It's been too long...

I was thinking about this blog today and realized I hadn't posted in awhile. Things have been fairly busy and will hopefully remain busy for awhile. Since school got out, I've been fairly busy. Other than work, friends, and traveling, I've been trying to read more. I'm about half way through The World is Flat. I must admit, I'm surprised this was a best seller. I'm loving the book but only because I studied business and economics. I can't imagine many people enjoying someone's global analysis of outsourcing and insourcing, comparative advantages, zero sum theories, etc. I've wanted to read the book for years but have been too intimidated because of how lengthy the text was. I cheated; I bought the audiobook (I am reading two actual other books though!). Some of the ideas are so great that I often find my mind wandering. I'm going to listen a second time so that I can get a better grasp of what the author is saying. If you're interested in globalizaion, it's a great book. If you want to listen to it, let me know and I'll burn you a copy on CD's! :)

Other news: I quit my job at the doggy daycare. It was a fun job and I really enjoyed it... at first. Working around dogs for 8 hours a day, several days in a row was just too much for me to handle. The job is absolutely exhausting. Dogs bark all day; some even nip and bite! Many also try to escape and kennel techs constantly have to chase them, grab their collar (unless they have a yellow collar; yellow collars represent dogs that bite when grabbed by the collar, ugh), and put them back into their designated area. On my last day, which was last Sunday, a very cute Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sutter, escaped into the leash area. I tried to pull him back into the large dog play group but he wouldn't budge. I had him by the collar when he put both of his front paws on me and pushed me into the gate. I'll be showing off a large, lovely scab on the back of my shoulder this Friday at J.P.'s wedding. I also have a lovely bruise that is a similar tint as the dress I'll be wearing at the wedding. :P I must admit, I do miss the dogs (most, anyway). At least I'll now have holidays off to visit family and friends. I'm quite sure, had I stayed, I would've been required to work Thanksgiving and Christmas and wouldn't have been able to spend either holiday with my family (or even Luke, depending on where he would've decided to go). Anyway, I'll miss the dogs and my co-workers but maybe not the job. Summers are extremely busy but I plan on bringing Mushko to daycare once a week once it calms down a bit. He doesn't like a full house much, he's a sensitive guy.

How will I afford to get by? I have another job. One of my professors actually arranged for me to work with the Econ department. I've been assigned a task to work with two local businesses. A sewing business, http://www.leftinstitches.com/, and a hair product business, http://www.jessicurl.com/. I'll be creating value stream maps and process improvement recommendations for each business. Neither project should take too long and each will pay very, very well. I've also applied for a position at the school that would start in August. They said it'd be 4 to 6 weeks before I heard back but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've looked at other opportunities but haven't found anything too exciting. I know, work isn't supposed to be exciting. I guess I'm a little bit spoiled. I wanted to work at Starbucks; it seems as though it'd be fun. Unfortunately, their white, black, and khaki uniform requirements don't work with my desire to wear jeans everyday. I also thought about working retail again. We have a Ross, Borders, and Petco. I've vetoed Ross because I think I'd spend more than I made. I worked for Borders and enjoyed being a cashier but hated restocking shelves. I wonder if I could get a job at Petco bathing dogs, I have experience!? Wish me luck. If I'm unable to get a job, I'll be okay. I have enough money to make it through the summer and can live on student loans when school starts. I'd like to work but not working will definitely allow me more time to take on more school activities (I'm interested in joining clubs and would also like to work closely with a few professors). Wish me luck!

Good news - Luke moved in last week! He was only able to stay a few days and is currently at his parent's house helping out as his dad just had knee surgery. He'll be back in Manila soon when we'll start camping, biking, kayaking, hiking, beaching, and traveling (Oregon, Colorado, San Diego). I'm so excited to have an open schedule this summer. Andrea will be visiting me in Manila soon and we'll be doing outdoorsy stuff as well. We're definitely going to camp at the beach near my house. We're also going to hike Redwood Park. I want us to do the "Doggy Paddle" next week (a kayak organization rents two-seat kayaks to people with dogs so that each person can take their dog kayaking in the bay). I'll be nervous sitting on a kayak in the bay where a Great White could eat me but will wear hot pink clothes so that I hopefully don't look like a seal. I believe sharks are colorblind but it can't hurt! Andrea and I are also going to hike the Rim Trail in Trinidad because the trail has a great view of seals, sea lions, and potentially grey whales (they migrate through June). Rim Trail is near Agate Beach where people find dozens of Agates (stones) daily. I'd love some more pretty rocks. Other than that, we'll probably just do more camping, hiking, and beaching. She's bringing her dog - I can't wait!

