For those of you who believe that a picture is worth 1,000 words....
Here are 149,000 words about my weekend in Seattle.
More to follow. After I get my life back in order....and find my deodorant and phone charger.
-M
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Free and Easy Down the Road I Go....
More adventures for you -----
Adventures in Work
For those who are interested, my project is starting to near the final phases. (Or for those of you who are fans of the RUP -- The "transition" phase...see the picture)
My project is alive and well, and my work these days consists of tying up all of the loose ends everywhere on the site and then documenting EVERYTHING (and your mother). Basically, when I leave, not only are they going to have a huge document of code to read through, but also well over 50 pages of documentation with which they can assemble manuals for the different users of this site.
I'm starting to feel very accomplished at the work I'm doing and I love it more and more everday. (Perhaps this is because it's almost done?? Not sure.)
Anyways, it's almost complete -- I'm at a great spot because originally I was worried I wouldn't be able to accomplish the huge task set before me in May. Not only do I have it almost completed, there have also been many unanticipated additions and setbacks with this project that have been taken in stride.
Adventures in National Holidays
So Saturday was the 4th of July. I have loved the 4th of July for a long time. It's one of those underestimated holidays that I really appreciate. Anyway, to celebrate -- I worked on Friday (see below) and then spent Saturday in town with Damien.
Arcata loves their "festivals". I use the term "festival" loosely, however. We aren't talking like the Milwaukee festivals. Rather, "festival" = excuse to block off the town square and get schwasted. Needless to say, I'm game to go watch.
We get into town and check out a lot of the vendors and such. I find some trinkets for various people. I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin any surprises. But I found some very cool, yet local things to buy people.
After this adventure in town, we decided that a grilling of processed meats was to be in order for the afternoon. I mean, how else can you celebrate America's Birthday? We found some brats at the Safeway and all of the necessary accessories. I'm not going to lie -- that grilled piece of processed meat was just what I needed. It was just a little taste of home and for us, that was enough.
Later that night, we decided that we would go into town and watch the fireworks. Now let me give you some lay of the land here. Damien and I live in the side of a hill (we'll call it Hill A). South of us is another hill (Hill B? Yes.). Okay, the south side at the bottom of Hill B is where they shoot the fireworks from.
While this doesn't make sense at first, you have to remember that the spot where they want you to watch from actually makes this a PERFECT spot to shoot off fireworks.
Okay, so our plan is to walk to the top of Hill B and watch the fireworks from there. On our way there, at the valley of Hill A and Hill B, we run into my supervisor Jeremy and his fiance shooting off their fireworks. We decide to stay and watch, enjoying the fountains and sparklers. (Morning Glory's ... they are more environmentally and kid friendly. :-) )
After we are done, Damien and I decide that because we haven't seen or heard fireworks going on behind us that we will continue our trek up Hill B....only to discover a MOB OF PEOPLE walking THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Naturally, as it turns out, we missed the entire 7-minute show while doing the sparklers. The best part, we saw nothing. heard nothing. We rationalize this by saying that obviously they couldn't have been much to look at.
(This story is such a perfect indicator for my life...a day late and a dollar short. haha.)
Adventures in Spirituality
One thing that I take heavily forgranted going to Marquette is easy access to every ministry-related resource I could ever get my hands on. It's something that has become part of my being.
Enter Arcata, CA. Well....there really isn't a bounty of churches here, none of which are Catholic. That being said, I haven't noticed how much this frustrates me until lately. (well -- last week) I've been coming up with my own ways to try to make this happen, and it's worked, but I when I reflect on my experience of faith outside of the realms of the church -- I realize that I really enjoy it.
As most of us know, I had a bit of problem with the Catholic Church last semester. Hmmm...I take that back. A rather large, deal-breaker type of problem. I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say that I was on "hiatus" for a long time.
You know how when you get into a fight with a good friend...and you reconcile your differences, but you still need that extra little time apart? That is where I'm at right now. I kind of like it. It's given me a lot of freedom in exploring this part of my life. But I'm ready to return -- keeping my freedom, but giving it another try at the formalities of faith.
Adventures in Travel
I'm going to Seattle this weekend to visit Tim. :-)
I'm not going to lie -- I'm pretty excited.
Details and pictures will follow.
Until later,
M
Adventures in Work
For those who are interested, my project is starting to near the final phases. (Or for those of you who are fans of the RUP -- The "transition" phase...see the picture)
My project is alive and well, and my work these days consists of tying up all of the loose ends everywhere on the site and then documenting EVERYTHING (and your mother). Basically, when I leave, not only are they going to have a huge document of code to read through, but also well over 50 pages of documentation with which they can assemble manuals for the different users of this site.
I'm starting to feel very accomplished at the work I'm doing and I love it more and more everday. (Perhaps this is because it's almost done?? Not sure.)
Anyways, it's almost complete -- I'm at a great spot because originally I was worried I wouldn't be able to accomplish the huge task set before me in May. Not only do I have it almost completed, there have also been many unanticipated additions and setbacks with this project that have been taken in stride.
Adventures in National Holidays
So Saturday was the 4th of July. I have loved the 4th of July for a long time. It's one of those underestimated holidays that I really appreciate. Anyway, to celebrate -- I worked on Friday (see below) and then spent Saturday in town with Damien.
Arcata loves their "festivals". I use the term "festival" loosely, however. We aren't talking like the Milwaukee festivals. Rather, "festival" = excuse to block off the town square and get schwasted. Needless to say, I'm game to go watch.
