Knowing Kate

Paintings by Jack Frost

2012-01-16T10:33:00.001-05:00

Winter Break

2012-01-09T08:50:00.002-05:00

While elves and parents alike were hard at work this holiday season, I enjoyed a relaxing winter break and am ready to take on this last semester of grad school!

penobscot cairn

2011-12-12T09:08:00.001-05:00

The pumpkins pose for a family photo

2011-10-18T22:57:00.001-04:00

Double Rainbow!

2011-10-11T18:45:00.002-04:00

Saw this outside Murray Hall on campus the other day!

Hiking in Maine is like a drug. Addicting!

2011-08-19T12:06:00.005-04:00

View from the top of Chick Hill/Peaked Mtn. I looked at the map after the hike, and you can literally see half of the state from there. Crazy!

View from the top of South Bubble Mtn in Acadia Natl Park. That's Jordan Pond and then the ocean in the background.

Maine: Where the Fish Just Jump on Your Hook

2011-07-25T09:00:00.004-04:00

So yesterday at Holbrook Pond I was just messing around trying to remember how to fish (since it's been years, and I just got my Maine fishing license). Then, while I was fixing the line that was all tangled, my hook and worm happened to be in the water and a redbreasted sunfish just decided to catch itself on my hook! I wasn't even trying or ready for it!!! But after that I caught some type of bass (smallmouth I think) and another sunfish!
I guess this makes me an angler now.... :D

Moving Again!

2011-06-21T15:05:00.001-04:00

Kah-Bluey Taste Test Kitchen Trial #1

2011-06-19T23:01:00.007-04:00

During a day of field work doing lake water sampling this summer a co-worker used the word kahblewy and I said: "Hm, that sounds like the name of a desert"! And so I was tasked with the oh so difficult and laborious job of inventing a desert to match the name. Some initial brainstorms with other lab folks resulted in the idea of an exploded s'more theme. I decided to run with it and here are photos of the first Norris Test Kitchen Trial!

Ingredients: Graham crackers, marshmallows, butter, blue food coloring, coconut, chopped walnuts, dark chocolate chips

guerilla art

2011-06-15T11:40:00.004-04:00

book leave behinds

swap jar of goodies

"Please Take One" coupon flier with happy messages

Look! It's working!

(the book was gone to0...)

Maps are so cool

2011-06-14T00:05:00.001-04:00

http://subk.net/mapsindex.html

Luna meets The Peugeot

2011-05-01T14:38:00.002-04:00

Thoughts on names? I'm thinking Leona Peugeot (because the Peugeot emblem is a lion...)

Sweeeet Bikes in Denmark!

2011-05-01T01:16:00.002-04:00

Check out this really rad cycling blog: http://www.copenhagenize.com/

And I totally want one of these!! Too bad I don't live in Denmark...wait, maybe I could move there...hm...

http://www.larryvsharry.com/english/index.html

Spring = Field Work!

2011-04-10T18:23:00.003-04:00

So I don't know if anyone really reads this much anymore since I haven't been posting frequently, but I thought I give a brief update about what's coming up for me this spring.

I've got my thesis research project sorted out mostly and I'm gearing up (literally) these next two weeks to begin one heck of a field season. Spring a has started here in Maine (finally) and that means I need to get out in the lakes and stream and start running my experiments!!!

Basically, I'm going to be studying how alewives (a sea-run fish) influence the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous available to algae in lakes and their outlet streams.

Needless to say, since this is also the last month of school, life is a bit insane, but since field work is was I absolutely LOVE about ecology and environmental science work, I can't wait to get my feet wet (or not if my waders do their job...).

I'll try to get some pictures of me doing some field work to post here!

(p.s. And just to make everyone jealous, half of my field sites are out on Mount Desert Island, you know, where Acadia National Park is!)

Why Science takes a long time...

2011-03-16T21:58:00.001-04:00

But then, so does government only for a completely different reason.

Go Science!

http://survivingtheworld.net/Lesson901.html

Music Balance

2011-01-30T21:59:00.001-05:00

Once you're inspired by balance from the video in the last post. Feel free to enjoy the great music in this one.

Vancouver Rock Balancing

2011-01-30T21:49:00.002-05:00

I had heard about this guy a while back during the Vancouver Winter Olympics and decided to look him up again. I should find someplace in Maine to do this...

