trip.

we got back to the guide house early (i powered through the flat section of island park) and had a pizza/bbq/dance party. oh yeah, and i constructed a water slide out of a paco pad, a backboard, the back of the truck, and a water-filled old bucket boat. i was the first to test out the newest contraption, so i made sure to wear a helmet (safety first!) and pad my landing with chairs. the water was freezing cold, but oh so worth it. everyone tried out the slide...even ken's mom!

i'm such a pusher :)

7 days in desolation

so i just got off of my 1st trip of the season...a 7 day desolation canyon trip on the green river here in utah. i've never been on a 7 day deso trip (usually i'm on the 5 day trips from hell) so needless to say i was really looking forward to spending lots of time in the canyon. the passengers we took down were 6 inner city kids from florida, one of their dads, a "leader" (you'll understand why that's in quotations) and a board member of this organization. the kids were great - they've never been camping before, many had never even been outside of their city. just to see the look in their eyes when they were paddling their inflatable kayaks into a rapid, or how they loved seeing shooting stars for the first time, or cooking smores on a real campfire - that made it ALL worth it.

this quite possibly could have qualified as one of the best trips i've ever been on in utah. the kids did a "show" for us, which consisted of telling jokes (my favorite - "your momma is fat, she has a chip on her shoulder. then she ate it") hahah, you know i love silly jokes. we were "initiated" into their tribe, while we had a mandatory dress up night and the boys were all wearing girls clothes since it was all we had. (and the "leader" was afraid they were turning into cross-dressers!) yeah, the leader was a TOOL. from day 1 i hated the guy, and i know that's not very social-worker of me, but he was such an idiot that i couldn't help but ignore him. he made racist comments in front of the kids and didn't even try to help them. it bothered us all, but the fact that the boys were energetic and were enjoying themselves made up for it.

i think the best part of the trip had to be night 3....after seeing a bear in camp the previous night, the leader was freaking that the bear would come into camp. it then started to pour rain, amazing lightening and thunderstorms and we continued to cook dinner (and drink whiskey on the down low...the kids didn't know because they were all in their tent). we drank just enough to make the rain bearable and even fun, then the clouds literally parted and it was time to eat the sandy hot dogs and burgers i cooked. we happened to be camped above a sweet rapid, so us 4 guides took 2 inflatable kayaks and ran the rapid a few times. it was sweet....how i've missed utah!

anyway, i load for a 4 day trip tomorrow that starts sunday morning. it'll be my frirst lead guide this year and i'm stoked about it....this hot weather is so nice, and doesn't make me miss boston one bit!

canyonlands....

i have made it to utah, my friends.....

isaac and i had a long drive yesterday. we didn't leave camp lotus until 11am or so. we stopped for dinner in elko, nevada (whoohoo!) and rolled into salt lake city around 12am. i thought it would be fun to go trekkin' up the mountains around salt lake to look for a place to camp. eventually we found one high up in the wasatch national forest. very beautiful...lots of aspens (my favorite!) the only bummer was that i forgot my sleeping bag in groveland and ended up sleeping in the back seat of isaac's car. yeah, my n eck is still hurting today :)

we made it into ver-NAL around 2ish. did the usual stops (the cowboy shop, deseret thrift store, ashley trading post, the library) and i got to take a LOVELY 2 1/2 hour class on food preparation and handling. did you know that most food born illness is due to improper preparation and temperature? and that in utah, they call diarrhea the "trots"? (nice, i know. i practically slept through the whole thing, and was embarrassed because i almost didn't pass the test at the end). i know that he's coming to look for me on the river!

there will be more to report on my short time in california, dawnelle's wedding, and of course my river trips. for now i've gotta get to the guide house to get my first REAL night of sleep. it's been a while, my friends :)

ciao!

summer time....and the livin's easy :)

FINALLY!!!!!!

i just completed my first ever summer school session. now i know why i've never taken summer school before....how do they expect you to concentrate, when there's so many distractions? like the sun? the beach? the cape? drinking beers and having bbqs? baseball games? ahhh, the list goes on. by nonetheless, i'm SO DONE. and i'm so proud of myself. wow....now it's onto the REAL summer....