We get into town and check out a lot of the vendors and such. I find some trinkets for various people. I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin any surprises. But I found some very cool, yet local things to buy people.
After this adventure in town, we decided that a grilling of processed meats was to be in order for the afternoon. I mean, how else can you celebrate America's Birthday? We found some brats at the Safeway and all of the necessary accessories. I'm not going to lie -- that grilled piece of processed meat was just what I needed. It was just a little taste of home and for us, that was enough.
Later that night, we decided that we would go into town and watch the fireworks. Now let me give you some lay of the land here. Damien and I live in the side of a hill (we'll call it Hill A). South of us is another hill (Hill B? Yes.). Okay, the south side at the bottom of Hill B is where they shoot the fireworks from.
While this doesn't make sense at first, you have to remember that the spot where they want you to watch from actually makes this a PERFECT spot to shoot off fireworks.
Okay, so our plan is to walk to the top of Hill B and watch the fireworks from there. On our way there, at the valley of Hill A and Hill B, we run into my supervisor Jeremy and his fiance shooting off their fireworks. We decide to stay and watch, enjoying the fountains and sparklers. (Morning Glory's ... they are more environmentally and kid friendly. :-) )
After we are done, Damien and I decide that because we haven't seen or heard fireworks going on behind us that we will continue our trek up Hill B....only to discover a MOB OF PEOPLE walking THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. Naturally, as it turns out, we missed the entire 7-minute show while doing the sparklers. The best part, we saw nothing. heard nothing. We rationalize this by saying that obviously they couldn't have been much to look at.
(This story is such a perfect indicator for my life...a day late and a dollar short. haha.)
Adventures in Spirituality
One thing that I take heavily forgranted going to Marquette is easy access to every ministry-related resource I could ever get my hands on. It's something that has become part of my being.
Enter Arcata, CA. Well....there really isn't a bounty of churches here, none of which are Catholic. That being said, I haven't noticed how much this frustrates me until lately. (well -- last week) I've been coming up with my own ways to try to make this happen, and it's worked, but I when I reflect on my experience of faith outside of the realms of the church -- I realize that I really enjoy it.
As most of us know, I had a bit of problem with the Catholic Church last semester. Hmmm...I take that back. A rather large, deal-breaker type of problem. I won't go into the gory details, but let's just say that I was on "hiatus" for a long time.
You know how when you get into a fight with a good friend...and you reconcile your differences, but you still need that extra little time apart? That is where I'm at right now. I kind of like it. It's given me a lot of freedom in exploring this part of my life. But I'm ready to return -- keeping my freedom, but giving it another try at the formalities of faith.
Adventures in Travel
I'm going to Seattle this weekend to visit Tim. :-)
I'm not going to lie -- I'm pretty excited.
Details and pictures will follow.
Until later,
M
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Moleskine Playlist
For those of you who are looking for a life update from me:
I'm doing well. Working hard and living the good life in the 60's and sun. Not a whole lot has changed and I've been really taking advantage of the area. I don't have any really exciting adventures to report, but I do have some reflections to relay to you.
(6/30/2009)
I think it's time to write some more of my words into this notebook. Another playlist later, here's what we have. I originally started this to give myself a space to keep track of what inspires me. Inspires me to grow, to learn, to become better, to inspire others.
What resulted is nothing but awesomeness for my inspiration. Everyday, I carry a backpack, and every day since starting this project, this notebook has come along for the ride with me. Not only does it help me with keeping track of what inspires me, but it also gives me an awesome resource right there for me to open up to.
After a few months of keeping track of things, I noticed that I had a healthy amount of song lyrics that inspired me. This became the beginnings of a new personal project of mine.
I don't remember when I created the first Moleskine Playlist...but it's still on my iPod -- a testament to it's staying power. Looking over these quotes has now turned into a musical experience that allows me to reflect and re-energize at the same time.
As a matter of stupidity, I hardly ever date my stuff .. but I only write in the order of the pages. Here's what I do know -- from the period of time from 11/29/2009 to the end of the Spring 2009 Semester, there is a definite theme in my quotes, and therefore, the playlist.
STRENGTH.
I was inspired by things, people, and music that gave strength. Whether that be Dead Poets Society, Fleetwood Mac or T.I. -- almost everything was about strength. And I think that this is an appropriate way to gauge what I needed through that time as well. Being possibly some of the most doubt-filled (and therefore ranking in the "crappy" category) time of my life. It makes sense.
But what happened at the end of Spring 2009 to change the tone to something else I removed myself from the entire situation. Not only did I move out, I moved on. I moved to the middle of nowhere and what did I find there? ...That too can be tracked through the Moleskine.
As I share the 2nd round of my Moleskine playlist, I've found that a different theme has emerged onto the field. A theme that makes this group of songs actually enjoyable to listen to, but a theme that can be just as reflective.
PASSION.
Passion for others, passion for self, passion for life. The songs and quotes from the month of June 2009 have been about finding and sustaining passion. Passion -- not things that inspire you but rather sustain the inspiration and encourage you to pass it on. Most of the songs are about love. Loving others and loving yourself. Discovering what you love and continuing on that path.
The quotes have also start to take on a much more external approach. An encouragement to reach out beyond yourself. And promoting an idea of one-ness. Maybe an insinuation that I feel like I'm a part of something, that I have a further understanding of the concept of community and that of being a global citizen.
The best part about the past month is the fact that it has validated what I thought my passion was -- Student Affairs. After last semester and everything I experienced, I had my doubts. After being at Humboldt and seeing how it can be (and how it is) elsewhere -- I've become inspired to have no qualms about my entry into this field in a year.