Anyway, I think that about covers everything. I need to get to bed. Goodnight all!

Ms. Smarty Pants!!!!!

I [finally] received grades for my first semester of grad school. FOUR POINT OHH!!!! I knew I'd done well but was worried about receiving an A- in the econ class I took. I guess I did great because I received a solid A in all four classes! :)

Life on the Beach

Yesterday marked the first day of summer. I spent the morning bathing dogs. After work, I packed up as much as I could. I'd reserved a U-Haul and picked it up at 4 PM. A couple friends (thanks Kegan and Waylen) came over at about 6 PM and helped me move everything. We had everything moved to Manilla by about 7:15 PM. I dropped Kegan and Waylen off at their car and then returned the U-Haul. There had been a stray dog wandering around the house in Arcata for a couple of hours so I set out to find his owners. I walked him around downtown but no one knew who he belonged to. He became real excited on the corner of Q and 11th so I thought maybe it's where he lived. I let him run around, hoping he'd run into his yard, but he just ran back and forth across the street. I then realized that there was a house a few houses down that had several dogs (many sled dog breeds, this dog was a shepherd/husky mix - super cute). Anyway, I walked him down there and asked if they'd lost a dog. They had! I was so relieved. I was seriously contemplating bringing him to Manilla and keeping him until I could find his home. Anyway, he was home - I got my karma points for the day, lol. Next, I went back to the Arcata house, put a few things in my car (including Mushko) and off we went to Manilla. I forgot to mention, Cassie (the new Manilla roomie) left for Chico at about 7:30 PM. She probably won't be back this summer. It was just Mushko and I - we had the place all to ourselves (and several mosquitos). On one side of the house is a highway and on the other side of the house is the ocean. You could hear both all night. It was really easy to drown out the noise of the highway, especially later at night when not many were traveling down the road. The ocean is far enough away that it isn't super loud and you can only hear high tide I think. It sounds like a constant "SHHHHHH" if that makes sense, lol. I absolutely love it. Anyway, it was after 9 PM by the time we got here. My roommate left me a ton of food she wouldn't be coming back for and I got right into her chocolate frozen yogurt. I sat down with the yogurt and watched 10 Things I Hate About You, one of my favorite movies. I left the door open and Mushko spent most of the evening checking out our huge yard. There is a fence all the way around the property so there isn't really a backyard and a frontyard. There is a huge side yard with a bbq and some beach chairs - I can't wait to bbq outside. Then, there's the front yard area, a side yard around a detached garage, and somewhat of a back yard area. There are several small trees and a couple of fenced areas, it'll take Mushko awhile to get used to the whole thing. I'm afraid he'll be bored and am thinking about fostering a dog for a local rescue just for the summer but we'll see. Maybe I can offer to dogsit for people who are leaving on summer vacations? Anyway, after the movie, Mushko and I went to bed. I brought him in my room and closed the door. I think he'd rather sleep outside but I really want him to sleep with me in my room. I'll probably do the same thing another night or two and will then start leaving the door open so that he can choose where to sleep. There's a really cool sunroom type thing just outside the front door on the deck. Cassie has a desk in there but said that it's mostly used as a dog room. I already put one of Mushko's dog beds in there but he hasn't gone inside of it yet. It's nice because he gets so sandy at the beach. With a doggy room, I can go in the house and close the door. He can go inside or outside for awhile until most of the sand falls off of him. Only then should he come in the house. So, when we woke up at about 10 AM this morning (and by we I mean me), I could definitely hear the ocean. I put a swim suit on and jogged down there. It's been really warm - way wamer than normal for Arcata. I think it hit 92 degrees a couple days ago. People who have lived here for thirty years say they rarely see 80 degrees! Some professor from HSU said it was a "freak wind current" and that it should pass today and go back to being colder. The beach was a little foggy so maybe the heat will die down. Mushko and I jogged up and down the beach for about a half an hour. We played in the water a little bit and he sort of chased two horses. If a horse ever kicks him, it'll be his fault. Everytime we see them, he gets as low as he can, as if he's going to pounce on them. He stares at them a bit and always looks confused. Eventually, he runs towards them but once he gets close, he freaks out and runs away. I try to keep him away from the horses but he doesn't listen to me when they're around (not yet anyway?). So that about wraps up my move. I'm about to enjoy some organic strawberries and maybe a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Mushko and I will probably go back to the beach soon and then to work at 2:45 this afternoon. I know I'm supposed to go home in a few days but at this point, I almost don't want to, lol. I feel like I'm vacationing at a beach retreat. I can't wait for Luke to move in (he'll be here June 17th) and for Andrea to be here. Luke is leaving June 20th which is hopefully when Andrea will show up and she'll be staying with me for about a week. We'll be at the beach daily but will also go hiking, camping, and canoeing. There is just so much to do this summer!!! :) Anyhoo, I better get going - my stomach is making noises. I hope to see everyone soon!