Such a wonderful idea!!!

2010-12-12T01:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61822583/yarn-bowl?ref=fp_treasury_1

How to ID an Ecologist: A Dichotomous Key

2010-11-28T02:18:00.001-05:00

(I got this from my friend Matt and it made me laugh!)

Yes, Ecologists. It’s sometimes tricky to distinguish an ecologist
from your typical human on the street. So, in the following, I relate
to you how to ”key out” this magnificent creature in your day-to-day
people watching. I’m sure, once you identify your very first
ecologist, you will become as interested in the sport as I have been
these past months.

1. Is the animal male or female? If male, proceed to #2. If female,
proceed to # 3.

2. Does the animal exhibit bushy beard growth and/or have clumps of
mud in their hair (may also include ears)? If yes- proceed to #3 If
no- you have not found an ecologist.

3. Does the animal have a permanent sunglasses tan and more than one
pair of rubber boots (varying heights – knee, hip, chest-wader- and
brands -xtratuf, generic Walmart, Cabelas-)? If yes, then proceed to
#4, if no, then you have not found an ecologist.

4. ***very important hint here*** Does the animal drink solely out
of metal water bottles while outside and glass jam jars in the office?
If yes, proceed to #5. If no, you have not found an ecologist.

5. If observing a group of possible ecologists, do 75+% of them own a
flock of clover-fed, organic for-eggs and for-meat chickens and/or
maintain large tracts of organic vegetable garden? If true, then
proceed to #7. If unsure, proceed to #6. If no, you have not found
ecologists.

6. Do any of the possible ecologists participate in inter-office
e-mail discussions about making a personnel-driven compost system with
lunch cast-offs, implementing more comprehensive recycling at
department functions, or where to buy a potted plant birthday gift
that was 1)grown locally and 2)not invasive to the region? If yes,
then continue to #7. If no, then…probably not.

7. If you find yourself, when in their presence, increasingly
admiring their love of the world we’ve been given, commitment to
leaving it better than they found it, and joyful outlook and
whole-hearted embrace of life…then you have found an ecologist.

Unexpectedly Insightful

2010-11-25T23:27:00.003-05:00

This TEDx video was really great.
At one point, the speaker says the following, and I totally feel like this...

"What I'm doing is fulfilling your expectations of how I should live my life. I feel that expectation and so I accommodate it and I'm living my life according to what you expect me to do."

So how do I break free from this? I feel like I'm stuck here, fulfilling other people's expectations.

So Cool!

2010-11-13T18:07:00.002-05:00

Check out how this crazy German musician uses a piano!

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/11/131245315/hauschka-gets-the-most-out-of-88-keys

Check out this innovative place at NYU

2010-11-08T11:48:00.000-05:00

http://www.environmentalhealthclinic.net/

What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.

2010-11-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/11/04/131063948/moon

Ready for Winter!

2010-10-27T20:21:00.004-04:00

Hooray for new winter boots!!! The lighting in these pictures make them look more green than they really are..
But, they're from a Canadian company and we'll see how they hold up to a Maine winter.
:D

This is totally me!

2010-10-26T22:55:00.003-04:00

I saw this comic in another grad student's cubicle and it's totally me.

The Clock of Long Now

2010-10-25T21:05:00.001-04:00

It's concepts like this that give me faith in humanity.

http://longnow.org/static/djlongnow_media/press/pdf/0200602-Chabon-TheFutureWillHavetoWait.pdf

I hope I have a kid like this someday!

2010-10-22T17:52:00.001-04:00

Proof!

2010-10-20T23:49:00.002-04:00

Today my green tea bag told me:

2010-10-17T12:46:00.001-04:00

To learn, read.
To know, write.
To master, teach.

The BMW is Starting to Look Like a Mainer!

2010-10-13T15:44:00.002-04:00

Rediscovering that Proust was a Neuroscientist

2010-10-06T20:50:00.003-04:00

It was over a year ago I believe that my mom recommended a book to me called "Proust Was a Neuroscientist". I was immediately intrigued by the book and its exploration of 19th century creatives as individuals who discovered truths about the human brain that neuroscience is now only rediscovering. Nonfiction however, sometimes has a tough time holding my attention and although I started the book, I never finished it. As these things always go, I was working on school stuff at the local coffee/burrito/hangout and sitting next to me on the bookshelf was the book. It's funny how things surface and resurface in life. So, inspired again, and feeling more ready to really read it at this point in my life, I bought it (and at $6 it was a bargain).