jenny, megan, monkey, and i are going to go celebrate with a few beers at my favorite pub down the street. tomorrow morning early i leave on a jet(blue) plane home! kristin is going to pick me up and head up to g-town. we have some projects to complete before dawnelle's big day.

in 1 week from now i will be embarking on a road trip with isaac out to utah. we're both on a 7 day desolation canyon trip (my first ever 7 day trip....i'm usually on the 5 day trips which aren't as fun). anyway i'm SO looking forward to being on the canyon. so looking forward to road trippin' it with isaac (he's spent the last year in chile, so we have a lot of catching up to do!) and SO looking forward to spending some much needed time with the fam. and reggie, of course!

this time tommorow i'll be chillin' on my mom's new grass, sippin a beer, chatting with friends and fam and playing with the dog. i can't WAIT! ....yes, the fun has just begun....

kitty needs a home...and other bits of randomness

first things first....i finished my 30 page community assessment paper. YEAH! i haven't worked so hard on a project before, and i finished it yesterday. didn't quite know what to do with myself since it's basically taken over my life for the past 3 weeks! so in true fashion, monkey, jenny and i went out for a little celebration. we went to this nice shee-shee wine bar/french bistro place near south station. had yummy food, then went to wally's jazz cafe. it was so awesome, these musicians were just lined up to play. and they were all so young!

i'm starting to pack my stuff for my vacation home. i can't believe how much i've accumulated since i've been here. (well, actually i'm not that surprised!) it'll be interesting to see how i'm going to move all my stuff outta here....

does anyone wanna give my kitty lola a home? she's a loving, sweet 18 lb. cat (she's not fat, just big boned) :) she is super cuddly, loves attention and likes to be outside. judy's mom and sister have been graciously taking care of her, but since her sister will be having a baby shortly they can't take care of her anymore. and we don't want to give her to the SPCA (she's just too great of a kitty!) so if you know ANYONE with a good home that is looking for a 4 yr old cat, please let me know.

it's off to get coffee for me!

london calling

i woke up to another sad, sad day for our world......

it doesn't seem that long ago that monkey, laura and i were hanging around the british museum....taking the bus to king crossing, or catching a train to the airport from liverpool station. on my first trip to london, my cousin alison and i stayed at a hostel right in russell square. things will never be the same, and my memories of my time in london have changed forever.

what makes me sad is that this is just fueling the fire of our fucked up nation. (of course i am sad for the 40 people who died in the tube and on that bus, the hundreds of wounded others, and their families). but i'm more sad that, again, our nation will be exploited by our president in the name of "homeland security". today i had flashbacks of a war rally/protest i went to in london. this was right before we invaded iraq, and britain was considering joining the good ole boys. hundreds of thousands of british protesters were there, warning blair that it wasn't a good idea. i guess today he has seen that they were right.

so what do we do now? invade another country? send more troops? sign another "homeland security act"? search everyone that gets on a bus or train? i don't have the answers.....just a whole bunch of fucking questions....

4th of July fun and sun....

hello all....

i've been without internet access for a week so i haven't been able to blog! i was in the cape again, chillin' out on the beach, playing pool and swimming. i know, i know, i have nothing to complain about! it was so nice to be able to relax.....not that i haven't been relaxing lately, it just felt good not to do anything! (and yes, i was kind of "working" while i was down there. i got about 10 pages done on my paper so that's a good start!)

my 4th of july was pretty fun. we went to a bbq in providence the night before, and i won $20 playing texas hold 'em (watch out, i'm pretty good!) but, i gave the money back because i felt bad that i won....don't bring me to vegas :) we didn't wake up til 12 the next day and headed back up to the cape to go swimming in the pool....had some beers, watched the fireworks over the water, and just chilled!

i'm getting SOOOO excited to come home....in only 1 week! i can't believe it. things are getting prepared for dawnelle's wedding (the wedding that i'm in....only 2 weeks away!) crazy, i know. i'm starting to think about what i wanna say for the "speech" at the wedding....have to make sure not to drink TOO much beforehand...not that i would embarass dawnelle, but her parents might get a little upset if i mention all of the shenanigans we got caught up in, both in high school and afterwards!

