I get up this morning and it's misting pretty heavily and the forecast called for rain so I suit up for a trek in the rain. Of course, right when I step outside, the sky decides to open up! I walked a mile in a downpour! It was raining so hard that the water sealant on my backpack couldn't take it and some of my stuff got damp and randomly some parts got a little wet at the bottom (airing everything, plus the backpack out now). I think my rainboots might have a small leak in them too...My feet tend to get a little damp as I walk. I can't decide if it's because everything else is getting wet so the water trickles down to my feet and I only notice it more because, let's face it, who likes wet feet in shoes? I can't decide, but it's kind of annoying. I also learned today I can't wear my orthodics with the boots. They raise my foot too much so then it pinches my feet really badly. I'm sure I'll get used to this whole boot thing eventually. Today was only the 2nd time I've used them! I did appreciate the fact I didn't have to worry about puddles, though. Campus sidewalks flood a LOT. The funny thing is I went to class and when we walked out...the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. Of course it had to downpour when I had to go somewhere...
After class today and doing homework with a friend I ran around town doing all sorts of things. I went into Isla Vista to pick up our environmental law reader. It's basically all your required reading professional xerox'd and cheaply bounded so it's like a textbook, but doesn't make you have to print everything out. I rather like the readers since I don't have to spend the time/effort printing the readings even if they do cost $30 (price depends on many pages the reader is). I also did laundry in between my running around (laundry wash, IV run, laundry dry, dental clinic, picked-up laundry). I went to the dental clinic to make a cleaning/exam appointment. Since they don't have hygienists on Friday (how stupid!), it was a real struggle to find a time I could come in since they are also closed from noon-1:30pm M-F for lunch. We finally found a compatible day, except it's May 19th. LoL Turns out I could have actually done the appointment the Monday that week or the Monday the week before, but I forgot Stats ended. Oh well. So I'll get my teeth cleaned, x-rays, and then talk about my potential TMJ issue.
Well, with that, it's time to work on some homework.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Blind Side, An Education, and Fantastic Mr. Fox
Blind Side - It's no wonder Sandra Bullock was nominated and won the Oscar for this performance. She does an amazing acting job and really plays the kick-butt mom that you don't want to get in the way of. I don't know how true it is to real life, but I enjoyed Sandra's performance a great deal. SJ, the little boy, was SO cute too. Sandra really made this movie and without her performance it would have just been a sub-par movie. The storyline was, of course, touching and moving, but her performance just stood out a LOT to make this movie the hit it was. It's really one of those movies you have to watch for the performance more than it is for the story since you already know it. A
An Education - I'd heard about this movie, but wanted to see it for myself. I thought the acting was good and the main female actress really had a standout performance. It, again, was no wonder she was nominated for the Oscar for this performance. It was obvious through the film about what was happening and it really was "an education" for her about life and what's important. It's based on a memoir, so it was interesting. I'm mostly indifferent to this film since, for me, I can't really 'relate' to the film, but it had an interesting message in there about running away to experience life vs taking the hard road. Not sure if the film is really something someone should/would want to watch, but if it appeals for you...it'll be a good film. Though, reading a good synopsis is probably just as good as watching the film. A-
Fantastic Mr. Fox - I never read the story by Roald Dahl, so I can't say how it compares, but it was nice to see a stop-action film. The story was cute too. It was well done and the voice cast was pretty amazing. George Clooney, though, through me off sometimes as Mr. Fox. I would visualize THE George Clooney and how he would say a line instead of immersing myself into Mr. Fox. On the other hand, Mr. Fox was a lot like George Clooney in Ocean's 11 (the Clooney character I would think of) so I guess it was kind of fitting. Overall, I enjoyed the film and thought it was a cute film. It kind of felt like a grown-up animation film that could also double for a kid or something. I could also see why it got the praise it did. The stop-action and how they did it worked for this story very well. A-
I want to see Clash of the Titans, Date Night, and How to Train Your Dragon, but might wait till they come out on DVD. My next big film I WILL watch in theaters is Iron Man 2! It comes out May 7th, which is a bummer since my stupid 9-day law class starts the day before, but maybe I'll see it after the law class ends.
