final portfolio

So far I am liking the pieces I choose but I am worried on how they weave together. I am wondering if I need to include an overarching theme in them that make them all connect? What do you guys think about this idea?

Tips for editing papers!

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/01/

SETI

I am taking the search for life beyond earth this semester and I think its funny how that class sort of contradicts what we are learning in environmental writing. In this class we are learning that our planet isn't really unique and really wilderness and nature can exist else were. Yet, in this class we are taught to look at nature as something sublime, unique and inspiring. Which view do you believe in the scientific or romantic view?

Snow

Since we are seeing our first snow of the season I thought it would be interesting to look up some cool facts about snow here they are :

The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.

The largest hailstone recorded fell on 14 April 1986 in Bangladesh weighing 1kg (2.25lbs). The hailstorm reportedly killed 92 people.

The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887.

Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.

Permanent snow and ice cover about 12% (21 million square km's) of the Earth's land surface. 80% of the world's fresh water is locked up as ice or snow.

A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.

There is NOT a law of nature that prohibits 2 snowflakes from being identical.

Denver CO received 9.6 inches of snow. October of that year proved to be the coldest and snowiest of record for Denver, with a total snowfall for the month of 31.2 inches.

Light snow falls in Canberra during most years, but it rarely accumulates to more than a few centimeters.

In Australia, snowfalls are common above 1,500m in the Alps during the winter, but there are no permanent snowfields anywhere on the continent.

Denver CO was buried under 21.3 inches of snow, 19.4 inches of which fell in 24 hours. The heavy wet snow snapped trees and wires causing seven million dollars damage.

The most snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.

Behavioral Economics

I am taking a behavioral economics class right now, its all about how they are changing standard economic models to fit what people actually do. Some of their discussions involve the environment and how the government can nudge people to be more environmentally friendly check out Nudge- Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein! Its a great read and really applies to every day living.

2012 the movie

I saw 2012 on Sunday night and I thought it was a terrible movie! I thought it was cheesy and the ending was too optimistic. I understand why they would make the ending so optimistic because 2012 is near and a fear that many people have. Still I think they could have made their apocalypse much deeper because really the world might end in 2012. The movie ended with the line "no more pull ups" I just thought this was a ridiculous ending. Has anyone else seen this movie and what do you think of it?

Also when is our final portfolio due?

ethic

Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.
Gary Synder (American Poet/ Essayist), from Practice of the Wild

I think this quote really gets to the point of Cronon's piece.

People Hear With Skin as Well as Their Ears

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01obpuff.html?_r=1&ref=science

Really interesting New York Times Article! Check it out

Origin of the name Black Friday

The origin of the term, "Black Friday" historically comes from the retailer's shift to profitability during the holiday season. It comes from the accounting shift from loss (red) to profit (black), thus creating "Black Friday".

EWI

So I was wondering about how someone becomes established in the world of Environmental Writing and decided to do a little research on the topic. I found out that there are Environmental Writing Institute's so if someone wanted to pursue a career in this it is very possible.

The one I looked at was the Environmental Writing Institute at the University of Montana.
It was actually one of the first writing conferences in the country to focus entirely on nature and environmental writing, issues, concerns, and approaches.
Now in its 19th consecutive year, EWI is distinguished by longevity, by the quality in teaching and writing—of its workshop leaders, and by the quality of its writing participants. Not only that but they claim that Missoula, Montana is an inspiring and beautiful setting and a real writer's town.
I am not sure how I feel about their claim that Missoula is a real writers town because I have never been there. I also think everyone has there own ideal writing town. What would yours be?

Mine would probably be a more urban setting.


Here is some more information on EWI:

EWI participants each year (15 maximum) include both aspiring and accomplished writers--essayists, journalists, scientists, outdoor writers, natural historians, students, and teachers from around the country. Participants are published and unpublished writers whose concerns range widely and wildly from the preservation of biodiversity to the conservation of community, from the ecology of high mountains to the wildness in vacant urban lots. Some participants, familiar with other genres—from poetry to scientific writing—may be trying the personal, narrative, or natural history essay for the first time.
About half of the EWI group each year are second-year graduate environmental writing students from the U.M. Environmental Studies Program. Over the years, many "outside" EWI participants have gone on to study in the Environmental Writing Emphasis of the U.M. graduate EVST Program.
Many EWI participants have also gone on to publish revised versions of their EWI projects and/or other writings in national magazines and in book form. Only a few recent examples include Jordan Fisher Smith (Nature Noir, 2005), a two-time EWI alumni; David Strohmaier (Seasons of Fire, 2001; Drift Smoke 2005); and Eliza Murphy, whose 2004 EWI manuscript evolved into her cover and feature story for High Country News in 2005.
Sponsored by The University of Montana Environmental Studies Program, EWI 2009 will run Wednesday May 13 to Sunday May 17 at the U.M. University Center and in downtown Missoula. The UM campus and downtown are only blocks apart via a beautiful riverside walk along the Clark Fork River. EWI participants will have most afternoons and evenings free.
EWI opens with a welcoming dinner downtown, followed by the Wild Mercy Community Reading Series, Wednesday evening. Thursday through Sunday mornings are four-hour workshop classes led by 2009 EWI leader Elizabeth Grossman.