I told you all that to share with you a passage from the Prelude to the book. It's about art and science, two very important topics/concepts to me and things I continually strive to integrate.
Here it is:

"Unfortunately, our current culture subscribes to a very narrow definition of truth. If something can't be quantified or calculated, then it can't be true. Because this strict scientific approach has explained so much, we assume that it can explain everything. But every method, even the experimental method, has limits. Take the human mind. Scientists describe our brain in terms of its physical details; they say we are nothing but a loom of electrical cells and synaptic spaces. What science forgets is that this isn't how we experience the world. (We feel like the ghost, not like the machine.) It is ironic but true: the one reality science cannot reduce is the only reality we will ever know. This is why we need art. By expressing our actual experience, the artist reminds us that our science is incomplete, that no map of matter will ever explain the immateriality of our consciousness.

The moral of this book is that we are made of art and science. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, but we are also just stuff. We now know enough about the brain to realize that its mystery will always remain. Like a work of art, we exceed our materials. Science needs art to frame the mystery, but art needs science so that not everything is a mystery. Neither truth alone is our solution, for our reality exists in plural."

Hopefully that gets you thinking. Perhaps I'll find another good artistic outlet soon...but for now, back to science.

Tromping Through the Maine North Woods

2010-09-27T14:08:00.005-04:00

I spent this weekend hiking around the woods and streams and lakes of the middle of nowhere Northern Maine. It was actually pretty fun, despite the fact that my lab group partners and I had to FIND let alone sample 4 streams in 3 days. On the drive there we saw a MOOSE and I was sooo excited!!! (But then later when we were bushwacking our way around this pond we saw moose tracks and I was like, AH! I hope we don't see a moose! :D
Despite all the copious amounts of hiking and carrying sampling gear all over the place, it was beautiful up there and all the leaves were turning breath-taking colors. It was also really quite, which is hard to find.
Sadly, it rained on and off and was overcast both nights so no stargazing....
But, here are some pictures. Enjoy!

"Whatever Helps You Get It Up"

2010-09-23T10:56:00.003-04:00

That's one of the things I overheard yesterday during my kayak roll clinic with the MaineBound Adventure Center folks.

But, innuendos aside, I am SOOOOO excited that after only about an hour and a half I finally learned how to roll a whitewater kayak! This has been something I've wanted to be able to do for so long and it's just an awesome feeling to be able to finally do it!!!!
Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of video, so you'll have to take my word for it, but overall I had a really fun time, met some cool new people and go really exhausted. :D
That's all for now folks!

Mimicing is a form of Compliment

2010-09-22T08:43:00.003-04:00

Lesson #1-Tea Parties

And NO I'm not talking about the political "tea party", which is definitely NOT as cool as a real tea party. Hmm...so maybe I don't exactly fit my own trend lines...

An Economist I Can Relate To!

2010-09-19T22:09:00.001-04:00

Soup x Soup x Biscuits x Friends = 1st Dinner Party in Maine

2010-09-19T11:57:00.005-04:00

Tonight I'm having some new friends over for dinner and I'm so excited!
I'm making 2 kinds of soup (Spicy Peanut and Creamy Potato Leek), biscuits, and possibly an apple dessert!
Here are some pictures of my table. I'll post more after the food's done!

Living in a strange small town

2010-09-17T19:44:00.002-04:00

I've driven past these places a few times now, but today I noticed something particularly intriguing.
I don't have pictures but I'll try to paint the picture for you.

An archery store that has in the front window display a stuffed bear holding a hunting bow riding an inflatable triceratops, surrounded by other inflatable dinosaurs. This store is across the street from a store called Gary's Discount Store, which sells....I don't know what. Rumor has it you can get bed frames there. Both are down the street from Tim's Little Big Store, which is apparently the place to get the cheapest beer.

That's all for now.
Next time I'll try highlight some of the more exciting, but in a good way things :D

Apples and an Answer

2010-09-15T12:36:00.002-04:00

So, I don't have any pictures yet, but I bought a bunch of really yummy, crisp, tart apples from the farmers market and I'm planning on making some sort of apple dessert soon!