Speaking of 9-day law class...the syllabus itself sounds intimidating and scary! It's a Duke law professor who is coming out and the way the syllabus is written is kind of scary! Not to mention he does not allow ANY computers in the class even if you use them for note taking. I'm seriously buying the reader as soon as I can and getting a jump on the required readings...I will treat it like I did with Judy's class and pull through it a-okay. Hopefully. I am excited for it, though. It'll be interesting to learn about the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air/Water Act, and all the other enviro law stuff too.
With that...time for bed.
An Education - I'd heard about this movie, but wanted to see it for myself. I thought the acting was good and the main female actress really had a standout performance. It, again, was no wonder she was nominated for the Oscar for this performance. It was obvious through the film about what was happening and it really was "an education" for her about life and what's important. It's based on a memoir, so it was interesting. I'm mostly indifferent to this film since, for me, I can't really 'relate' to the film, but it had an interesting message in there about running away to experience life vs taking the hard road. Not sure if the film is really something someone should/would want to watch, but if it appeals for you...it'll be a good film. Though, reading a good synopsis is probably just as good as watching the film. A-
Fantastic Mr. Fox - I never read the story by Roald Dahl, so I can't say how it compares, but it was nice to see a stop-action film. The story was cute too. It was well done and the voice cast was pretty amazing. George Clooney, though, through me off sometimes as Mr. Fox. I would visualize THE George Clooney and how he would say a line instead of immersing myself into Mr. Fox. On the other hand, Mr. Fox was a lot like George Clooney in Ocean's 11 (the Clooney character I would think of) so I guess it was kind of fitting. Overall, I enjoyed the film and thought it was a cute film. It kind of felt like a grown-up animation film that could also double for a kid or something. I could also see why it got the praise it did. The stop-action and how they did it worked for this story very well. A-
I want to see Clash of the Titans, Date Night, and How to Train Your Dragon, but might wait till they come out on DVD. My next big film I WILL watch in theaters is Iron Man 2! It comes out May 7th, which is a bummer since my stupid 9-day law class starts the day before, but maybe I'll see it after the law class ends.
Speaking of 9-day law class...the syllabus itself sounds intimidating and scary! It's a Duke law professor who is coming out and the way the syllabus is written is kind of scary! Not to mention he does not allow ANY computers in the class even if you use them for note taking. I'm seriously buying the reader as soon as I can and getting a jump on the required readings...I will treat it like I did with Judy's class and pull through it a-okay. Hopefully. I am excited for it, though. It'll be interesting to learn about the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air/Water Act, and all the other enviro law stuff too.
With that...time for bed.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The rollercoaster is going up!
So internships were looking bad, but now they're looking up!
My COMPASS contact told me today that the Exec Director doesn't want to have a new staffer for the new coordinator right away. That's understandable. So they're going to keep my contact info handy just in case maybe late summer things change, but it's not a reliable option. That's something I had already been banking on.
What was surprising, though, is she asked if I'd like her to send an e-mail out to other NGOs and such to see if they wanted internship help! I most definitely said YES. She's already had someone at the Nature Conservancy and CFFO (aquarium - ironic) ask for my resume so...who knows! The funny thing at TNC (The Nature Conservancy) is I tried with them before and nothing happened. Then again, I didn't really follow through either. The other funny thing is the same day that she e-mails CFFO and they respond back, the person I contacted 2 weeks ago at the CFFO e-mailed me back asking me for my resume and said he'd check with the policy group. I'm still going to try and aim for the Sanctuary one too. I'm sure I could easily double with them, especially if the NGOs and Sanctuary offices are all very close to each other and I think they are. So, it's a possibility. She also informed me Oceana (I tried with them a few times) has had several staff changes so that's why I haven't had luck there. That would make sense since the person I tried contacting in March suddenly didn't have a working e-mail address in April. :P In a lot of ways, this was just an unfortunate summer to look for internships!
My order of preference: COMPASS, Sanctuary, CFFO, whoever. Since COMPASS isn't available, Sanctuary would be next. Assuming the position sounds interesting enough, I'd take it over the CFFO if I couldn't double. Having federal contacts would be very valuable after I graduate and it'd look really good if I wanted to head towards a NGO somewhere. On the other hand, the NGOs are so close in Monterey that working with one would probably open just as many doors. So...like I said, if I can double, I would.
Anyway, I'm hoping next week produces some offers!