Finals

My first semester at HSU is almost complete! Next week is finals week. Fortunately, I only have one final. It's open book and open notes - whoopee! I do, however, have two 20 minute presentations to give (one tomorrow and the other next Tuesday). Both presentations are due tomorrow so I'll probably be at the library tonight. This semester flew by. I can't express how much I've enjoyed my time here and how glad I am for moving here when I did (I only wish I would've moved sooner). In only a few months, I feel as though I've changed a lot. For lack of a better word, I'm much more "zen," lol. I love being outside. I love starring at the ocean, forest, trees, plants, etc. Some days, Mushko and I take as many as three walks just because it's so beautiful outside. I can't count how many times I've visited the ocean since I've been here but would estimate that I've made around twenty trips. I lived in Santa Cruz for almost two years and probably only visited the beach a dozen times... in two years!!! I'm very excited about moving to Manila where I'm hoping to walk down the beach at least once a day, every day (depending on weather of course). Not only do I appreciate my surroundings much more than I have in the past, but I've also learned to appreciate my health. Eating better makes me feel better. I should've written the date down but I think it's been about two months since the last time I've had soda. Anyone who knows me well knows I used to consume 2 or 3 pepsi's a day! I've also switched to wheat bread (which I used to hate). Luke and I have been eating salad recently and I'm starting to really enjoy it. He's currently on a huge health kick which is really helping me. I bought him a six pack of beer and he hasn't touched it. I also tried to get him to go to Safeway to buy some low fat ice cream and he wouldn't do that either! Call me competitive but if he can be healthy, I can be healthy. I've also been exercising a lot more. I do Pilates once a week, lift weights once or twice a week, and get a little cardio in almost every day. Anyway, I have to get going. There is a massage school here in Arcata that charges $25 for an hour long massage by a student or $40 for an hour long massage by a certified messeur. The students are booked up so I had to schedule a pro but $40 still seems super cheap for an hour long massage! I'm going to go enjoy a long massage and then work on my presentations. :)

Manila Jenn???

I'm moving!!!

Luke will have the summer off. I won't be in school but will be working full time at It's All About the Dogs. Luke and I decided to "take the next step," and live with each other for a couple months this summer. Because my current home is already crowded (three women and three large dogs in a small home), there was no way Luke could move in with me here. I've been looking for awhile and have had a really hard time finding anything (most renters won't allow dogs). I found a room for rent in Manila (a tiny beach town between Arcata and Eureka) on craigslist. Originally, I preferred to live in either Arcata (near school) or Eureka (near work). I thought it over a bit and decided living in the middle would work, too. The home (it's actually a trailer, lol) is 8 minutes from school and 8 minutes from work. Perfect! It's on a huge lot, at least an acre large. The entire thing is fenced in. I brought Mushko with me to take a look at the place but he didn't care to come inside. He ran around the yard with my new roommate's dog the entire time. She, Cassie, has a five year old yellow lab, Ruby, very cute dog! The trailer looks like any ol' trailer, it fits in well with Humboldt County. There is a large garage currently used for storage and exercise equipment. There is also a sun room which is where Ruby spends a lot of her time... Mushko and Ruby will have their own room! Best of all, Cassie seems awesome. She is super nice and very easy going. She's also in a long distance relationship with a guy from Chico so it seems as though we have a bit in common. Scratch that, being 6 minutes from the beach might be "best of all," lol. If I walk briskly, it takes about 6 minutes to get to the beach. It's hard to jog with Mushko in any residential neighborhood because he has to be on a leash and wants to pee on every other bush. Jogging with him on the beach, however, is awesome! He doesn't need to be on a leash and if he pees, he can surely catch up with my slow butt. Anyway, I'm super excited. Cassie will be in Chico almost all summer so Luke and I will have the place to ourselves for the most part. I have a very good feeling about all of this, can't wait to move! (I'll probably move mid May, after finals) Here is a picture of where I'll be at (tiny green arrow):

