New year, new beginnings, new semester...

So here it is: the beginning of a new semester, and the start of the countdown to the end… it’s within sight! Come December, they’re turning me loose! It’s only a week into the new semester, and already it’s shaping up to be a busy one, much like the class I just finished up.

Speaking of, NR 490 turned out very well in the end. I’m almost certain I nearly died though, not only from all the work and hours put into each plan and presentation, but more so from laughing so hard during the presentation portion. Anyone walking into the room might have thought they’d taken a wrong turn and ended up in a comedy club.

The second half of the class turned out much better than the first, mostly because we had much more wiggle room with regard to creative licensing. While I’m certain that Kringle wolves and Flying Reindeer probably won’t gain any brownie points for a future career boost, they did provide a valuable opportunity to draw up special management objective for species (however fictitious they may be) of special concern in addition to giving semi-professional presentations in “real-life” simulations.

All in all, despite much of the frustration that came from the class, I do think there was a great practical component of it.  There is a reason it’s called Integrated Resource Management. Working in a team with your peers and with most of you specializing in various disciplines allows everyone to bring something to the table. It forces you to compromise and work together to devise best management strategies and objectives for both private landowners and public land.

Almost as soon as class ended, I was on the road, back home for a few more days before the beginning of the new semester. I was excited to spend a little more time on the lake, even with the lack of snow. First things first, I met up with a few friends…just because. There is a new restaurant with a tap room (a very exciting thought, especially for a college student!). It was doubly exciting to discover after ordering our beers that it was two-for-one when two pints were set down in front of us.

But the lake! Yes, I made it to the lake…and it was definitely interesting, in a good way, as most things are J I was reminded once again just why I love the more…eclectic members of my family, namely Grandpa Ron or Grandpa Duck as I always called him. While we all have our faults and idiosyncrasies that drive each other insane, one thing about grandpa remains constant: he will put up with just about anything to be the center of attention, providing endless jibes and entertainment at his expense. Here is a snapshot of this past weekend’s adventure with OB Ron:

This is Rhonda, grandpa’s alter ego. Apparently she’s been around for a while or so I’ve been told. I’ve never seen her until this last weekend. Who knew?

So yes, there is always something interesting happening at the lake! Rhonda will live on forever, I think, or least we won’t let grandpa forget! Fishing was just about as slow as the last time. All I managed to pull up were two small perch. If Mom had been there, I’m willing to bet the fish would have been jumping out of the hole! Just isn’t fair…

The new semester has started off fairly well, I think. There will be quite a bit of group work again…and reading and writing! I guess it’s a good thing I enjoy both. I’ve already gotten a little too into some of the readings not yet assigned—we have an anthology of environmental essays and excerpts from books for one of the classes—and I’m having some flashbacks from high school. Many of the entries and authors in the anthology I’ve read from or discussed before—Paul Ehrlich from The Population Bomb, Garrett Hardin from the Tragedy of the Commons, Sigurd Olson, E.B. White, Annie Dillard, John McPhee from Encounters with the Archdruid, Linda Hogan, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, Barbara Kingsolver from Small Wonder to name a few. Gahh!!! There are so many great authors out there, it’s quite ridiculous! I don’t know how to handle it J I am looking forward to re-reading many of them (even if they aren’t assigned) and discussing them again, this time with a different lens. I’m looking forward to writing more also. I can’t wait. Bear with me if this becomes a sort of sloppy copy slate.
Along with my excitement of the new semester, came the first time running with the dogs this season. I can still remember the first time I ran with them, on my own that is. I was riding double and the next thing I knew I was on the sled by myself, completely unsure of my ability to maintain control. I needn’t have worried, I realized. The dogs knew what to do. I had only to trust them. It was just eight dogs and myself running under a starry sky, listening to the sound of their breathing, the runners of the sled scraping along the trail, my heart thumping wildly. It is a moment in time forever seared into my memory.
I cannot thank Miss Samantha enough for introducing me to such an awesome opportunity J I’ve been slacking, I know. I’m trying, really I am!
In spite of the excitement of the new semester, dogs, and Rhonda, a part of me also has also been far too gone in a weird mood these last few weeks, withdrawn into myself. I feel as though I’m suspended, going neither here nor there, just stuck in a moment. It feels very much like the first semester I was in Point—very cold and confused and alone. I’ve no one to blame but myself for this feeling in dealing with the curveballs I’ve been thrown, and more importantly, the curveballs I’ve inadvertently thrown toward others.