In other news, Shrimp Female #1 -- the first female to carry eggs -- has hatched her 2nd set of eggs. I haven't seen any evidence of any babies. She's been hanging out with the male today. He's not chasing her around or anything, so we'll see when she decides she wants her next clutch. She definitely is ready to have another set. If it follows like last time, it's basically she hatches the eggs, cleans out the area where she keeps the eggs, next day she starts getting picked on by the male, hours later she has a new set of eggs.
One of my plants is being pretty cool and has sent off a shoot into the tank which has started growing 3 new mini plants. So that's pretty cool. My logs are getting "algae hairy" again. My suckerfish are NOT doing their job! They're practically lethargic. One hides all day underneath the log. If you didn't know where to look and what to look for, you'd never find him. As is, I can only BARELY see the VERY tip of his dorsal fin and that's because he sucks onto the log upside down. The other one hangs out in the corners at the bottom. Weird. I'm going to have to rethink my algae eaters...the back wall I'm having to scrap the algae off and the rocks and plants get semi-gross. These guys are great -- when they eat. There are more expensive algae eaters, but they only really eat the algae off glass and I need my logs/plants cleaned too. The rocks I can just live with. When I clean the bottom I just jumble them around and it's okay. The little snails in my tank have exploded too. I think I had like 3 to begin with and it was a treat to see them and now I have so many I'm not worried if they're eaten, accidentally dumped down the sink when cleaning the tank, etc. LoL I guess they do help clean the tank, sort of.
Oh yeah, in regards to my bug bite...it got bigger today. It's not as red as it was yesterday, but the red ring has gotten bigger. It itched more today than it did yesterday too. It's a good 2.5 inches in diameter now (I measured it -- dork, I know). The location where the bug bite is redder than yesterday. So...I think it's healing...I guess I'll see after tomorrow. :P
Well, with that. Time for an early bed.
My COMPASS contact told me today that the Exec Director doesn't want to have a new staffer for the new coordinator right away. That's understandable. So they're going to keep my contact info handy just in case maybe late summer things change, but it's not a reliable option. That's something I had already been banking on.
What was surprising, though, is she asked if I'd like her to send an e-mail out to other NGOs and such to see if they wanted internship help! I most definitely said YES. She's already had someone at the Nature Conservancy and CFFO (aquarium - ironic) ask for my resume so...who knows! The funny thing at TNC (The Nature Conservancy) is I tried with them before and nothing happened. Then again, I didn't really follow through either. The other funny thing is the same day that she e-mails CFFO and they respond back, the person I contacted 2 weeks ago at the CFFO e-mailed me back asking me for my resume and said he'd check with the policy group. I'm still going to try and aim for the Sanctuary one too. I'm sure I could easily double with them, especially if the NGOs and Sanctuary offices are all very close to each other and I think they are. So, it's a possibility. She also informed me Oceana (I tried with them a few times) has had several staff changes so that's why I haven't had luck there. That would make sense since the person I tried contacting in March suddenly didn't have a working e-mail address in April. :P In a lot of ways, this was just an unfortunate summer to look for internships!
My order of preference: COMPASS, Sanctuary, CFFO, whoever. Since COMPASS isn't available, Sanctuary would be next. Assuming the position sounds interesting enough, I'd take it over the CFFO if I couldn't double. Having federal contacts would be very valuable after I graduate and it'd look really good if I wanted to head towards a NGO somewhere. On the other hand, the NGOs are so close in Monterey that working with one would probably open just as many doors. So...like I said, if I can double, I would.
Anyway, I'm hoping next week produces some offers!
In other news, Shrimp Female #1 -- the first female to carry eggs -- has hatched her 2nd set of eggs. I haven't seen any evidence of any babies. She's been hanging out with the male today. He's not chasing her around or anything, so we'll see when she decides she wants her next clutch. She definitely is ready to have another set. If it follows like last time, it's basically she hatches the eggs, cleans out the area where she keeps the eggs, next day she starts getting picked on by the male, hours later she has a new set of eggs.