If the pic doesn't work, mapquest the 1900 block of Locke Street, Manila, CA. :)

Redwood Park

I'd love to post a few pics of Redwood Park but it's dificult to post pics on this blog. Anyway, I've added them to my photobucket album. Try this link: http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/scboarder21/Redwood%20Park/?start=all

If it doesn't work, use the link from any of my other postings to open photobucket and then look for the Redwood Park album. It's beautiful, enjoy!

Hello

So it's been awhile since I've posted. Not too much has happened. School is going well, work is good, Luke has been visiting me, and Mushko is having a blast. I've been hiking Redwood Park quite a bit lately. It's beautiful! I'll add a link to pics below. We've also been to the ocean a few times in the past couple weeks. I'm very excited about going to Vegas next month. I've been too busy with school and work to socialize much and can't wait for a girl's trip to Vegas. I've been trying to eat better and exercise more so that I'll look good in a swimsuit - I've lost 5 lbs so far! Luke and I made a salad the other night but I didn't like the leaves. I bought them at the Arcata Farmer's Market and think they were mostly mustard leaves. Next time, I'll stick to romaine or sprink mix - both of those I've liked in the past. Anyway, we put a lot of stuff in it so I'm not sure how healthy it really was. We added chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, corn, and then ate sourdough bread on the side. I added a little bit of ranch to my salad, Luke had thousand island (a lot, lol). Anyway, I think I would've enjoyed it much more had the lettuce been better. I only bought that lettuce because I didn't want to spend too much time in the booth; I had Mushko with me. It was the "bargain mix" or something like that, next time I'll get what I want. Also, I won't bring Mushko. Two people got on me about having a dog in a "supermarket setting." About twenty other people begged me to pet Mushko - several of them even thanked me for allowing them to do so! At one point, four little girls all grabbed onto his face at the same time. He didn't budge. I was happily impressed. I rewarded him yesterday by taking him to the beach for an hour or so (Luke and I jogged with three dogs) and then taking him to work for another six hours. When we got home, he laid on the couch with me and fell asleep with his head on my arm. It was so cute! It's sprinkling a little today so we'll probably go to Redwood Park- the trees block most of the rain. As far as school goes, I must say, I'm an achiever. I get the feeling Luke will punch me if I talk about one more achievement, lol. I'm taking four classes: sociological-technical thinking processes, advanced sustainable management applications, sustainable rural economic development (grad class), and statistical process control and quality systems. In the technology course, we're graded on attendence, homework, and two 15 minute presentations. I've only missed one class, have received 100% on all of my homework, and scored a 96% on the first speech and 100% on the second speech! :) In the management class, we're graded on attendence, homework, and responses to outside lectures - I have an A in this class for sure. In the econ class, we're graded on attendance, homework, three essay exams, and a service project. I have perfect attendance and hw scores. The essays are difficult. We read four very long, DRY chapters and then she picks only four essay questions from the four chapters. If fail to study a section she asks about, the most you'll score is a 30/40 (and getting 10 of 10 on the other three questions is unlikely) which is a 75%! I earned a B on the first exam and will receive the second exam score tomorrow. I'm 99% sure I earned an A on the second exam but we'll have to wait and see. Being a graduate course, this is, by far, the most difficult course. Last, my quality systems course is graded on homework, tests, and a 30 minute presentation. I'm the only female in this class (there are about 17 males and ME) and I definitely have the highest grade in the class. Enough said. :) In summation, I'm almost positive I'll earn an A in each of the undergraduate courses. I hope to earn an A in the grad course too but have another essay exam and large project that will greatly impact my grade. I'm really hoping to earn at least an A-; we'll see! I guess I better go eat breakfast. I miss everyone and hope to see you all soon!