The meanings of the tattoo on my leg:

What is a Hamsa Hand? (Also Spelled Hamesh, Chamsa, Khamsa)
The hamsa is an ancient Middle Eastern amulet symbolizing the Hand of God. In all faiths it is a protective sign. It brings it's owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.
The hamsa hand is known by many names—hamsa, hamsa hand, hamesh, hamesh hand, khamsa, and chamsa. It is also called the Hand of Miriam, named for Moses and Aaron’s sister.
Either hamsa hand can be worn with the fingers pointing up or down, and both are believed to offer its owner happiness, peace, and prosperity, as well as protection from the ayin ha'ra, or the evil eye.

Origin of the Hamsa Hand
Although the hamsa hand has been symbolic in Islam and Judaism for centuries, archeological digs in the Middle East provide evidence that the hamsa pre-dates these religions and originated with the Phoenicians and was used as a protective symbol for an ancient Middle Eastern goddess. The hamsa hand has always been associated with a female entity offering protection from evil and misfortune.

Hamsa Hand Symbology
The word “hamsa” or “hamesh” means five. There are five digits on the hamsa hand, but the number five has additional symbolic meaning in the Jewish and Islamic traditions. Five (hamesh in Hebrew) represents the five books of the Torah for Jews. It also symbolizes the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, "Heh", which represents one of God’s holy names. It symbolizes the Five Pillars of Islam for Sunnis, and the Five People of the Cloak for Shi'ites.
In the Jewish religion, the Jewish hamsa hand also symbolizes the Hand of God. Many Jews believe the hamsa pendant symbolizes the Hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. In the Islamic faith, the hamsa hand symbolizes The Hand of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. Many Jews believe that the five fingers of the hamsa hand remind its wearer to use their five senses to praise God. Hamsa hands often contain an eye symbol, which is a powerful talisman against the evil eye. It is most often worn as a hamsa necklace, but can be found as a decorative element in houses, on key chains, on other jewelry items, and is quickly gaining popularity as an amulet in baby carriages. In addition to averting the gaze of the evil eye, it brings its wearer or owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.

Hamsas for Peace in the Middle East
In recent years, activists for peace in the Middle East have adopted the hamsa hand. Because hamsa hand symbology is believed to predate most modern religions, those who actively support a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Israeli conflict believe that wearing the hamsa hand highlights not only the similarities of Judaism and Islam, but also the similarities of the origins of the religions. The hamsa symbol is believed to originate from an ancient Middle Eastern religion, and some Jews and Muslims wear the hamsa as a gesture for hope, peace, and prosperity in Israel and other areas of the Middle East.

An interesting view of postmodern ecology

"Alternatively, a postmodern ecological critique has the conceptual tools to contest dominionism at the level of its discursive transactions, that is to say, the narrative frames and interpretive methods through which fundamentalists have constructed their understanding of the natural world. I shall suggest how postmodernism enables critical standpoints which, collectively, open a second front in an engagement with the dominionist model of humanity's relationship to nature. Christian fundamentalist hostility to environmentalism typically finds its endorsement in the book of Genesis. A literal reading of the injunction that "man" should "fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28)1 has ratified the view of nature as a God-given resource for unlimited human use. "
Paul Maltby

Starbucks Mission Statement

Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business.
We fulfill this mission by a commitment to:
Understanding of environmental issues and sharing information with our partners.
Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change.
Striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products.
Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future.
Instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value.
Measuring and monitoring our progress for each project.
Encouraging all partners to share in our mission.

Do you buy it?

10 ways to go green and save money

Here are ten ways to go green and save money:

My tip that I would add is to use a dishwasher! A dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand!


http://www.wisebread.com/10-ways-to-go-green-and-save-money-at-the-same-time

1. Safety Razors - Giving up disposable razors for the old fashioned safety razor is a great way to save money and the environment. The multi-packs of flat razor blades are not only inexpensive, they come without all of the extra plastic housing that ultimately ends up in land fills. We've been doing this in our house for a few years now, and have noticed a tremendous savings. An added bonus? We don't have to carve out extra storage in the cabinets when we stock up. Flat packs of blades store very efficiently in a minimal amount of space.

2. Mineral Salt Deodorant Sticks - You can find these at nearly any health food or natural living store. They last an incredibly long time, don't contain any harmful ingredients, and as with the safety razor idea listed above, don't come with a ton of obnoxious plastic packaging to toss in the land fill once the product has been used up. My husband and I used this product on a recent six month trip around the world. It lasted the duration of the trip and is still going strong. It also takes up minimal room in the back pack.