Maybe it was necessary for me to have this reaffirmation here and now in this experience. But it was definitely not a coincidence. Are there more lessons to be learned? Most Assuredly. But I doubt that anything I experience in the next 3 1/2 weeks can top what has happened already -- but maybe it will.
For those of you who would like these playlists for your own use: here they are. Bring a CD or a flash drive to me, and the mp3s can be yours as well. I hope they inspire you as much as they have inspired me.
The (Original) Moleskine Playlist:
Moleskine Playlist (Version 2.0)
Peace,
Matt
I'm doing well. Working hard and living the good life in the 60's and sun. Not a whole lot has changed and I've been really taking advantage of the area. I don't have any really exciting adventures to report, but I do have some reflections to relay to you.
(6/30/2009)
I think it's time to write some more of my words into this notebook. Another playlist later, here's what we have. I originally started this to give myself a space to keep track of what inspires me. Inspires me to grow, to learn, to become better, to inspire others.
What resulted is nothing but awesomeness for my inspiration. Everyday, I carry a backpack, and every day since starting this project, this notebook has come along for the ride with me. Not only does it help me with keeping track of what inspires me, but it also gives me an awesome resource right there for me to open up to.
After a few months of keeping track of things, I noticed that I had a healthy amount of song lyrics that inspired me. This became the beginnings of a new personal project of mine.
I don't remember when I created the first Moleskine Playlist...but it's still on my iPod -- a testament to it's staying power. Looking over these quotes has now turned into a musical experience that allows me to reflect and re-energize at the same time.
As a matter of stupidity, I hardly ever date my stuff .. but I only write in the order of the pages. Here's what I do know -- from the period of time from 11/29/2009 to the end of the Spring 2009 Semester, there is a definite theme in my quotes, and therefore, the playlist.
STRENGTH.
I was inspired by things, people, and music that gave strength. Whether that be Dead Poets Society, Fleetwood Mac or T.I. -- almost everything was about strength. And I think that this is an appropriate way to gauge what I needed through that time as well. Being possibly some of the most doubt-filled (and therefore ranking in the "crappy" category) time of my life. It makes sense.
But what happened at the end of Spring 2009 to change the tone to something else I removed myself from the entire situation. Not only did I move out, I moved on. I moved to the middle of nowhere and what did I find there? ...That too can be tracked through the Moleskine.
As I share the 2nd round of my Moleskine playlist, I've found that a different theme has emerged onto the field. A theme that makes this group of songs actually enjoyable to listen to, but a theme that can be just as reflective.
PASSION.
Passion for others, passion for self, passion for life. The songs and quotes from the month of June 2009 have been about finding and sustaining passion. Passion -- not things that inspire you but rather sustain the inspiration and encourage you to pass it on. Most of the songs are about love. Loving others and loving yourself. Discovering what you love and continuing on that path.
The quotes have also start to take on a much more external approach. An encouragement to reach out beyond yourself. And promoting an idea of one-ness. Maybe an insinuation that I feel like I'm a part of something, that I have a further understanding of the concept of community and that of being a global citizen.
The best part about the past month is the fact that it has validated what I thought my passion was -- Student Affairs. After last semester and everything I experienced, I had my doubts. After being at Humboldt and seeing how it can be (and how it is) elsewhere -- I've become inspired to have no qualms about my entry into this field in a year.
Maybe it was necessary for me to have this reaffirmation here and now in this experience. But it was definitely not a coincidence. Are there more lessons to be learned? Most Assuredly. But I doubt that anything I experience in the next 3 1/2 weeks can top what has happened already -- but maybe it will.
For those of you who would like these playlists for your own use: here they are. Bring a CD or a flash drive to me, and the mp3s can be yours as well. I hope they inspire you as much as they have inspired me.
The (Original) Moleskine Playlist:
Moleskine Playlist (Version 2.0)
Peace,
Matt
Monday, June 22, 2009
Reflections in the Waves Spark My Memory...
It's been a week. I am still alive...I promise. It's been a busy week here and I finally was able to collect my thoughts and get them on typed up. :-)
Adventures in Work
The last week has been pretty chill yet very short-term goal driven at work. I'm almost halfway done with my internship -- which I find amazing and quite shocking actually. Arcata now feels like home. I have established myself here to a point of comfort with my surroundings. It will be weird leaving in a little over 30 days.
A couple of things have changed about this project -- I'm finally on a real SERVER. I haven't migrated my project over yet, but will be soon, and I'm pretty darn excited. It only took HSU's IT 5 weeks to get their lives together to get my accounts setup. Happiness ensued.
However, we have encountered our first relatively large obstacle in this process. Humboldt's IR Submission forms are done through this system called SMIRF. -- Simple Mailing Incident Report Form. I think that is what it stands for, but I always reach straight for the popular cartoon characters. Anyways, this system has been in place for many years and frankly, it is way out of date. Now, Humboldt is switching their ResLife Computer Systems over in the coming year and the new one will have IR support.
(For those of you who don't speak ResLife, IR = Incident Report. An IR is filed to formally document any happenings in the hall regarding conduct. You find alcohol, you write an IR. You smell drugs...you call Public Safety, THEN you write an IR. The IR becomes THE main way through which student judicial cases happen. Needless to say, it is VITAL to any residence life system to have an IR process in place.)