after that it's off to utah...whooohoo! i can't wait to be in the canyon. all this time off has made me realize just how much i need to be OUTSIDE during the summer. i don't know how i'm going to make it once i have to get a "real" job! yuck! won't think about that yet!

it's off to class for me. i can't believe i only have 1 week of summer school left. where did the first half of the summer go??? :)

blazing in boston

yuck. i'm sticky. i'm hot. it's humid. yes, the summer has finally arrived in boston! jenny and i refer to the heat as "blazing saddles". it's definately blazing saddles in boston.

i just returned from a little trip to the cape to visit a new friend....we chilled, drank beers, played frisbee, and well....drank beers! it was soooo nice being on the ocean. it smelled like santa cruz, and i began to reminisce about the good ole days in the cruz....i didn't realize just how much i miss california. don't get me wrong, boston is a great place to be! but ahhh, to be chillin' on the beach in the SC, having a bonfire at twin lakes beach, and eating sushi at pink godzilla sounds just too damn good right now!

other than that, nothing new to report on shannon's whereabouts. i'm about to start writing this huge community assessment paper on tuolumne county (which is going to take up all of the 3 weeks i have left here). as is to be expected, i am DREADING going to the library tomorrow. oh well, at least it will be air conditioned....

for now, i'm gonna go change my sheets. i think it's time to get rid of the flannel sheets for some soft cotton ones. oh yeah, and i had to break down and buy a fan today. it's just too blazing saddles in this apartment!

focus, focus!

whew!

it's been an INSANE past couple of weeks....and i've been a bad blogger. i'm sorry :( i promise i'll be better! i've just returned from my short trip to california...back to boston where the weather is nasty and people look at me strange because i have a nice tan!

the flight out home was rather interesting....i swear there were 15 babies on board, all with dirty diapers crying there eyes out! needless to say i got zero sleep (plus, the baby poo smell was just a little too much for me). definately made my uterus say "yeah, not ready for that yet!"

my pops picked me up in pleasanton after a nice lunch with my grandmother. once home i got to see both my stepbrothers whom i haven't seen in a long time (one is in the coastguard stationed in oregon, while the other is in the army stationed in washington). i always joke with my hippie stepmom tish - "you're a hippie, how come your sons are in the service?" there's just somethings you can't figure out! after that, we had a nice bbq at my mom's house. i invited my guide friends who had just gotten off the tuolumne (high water trips at 10,000 cfs make me wanna shit my pants, but they think it's fun!) my mom, kevin, and my friend matt braved the rain and bbqed the shish kabobs i made. it was great to get caught up with them on all of their winter travels. made me jealous, and made me feel like i had a lazy winter!

my bro's graduation in davis was great....jason, matt and i pounded beers in the parking lot before the (yawn!) LOOOONG ceremony. someone had to be drinking! but i don't know if that was such a good idea, since i started to fall asleep during the ceremony! (no offense aaron, i'm sure you started to fall asleep during mine!) the party/bbq afterwards at my aunt and uncles new house in folsom was great. good food, family....played in the pool and the hot tub, did sake bombs with the 'rents....you know, just like any other trip home!! the next day we went out on folsom lake in my aunt and uncles new 24 ft boat. yeah, it's frikkin' HUGE! i was just trying to soak up the sun, since there's not much of it here!!

so...now it's time to FOCUS. only 3 weeks left of summer school (hahaha, bet you forgot i was in summer school!) and a few papers left to finish. i've already got summer running through my veins, so a little support from you all to stay focused would be appreciated :) hope all is well!

Recovering....

So, there's just no possible way to describe the incredible weekend I just had. Let's just say, Jenny and I are EXTREMELY sad to have left the farm. But we made tons of friends, saw some incredible musicians, and soaked in lots of sun (and rain)! This blog would be way too long to describe the whole experience, but here's some highlights from our 4 days at Bonnaroo:

-hippies EVERYWHERE. you think that they no longer exist, but they do! and they walk around naked! and roll around in the mud after it rains! and have children with dreadlocks!