3. Re-usable Coffee Filters - Just imagine never having to buy or run out of these little babies again!

4. Give Up Paper Towels - OK, I'll be honest. This is not easy in the beginning. The trick? Having a simple, workable system for having clean rags on hand. I ended up using several of those fabric sleeves with elastic on both ends . . . you know, the kind most people use to store empty plastic grocery bags in for quick access? I hung one in each place we routinely used paper towels. Then, I raided the pile of old T-shirts we had set aside to go to Goodwill and cut up a bunch of cleaning rags. These were what I used to fill up each of the disposal "sleeves". When we need to reach for something to wipe up a spill or do a quick clean up of a particular space, we can now reach for a washable cleaning rag instead of a paper towel.

5. Recycle Old Athletic Socks - Not possible you say? I beg to differ. Cut each old sock off just slightly above the ankle, and below the ribbed leg section. The left over foot portion is what I use instead of those expensive disposable dusting mittens. These things are great for getting around stair banister railings, gripping table and chair legs to dust . . . you won't go back, I promise you! The other ribbed section, particularly if it is ribbed the entire length of the piece, is great to slice up one side and use for a great moisture holding dish rag. The ridges give you extra scrubbing power too.

6. Shopping for Second Hand Goods - Anything you are comfortable buying second hand keeps that same item from ending up in a garbage dump. This applies to furniture, clothing, toys, kitchen ware, and to a certain extent, automobiles. This personal finance procedure goes a long way to helping out the planet and your pocketbook at the same time.

7.Think Before You Print - Save money on ink and paper by checking to see if you really need a paper copy of a particular document before hitting the print button. Still think you really need it? Check out the econo mode for printing which will at least use less ink and save you money in the long run on those refilled cartridges.

8. Celebrate the Power of Tie-Dye - This is a great affordable way to give lightly stained, lighter colored linens and clothing items a second shelf life. Some ideas? Old sheets, curtains, pillow cases, socks and T-shirts to name a few.

9. Find a Second Use for Those Plastic Grocery Bags - These things really can help out a time or two more after making it home from the grocery store. Use them to line small trash cans (one less item to buy), pick up after your dog in the park or provide extra cushioning in those holiday postal packages.

10. Consider a Personal Filter for Your Kitchen Faucet -This will enable you to skip the extra packaging that comes with large cases of bottled water and carve some extra cash out of your personal budget at the same time. We've been using one for at least 5 or 6 years now and really like not having to find extra room for those bottles.

Incorporation

Here is a list of things I think would be cool to incorporate into environmental poetry that are different from the list we made in class today:

-Slogans from advertisements, billboards
-Song Lyrics
-Ingredients in food products
-Video links
-Pictures
-What certain products are made of
-Bits of an interview or overheard conversation
-Phone book entries
- Urbandictionary.com entries

Millenium Simulation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W35SYkfdGtw

Really awesome video of the solar system evolving through time.

Styrofoam

My reflection on Styrofoam is that I appreciated the originality of the poem. I enjoyed how she used the space through out the pages. Yet, I think the writing is a little bit silly in general. In order for people to understand her point, the poem requires tons of re-readings and many discussions. I think that people who just read this without taking a class will not actually get what she is saying. Her point becomes hazy mixed in with the scientific stuff, and the pictures. I think it would be more effective if she kept all her poems more simple, especially if she is trying to make a statement about something that is happening in the present.

2012

Talking about 2012 made me curious on what the media is dishing out about the subject right now. The main thing they are saying about 2012 is that this is when the Mayan Calendar ends.
One of my friends has been obsessed with 2012 for years and he always goes into long debates with people on whats going to happen. I mostly chose to ignore him because it was annoying, but his 2012 conspiracy theory involved aliens taking over the world.
How I have thought about 2012 is how Kabbalists think about it. They believe that in 2012 the earth will begin rotating a different way. Now they say people live to receive, but they believe that when the earth rotates people will live to give. This is an optimistic view of 2012 and hopefully something that will actually happen.

This new way of thinking is also something I would consider Utopian.

ZombieLand

The list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world. By the end of the film, his list has thirty-three rules.
1. cardio
2. Double tap
3. Wear seat belts
4. Beware of bathrooms
5. No Attachments
6. Cast iron skillet
7. Travel light
12. Bounty paper towels
15. Bowling ball
17. (Don't) Be a hero
18. Limber up
22. When in doubt, know your way out
29. The buddy system
31. Check the back seat
32. Enjoy the little things
33. Swiss Army knife
At the end of the film, Columbus makes a few parting words reminding viewers of the rules and adding "a little sunscreen never hurt anybody".

This is Columbus's survival list for the apocalypse. I saw this movie this weekend and it really inspired my piece. What would be the rules on your survival list?

Thanksgiving

Food for the season-

In the United States, certain kinds of food are traditionally served at Thanksgiving meals. Firstly, baked or roasted turkey is the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table.
Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. These are all fall vegetables!!


All of these are actually native to the Americas or were introduced as a new food source to the Europeans when they arrived.

How does nature and the seasons affect your diet?

Apocalyptic literature

A great piece of apocalyptic literature that I would recommend for everyone in this class is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. This book is very entertaining and rich and is a great, quick read.