Okay, SMIRF needs to move because it is old, clunky, and won't be able to run on the new server. Craptastic. Big problems....what do we do in the mean time? Oh, I love creative problem solving. Do you write a new SMIRF, only to have to train all of your staff in a system you will use for a semester or a year? Do you try to keep the current SMIRF alive? Interesting questions, we'll see where that goes.
(And yes, I know this is a SMURF and not a SMIRF, but sounds the same -- is the same.)
Adventures in Oysters
Saturday was Oyster Fest. Oyster Fest is a big deal around here. It's right up there with organic food, general liberalism, and environmental sustainability. Every year, right around this time of year, there is an amazing abundance of oyster in this area. And like most seafood, oysters have .... well...umm. ZERO shelflife. So a quick and effective way is to obviously celebrate the abundance by getting completely trashed in the town square while eating them. (It's oddly tribal...minus the whole drinking thing.)
So I decided that I would a) have to go to the festival and b) have to do it up right and try an oyster or two. I mean afterall, they come prepared in every way imaginable at the festival. All of the local eateries come out and cook oysters in the style of their restaurant. Japanese, Italian, French, Barbecued, "American", Mexican, Chinese...you name it, they've got it.
a) was easy. The festival was on the plaza - which was blocked off and made into a giant beer garden. Yes, my friends, the local version of Summerfest. Live bands, beer tents and drunk 40 somethings. GLORIOUS. I loved it. My camera would not do this event justice, so there are no pictures. But I can assure you it was a sight to see.
On the other hand, b) was a much more interesting task. I'm not going to go into the details of my oyster experience because it's a much better story to hear in person. (Ask me about it sometime.) But I did survive three relatively large oysters and two barbecued fish tacos. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
After that, I decided to call it quits for the day. I had more than my fill. Truly a memorable experience...and I won't be having oyster again anytime soon.
Adventures in Crabs
Sunday, Damien and I decided to check out the Crabs game. It was his first time, my second. After catching some serious sun .... again. the crabs called it a winning day, and Damien and I both looked like the team's mascot. As usual the "Crab Grass Band" was up to their usual antics. 3 Blind Mice, The Grinch, Crazy Train (complete with audience participation of the Ay! Ay! Ay! part), Crazy, and even some appearances by The Killers. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
What amazes me about Crabs games is how community oriented the atmosphere is. I thought the team I grew up on -- The Beloit Snappers -- was very much like that, but the Crabs have them beat by a long shot. It's quite the place to watch a ballgame, and I always leave a little more burnt than I came, but having had a great afternoon cheering on the team with the world's oddest mascot.
I'll try to update again before next Monday!! Hopefully, I will have done something amazing and noteworthy by then.... :-)
Peace,
M
Adventures in Work
The last week has been pretty chill yet very short-term goal driven at work. I'm almost halfway done with my internship -- which I find amazing and quite shocking actually. Arcata now feels like home. I have established myself here to a point of comfort with my surroundings. It will be weird leaving in a little over 30 days.
A couple of things have changed about this project -- I'm finally on a real SERVER. I haven't migrated my project over yet, but will be soon, and I'm pretty darn excited. It only took HSU's IT 5 weeks to get their lives together to get my accounts setup. Happiness ensued.
However, we have encountered our first relatively large obstacle in this process. Humboldt's IR Submission forms are done through this system called SMIRF. -- Simple Mailing Incident Report Form. I think that is what it stands for, but I always reach straight for the popular cartoon characters. Anyways, this system has been in place for many years and frankly, it is way out of date. Now, Humboldt is switching their ResLife Computer Systems over in the coming year and the new one will have IR support.
(For those of you who don't speak ResLife, IR = Incident Report. An IR is filed to formally document any happenings in the hall regarding conduct. You find alcohol, you write an IR. You smell drugs...you call Public Safety, THEN you write an IR. The IR becomes THE main way through which student judicial cases happen. Needless to say, it is VITAL to any residence life system to have an IR process in place.)
Okay, SMIRF needs to move because it is old, clunky, and won't be able to run on the new server. Craptastic. Big problems....what do we do in the mean time? Oh, I love creative problem solving. Do you write a new SMIRF, only to have to train all of your staff in a system you will use for a semester or a year? Do you try to keep the current SMIRF alive? Interesting questions, we'll see where that goes.
(And yes, I know this is a SMURF and not a SMIRF, but sounds the same -- is the same.)
Adventures in Oysters
Saturday was Oyster Fest. Oyster Fest is a big deal around here. It's right up there with organic food, general liberalism, and environmental sustainability. Every year, right around this time of year, there is an amazing abundance of oyster in this area. And like most seafood, oysters have .... well...umm. ZERO shelflife. So a quick and effective way is to obviously celebrate the abundance by getting completely trashed in the town square while eating them. (It's oddly tribal...minus the whole drinking thing.)
So I decided that I would a) have to go to the festival and b) have to do it up right and try an oyster or two. I mean afterall, they come prepared in every way imaginable at the festival. All of the local eateries come out and cook oysters in the style of their restaurant. Japanese, Italian, French, Barbecued, "American", Mexican, Chinese...you name it, they've got it.
a) was easy. The festival was on the plaza - which was blocked off and made into a giant beer garden. Yes, my friends, the local version of Summerfest. Live bands, beer tents and drunk 40 somethings. GLORIOUS. I loved it. My camera would not do this event justice, so there are no pictures. But I can assure you it was a sight to see.
On the other hand, b) was a much more interesting task. I'm not going to go into the details of my oyster experience because it's a much better story to hear in person. (Ask me about it sometime.) But I did survive three relatively large oysters and two barbecued fish tacos. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
After that, I decided to call it quits for the day. I had more than my fill. Truly a memorable experience...and I won't be having oyster again anytime soon.