One of my plants is being pretty cool and has sent off a shoot into the tank which has started growing 3 new mini plants. So that's pretty cool. My logs are getting "algae hairy" again. My suckerfish are NOT doing their job! They're practically lethargic. One hides all day underneath the log. If you didn't know where to look and what to look for, you'd never find him. As is, I can only BARELY see the VERY tip of his dorsal fin and that's because he sucks onto the log upside down. The other one hangs out in the corners at the bottom. Weird. I'm going to have to rethink my algae eaters...the back wall I'm having to scrap the algae off and the rocks and plants get semi-gross. These guys are great -- when they eat. There are more expensive algae eaters, but they only really eat the algae off glass and I need my logs/plants cleaned too. The rocks I can just live with. When I clean the bottom I just jumble them around and it's okay. The little snails in my tank have exploded too. I think I had like 3 to begin with and it was a treat to see them and now I have so many I'm not worried if they're eaten, accidentally dumped down the sink when cleaning the tank, etc. LoL I guess they do help clean the tank, sort of.
Oh yeah, in regards to my bug bite...it got bigger today. It's not as red as it was yesterday, but the red ring has gotten bigger. It itched more today than it did yesterday too. It's a good 2.5 inches in diameter now (I measured it -- dork, I know). The location where the bug bite is redder than yesterday. So...I think it's healing...I guess I'll see after tomorrow. :P
Well, with that. Time for an early bed.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
2010 Group Project Presentations
Today was the final GP presentations for the 2010 Master's Candidates. As with all of the presentation times, they have to dress business formal. Guys were in slacks, jackets, and ties. Girls in skirts/pants, nice top, and most times with a jacket. So I walk to campus to see some presentations and do a little homework with a friend. I'm in capris and a Harry Potter t-shirt with my hair in a bun and I walk into the courtyard and I feel totally underdressed! There are a lot of people milling about -- friends, family, teachers, etc -- and they all were semi-dressed up. Tables with black cloths, food, drinks, etc were also out. So it felt a little weird at first.
All the GPs have to have a poster made so I was looking at those. They also have tables set up near them so the students can talk with people during the reception and all that. The presentations were well done, well rehearsed, etc. It definitely had a very formal air to it so it was kind of exciting and scary. I have definitely concluded I will enjoy fielding questions more than giving the presentation. LoL It was kind of intense because they had about 3 presentations going in different rooms. This year there were 15 projects. Our year there are 18. So it'll be interesting to see if they up to 4 presentations at a time. Presentations are about 25 minutes long with 15 minutes for Q&A.
Today basically was Capstone Festival at CSUMB, except we pile them up in 4 hours with a 1 hour reception/poster session. Exciting and scary! I snagged snacks and a drink to take with me while I did homework. :) So that was a plus. LoL I'm a poor college student! Costco Pub Mix and Peanut butter filled pretzels are a good snack! I should have nabbed the raspberry sparkling tea when I first arrived, though. There was only sparkling water and sodas left by the time I made it back to the table. Oh well...beggars can't be choosers.
Oh yeah, random note. I have one of my famous bug bites! It's on my arm and it's like the size of a silver dollar. I had a friend buy me anti-itch creams before we met to do hw today, which is helping. They still itch like crazy, though. I actually have 3 bug bites, but only 1 got big. I'm not sure where they came from. I think one is from a flea. I was sitting in the Bren courtyard yesterday, looked at my arm, and I had a flea on me. It was weird...Oh well. You can see a picture of my bite here. The red dot to the left is an unirritated bug bite.
Anyway, time for bed now.
All the GPs have to have a poster made so I was looking at those. They also have tables set up near them so the students can talk with people during the reception and all that. The presentations were well done, well rehearsed, etc. It definitely had a very formal air to it so it was kind of exciting and scary. I have definitely concluded I will enjoy fielding questions more than giving the presentation. LoL It was kind of intense because they had about 3 presentations going in different rooms. This year there were 15 projects. Our year there are 18. So it'll be interesting to see if they up to 4 presentations at a time. Presentations are about 25 minutes long with 15 minutes for Q&A.
Today basically was Capstone Festival at CSUMB, except we pile them up in 4 hours with a 1 hour reception/poster session. Exciting and scary! I snagged snacks and a drink to take with me while I did homework. :) So that was a plus. LoL I'm a poor college student! Costco Pub Mix and Peanut butter filled pretzels are a good snack! I should have nabbed the raspberry sparkling tea when I first arrived, though. There was only sparkling water and sodas left by the time I made it back to the table. Oh well...beggars can't be choosers.