It addresses many themes we saw in class such as the idea that the chaos in this book is caused by humans. In this book civil society is collapsing because of resource scarcity and poverty. People turn to drugs, corruption and thievery to survive. The book is centered around Lauren a young lady that feels the pain and sensation of others. Despite all the odds she travels north and starts a religion called Earthseed, based on community and farming. This book is very touching and a must read!

Farmville

So reading the excerpt from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? reminded me of Farmville on facebook. On there you have these animals like sheep, rabbits, etc that you interact with. It's interesting though because most people who have this application have probably never interacted with horses or such animals. It's pretty depressing to think about how we are actually moving towards the scenarios portrayed in Apocalypse movies and books.

Reflections about the Spiral Jetty

Seeing the artist stand on the spiral jetty reminded me of the topic of trespassing. The idea of being able to stand on water is a sort of natural trespassing. It is some were the artist and visitors are not supposed to be able to stand. Yet the jetty makes this becomes possible. This is very different to the other structures we viewed. Structures such as the gates only required a natural interaction with the environment like walking under them. The jetty is unique because it allows visitors to go some were they would normally never be able to go. This idea of making the impossible possible is key in art and is very well represented with the jetty.

western

my step-brother fishing at western

halloween

Jack-o'-lantern. Originally a turnip, this carved vegetable with a candle inside was used by a poor Irish soul named Jack to light his way as he wandered for eternity, denied entrance to both Heaven and Hell — Heaven because of his habitual stinginess and Hell because he had, while still alive, forced the devil into a pact that would spare Jack from ever going to Hell. Boy, did he live (or rather die) to regret it! The Irish brought this custom to the US in the 1840s but found it more convenient to use pumpkins than their traditional turnip, rutabaga or gourd.

city living

I am looking to get an apartment in the city next semester does any one have any good suggestions? Or any good ideas of were to start looking?

smile your on camera

some pictures from the field trip

photo contest

Since out assignment involves taking digital pictures, I thought I would let everyone know about this photo contest:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-garden/2009/10/chicago-park-district-nature-in-chicago-digital-photo-contest.html

The Chicago Park District is running the 1st Annual "Nature in Chicago" Digital Photography Contest and Exhibition. The Chicago Park District wants to see the best photos taken within the City of Chicago by nature photographers of all levels.
Here are the categories:Native Flora (Plants)
Native Fauna (animals)
Migratory Birds
Chicago Lakefront
People in NaturePhotos by Youth (14-18) in the categories.
The winning photographs will be exhibited at several Chicago Park District Cultural Centers in the summer of 2010.Here are the prizes:
"All winners and honorable mentions receive a 1-yr subscription to the Chicago Wilderness magazine and admission to the 2010 Chicago Wilderness Congress. 3rd prize: Private, personalized bird walk during the Spring Migration Season (2010) with the National Audubon Society and a gift certificate to a camera supply store. 2nd prize: Winners will receive a professional critique of their portfolio or workshop on nature photography techniques (their choice) with renowned nature photographer, Carol Freeman. 1st prize: In addition to the 2nd place prize, winners will receive free admission to the Lincoln Park Conservancy's Annual Gala in 2010, where they have a chance to auction off their work."November 15, 2009 is the last day to enter. By the way, I looked at the contest rules and they're defining "native" as a "species that was present in the Chicago region prior to European settlement or has arrived since through Natural means of dispersal (Chicago Botanic Garden)." This means that they don't intend this to be a photo contest of your average garden plants.

Everyone should become a member!

http://www.chicagowilderness.org

an interesting article

Sometimes what’s bad for the economy can be good for the planet. Or so argued Lester Brown, president of Earth Policy Institute, yesterday. This environmental trend spotter pointed to several developments that may have escaped our attention as the global economy alternately sputtered and entered periods of freefall throughout the past 18 months.
Trend one: U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas, have taken a tumble. They’re down 9 percent since 2007, Brown notes, fueled in part by a couple other developments.
Such as trend two: Americans are buying/keeping fewer cars. During the mid- to late-1990s, automakers sold more than 15 million cars a year. "Then, in 1999, [sales] jumped up to 17 million a year, and remained there for about eight years or so," Brown says. This year: Those sales slumped to a measly 10 million. Meanwhile, U.S. motorists are on track to scrap about 14 million cars this year. So the U.S. fleet could shrink this year by nearly two percent.


read the rest here:http://www.enn.com/lifestyle/article/40601

meteor explodes over the netherlands

Mid-Semester Break

I am excited for this much needed break! This weekend I am going to visit WIU. Hopefully the weather will be better than today, so I can actually get outside and go fishing or go to the shooting range! This weather also makes me wonder how come environmentalists don't really mention weather in any pieces we read, and why we haven't read anything about global warming? I wonder if this is going to come up in the future...

Flora and Fauna in Las Vegas

Did this piece remind anyone of fear and loathing in Las Vegas? It reminded me of the book and the movie a lot! Do you think this was intentional?

My ecological footprint

http://www.myfootprint.org/

Go to this website and take this quiz!