-our camp was located in "camp happy gilmore", and we made friends with some FUN people. the neighbors we got to know were from california and north carolina. bubba (from NC) thought it would be a good idea to cook hot dogs in beer instead of water. they became our neighbors after their campsite was flooded and their car had to be pulled out of the mud.

-let's just say, it was a "introduction to the drug culture 101". yeah....people sucking on nitrus filled balloons, peddlers selling mushrooms and weed...and well, a whole lotta other things i had no CLUE about :) oh yeah, and a man dressed up as santa claus approached our tent and declared, "get me high, dammit!"

-"swamp music" became the song of the weekend. because it rained so much, everything was muddy. this became a problem for jenny, who only had flip flops. she slipped a couple times in the mud and had to be rescued by our california friends.

-outhouses for 70,000 people? yeah, i don't need to provide a visual for that one. you get it?

-AMAZING performances by jack johnson, alison krauss, ray lamontagne (check this guy OUT, he's absolutely incredible), the john butler trio, citizen cope, galactic, jurassic 5, and de la soul.


-the "karnival" parade. my costume consisted of angel wings and a halo, while jenny was decked out in lots of mardi gras beads. our friend paul was dressed up like jesus, and his brother Sean was wearing a prom dress. When we got separated from each other, i wandered around asking people, "have you seen jesus?" (yeah, i had had a couple beers for SURE!)

....and so the recovery begins!!

bonnaroo BAY-BEE!!!

yeah!!! we've arrived!!! (and it's just kinda weird that i'm blogging in the middle of a field in tennessee surrounded by lots and lots of fellow festival folk!) anyway our flight left at 6am and my friend annika graciously brought us to the airport at 4:30. yuck! layover in detroit for an hour (that wasn't so bad, we got to catch up on the sleep we didn't get the night before). made it to the humid state of tennessee, and was greeted by hundreds of other bonnaroo goers at the airport. the bus ride here was a breeze, and we got to bypass all of the traffic (which was INSANE! people waiting in line for literally hours just to get through the gates. it was basically a parking lot).

we were dropped off near the camping only section of the "farm" which is great because it's super close to "centeroo" (where all of the stages/food/games/vendors are). we set up our tent, made our little site and introduced ourselves to our neighbors. the crowd here is SO diverse. aaron (brother), i thought of you because you would be having a BALL people watching. seriously, there are hippies, wookies, frat boys, bohemian girls, naked girls, yuppies, old people, young (and i mean young!) people. yeah, it's great. i think the best part so far has been jenny and i people watching. we drank some beers, walked around and got to know where we were situated so that when the shows start today we know what stages to go to. there are literally 80 abnds playing on like 5 different stages, so we're carefully planning who we're gonna watch, when. there's also a beer garden, a air conditioned tent that plays movies 24 hours a day, batting cages, a game room, an autograph place, vendors, a general store just in case you forgot something. oh yeah, and an internet place with free internet and free use of phones in the US...it's CRAZY! soooo much fun! 70,000 people all living together for 4 days....i love it :)

today we have a packed schedule of band after band....starting with joss stone, then jurassic 5, ray lamontagne, dave matthews...tonight there's a "mardi gras" dance that we might get dressed up for. though people here have some crazy costumes that i don't think we can compare to.

the weather is humid, and it sprinkled a little bit but it felt SO good.

have a GREAT day!

get me outta here!

allright, well as you all know....jenny and i board the plane bound for tennessee tomorrow morning at 6am. yes, that's pretty damn early, i know....but at this point i'm seriously counting down the hours til we leave. i'm already on "bonnaroo time" (have been for months!) so anything i attempt to do today takes a little bit longer to get done. i was supposed to start writing a paper that's due next week (thought i'd get a jump start on it)....figured i'd try to pack first, pick up the tent, and get that all outta the way so i could "focus" on writing the paper. but no, after i finished everything i just sat staring at my computer screen. "i wonder how hot it's going to be?"...."so how are we gonna make shade out of a 8x10 foot tarp with no poles?"...."hope someone will let us borrow some ice"....yeah, couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING.