Adventures in Crabs
Sunday, Damien and I decided to check out the Crabs game. It was his first time, my second. After catching some serious sun .... again. the crabs called it a winning day, and Damien and I both looked like the team's mascot. As usual the "Crab Grass Band" was up to their usual antics. 3 Blind Mice, The Grinch, Crazy Train (complete with audience participation of the Ay! Ay! Ay! part), Crazy, and even some appearances by The Killers. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
What amazes me about Crabs games is how community oriented the atmosphere is. I thought the team I grew up on -- The Beloit Snappers -- was very much like that, but the Crabs have them beat by a long shot. It's quite the place to watch a ballgame, and I always leave a little more burnt than I came, but having had a great afternoon cheering on the team with the world's oddest mascot.
I'll try to update again before next Monday!! Hopefully, I will have done something amazing and noteworthy by then.... :-)
Peace,
M
Monday, June 15, 2009
You haven't seen any Ewoks in here...have you?!?!
Just as I stop feeling like a tourist -- my camera becomes permanently attached to my hand again.
I've got some more adventures for you...
Adventures in Trees.
Saturday, Damien's parents offered to take us to the Avenue of the Giants. Without hesitation agreed because one thing that I VOWED I would see while I was here are the Redwoods.
Words will never do this experience justice. So here's some pictures!
It is something that you truly have to see to believe, and even then the belief is still questionable. The trees are INCREDIBLE. I'm pretty sure that I had my head fully outside of the car window for a full 15 minutes before we stopped, and then again after we started to go through groves.
Let me explain a little bit....along the Avenue of the Giants, there are many groves of trees that line the road. Most of the groves contain paths that allow visitors to walk through (with relative ease) and experience the trees. We stopped at two different groves and walked through. I have never felt so small in my life. But at the same time, there is something very spiritual about that place. I felt very connected to God my time in the forest. (insert your deity of choice into that sentence....)
We got to see the immortal tree which has survived lightning, floods, fires, and all sorts of Mother Nature's wrath, and we got to see a tree that was alive for longer than the Catholic Church. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
All in all, truly a memorable trip with some great Kodak moments. (product placement?? come on, kid's gotta make money somehow!) Even though I won't be forgetting that trip anytime soon.
(Also, many of the scenes involving the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were filmed in the Redwoods...along with the Made-for-TV movies Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor ...hence the references...and that second picture I "took".)
Adventures in Sand.
Sunday, Damien and I went to check out the Community Sand Sculpting Competition. At Manila Beach, over 25 teams of people (roughly 100 participants) had come together to create these beautiful works of art in the Sand. The pieces ranged from turtles to a Titanic to a totally awesome sandcastle and everything in between. The beach it was at was BEAUTIFUL. I distinctly remember my first trip to the Pacific Beach not being as enjoyable as this one. I'm sure I'll be returning before the end of my time here.
While I did not take part in any of the building, I was able to get pictures of almost everything, but again the pictures hardly do this stuff justice. I was thoroughly impressed with this event and recommend it to anyone coming into the area.
Adventures in Eats.
Today was the unofficial opening of the HSU Dining Center -- affectionately known as "The J". I eat for free, three meals a day. Needless to say, I will be taking full advantage. Right now, there is a band camp here -- those kids are INTENSE. Even when at the table eating, they are talking about what they need to practice, what they've played, etc. etc. I could never do it.
I will report back on food quality as it deems necessary.
Adventures in Cauly-Forn-E-Ah.
I spend most of today working on a refreshed look for the NRHH website at Humboldt. Bringing their OTM submission forms up to national standards and getting things prepared for moving to the new system...as soon as I get server space. Oh, institutional redtape...how I loathe thee.
Other than that, the budget crisis is still ongoing. (The link is for people who have been living under a ROCK lately...) And people are starting to get nervous that things are going to start shutting down. It's sad that they can't figure this thing out. It affects every single person in the state and it's a shame these problems still haven't been solved. I mean, come on, California, your GOVERNOR is TURBOMAN for crying out loud.
Put the cookie down, beat the nemesis Dementor and the Demon Team and let's put this to bed.
That's all I've got for now...more to follow.
Until next time,
Matt
I've got some more adventures for you...
Adventures in Trees.
Saturday, Damien's parents offered to take us to the Avenue of the Giants. Without hesitation agreed because one thing that I VOWED I would see while I was here are the Redwoods.
Words will never do this experience justice. So here's some pictures!
It is something that you truly have to see to believe, and even then the belief is still questionable. The trees are INCREDIBLE. I'm pretty sure that I had my head fully outside of the car window for a full 15 minutes before we stopped, and then again after we started to go through groves.
Let me explain a little bit....along the Avenue of the Giants, there are many groves of trees that line the road. Most of the groves contain paths that allow visitors to walk through (with relative ease) and experience the trees. We stopped at two different groves and walked through. I have never felt so small in my life. But at the same time, there is something very spiritual about that place. I felt very connected to God my time in the forest. (insert your deity of choice into that sentence....)
We got to see the immortal tree which has survived lightning, floods, fires, and all sorts of Mother Nature's wrath, and we got to see a tree that was alive for longer than the Catholic Church. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
All in all, truly a memorable trip with some great Kodak moments. (product placement?? come on, kid's gotta make money somehow!) Even though I won't be forgetting that trip anytime soon.
(Also, many of the scenes involving the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were filmed in the Redwoods...along with the Made-for-TV movies Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor ...hence the references...and that second picture I "took".)