There is nothing worse than having your most personal thoughts exposed and then having the one you hoped would never see them, laying on eyes on them. I can’t say for certain they did read those thoughts, but I have strong feeling they might have. I was thoughtless in leaving them out in the open. My insides have been wound tighter than a coiled spring and I can’t seem to figure out how to loosen them (hence my weird mood and the withdrawal). I am not sorry for writing those words. But for the person who might have read them—and if you read this—I am sorry. Sorry for the confusion, the awkwardness, the embarrassment. Sorry that I may have ruined our friendship.

I hope that maybe someday this friendship might be rebuilt…

The Green Hornet strikes again...!!!

Happy New Year all! It's been a hectic one for me so far, but still great!

New Year's weekend at the lake is always a good time. Recreational opportunities were on the short side this year due to the lack of snow, but we—I—found ways around that. The time at the lake managed to go by just as fast as my short winter break did. Every minute was filled with something—fishing, visiting, applying for jobs (not so fun, but necessary), and of course, eating! I love food far too for my own good J We had an awesome fish-fry from some of the walleye Mom caught over Memorial weekend!

Ice fishing was probably the highlight of the weekend. I can’t remember the last time I went ice fishing…it’s been a while though! To build up the excitement (and maybe for a bit of luck!) grandpa pulled of the most iconic ice fishing poles I’m sure most anyone who has seen Grumpy Old Men would recognize in a heartbeat: the Green Hornet! I have no idea where or how he acquired it or if he made it. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had made it.

Here is a picture of it; hopefully it works!

To catch up those of you with the misfortune of unfamiliar with the Green Hornet or Grumpy Old Men, it is an ice fishing pole one of the characters has had since he was a little boy and it has basically been his good luck charm out on the ice throughout his life. Grumpy Old Men is a classic as far as our family is concerned. Yes, this is highly subjective, I realize, but for anyone who’s seen it, is it not one of the best ways to ring in the winter season? I think so anyway…it’s one of those films that never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. (And, yes, that was double negative also!)

So far this new year, I’ve come to realize just why people are driven to drink coffee or other such caffeinated beverages…Well, I think I have at any rate. There is a point, I promise.

Coffee has been a friend of mine for some years now, not only for the smell as it brews or the acquired taste of it that I’ve become appreciative of or even the fact that it wakes me up in the morning. It’s more that it has become a part of my routine. Each morning I boil water and pour it over the fresh grounds in my French press…and wait four, five, six minutes depending on how strong I want it that day.

Routine, that is really what it is, I swear.

However, I’ve become more open (intimate, if I’m being honest with myself) to its caffeinated properties of late, and never more so than in the last seven days! The reasoning for this observation is quite simple: Natural Resources 490 also known as Integrated Resource Management Seminar.

This seminar course is not really anything one could fully prepare themselves for. Since last Tuesday,and the nine others in my group and myself have worked round the clock (literally) in some cases brainstorming, researching, writing, and editing a proposed land management plan for a private landowner based on a hypothetical situation. Coffee has helped me through this, allowing for late nights of sleeplessness due to the need for a little more energy to…keep…going! The part I seem to keep forgetting is that it takes a while to absorb into my system and therefore, the burst of energy tends to come as I trying to get a little sleep (much like now!)

We are presenting tomorrow. I can only hope it goes smoothly. The presentation is meant to simulate a real-life situation, so that means…role-playing on everyone’s part: my group as A+ Natural Resource Management consultants and others as the landowner and other stakeholders.

I’m a little nervous. I detest public speaking. It’s far too easy to get caught up in a bundle of nerves and uncertainty, which I often find myself in despite the little pep talk I’ll give myself or how many times I practice my part. It’s just one of those things…

Once this presentation is over, we are half-way through the madness! One more project and presentation, then hello to the last weekend of winter break before the real semester starts.

I’m hoping for a good one!