i guess the most exciting part about this for me is the fact that it's the beginning of my summer travels! after this it's on to california for my bro's graduation. (round 1 of the cross-country summer trek). and really, i mean next year i'll have to be looking for a job....so i might as well enjoy the summer of travel, right?

ok, well i can't even concentrate on finishing this blog so i'm gonna go for a run (make that a jog)....

the Bonnaroo countdown begins!

so i know that everyone i talk to is SICK AND TIRED of hearing me talk about bonnaroo....(i think jenny has even come close to strangling me a couple times!) but how can i not be excited?? 4 days of camping, sun, beer, and music? jack johnson? jurassic 5? iron and wine? dave matthews? joss stone? allison krauss? ray lamontagne? a beer garden? a cinema tent? not to mention lots of southern boys with nice twangy accents! hahahah.

in preparation for the event, jenny and i headed off to good old target (tar-JEY) to get the needed supplies. and yeah, it was on a whim so we took a cab there. classy, huh? i wandered the store aimlessly and piled the cart high with unneccesary supplies (like a good mother figure, jenny made me put many things back)....but we ended up with cowboy hats, a solid tarp, a few bungy cords, and lots of granola bars. sweet! and no, we didn't take a cab home, but trekked to the nearest bus stop. (and what a ride THAT was...stuffy bus + lots of passengers + no air conditioning+dirty diapers = eeew, sick i think i need to barf!)

now all that's left is to sit through 6 hours of excruciating pain (also know as summer school) tomorrow, and wednesday is dedicated to baking snacks for the trip. our flight leaves at 6am thursday morning (good god!) but that's okay....

3 more days, whoohooo!

down for the count!

It's Friday night, the weather has been great, and there's a Sox game on. And I'm curled up on the couch with a giant headache!?! AHHH! It appears as though I've come down with a sinus infection, which has proven to be very annoying considering the fact that I'm leaving for Bonnaroo in less than 6 days (whoohoo!)

Anyway, Jenny and Stephanie (an old friend from high school) got sweet tickets to the game tonight. they luckily get to partake in the hot dog eating, beer drinking, and cheering festivities. and i'm jealous :(

So I'm just gonna curl up on the couch, make some popcorn, take my amoxicillin, and watch a movie. Hopefully this time tomorrow I'll be drinking beers and watching the game....

oh yeah, this pic was from the last game Jenny and I went to in May.

help me find a home!

....so i've realized that i've seriously taken my living situation for granted. i mean, who could compare to my current roommate, ms. jenny cole? she's clean, does her dishes, has a wonderful array of hairproducts, an even larger collection of earrings...and even lets me snack on her trail mix! but alas, this girl is headin' back to the greener grass of california, and i'm stuck looking for another place to live. now, this wouldn't be so hard if our landlord wasn't a dick and i wanted to find a new roommate. nope, i'm off searching for some poor souls who will let me call their house my new home. the past few mornings have begun with a search on craigslist. (FYI, if you don't regularly check out craigslist, it's an ABSOLUTE MUST!) a hilarious community website where you can find a roommate, red sox tickets, free sofas, and even boyfriends! so anyway, i've been replying to ads looking for roommates for september 1st. and these ads are few and far between, because everyone is looking for roommates for the summer. i've responded to about 10 ads, and have received only 2 or so responses.....friggin' craigslist. anyway, i checked out a place last week and was greeted by a small man named jerry**. jerry was looking for a roommate to fill an empty room (that was currently filled with loads of shit). he proceded to show me around the disgusting apartment, complete with a fooseball table, 3 aquariums with tropical frogs (cool!), 2 hookas, and many mexican jesus candles. all the while, there was this weird christian chanting music going on, and i felt like i was at a mass or something. yeah, i tried to make small talk and pretend like i was interested in the place, but it was so hard not to , say "look jerry, this place is a fucking pigsty, and i don't think anyone in their right mind would live here!" but no, i held my tongue, asked if heat and hot water were included in the price, and how nice the landlord was. then i grabbed my purse and took off! so tonight i'm supposed to check out another place....this one is with 2 guys and a girl. the place is really close to my old deli job (grrrrr.....) but very close to the T. i'm keeping my fingers crossed.... ** name changed to protect jerry's privacy :)