Adventures in Sand.
Sunday, Damien and I went to check out the Community Sand Sculpting Competition. At Manila Beach, over 25 teams of people (roughly 100 participants) had come together to create these beautiful works of art in the Sand. The pieces ranged from turtles to a Titanic to a totally awesome sandcastle and everything in between. The beach it was at was BEAUTIFUL. I distinctly remember my first trip to the Pacific Beach not being as enjoyable as this one. I'm sure I'll be returning before the end of my time here.
While I did not take part in any of the building, I was able to get pictures of almost everything, but again the pictures hardly do this stuff justice. I was thoroughly impressed with this event and recommend it to anyone coming into the area.
Adventures in Eats.
Today was the unofficial opening of the HSU Dining Center -- affectionately known as "The J". I eat for free, three meals a day. Needless to say, I will be taking full advantage. Right now, there is a band camp here -- those kids are INTENSE. Even when at the table eating, they are talking about what they need to practice, what they've played, etc. etc. I could never do it.
I will report back on food quality as it deems necessary.
Adventures in Cauly-Forn-E-Ah.
I spend most of today working on a refreshed look for the NRHH website at Humboldt. Bringing their OTM submission forms up to national standards and getting things prepared for moving to the new system...as soon as I get server space. Oh, institutional redtape...how I loathe thee.
Other than that, the budget crisis is still ongoing. (The link is for people who have been living under a ROCK lately...) And people are starting to get nervous that things are going to start shutting down. It's sad that they can't figure this thing out. It affects every single person in the state and it's a shame these problems still haven't been solved. I mean, come on, California, your GOVERNOR is TURBOMAN for crying out loud.
Put the cookie down, beat the nemesis Dementor and the Demon Team and let's put this to bed.
That's all I've got for now...more to follow.
Until next time,
Matt
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wait...there's ICE CREAM?!?!?!?
Adventures in Work:
Work as been fun this week. Pretty laid back week, but I've been getting a lot of work done. Right now, a program can be iterated through the entire process on the site, and there is a working search function on the site as well.
Jeremy and I were talking today about the sense of accomplishment I have from working on this project. It is already really neat to see so much of this come together. He described it kind of as art...we had a dream of what they wanted, and now it's my job to create. Especially on the searching part of the site, I'm still very proud of that portion. It's one of those things that I knew sort of why it worked but I never thought about how that process would look. Now I know. And if I've learned something -- about myself, about technology, then that is a successful day at the office for me.
Tomorrow I will implementing some more features involving the fluidity of this site. Basically, it's ResLife. People come and people go. Their website should be built around that principle. So with that in mind, I will be building portions of their site that will allow users to add, edit, and delete things in the database...ultimately, this will probably be one of the most important "extras" in the system.
Adventures in Roommates:
My roommate is here. Not only does he exist...he is a fun guy. His name is Damien, he's from Iowa and just finished his first year of grad work at Ohio University. His parents are in town to check out the scene here, so it is nice getting to know them and experience a little bit of Arcata with them.
I think it is a sign that I'm starting to feel like I live here when we are going places and I'm the one that is looked to for directions. I'm starting to feel very confident in my abilities to navigate around town and the area. It's a pretty great feeling -- I've got my bearings.
(For those of you who are interested, Damien is now in-the-know about Two-For-Lunch, and it adamant about trying out the various Chinese places in Humboldt County....it will be like Fox News. We Report. You Decide. Fair and Balanced (with No MSG))
Adventures in Ice Cream:
So there is a new ice cream place in town and it is PHENOMENAL. They make it fresh every day, along with making their cones fresh every day. It's pretty awesome. It's not Kopp's, but it's damn close. I have been there twice now...the first time I got a HUGE scoop of Coffee flavored ice cream (oh the coffee here....mmmmm) and the girl claimed it was like drinking two huge cups. I agreed.
Tonight I got a half-and-half scoop of Green Tea and Peanut Butter Chip. The green tea ice cream was surprisingly tasty and healthy for you? (Ok, not quite...but it's gotta count for SOMETHING!) The PBChip was great too. Damien and I have already decided that there will have to be limits on the amount of times we are allowed to visit. Let's hope we aren't too restrictive of ourselves.
On tap for the weekend:
REDWOODS // Avenue of the Giants.
Crabs? I hope so.
Until later,
M
Work as been fun this week. Pretty laid back week, but I've been getting a lot of work done. Right now, a program can be iterated through the entire process on the site, and there is a working search function on the site as well.
Jeremy and I were talking today about the sense of accomplishment I have from working on this project. It is already really neat to see so much of this come together. He described it kind of as art...we had a dream of what they wanted, and now it's my job to create. Especially on the searching part of the site, I'm still very proud of that portion. It's one of those things that I knew sort of why it worked but I never thought about how that process would look. Now I know. And if I've learned something -- about myself, about technology, then that is a successful day at the office for me.
Tomorrow I will implementing some more features involving the fluidity of this site. Basically, it's ResLife. People come and people go. Their website should be built around that principle. So with that in mind, I will be building portions of their site that will allow users to add, edit, and delete things in the database...ultimately, this will probably be one of the most important "extras" in the system.
Adventures in Roommates:
My roommate is here. Not only does he exist...he is a fun guy. His name is Damien, he's from Iowa and just finished his first year of grad work at Ohio University. His parents are in town to check out the scene here, so it is nice getting to know them and experience a little bit of Arcata with them.