Oh yeah, random note. I have one of my famous bug bites! It's on my arm and it's like the size of a silver dollar. I had a friend buy me anti-itch creams before we met to do hw today, which is helping. They still itch like crazy, though. I actually have 3 bug bites, but only 1 got big. I'm not sure where they came from. I think one is from a flea. I was sitting in the Bren courtyard yesterday, looked at my arm, and I had a flea on me. It was weird...Oh well. You can see a picture of my bite here. The red dot to the left is an unirritated bug bite.
Anyway, time for bed now.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Let us continue the internship drama!
Still waiting to hear back from COMPASS and whether I can just "go for it" with them even if the new coordinator is brand new. Apparently, after talking with a professor who works with them, they haven't even named someone new for the position! Oh crud...So...I'm basically writing off COMPASS and if they happen to decide they'd want me, I'll work around my other internship to get COMPASS in. Two part-time internships can't be bad, right? Especially if one pays!
In other news, my Monterey Sanctuary contact has said he's too swamped to be a decent mentor for me. It sounds like he's so busy that my being around would just hinder more than help. Could this be a worse summer to check for internships?! He did, very kindly, provide me with the e-mail address of another Sanctuary worker who will be moving to the West Coast Region Sanctuary program (that's also in Monterey - score!) and may be looking for help this summer. So I've e-mailed her and am hoping she pulls through for me. *fingers crossed* It sounds like if I can get my foot into the Sanctuary, it'd give me some great experience and the Sanctuary also deals in what I want to do too.
I'm going to try proding the Aquarium one more time, but I think it's futile at this point.
I think I've also decided to try COMPASS at NCES next school year. I'm glad I didn't try for this quarter because I'm swamped enough. With my 18 units this quarter and 16 last quarter, I'm pretty much going to have to watch how I balance out my units next year. If I'm not careful, I won't have enough units to be considered a grad student one quarter! It's kind of a bummer all the classes I want to take are in the Spring Quarter. : I skipped the policy class and GIS this quarter. I may just skip GIS and do environmental modeling in the Fall, though. I haven't quite decided yet and I need to make that decision very soon. Or...maybe I'll just do both...Hmm...
Anyway, back to COMPASS. If I can work/volunteer with COMPASS over the school year, that'll add more experience underneath my belt with an organization that wants to achieve what I want to do. I think it'll prep me for almost anything down the road. Who knows...Maybe I'll be the next COMPASS CA coordinator! That'd be...funny...Anyway, we'll see. Internship is the first priority.
It's a little disheartening when you try and try and try and you just can't get anywhere! It's not like I'm asking for money from these places! I just want the experience, which hopefully will translate to money in the future. Oh well. I'm a little worried, but I figured God knows what's going on. With my luck, all my inquiries will come back at once and I'll have so many options I'll want to do them all. Or, that's my hope. :P
Time to head to my GP meeting.
In other news, my Monterey Sanctuary contact has said he's too swamped to be a decent mentor for me. It sounds like he's so busy that my being around would just hinder more than help. Could this be a worse summer to check for internships?! He did, very kindly, provide me with the e-mail address of another Sanctuary worker who will be moving to the West Coast Region Sanctuary program (that's also in Monterey - score!) and may be looking for help this summer. So I've e-mailed her and am hoping she pulls through for me. *fingers crossed* It sounds like if I can get my foot into the Sanctuary, it'd give me some great experience and the Sanctuary also deals in what I want to do too.
I'm going to try proding the Aquarium one more time, but I think it's futile at this point.
I think I've also decided to try COMPASS at NCES next school year. I'm glad I didn't try for this quarter because I'm swamped enough. With my 18 units this quarter and 16 last quarter, I'm pretty much going to have to watch how I balance out my units next year. If I'm not careful, I won't have enough units to be considered a grad student one quarter! It's kind of a bummer all the classes I want to take are in the Spring Quarter. : I skipped the policy class and GIS this quarter. I may just skip GIS and do environmental modeling in the Fall, though. I haven't quite decided yet and I need to make that decision very soon. Or...maybe I'll just do both...Hmm...