It estimates the size of your ecological footprint (area of land and ocean required to support your consumption of food, goods, services, housing, and energy and assimilate your wastes. The footprint is broken down into four consumption categories: carbon (home energy use and transportation), food, housing, and goods and services. Your footprint is also broken down into four ecosystem types or biomes: cropland, pastureland, forestland, and marine fisheries.

The quiz said if everyone on earth lived my lifestyle we would need 6.56 Earths! This is crazy because I didn't think I was that bad!

Deer

Today I saw two deer run across campus right in front of Carnegie. One of them was a baby deer, they were so cute I wish I had time to take a picture. What was interesting to me though was that they seemed so displaced and lost when running across campus, like they were invading our territory. Yet, really we have invaded their territory by building the college here. I would think I wouldn't be surprised by seeing two deer right in front of Carnegie since deer are a big part of Lake Forest's ecosystem, but I was quite surprised and delighted. Does this suggest my separation from nature or is this a normal reaction?

Nature in Paradise Lost

I am taking English 401 which is all about Milton's Paradise Lost and nature is a very important theme in the book. I think it is really interesting that nature plays such a big role even in older epic works. In Paradise Lost Eden is filled with cedars, pines, and flowers and Milton draws a really clear picture of the landscape. Yet, what is interesting to me is that in nature writing, authors often present nature as something perfect and complete. Something that does not need human touch or that is harmed by the presence of humans. In Paradise Lost, on the other hand, the landscape in Eden is something that Adam and Eve need to improve, they have to take care of the land and cultivate it. So this has left me wondering is nature better of untouched like nature writers think it is, or is Milton right in saying that the wilderness needs human improvement?

Seals

Honey Badger

Since we were talking about "The Scavengers" I decided to look up some cool predators. The Honey Badger is a tiny predator, but they have a reputation for aggression and fearlessness even much larger animals such as Spotted Hyena, Lions, or even humans. As a result of this they are not often preyed upon. Folklore says that the Honey badgers first target in an attack is the testicles of its opponent, but this has not been proved or disproved.

Creepy right?

Jamaica

I wrote my otherness paper on Jamaica and how the resort is so perfect it is disturbing because of how fake it is. Here is a picture that might help capture the mood of what I am talking about.

harmony/conflict

I go into my usual intro of “Good Evening, How are you doing tonight?”
The customer usually reply with a “Good how are you?”
Then I continue “Good, thank you! My name is Jeni; I’ll be taking care of you. Can I start you of with something to drink?”
This is my usual routine Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I jot down their drink orders, go to the service station in the back fill a plastic tumbler usually with Diet Coke, and balance a round tray on my hand as I stroll to the table. Then I scribble down their sandwich, burger, rib orders and make my way to the alohas. I swipe my card, put in their orders and go to the kitchen. My manager is standing at the expo line putting together orders. A food runner taps his foot as he waits for a meal to carry out to the proper table. I look around for side work to do in my free time like running plates, or rolling silverware. By the time I do this my food is already at the table and the couple enjoys there dinner. When they finish I take their plates and bring them the check. They slide in a credit card and I grab it; run it through. They put on their jacket head to the door, as the bus girl is cleaning of the table. Six easy dollars in my pocket.

The host pulls out the chairs and opens up their menus. They sit at table 54 and flip through the pages. I walk up to them ready to deliver my usual greeting. Before I can even say hello, she demands a fresh cup of decaf coffee, and water with no ice and lemon. I go to the back, pour her a cup of coffee after asking my fellow servers if it was freshly made and head back to the table with goods. I ask if they are ready to order and she proceeds to go on a five minute rant about her Cobb salad. She only wants romaine lettuce, no olives, no blue cheese; add onions, chopped, mixed with blackened chicken and balsamic vinaigrette on the side. She can tell I was not happy by the fearful expression in my face, as she tells me to make sure the kitchen gets the ticket right. As she is hassling me, the host seats me with two parties of five. I rush over to the Aloha put in her order, and go to the other two tables. As I am getting their drinks ready I notice her salad should be done, but it is not. I ask the kitchen to check on it and they tell me they could not figure out the ticket. As I try to explain what she wanted, the tray of drinks wobbles and slips out of my hands. I am soaked in sticky coca-cola products and embarrassment. I go to remake all the drinks and clean myself of; finally I bring the drinks to my angry tables that are ready to order. As I begin to take their order the lady at 54 is glaring at me, trying to telepathically drill into my head I am a bad waitress. I go check on her salad, it had been ready but there is no food runner. I run out the salad, she says its not right wants to leave and tells me I am incompetent. I take her coffee dump it on her lap, and slap her. I wake up soaked not in coca-cola but in sweat, thank God this was just a dream.

Weekend

This was a great busy weekend. I worked all day Friday and I got an iPhone saturday that I love!! Now I can blog on my iPhone!