As for an answer, I was in my Advanced Conservation Biology grad class yesterday and our classroom has a bunch of stuffed deer/bison/elk heads, etc (which are slightly creepy), BUT, it also has a bunch of other random biology specimens and a bunch of them were LICHENS! and one of the forest/alpine ones looked just like the fluffy stuff I saw on my hike. This means my mom was right!

That's all for now...

Quiche and a Question

2010-09-06T20:34:00.007-04:00

MMmmm! I made quiche last night for dinner and it was sooooo good. I think quiche might be right up there with ice cream and cream cheese for why I don't think I'll ever be vegan.

Also, I went on a bike then hike adventure with a new friend today and when we were hiking we came upon a big patch of this mossy stuff. I'm not sure what it is, but it was pretty stiff, not at all the soft fluffy greenish snow that it looks like from a distance. Any ideas on what it could be?

the little things

2010-09-05T19:00:00.003-04:00

i was grocery shopping last night, just browsing and wandering and i found this. i really loved the color and texture of it. i didn't buy it because i wanted to smell it first...

LOONS!

2010-09-03T20:15:00.002-04:00

I was out early this morning with the lab technician from my research lab, helping him do some lake sampling and we saw LOONS! It's the first time I've seen any since I've been here. I would have liked to take a picture, but I didn't have my camera with me in the boat...maybe next time.
(I kind of felt like I was on Golden Pond) :D

In Which Katie Encounters a School of Fish (up close and personal)

2010-09-02T19:31:00.005-04:00

It has been blazing hot the past couple of days in Maine, which is really unusual for this time of year. Today it was ~89F with a heat index of much higher.
So, because none of the houses or buildings up here have A/C, I decided to go for a little swim.

Earlier today my River Ecology class when out to the Stillwater River to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates, and it was a lot of fun, but it also introduced me to a really cool place on a nearby river. There were TONS of rocks everywhere (because the river was so low, because it hasn't rained here in a while). And if you don't already know, I LOVE rocks, especially ones like these, because they were so smooth and rounded and big and small and just perfect for stacking.... I'll have to take pictures, it's hard to describe how beautiful this place is, it's so different from how rivers in Ohio look.

Anyway, so, after my bike ride home from campus after lab, I decided to go over and have a swim in the river. It was wonderful. I felt like a combination of Pocahontas and a river nymph, because it was so rocky and there were little pools and riffles and big rocky outcroppings with secret pools. Needless to say, it was cool and refreshing and I was exploring around, which I love to do. I found a good spot that was deep enough to relax in and was doing just that when I looked down and found a 5-6inch fish looking at me. I then realized that there were several other of the same kind of fish also looking at me. For some reason my first thought was that they were a school of piranhas! (Must have had something to do with having Sheldon, our piranha around in our house last year) I soon realized that piranhas are not native to Maine and that they were of course some other kind of fish, which was true because they didn't have teeth, just regular open fish suction mouths. Following the whole Pocahontas theme, I kept very still and just watched them back, I was hoping to touch one or something, but eventually a really brave one, who had become intrigued with my shoe (Keen's are pretty cool) decided to get closer. He tried to nibble at my shoe a few times and then lost interest. It was really cool and crazy. They all sort of realized that I wasn't terribly interesting or threatening so they kept watching for a while but then swam off. I decided that I probably couldn't top that so I got out, stacked a few rocks (because I couldn't resist, they were so perfect for it), tried to balance a few rocks on end, like the amazing rock balancing/stacking guy in Vancouver (who is amazing and probably who I want to be like when I get older) and then came home for dinner.

All in all, a pretty darn good day.

Katie Becomes a Teacher!

2010-08-31T10:30:00.003-04:00

So I've added another hat to my growing collection of professions. Yesterday was my first day as a TA for intro Biology lab. I teach 3 sections of about 18 students, and I think it's actually going to be kind of fun. I don't really have to lecture at all, because the students are responsible for preparing ahead of time and doing the opening lecture at the beginning of every class. Here are a few pictures of me in one of the labs.

Mmmm! Falafel!

2010-08-25T18:13:00.003-04:00

Yum! I decided last night to make falafel pita wraps with sauted onions and peppers, home-grown tomatoes and freshly made cucumber-dill sauce with home-grown cucumbers!!! It was sooo delicious that I just had to take pictures. OH! and I made sweet potato fries. (And here's a picture of my roommates adorable goofy dog named Mercury, he's and Akita)

A Cube!