Anyway, back to COMPASS. If I can work/volunteer with COMPASS over the school year, that'll add more experience underneath my belt with an organization that wants to achieve what I want to do. I think it'll prep me for almost anything down the road. Who knows...Maybe I'll be the next COMPASS CA coordinator! That'd be...funny...Anyway, we'll see. Internship is the first priority.
It's a little disheartening when you try and try and try and you just can't get anywhere! It's not like I'm asking for money from these places! I just want the experience, which hopefully will translate to money in the future. Oh well. I'm a little worried, but I figured God knows what's going on. With my luck, all my inquiries will come back at once and I'll have so many options I'll want to do them all. Or, that's my hope. :P
Time to head to my GP meeting.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The week schoolwork exploded
My long break seems to be over now...Well, I suppose my Spring Break was only a week long, but it felt like 3 weeks! We had the week of finals, which was stressful, but also low key. We had Spring Break. Then last week was the first week of classes. I had nothing due that week or the following week and two of my classes were cancelled. It was also another easy week! Then this week starts and it dawns on me...I have an assignment due next Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs! GOODNESS! None of them are walks in the park too. Let the schoolwork begin!
In other news, we had our first Group Project (GP) meeting last Friday. It was good. We talked with one of the guys from BLM about the project. They're trying to get the EPA to decide if the Cache Creek area is a CERCLA (think superfund) site so we're waiting for that. If it is, it'll change things a bit and possibly funding. There are a LOT of different facets that we can potentially look at it so it's our job this week to decide what we really want to look at and come up with our problem statement (it's due next Thurs). This quarter of 401A is writing a formal proposal for the project. So it'll be interesting. We're officially meeting every Wed from 12:30-1:30pm so that's another thing to throw onto the books. At least 401A doesn't meet often. It meets like once a week on average. I think once we get our problem statement worked out and all that, GP will be better. It's like we're in the arm-waving stage right now so it's a little unsettling.
The other classes are okay. Natural Resource economics is also a little frustrating because of the incredible math/excel/solver work and the project we have to do for that class. It's like a mini-GP! We have to come up with a question, find data, analyze the data, interview someone(s) in the area of our project, write it up, and present on it. Ugh. I think once the project is picked it'll go better, but it's just also that other on going thing we have to worry about. 206B is, well, 206B (stats). The lectures seemed to be better until today. It was just SO HARD to pay attention and stay awake. Plus, what he was going on about was a little "huh?", but maybe Wednesday's lecture will be better. My ocean class has our first "debate" tomorrow about wave energy. I'm PG&E with 2 other students so we're arguing for the wave energy project off of the SB coast. There are 9 total factions so it should be pretty interesting. Those mini-papers will also be interesting. I decided to skip this weeks (we have 9 total assigned and we only have to do 5) since I wasn't coming up with a topic to write on about wave energy. Next week is sea level rise so that should be better to write and more interesting.
I'm tempted to take a 1 unit class the week after 207 ends. It's called "marketing sustainability with new media tools." It's basically looking at these four values in businesses: environmental stewardship, corporate citizenship, product/service excellence, and financial strength. It's looking at how those values are combined and utilized together to create an "ecosystems approach within the organization." It sounded interesting and I need another 0.5 units to complete my unit requirements. I may skip it, though. Once 207 ends, I might be so tired of having to deal with 18 units that having another unit to do after 207 ends might just kill me. Bren tends to do a lot of these 1 unit classes every semester so I just might wait for another quarter.
The internship hunt is going horribly. I had a spark and then it died. I'm nagging someone at the Sanctuary through a former Bren graduate who seems helpful and 100% willing to help. It won't be paid, but he said the Sanctuaries have always been able to find some money for him here and there. So...that's helpful. Plus, to be honest, I'll work there for free because the networking will be invaluable down the road. So I'm waiting to hear back from them. COMPASS got back to me today (e-mailed them last Mon). Instead of the internship NOT being available, it's now the fact the coordinator is taking a position early May with Ocean Science Trust. So now it's whether the new person would want to take an intern on since they will be new and/or whether I would want to work with someone who is so new. I contacted the lady back and said I'd be willing to take the risk to work with someone new if they were willing and/or the executive director okay'd it. They do have a budget for an intern so I'm hoping...Anything would help even if the person is new! I mean, let's face it, starting something new together creates a bond, right? Maybe they'll like me enough they'll take me back when I come back! LoL Or, I don't know. I'm getting plain desperate for an internship now. The sad thing is most of our entire class is in my same boat. I need to nag the Aquarium Bren graduate again and Oceana. I'm so desperate that I may just call the Oceana line and talk with someone.