Here is something I wrote about visiting my grandparents last summer:

I looked back at my grandparent’s bleak apartment cautiously, trying to absorb the past two months of my vacation in Israel into my memory in those last minutes. I sulked into my bedroom for a brief time, trying to soak in its atmosphere, since I will not feel it around me for a while. The white bed with the peeling paint on it was standing against the white wall that is covered by a flowering brown rug. The bed spread matches the rug with its brown flowered decorations, two little drawer’s stand next to the bed and a white dress towers over them on the left side. It is not a beautiful picture but it was mine for a time. I was trying to preserve a photo like image because I had treasured that vacation so dearly, I did not want to leave, let alone forget it. It felt like I was never there. The flimsy white door bounced back to me after a slammed it in frustration. I figured that this would be the last time I ever saw this room. I had to preserve it in my mind, because the little details are what made the trip so complete.

early thoughts on sublime philosophy

John Dennis was a British Philosopher and was the first one to publish his comments about nature being sublime in a journal letter published as Miscellanies in 1693. He gave an account of crossing the Alps. His exclaimed his prior feelings for the beauty of nature as "delight that is consistent with reason", yet the experience of the journey was at once a pleasure to the eye as music is to the ear, but "mingled with Horrors, and sometimes almost with despair".

This is a picture of Grosser Mythen, in the Swiss Alps.

Picture Story!

This is a short version of the story I wrote to go along with my picture:

She cannot wait to crawl into her bed after her eight-five shift at Abbot, after rushing to beat traffic she parks her Honda accord and runs inside. She jabs the up button, tapping her feet as she waits for the elevator to get to the first floor so she can take it to her fifth floor apartment. The elevator is hot and just as the doors are about to close three people get in. Thankfully they are getting of at the third floor, the elevator dings three times, the door creeps open and the couple gets off. She frantically presses the door close button so no one else can get on. As she anxiously waits to get off she wonders why she didn't notice the photographer in the corner before.

middlefork savanna observations

This is my niche. My playground, shelter, the tall grass that provides me with nutrients, energy, that sustains me. It delivers amino acids that make me grow. We are neighbors, lovers, friends. I share with the zebra bees. There wings flap two hundred times a minute as they gorge on my sweet nectar. I am not mad at them. They are spreading my DNA, so my children can grow. Futile, passionate as the sun plays hide and seek. I seek it, my seeds crave it. I feel the photosynthesis in my body, it is real, and it shakes me. Tall ugly creatures stare at me, think I am weak. They do not see my complexity, my mitochondria, my chloroplasts. They don’t see that our DNA is ninety six percent the same as mine. They trample me, why when they need me? They don’t own me, I own me!

It stands about a foot and a half tall. The stem is round, circular, around a millimeter in diameter. The very bottom of the stem is green, than the green fades into a dark red after about six inches. Then an inch later there is three leaves pointing north, southwest, and southeast. The one green one pointing north is shaped like a teardrop (do blind people know what a teardrop looks like?) it is about a centimeter long and half a centimeter wide. I think the other two are older because they are about an inch long. They have started to turn brown, develop little holes, and crinkle. From were the stem starts is yellow and the upper part is brown. One leaf is curled up completely.
Another inch of red stem, and another cluster of leaves. There are eight in a cluster four around the stem and four bigger ones that are about the length of a long fingernail and than four smaller leaves sticking straight up in the middle. There are two bigger ones that are two to three inches. One is green with brown spots and three small holes in it. The other leaf starts of green then fades to brown then yellow at its curled tip.
Another inch of stem and another similar cluster of leaves, except there is only one big oval leaf that has five or six holes in it, it looks like it was burnt with a lighter.
Another red inch of stem, another of cluster of leaves. Four leaves in the middle cluster around something strange. Inside there are buds, little yellow cones, thin with circular fuzzies (pollan) and four smaller yellow sticks around it. They have a weird rough bumpy texture, than another cluster of leaves with two buds. At the top there are four curled up leaves at opposite corners from each other. They start of red and then fade up to green with three pointed leaves. Than an inch up there are two longer thinner leaves that start of red and then turn to green, they have fuzzy hairs on them. The right one looks healthy, the left one starts of red and turns yellow the tip curls inward. One top is one black strand with prickles that winds up like a loop it is brown and the thinnest part of the plant

field trip & LSAT

The field trip to Middlefork Savanna was very benefecial to me. I took the LSAT today and was really stressed out yesterday, walking around the Savanna was really calming and writing about my relationship with nature really helped get some stress out for me. I took the LSAT this morning so I need to go nap, and I will post my writings tomorrow!

field trip tomorrow should be fun! Looking forward to the weekend. Since the Pollan lecture I've been trying to take his advice, and I feel healthier already!

fall

I love fall, I think some of the best nature writing comes from when people write about fall!

Pollan Reaction

I thought the Pollan lecture today was very informative, and entertaining. I enjoyed his lecture much better than his writing! I thought he was funny and well-spoken. A lot of what he said was very true. I work at a restaurant and our salads even though they are the healthiest thing on the menu, still aren't healthy at all. In fact all our food is very unhealthy and high in calories. Yet, just because we sell salads, or wraps and people perceive them as "healthy" people believe they are eating healthier when they order these foods. Yet, this is not the case at all and the control that the food industry has over government is disturbing as well!

inspirational pictures

I think it would be really cool if this class incorporated some picture taking a long with the writing. Here is some more inspirational pictures taken at a prairie by Lake Forest College.