2010-08-24T17:36:00.004-04:00

This is my new graduate TA/Research cube. I have two neighbors (I'm the last one by the window), and I've decorated it to make it feel more like me!

License Plates I Saw On My Roadtrip!

2010-08-23T17:07:00.000-04:00

California, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Arkansas, Wisconsin

Canada: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

New Metroparks Outdoor Rec Video!

2010-08-23T13:06:00.001-04:00

MOOSE!

2010-08-17T21:44:00.001-04:00

Mary Tyler Moore Makes it to Maine!

2010-08-17T21:29:00.004-04:00

So, my mom kept telling me that I was like Mary Tyler Moore (a tv show from the 70s) because I set out on my own on a big adventure just like she did (watch a clip of it on youtube if you like).
Anyway, here are the last of the pictures from the trip. Next I'll put some on of my new house!!!

More Travelin' Photos

2010-08-15T18:15:00.005-04:00

(I forgot to take pictures at the place I stayed in Ithaca...too much fun I guess)
(Also, these are chronological from bottom to top)

Road-Tripping!

2010-08-15T18:03:00.002-04:00

So far the adventure has been going pretty well. I've had fun visiting everyone along the way. And really appreciated all of their hospitality.
I'm keeping a running count of all the different state license plates I've seen. I'll post that when I finally get to my new house.
Also, one of the craziest things was that I saw ~16 cars on the MassPike alone with either kayaks or a canoe on top!!! I also saw lots of people with bikes, and roof racks. I hope this continues into Maine.
Anyway, here are some pics:

Leaving the Country

2010-08-14T21:37:00.002-04:00

A Stop in the Country

2010-08-13T20:14:00.005-04:00

So I've arrived at the first stop along my journey and I've been enjoying the fresh air and refreshing pool!
Here are some photos:

The Start of Another Grand Adventure

2010-08-13T10:51:00.002-04:00

Hopefully I'll be able to keep everyone updated along my journey to Maine, and when I get there.
I'll definitely miss my homes of Cincinnati and Dayton. I met so many wonderful people in both places and made so many good memories.
Be sure to visit Maine while I'm there, and who knows...maybe I'll move back to Dayton some day... :D

Spinning wheels...

2010-08-12T18:09:00.000-04:00

well, if I ever get to Maine, I'll be sure to send pictures...

Roadtrip Countdown

2010-08-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

Get ready Maine, because here I come!!!

Pie Days of Summer

2010-07-09T17:55:00.003-04:00

Cycling Banned in a Colorado town!?!

2010-06-26T11:35:00.001-04:00

Really?
That's all I have to say.
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-24-biking-not-casinos-banned-in-small-colorado-town

Hiking Germantown

2010-05-31T10:58:00.002-04:00

So the backpacking trip for this weekend fell through but instead we hiked the orange loop in Germantown MetroPark. (http://metroparks.org/Parks/Germantown/Maps.aspx). Myself and two others started around 10am and finished about 1:30pm with 20min break right after the dam. It was a good hike. Exhausting, but good. Sadly I didn't take any pictures... maybe next time.
But, now I can check off 1 more metropark from the list for my goal to visit all of them before I leave Dayton in the fall.

"Industrial meat comes with antibiotics and endocrine disruptors"

2010-05-18T11:50:00.002-04:00

Check out this really interesting study on meat, diet, vegetarianism and toxic chemicals found in food.
Here are two articles covering the same study:
http://www.grist.org/article/Industrial-meat-comes-with-antibiotics-and-endocrine-disruptors

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/phthalates-antibiotics-reduced-after-vegetarian-diet/

# Days Biking to Work: 2

2010-05-12T09:18:00.002-04:00

Travel Time: ~15min to campus and ~20min to home
Sweaty-ness: not too bad
Traffic: Ok, some idiot yelled at me to "Get off the road", well guess what Mr. Angry Man, I will NOT get off the road, learn to SHARE!!!

A Dayton Kind of Summer

2010-05-10T22:42:00.002-04:00

So my goal this summer before I leave Dayton:
To visit all of the MetroParks, buy local food at the market, bicycle all over, find a place to make pottery, keep a happiness journal, and kayak/canoe at least once a week.