Well, with that, I should head to bed early tonight. I'm fighting a small cold (small congestion and running nose in the mornings with a small sore throat through the day), but hope it goes away very soon without getting worse!
In other news, we had our first Group Project (GP) meeting last Friday. It was good. We talked with one of the guys from BLM about the project. They're trying to get the EPA to decide if the Cache Creek area is a CERCLA (think superfund) site so we're waiting for that. If it is, it'll change things a bit and possibly funding. There are a LOT of different facets that we can potentially look at it so it's our job this week to decide what we really want to look at and come up with our problem statement (it's due next Thurs). This quarter of 401A is writing a formal proposal for the project. So it'll be interesting. We're officially meeting every Wed from 12:30-1:30pm so that's another thing to throw onto the books. At least 401A doesn't meet often. It meets like once a week on average. I think once we get our problem statement worked out and all that, GP will be better. It's like we're in the arm-waving stage right now so it's a little unsettling.
The other classes are okay. Natural Resource economics is also a little frustrating because of the incredible math/excel/solver work and the project we have to do for that class. It's like a mini-GP! We have to come up with a question, find data, analyze the data, interview someone(s) in the area of our project, write it up, and present on it. Ugh. I think once the project is picked it'll go better, but it's just also that other on going thing we have to worry about. 206B is, well, 206B (stats). The lectures seemed to be better until today. It was just SO HARD to pay attention and stay awake. Plus, what he was going on about was a little "huh?", but maybe Wednesday's lecture will be better. My ocean class has our first "debate" tomorrow about wave energy. I'm PG&E with 2 other students so we're arguing for the wave energy project off of the SB coast. There are 9 total factions so it should be pretty interesting. Those mini-papers will also be interesting. I decided to skip this weeks (we have 9 total assigned and we only have to do 5) since I wasn't coming up with a topic to write on about wave energy. Next week is sea level rise so that should be better to write and more interesting.
I'm tempted to take a 1 unit class the week after 207 ends. It's called "marketing sustainability with new media tools." It's basically looking at these four values in businesses: environmental stewardship, corporate citizenship, product/service excellence, and financial strength. It's looking at how those values are combined and utilized together to create an "ecosystems approach within the organization." It sounded interesting and I need another 0.5 units to complete my unit requirements. I may skip it, though. Once 207 ends, I might be so tired of having to deal with 18 units that having another unit to do after 207 ends might just kill me. Bren tends to do a lot of these 1 unit classes every semester so I just might wait for another quarter.
The internship hunt is going horribly. I had a spark and then it died. I'm nagging someone at the Sanctuary through a former Bren graduate who seems helpful and 100% willing to help. It won't be paid, but he said the Sanctuaries have always been able to find some money for him here and there. So...that's helpful. Plus, to be honest, I'll work there for free because the networking will be invaluable down the road. So I'm waiting to hear back from them. COMPASS got back to me today (e-mailed them last Mon). Instead of the internship NOT being available, it's now the fact the coordinator is taking a position early May with Ocean Science Trust. So now it's whether the new person would want to take an intern on since they will be new and/or whether I would want to work with someone who is so new. I contacted the lady back and said I'd be willing to take the risk to work with someone new if they were willing and/or the executive director okay'd it. They do have a budget for an intern so I'm hoping...Anything would help even if the person is new! I mean, let's face it, starting something new together creates a bond, right? Maybe they'll like me enough they'll take me back when I come back! LoL Or, I don't know. I'm getting plain desperate for an internship now. The sad thing is most of our entire class is in my same boat. I need to nag the Aquarium Bren graduate again and Oceana. I'm so desperate that I may just call the Oceana line and talk with someone.
Well, with that, I should head to bed early tonight. I'm fighting a small cold (small congestion and running nose in the mornings with a small sore throat through the day), but hope it goes away very soon without getting worse!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
TMJ anyone?
I need to go to the dentist I have decided to not just get my teeth cleaned (it's been 1.5 years since my last cleaning and exam), but mostly because I think I have TMJ.
