rene dubos is my new hero

All thoughtful persons worry about the future of the children who will have to spend their lives under the absurd social and environmental conditions we are thoughtlessly creating; even more disturbing is the fact that the physical and mental characteristics of mankind are being shaped now by dirty skies and cluttered streets, anonymous high rise and amorphous urban sprawl, social attitudes which are more concerned with things than with men.

excerpt from So Human An Animal by Rene Dubos

I just began reading this book last night and it is amazing. I recommend.

Today I had my interview to volunteer with a research group. It went really well and I will be working/assisting on two projects. One involving the fate and transport of arsenic and uranium at an abandoned mine site and the other potential impacts of increased precipitation on the interrelationship between biogeochemical cycling of iron and organic matter. I am really excited and a little nervous because this is not exactly my forte - I have little lab experience. It is going to be a learning experience. Also in the summer they will be doing field work in Arapaho National Forest which hopefully I will be able to participate in. I was also informed that everyone in the group are serious bikers - so it is good thing I bike because that would have been a deal breaker.

Before my interview I decided to grab lunch with my sister at my favorite place Road 34 - the bike shop/tavern. I think I was meant to go in there today because 1) new belgium brewery released the new ipa ranger this morning and 2) shortly after I arrived they played neil youngs unplugged album.

current listen - can't go back now by the weepies

impact of iron and redox chemistry on the environmental fate of arsenic and uranium....

so it has been like a week since i last rode my bike. i have been so lazy a car is so much easier. so today despite the cold i biked to the library and it was so nice. i mean my shifter is not working again but regardless it felt so great.

jimmy johns is going great - i really enjoy the people i work with. have not had much luck finding another part time job. however i emailed a few professors yesterday to see if i could do some research and i have a meeting with one on monday - I AM SO EXCITED. seriously i miss school and learning sooo much. i cannot wait and the professor has so much fascinating research going on right now. i just printed off a couple of his published journals and i am so excited to read them - i never thought i would miss scientific journals. thats all for now!!!!!

current listen - handshakes and heartaches album by the parish festival

i once trained a horse to check my email....

question which bear is best?

FALSE Black Bear.....(office reference - jim impersonating dwight = priceless)

well i have started back up at jimmy johns....ahhh its good to be back. so far i really like it, the people i work with are super nice and helpful. i must admit i was a little hesitant after my experience with which wich - they were not overly friendly. the people i work with are quite amusing and i laugh a lot which is always good.

still looking for another part time job. but i still have lots of free time which is mostly spent watching the office, biking, and reading. speaking of reading i am reading the thorn birds right now and it is a great book but ohhh sooo sad. last night as i was reading i just started sobbing, it was ridiculous - seriously the characters are not real - it is a work of fiction.

no crazy hills :)

so i have been in CO for three days now and i LOVE IT. i have been biking soo much - it is awesome. plus there is a bicycle shop/tavern/deli like a half a mile from my apartment - it is like the coolest place ever. i stopped in yesterday for the first time because the gear shifter on my bike broke. soo since my bike is ancient and the part is obsolete i had to get a new one. my apartment is pretty sweet too - its tiny but i don't mind at all. not much is new just looking for another job. been watching lots of the office too - that show rules.

skinny jeans plus biking = bad idea

so i haven't been biking everyday but i have been biking quite a bit. i even went running the other day. unfortunately my legs still ache. so yesterday i decided to bike to return some rented movies (fyi - the count of monte cristo - amazing movie) and maybe i would stop by the beach. at the time i was wearing skinny jeans and a t shirt. so i jumped on my bike - feeling a bit uncomfortable in my jeans but not too bad definitely not bad enough to turn around and change my clothes. i dropped the movies off and was only a few blocks from the ocean and decided since my days are numbered i better go. well i parked my bike and headed down. i took the shoes off and rolled the jeans up as much as i could which wasn't far maybe slightly above my ankle. i can't not wad in the water when i am at the beach - who can resist serisously. so i told myself no water above the ankle - yeah right. i was soaked up to the knee. no big deal i thought i will just chill why they dry. so i climbed up on the wall and watched the surfers while listening to my ipod. i hung out for about an hour and my jeans were still pretty wet. i decided to head back it will be fine. ummm no it kind of sucked - wet, sand covered jeans clinging to my skin while biking. never again. two more days in sunny california....

the ashtray says you were up all night....

it is 2:48am - it did not take too long for me get back in my old habits. feels great staying up later than 10pm without major assistance from red bull and mountain dew.

so i have decided i am not staying in california. i know maybe i did not give it a fair chance but the reasons i want to leave outweight my reasons for staying. plus i have like 8 months till i leave for peace corp. soo i have decided on colorado and i pretty much have a job at jimmy johns out there. so its back to delivering subs on my bike. also i quit my job out here and plan on going to the beach like everyday till i leave.

christmas was nice we hung out at the beach and watched the hangover - which was pretty funny. i think kirby and funke really enjoyed the ocean, it was the first time for them.

so i am finally able to bike to the downtown area without stopping mid hill (it is an awful awful hill) for a break. this is a big deal for me. i am going to try and bike at least once a day from now on...we will see how it goes

current listen - shot in the arm by wilco