I'll be sure to take pictures and update about all of those.
Yay for summer!

Rivers in Maine

2010-04-26T10:45:00.002-04:00

Shout Out

2010-04-20T09:34:00.002-04:00

So I just want to give quick recognition to a wonderful little (or not so little) thing called Dayton Freecycle. It's a super idea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freecycling), where people in a region join a listserve to basically swap stuff they don't want anymore, but don't want to throw away. Sort of like Craigslist, but FREE!!!

I've received some great stuff off of it (coffeemaker, bike, etc), and recently I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff that I don't need anymore. It's a win-win, you can't beat it!

Haikus

2010-04-11T00:40:00.002-04:00

So, I wrote some haikus for an art exhibit I have coming up. Some of them are specifically inspired by certain photographs (not included though)

Here goes:

Fish jumps in my boat!
Surprising reminders
of life in the river

into the daylight
happiness spreads like my smile
sense of peace outside

find new in the old
wonder in the history
beauty in the cracks

residing isn't living
knowing takes exploration
sense of place blossoms

life by bicycle
focus heightens awareness
the road is ours too

like an urban secret
I find connections thrilling
cars zoom unknowing
(this one has to do with the pedestrian bridge over 35)

water here abounds
flowing opportunities
tap into Dayton

our paddles in hand
like ambitious explorers
we are the future

Bathtub Rocks!

2010-04-09T00:35:00.002-04:00

I wish my shower always looked like this!
:D

Poems

2010-04-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

So some of you may remember way back two summers ago when I started this blog, I wrote a poem called Summer Apex (see below). Well, its prediction of coming change is again relevant. Change is coming. Now, the reason I remembered this was because I found another poem that I had written at the same time and I thought I'd share it. I'll just say though that it's very random and stream of consciousness.

Summer Apex

July first is the high noon of summer
It's been climbing to the top of my calendar for a month
waiting, rising, intensifying
I feel its bright and lonely scorcher sear
my alabaster, ginger-pale skin reddens
This July first brings both deadly UV and change
Here it comes
following closely behind this cronological apex
I gaze east and see August like a pale full moon
filled with promises
escape, nights of cool lunacy, you.
These 31 days can't fall off the horizon fast enough.

Untitled

I wanted to write a poem.
and I wanted to be creative
stifled in this maze of gray
diseases spot my elbow
spores of moldy poison black
pepper on my alabaster
albatrosses dead and flight
flying with my thoughts of you
carefully hurting
cautiously festering
wonder wander heart so dear
if i shave my head and beard
hat and eyes and lashes too
can you follow if you go
i don't want you
noses grow
wooden body wooden mind
wouldn't mind some apple pie
fruited lonely lovely lie
lying under skies of past
speeding stars and history
teach me something new of me
let me learn the color you
twining hairs and hearts and hands
do touches span the ocean blue?

Bicycle Math

2010-03-28T23:26:00.004-04:00

10am: Katie's Total # Bicycles = 2
(1 Red Road Bike, Name: Luna; 1 Blue Road Bike, Name: None)

6pm: +1 Purple Mountain Bike
(adopted off of Freecycle Dayton)

11pm: -1 Blue Road Bike
(originally rescued from a dumpster; given to friend)

11:30pm: Katie's Total # Bicycles = 2

Once Upon A Time I Traveled to Madison...

2010-03-23T20:49:00.000-04:00

Mumford & Sons

2010-03-16T00:42:00.001-04:00

Check out this cool new band from London. A friend recommended them to me today and I really enjoy their music. Plus, they're coming to Columbus May 22nd so if anyone (including myself) is around, lets go!

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

Cubist Orange

2010-03-11T14:45:00.002-05:00

Thoughts for today

2010-03-10T15:33:00.004-05:00

From reading excerpts-
"The Gift of Good Land" by Wendell Berry:
"The ability to be good is not the ability to do nothing. It is not negative or passive. It is the ability to do something well - to do good work for good reasons. In order to be good you have to know how - and this knowing is vast, complex, humble and humbling; it is of the mind and of the hands, of neither alone."

*No fish were harmed in the taking of this photograph

Beautiful Enough Out for Laundry Day!