The Chicago skyline, also something that is very inspiring to me.

This is at the Mediterranean Sea in Israel taken summer 2007. There were tons of jellyfish all over and this view and this sea inspires a lot of my environmental writing!

Michael Pollan's environmental discourse focuses on the food industry. In an Environmental Justice class I took at Lake Forest my favorite book we read was "My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki. The book revolved around Jane,a TV producer, that was directed to make a cooking show that would be featured in Japan. The studio wants her to focus on meats, as she begins making her show she learns a lot about what is really in beef such as the hormone DES. The book dips into a lot of serious issues such as the role of women in America and Japan, but most importantly food politics.
This book was entertaining, and a really fast and easy read. I would recommend it to anyone, but I think people that are interested in Pollan's discourse would really love this book.

Drafts

This was the first part of my poem that I completely got rid of. Though I like it, it did not fit with the poem but not using something you wrote is always hard. So I am going to post it on here!

when thin crooked branches
envelope me
reaching,
twitching,
twisting,
melting
into darkness visible.
I hear their whispered whimpers
worried & weary.
Begging, yearning, pleading
help us.

“All the voices, all the goals, all the yearnings, all the sorrows, all the pleasures, all the good and evil, all of them together was the world. All of them together was the stream of events, the music of life...then the great song of a thousand voices consisted of one word: Om - perfection."
Herman Hesse, Siddhartha

muse

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is something I wrote a while back after a vacation in Israel it was very inspirational to me!

I know were not supposed to do so many posts in one night, but this has been a hectic weekend at work at Chammps and closing every night gives me no time or opportunity to get my thoughts out!

I would walk slowly with the waves following beside me. Salt water splashed on my ankles causing a stinging sensation to run through my cuts and bruises caused by the thousands of mosquitoes and mistaken steps. It’s strange how the salt water actually cures those same cuts. With the power of the sea gliding behind me I slowly made my way to the jagged fence, separating the regular beach and the orthodox beach. For some reason that day, 20 feet away from the fence laid a huge mass. Its hard and textured body was covered in green algae, underneath an almost steel plated shell pure black, shiny eyes stared at me. Salt water and ants had begun to eat away at the shell. The sea turtle was dead, my first significant death discovered at age fifteen.

I know I haven't posted for a while but this my first chance to sit down and have some time with a computer. I just got of work and watching the sunset today inspired me to write this!

sunset
Melting
one with the sky
Like orange sherbet and cotton candy ice cream
During days, when scraped knees would bring about your demise
Palm trees with precious fingers pointing towards the heavens
A young couple glides through the wet sand
With hands entwined,
One

The Aral Sea is located in Central Asia; it lies between Kazakhstan, Karakalpakstan, and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960’s the sea has been drying up at a rapid rate. Throughout this paper I will explain why the desiccation of the Aral Sea is a problem, discuss the market failures that have led up to this problem, and demonstrate how I would value five possible benefits of solving this problem. As a result of the Aral’s desiccation there have been severe environmental, economic and social consequences. Some of these consequences are a loss of biodiversity, dust storms, severe health issues, increased unemployment, and loss of recreational activities. Several market failures have led to the problem including externalities and overexploitation. With a crisis this big it is clear that action needs to be taken in order to save the Aral Sea. There are various benefits to finding a solution to this problem; one can value these benefits through economic valuation methods. Yet, first it is important to understand why the desiccation of the Aral Sea is considered one of the biggest natural resource disasters of the 20th century.

Silent Night

The cold wind that gently tingles my face makes the leaves rustle as though they were whispering. Crickets click rapidly then make no sound at all. This reminds me of a high school lunch room scene. Teenage girls whisper as I walk by, when they think I can not hear them they chirp and gossip, when I turn and give them the death stare; complete silence. The squeal of screeching tires wakes me up from my cafeteria nightmare. The screech fades away and it is silent again. This is how I know it is night, I can only hear one or two cars a minute as they zoom past the usually busy intersection by my house. Heels click and clank up the stairs outside my balcony, metal clicks against metal and then a loud slam of the door. Someones had a long day.

http://www.toptenz.net/top-ten-strangest-natural-phenomena.php

This is a link to a video of Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The explanation for this is that “‘The sun gives off high-energy charged particles (also called ions) that travel out into space at speeds of 300 to 1200 kilometres per second. A cloud of such particles is called a plasma. The stream of plasma coming from the sun is known as the solar wind. As the solar wind interacts with the edge of the earth’s magnetic field, some of the particles are trapped by it and they follow the lines of magnetic force down into the ionosphere, the section of the earth’s atmosphere that extends from about 60 to 600 kilometers above the earth’s surface. When the particles collide with the gases in the ionosphere they start to glow, producing the spectacle that we know as the auroras, northern and southern.’”