I've been told I grind my teeth ridiculously loud so that's a bad sign for my teeth and my jaw, but I've been researching TMJ this week and realized the sharp ear pain I get every once in a while (lasts for like 30 minutes and goes away) could be from TMJ! Since the joint is right in front of the ear, swelling of the tissue and everything around it can cause you to have an earache. Apparently it's a common mistake. People think they have something wrong with their ear and it's really because they're experiencing TMJ. Recently, I'm thinking stress from finals, my jaw has been throbbing pretty strongly and if it lasts for about 5 minutes, I get a ridiculous headache on the same side where my jaw hurts. It's bad enough that I have to take something for it (for those who know me and my stubborn reluctance to take medicine...that says something about the pain level). So...Right side gets ear aches, left side gets headaches and the jaw popping. Joy! I'm hoping a mouth guard will help it and that'll be the end of it. I've been trying to consciously realize when the pain is starting in and trying to relax my jaw. It seems to help. If I start to feel too much pain, I tend to unconsciously pop my jaw, which makes it worse in the long run (even if it helps in the short run). Weirdly, I don't think chewing gum really makes a big difference for me. My jaw never hurts during or after chewing gum. It seems to be after I wake up (grinding teeth) and when I'm just sitting around (jaw clenching). I just now need to remember to make the appointment...I tend to remember during class or after the clinic is closed. Go figure.
Anyway, with that long winded description of my jaw pains, I'm starting my internship hunt again. I still haven't heard from COMPASS. I tried e-mailing earlier this week, but I'll try again on Monday. I e-mailed the Bren graduate at the aquarium (figured I might as well), someone who did a fellowship with the Sanctuary (looking for contacts), and e-mailed Oceana again. The person I contacted before seems to not be with Oceana anyway (I get a "no one at that e-mail address" error when I try it). Unfortunately, I had to use their general North Pacific e-mail address. Hopefully my e-mail doesn't get lost underneath everything else. Oh internship hunting...how annoying can you be?
With that...I should go to bed. I didn't have class yesterday afternoon or this morning so my sleep schedule is pretty messed up now. LoL
I've been told I grind my teeth ridiculously loud so that's a bad sign for my teeth and my jaw, but I've been researching TMJ this week and realized the sharp ear pain I get every once in a while (lasts for like 30 minutes and goes away) could be from TMJ! Since the joint is right in front of the ear, swelling of the tissue and everything around it can cause you to have an earache. Apparently it's a common mistake. People think they have something wrong with their ear and it's really because they're experiencing TMJ. Recently, I'm thinking stress from finals, my jaw has been throbbing pretty strongly and if it lasts for about 5 minutes, I get a ridiculous headache on the same side where my jaw hurts. It's bad enough that I have to take something for it (for those who know me and my stubborn reluctance to take medicine...that says something about the pain level). So...Right side gets ear aches, left side gets headaches and the jaw popping. Joy! I'm hoping a mouth guard will help it and that'll be the end of it. I've been trying to consciously realize when the pain is starting in and trying to relax my jaw. It seems to help. If I start to feel too much pain, I tend to unconsciously pop my jaw, which makes it worse in the long run (even if it helps in the short run). Weirdly, I don't think chewing gum really makes a big difference for me. My jaw never hurts during or after chewing gum. It seems to be after I wake up (grinding teeth) and when I'm just sitting around (jaw clenching). I just now need to remember to make the appointment...I tend to remember during class or after the clinic is closed. Go figure.
Anyway, with that long winded description of my jaw pains, I'm starting my internship hunt again. I still haven't heard from COMPASS. I tried e-mailing earlier this week, but I'll try again on Monday. I e-mailed the Bren graduate at the aquarium (figured I might as well), someone who did a fellowship with the Sanctuary (looking for contacts), and e-mailed Oceana again. The person I contacted before seems to not be with Oceana anyway (I get a "no one at that e-mail address" error when I try it). Unfortunately, I had to use their general North Pacific e-mail address. Hopefully my e-mail doesn't get lost underneath everything else. Oh internship hunting...how annoying can you be?
With that...I should go to bed. I didn't have class yesterday afternoon or this morning so my sleep schedule is pretty messed up now. LoL
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