2010-03-08T23:43:00.002-05:00

Moving Backwards

2010-03-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

So Liz sent me this NY Times article about the Clean Water Act and what's been happening recently related to our waterways. Kind of makes me wonder what else is going on beyond the public radar...?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/us/01water.html?sq=clean

p.s. NYC is big and exciting and interesting, but I don't think I could ever live here. Not enough breathing room/trees/mountains/etc

More Photos

2010-03-02T23:08:00.002-05:00

B-Town Photos

2010-03-02T23:01:00.002-05:00

So, here are the discreet photos I took in Burlington. I tried not to look like a tourist so I didn't get photos of all of the really cool coffee shops and book store I visited.

B-Town

2010-03-02T08:48:00.004-05:00

-Everyone wears boots (at least in the winter)
-All the men have beards,
-metal water bottles abound.
-You hear French in a coffee shop (must be Canadian) where 2ft from you they're roasting the beans.
-Walking and biking preferred
-if you must drive, 4WD is required and at least some kind of roof rack with gear.
-everyone has a dog. I've seen at least 10.
-Beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the mountains across the lake in NY
And, best of all, every place has good food, no neon signs glaring ads, and great music everywhere.

A Travelin Again

2010-02-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

BUBBLE!

2010-02-25T00:38:00.000-05:00

Just because.

This Made My Day Today

2010-02-22T23:01:00.001-05:00

He is so darn cute even though he doesn't know the words to the song.
I'm also amazed by how awesome he is at playing the ukulele!!!

John Francis

2010-02-17T16:54:00.002-05:00

Not only does this man tell his inspiring tale, but he also plays the banjo!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T09:41:00.002-05:00

Blue Green Snow!

2010-02-09T11:22:00.003-05:00

I decided to spruce up our front yard!
Check it out:

sNOw Tree Like the Sycamore

2010-02-07T18:55:00.003-05:00

After three days of thick white snow, which I haven't been too happy about, I finally figured out a redeeming quality for it.
Now, ALL the trees look like sycamores! (These are my favorite trees by the way)

The way I see it, the other trees got jealous, and so with the snow came perfect sycamore camouflage!

(I'll have to take a picture tomorrow, I didn't have my camera with me outside today)

New Transportation Comes to OH (Just as I'm Leaving)

2010-02-05T19:27:00.003-05:00

If you haven't heard yet, the proposed train system linking Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland finally has funding. They plan to begin construction in the spring and it will hopefully be done by 2012. Check out the link here: http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/default.aspx

Too bad I probably won't be here to use it...

:(

Dreams and Birds

2010-02-03T10:52:00.002-05:00

It's funny how when you read or think about something before you go to bed, that you sometimes dream about it while you're sleeping. Last night I was reading a book about the 1913 flood in Dayton and then I had a dream about being in a flood. I also had a dream about a big puppy, but, I think that's because I really want a pet right now.
Speaking of pets though, I'm REALLY excited because my birds finally found the feeder I put out for them. I think it took me a few tries to find the right place, but they were all over my balcony this morning and it made smile to watch them. My goal is to figure out what kind of birds they are so I can start naming them. :D

Birthday Fun!

2010-01-31T19:00:00.003-05:00

Advice from The Book of Answers

2010-01-27T15:37:00.003-05:00

Bowling Score for Yesterday:

2010-01-24T11:20:00.001-05:00

121! (and I got 2 strikes in a row, but choked on the third so sadly I didn't get a turkey...)

Winter Hike

2010-01-23T14:22:00.002-05:00

Today I decided to check out one of the Metroparks that I've never been to before. I was surprised at how close and nice Hills and Dales park was to campus. I didn't care for the fact that it was bordered by a golf course, but I still enjoyed the hike. Here are some pictures I took during my hike:

Roadtrip, Ithaca NY, and a Wedding

2010-01-18T14:29:00.004-05:00

This weekend I traveled to Ithaca, NY for a wedding and it was so fun! I miss getting away for some adventure. Here are some pictures from the trip:

My teacher assigned me a paper where I was allowed to rant...