Though the explanation is very complicated this is one of the most beautiful naturally occurring things I have ever seen and I thought this would be interesting to share.

I am gazing out the window as I drive past lush green pines tree along highway 34 from Macomb, Illinois. Even after a few days of this class I realize that now I look at nature entirely differently. Last week I would have never payed attention to the euphoric jungle scene were one of my favorite bands, Zmick, was playing yesterday. Yet, this time I took the time to study the thick grass, and lush trees and it made me the afternoon even more. I will defiantly post pictures shortly.

Underneath the mountain ranges

Where the wind that never changes

Touch the windows of my soul

Touch the windows of my soul

I'm just a child of nature

I don't need much to set me free

I'm just a child of nature

I'm one of nature's children

-The beatles "child of nature"

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

~Henry David Thoreau

I am spending the day fishing at Argyle Lake State Park (thats a picture of it above)

Bench in front of Carnegie:

Thin:

As I sit on a brown hard bench, five feet of grey separates me from a field of lush green grass that stands about two inches tall. There are about ten different trees in front of me that are all different shapes and sizes. The tree about ten feet in front of me is the tallest and thickest tree. Its branches probably reach forty feet, the leaves look like one inch spheres on a thin vein; there is about ten of these spheres on each side of the leaf. The tree branches and leaves slowly move up and down, left to right. There is a shade under the tree; despite a bright yellow blinding circle that is to the left of the tree. It appears to be only fifty feet away. Studying it makes me eyes water so I focus my attention to the little white round flowers beyond the grey blocks. The one inch flowers are scattered around the tree. They have little one millimeter petals, a bug that is approximately the same size as the actual flower sits atop of one. To the right a stone rectangle sits on the grass. It is approximately a foot tall and a dirty white color. On top of this rectangle is darker rectangle that is around two inches thick and about two inches longer, so that it hangs over the side. Two unidentifiable shapes sit on top of the rectangles. The plaque on the block reads “DUO”.

Thick:

I sit on a brown hard bench, five feet of grey walkway that hundreds of students use to get to class, separates me from a field of lush green grass. The grass stands only two inches tall; someone has recently mowed it. There are about ten trees in front of me that were all probably planted at different times throughout the college’s history. The tree in front of me has probably seen thousands of students pass as it is the tallest and oldest in appearance. Its branches look like hands climbing up a rope. The weather today is the best that I’ve seen in days. It is only slightly windy, and the bright sun that finally came out to play looks like a juicy orange. Though it seems like I could grasp it in my hands, I know it is truly millions of miles away. The ultraviolet rays hurt my eyes so I focus my attention to a shaded area that is created by the trees branches. Little white flowers line up underneath the shade along the sidewalk. They are so tiny, yet they can hold the weight of a bug that is almost the same size. If the bug was in closer proximity and if I wasn’t in such a good mood I would have probably squashed it. To the right of the old tree there is a green sculpture of a women’s torso bending down on the left side of a cement block. One the right side is a dark rock that looks as though it has been sliced in an angled half with a samurai sword. The two halves of these objects truly make a questionable duo.

Shooting Star Savanna:

Thin:

Twenty feet in front of me all I can see is a sea of green with glimmers of blue. There is an abundance of tall trees with many green leaves on the tree’s branches. Some of the trees have leaves with three sharp corners; other trees have leaves with eight rounded tips. The taller trees have thicker branches. At the top of the trees the branches point upwards, while the branches on the bottom half of the trees hang down. There are several thin trees with a few scraggly leaves. The bench we are sitting on is rounded, stone, light brown and about ten feet across in diameter. In the center of the bench the grass is brown, it is not standing up. Dirt can be seen under the thin grass. The grass on the other side of the bench savanna is a lighter shade of green then the trees and stands erect. The only flowers in the savanna are a bright yellow. Some stand as tall as five feet, while others barely stand a foot tall. The flowers and tree branches sway slowly. The forest looks like it can go on forever, but there seems to be a steep hill about fifty feet away. About five feet in front of me there is a five foot area with wood on the ground that is a black color and there appears to be some ash.

Thick:

The savanna is so filled with trees that I can only see little bits of crystal blue sky through the branches. The taller trees are thicker because they are older and the rings inside a stump of a tree can tell one how old a tree is. The tree branches at the top point upwards; they are reaching towards the sun because it provides them with energy. The branches sway slightly; today the windy city isn’t living up to its name. The hard stone bench encircles grass that is brown and dying because of people trampling it. Still some of the grass attempts to rise and live; its desire for life is contagious. As I lift up my foot up to turn three pieces of grass get pulled out by my sandal. Does this hurt? The forest looks it can go on for an eternity but I know that just behind the trees are mansions. I also know that there is a ravine about fifty feet away, because I have almost fallen down the narrow valley while exploring it in the darkness. The black wood in front of me brings up happy memories of bonfires in the summertime, and I am almost certain that some one was having a bonfire in the savanna. To me this seems like a dangerous idea, but the wood sleeps peacefully on the grass.