I think it is a sign that I'm starting to feel like I live here when we are going places and I'm the one that is looked to for directions. I'm starting to feel very confident in my abilities to navigate around town and the area. It's a pretty great feeling -- I've got my bearings.
(For those of you who are interested, Damien is now in-the-know about Two-For-Lunch, and it adamant about trying out the various Chinese places in Humboldt County....it will be like Fox News. We Report. You Decide. Fair and Balanced (with No MSG))
Adventures in Ice Cream:
So there is a new ice cream place in town and it is PHENOMENAL. They make it fresh every day, along with making their cones fresh every day. It's pretty awesome. It's not Kopp's, but it's damn close. I have been there twice now...the first time I got a HUGE scoop of Coffee flavored ice cream (oh the coffee here....mmmmm) and the girl claimed it was like drinking two huge cups. I agreed.
Tonight I got a half-and-half scoop of Green Tea and Peanut Butter Chip. The green tea ice cream was surprisingly tasty and healthy for you? (Ok, not quite...but it's gotta count for SOMETHING!) The PBChip was great too. Damien and I have already decided that there will have to be limits on the amount of times we are allowed to visit. Let's hope we aren't too restrictive of ourselves.
On tap for the weekend:
REDWOODS // Avenue of the Giants.
Crabs? I hope so.
Until later,
M
The Humboldt Crabs on Jay Leno
The Crabs on Leno
I think my favorite quote is...
Have a great day!
-M
I think my favorite quote is...
Everyone asks me how my crabs are...and I tell them that they itch and we move on with the conversation. What are you gonna do? I like to think that I have them for two months out of the year and then they go away on their own.
Have a great day!
-M
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I Got A Feeling...
..that tonight's gonna be a good night!
It's been another little while since I posted.
I am still alive. I am still having a great time, and I've got updates!
(I liked the "Adventures in..." format of last time, so here goes nothing.
Adventures in Work
Working was a long haul this past week. Most of the week was spent in my office trudging away on the large portions of the Programming Database. After a pretty frustrating Thursday, debugging annoying code, Friday was spent re-implementing most of the code from Thursday on different pages, making it much more enjoyable (and less frustrating.) I guess what is beneficial for me is that I know my tools. When I'm writing code and I know that it is taking too long, I look for simpler ways to achieve my task. Two tools I have been using on this project have been Protoype and CodeIgniter. These tools are "frameworks" for both the Javascript and PHP programming languages.
If you want to use a really simple cooking analogy...frameworks are a lot like Stove Top Stuffing. They aid the process in making the same food, but it's just simpler. Yes, you can make stuffing from scratch, but if are looking for something (most of the time) just as good at half the hassle, you reach for the box.
Similarly, in programming, there are some things that I could code and recode or just keep in my toolbox of utility code (yes, I have one of these, it's something I've accumulated over the years....) but why? When Prototype and CodeIgniter can do the job just as well by just adding a simple line of code -- I use those instead.
Friday afternoon, I had the misfortune of having to have my office carpets cleaned, which forced me out of my neat little tangerine space (yes, the walls of my office are tangerine...or cantaloupe colored), and out into the wild halls of the HSU Housing Office. Oddly enough, in my moment of despair, I got invited to a meeting by one of the RLCs, telling me that my input would be wanted.
The meeting was about the CA (think, RA) evaluation process they were going to adopt for the year. They were trying to pair down what was really important in the job, and seeing as how I know all about that...and was the only available student for giving input, I got roped in. It was cool again to hear the perspective of another university and what they expect out of their students in that role.
My time as an RA focused almost wholly on the needs of my residents. Getting them information, connecting them to campus, etc. etc. But as time went on, the needs changed to helping them develop as people. Engaging them in conversation and giving them safe opportunities to evaluate their beliefs were part of the norm. Such is not the case here.
At HSU, much that effort gets piped into programming. Programming is a big deal on this campus, potentially more so than it is at Marquette. Part of that is because there just isn't a lot to do in this town, but part of it is that is what the residents expect. I've found that in many cases the "hats" of the CA's focus a lot on programming and conduct and not as much as a "personal developer/friend/growth agent" that we tried to be at Marquette.
From a professional standpoint, I think that is probably a healthy view to adopt for this campus. But in some ways, it is also more challenging to be in the peer advisor role at HSU. I think I took forgranted how easy it is to program in the midst of a large city. Taking residents to sports games, music/arts events, dining/restaurants...it's a very easy way to program. Here, that luxury does not exist. Programming becomes more challenging, and maybe that is why I could adopt that extra "hat" I spoke of....hmmm, things to ponder.
Adventures in Leadership.
Many of you know this already, many do not. In addition to my awesome job at MUSG next year working for the Program Board, I will also be serving the Wisconsin United Residence Hall Association on their Directorship (this Executive Board). WURHA is an organization I've been involved in for a couple of years now. They are most well known for their big conference every February (or March this coming year...), but they do a lot more than that for students in the state of Wisconsin.
My role for the coming year is the Communication and Technology Chair. I'll be in charge of updating their website, improving the organization's communication through technology and just in general being awesome. It is the first time in about 5-6 years that someone from Marquette is in such a role, and it will be a really great experience for me to have as I prepare to enter the Student Affairs world.
One reason why I think this role will be so positive for me is that I'll be able to get involved with Residence Life not necessarily at Marquette. Not that MU ResLife is too small for me, but I feel like I could use a new challenge. I'm lucky enough to have two great experiences for that in my senior year.
Adventures in Crabs.
Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. EPIC.