2010-01-07T22:24:00.001-05:00

Concern for the natural environment is not a new phenomenon, but perhaps its importance is more crucial now than ever before. Everyday the number and scale of environmental problems increases as humans create them and as knowledge of the damage is better understood. In addition, these issues are becoming increasingly complex due to the scales of human influence and growing globalization. With world population rising, the excessive overconsumption and heavy reliance on fossil fuel energy, associated with the industrialized standard of living, all exacerbate the overwhelming situation facing citizens today and those of future generations. Of course there are many factors that contribute to the why and how of each individual and interconnected environmental issue, but as Aldo Leopold claimed in his 1949 Sand County Almanac: “The land relation is still strictly economic, entailing privileges but not obligations.” I believe that this statement still rings true today, over sixty years later, and lies literally at the heart of the problem. As a society, the people of the United States are mentally and physically disconnected from the natural world, which means there exists a lack of understanding and respect for what has become other.

When respect for the environment is lost a reinforcing cycle of separation and domination occurs. For example, increasing numbers of people, and most upsettingly children, are spending the majority of their time indoors. This means they mostly interact, understand and feel comfortable in the human-built environment, rather then in mixed or even natural areas. While this separation may seem benign or even preferable to some, it is closely related to the reality of domination and control that humans inflict upon the natural environment, especially natural resources seen as valuable to human society. Mountains, huge timeless peaks, are being blown apart to extract coal that fuels the insatiable need for electricity. Oil is drilled with little regard for its impact upon the surrounding landscape. Fossil fuels are burned and along with industry, produce harmful toxins that intensify air pollution. Forests, including evergreen, deciduous, and rainforests, are clear-cut for paper products or cropland. Practices of industrial agriculture utilize large amounts of pesticides and herbicides, genetically modify crops and plant monoculture fields all for the sake of control and production, not growth. Fisheries are being depleted to beyond repair through a tragedy of the commons. Fresh water is disappearing as pollution increases or is used for irrigation. Massive mountains of waste grow in landfills fed by a throw-away mentality, as more electronic and hazardous waste is shipped overseas to places without regulations. Clearly, these issues are all important from an ecological perspective, but they also have components of social injustice, especially in connection to human health, racial inequality and class divisions. Here, in order to correct environmental externalities, is where environmental policy becomes very important, and difficult.

If a democratic republic is to effectively represent the community which it governs in a just and timely manner, thereby ensuring the legitimacy of its authority, then the governmental bodies in the United States need some improvement related to environmental resource and justice issues. Politics and policy relating to environmental problems are currently bogged down by bureaucratic processes, lobbyists, and segregated policies and governing bodies. In particular, if the US is to get serious about addressing environmental sustainability problems, then the Environmental Protection Agency needs a stronger and more respected ability to enforce regulations or incentives. This is also true of other governmental bodies because increasingly it is corporations that must be changed. The Superfund program is one example of a policy that started out strong and effective in cleaning up contaminated sites, but has had its teeth removed in recent years, and needs reinforcing. Some strategies have worked better though, like the Acid Rain Policy which has reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide pollution over the past decade. Interestingly, other countries have been much more effective and timely in their approach dealing with environmental issues politically, which begs the question of why, and what can the US learn from them as we move forward?

Attempting to initiate changes in social perceptions is just as difficult as creating effective environmental policy, but both are necessary if any significant progress is to be made in terms of environmental sustainability. It is doubtful that technology alone will be able to solve environmental problems, and may in fact create further dependencies on technology that simply serve as band-aids and not solutions. What may be able to help is grassroots reclamation of empowerment stemming from a humbling land ethic that changes people’s hearts and minds so they in turn want to create effective, just and sustainable policies. Leopold explains the idea of a land ethic when he says, “The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land...In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.” Thus, since society is merely the affirmation of what individuals have collectively chosen to create and accept, then I see no reason why we can’t just choose to choose a more just, happier and sustainable society.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T13:08:00.002-05:00

Cheers to a new start! Let us be awash in adventures, grateful for the small things and joyful throughout.
-KT

Knitting Fun

2009-12-29T17:41:00.002-05:00

It's a tiny cup warmer:

Or an egg sweater!

Knittin Mittens

2009-12-28T19:05:00.002-05:00

So I'm attempting to learn how to knit using double pointed needles because I'm determined to learn how to knit mittens! Any help would be much appreciated!

Flying!

2009-12-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

One Beautiful Place

2009-12-17T00:30:00.000-05:00

What fuels you?

2009-12-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

Clark!

2009-12-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

Summer, why did you leave me?

2009-12-09T16:36:00.001-05:00