First off, this is real. The local baseball team here is called the Humboldt Crabs. They are a team for college guys to play on during the summer, so it's random mish-mosh of players from all over the West Coast (mainly). The park is relatively big for the size of the town. For those of you who were wondering....305-347-305. (A little bit smaller than Pohlman Field in Beloit...)
The game this afternoon was a fun one. I ended up sitting by two really different groups of people. On one side, I had this older couple who were consistently amazed at how efficient the park was run, not necessarily about the game. On the other side, I had two girlfriends of the players. These girls knew surprisingly little about baseball and would refer to their boyfriends as "boo" from the stands, which I'm sure made them very happy.
One thing that made this game so unique was that the Humboldt Crabs have a pep-band. Yes, my friends, a legitimate pep-band. The band is made up of mainly older people playing for fun (I'm guessing they don't have to pay to get in...but that they aren't compensated for their service). Everything from the National Anthem, Roll Out the Barrel, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, to The Grinch Theme Song, Pink Panther, to everyone's favorite Black Sabbath favorite -- Crazy Train. They were very entertaining and quite good. They've been practicing.
I did not buy my "got Crabs?" / "We do!" shirt today, because I'm hoping to start volunteering at the park which 1) gives me a set something to do. 2) gives me some volunteer hours over the summer...which I need. and 3) gets me into games for free...hopefully.
Updates on the Crabs will continue. They won today in 10 innings, which puts them 3-0 on the season, starting with a homestand sweep.
Adventures in Roommates.
I have a roommate. For real. His name is Damien, he drove here from Ohio. It took him a long time but he made it and he's a pretty cool guy. His undergrad work was at Iowa State, but he is currently a grad student at Ohio University. He is HSU's NODA Intern for the summer. Basically, he'll be working with the Orientation Program on campus all summer. (The NODA Internship program is very well known and respected in the Student Affairs field as well as mine through ACUHO-I...if that helps your understanding.)
It was fun showing him around town tonight and meeting some more Student Affairs people from HSU. Updates will ensue as Damien and I get to know each other some more.
Adventures in Cooking/Entertainment.
I have a meal plan in one week. It's time for that to start...I forget how annoying it can be to have to cook every meal. But life is good. I made another trip to Safeway, so not to fear, there is enough food in the apartment to last me for at least another week.
As far as other entertainment...I've started watching this show, Dead Like Me on Netflix. It ran for two seasons on Showtime, but it is about a group of Grim Reapers...which sounds really dumb, but it provides a good character development setup for the main character who is killed in the first episode and becomes "undead" and must take the souls of people as they die. She is constantly fighting her want to be alive again with the pressures of trying to make it on her own....It's quite the entertainer.
Adventures in Chinese.
Oh, another installment in Chinese food craziness. Tonight, on our tour of town, I was introduced to another Chinese Restaurant in town...the Hunan Plaza. This place was smaller, but actually more legitimate than the last place I tried. Good food, big portions but too legitimate for Arcata's Two-For-Lunch!! I think our last hope is in the New Fortune. I hope so...this town cannot fully exist in my eyes until the Two-for-lunch spot is found.
That's all I've got for now. Should be a pretty easy week at work, more website building. My supervisor is back tomorrow from Hawaii...I think, so it will be fun to have him back in the office.
Also, WWDC Keynote is tomorrow. I'm thinking a new iPhone, video capabilities but not with video chatting. Once AT&T rolls out another round of upgraded cell-service that will be a standard. I'm also thinking that there will be no price drops, but improvements in models. We'll find out tomorrow! I'll be live tweeting most of it.
Until later,
M
It's been another little while since I posted.
I am still alive. I am still having a great time, and I've got updates!
(I liked the "Adventures in..." format of last time, so here goes nothing.
Adventures in Work
Working was a long haul this past week. Most of the week was spent in my office trudging away on the large portions of the Programming Database. After a pretty frustrating Thursday, debugging annoying code, Friday was spent re-implementing most of the code from Thursday on different pages, making it much more enjoyable (and less frustrating.) I guess what is beneficial for me is that I know my tools. When I'm writing code and I know that it is taking too long, I look for simpler ways to achieve my task. Two tools I have been using on this project have been Protoype and CodeIgniter. These tools are "frameworks" for both the Javascript and PHP programming languages.
If you want to use a really simple cooking analogy...frameworks are a lot like Stove Top Stuffing. They aid the process in making the same food, but it's just simpler. Yes, you can make stuffing from scratch, but if are looking for something (most of the time) just as good at half the hassle, you reach for the box.
Similarly, in programming, there are some things that I could code and recode or just keep in my toolbox of utility code (yes, I have one of these, it's something I've accumulated over the years....) but why? When Prototype and CodeIgniter can do the job just as well by just adding a simple line of code -- I use those instead.
Friday afternoon, I had the misfortune of having to have my office carpets cleaned, which forced me out of my neat little tangerine space (yes, the walls of my office are tangerine...or cantaloupe colored), and out into the wild halls of the HSU Housing Office. Oddly enough, in my moment of despair, I got invited to a meeting by one of the RLCs, telling me that my input would be wanted.
The meeting was about the CA (think, RA) evaluation process they were going to adopt for the year. They were trying to pair down what was really important in the job, and seeing as how I know all about that...and was the only available student for giving input, I got roped in. It was cool again to hear the perspective of another university and what they expect out of their students in that role.
My time as an RA focused almost wholly on the needs of my residents. Getting them information, connecting them to campus, etc. etc. But as time went on, the needs changed to helping them develop as people. Engaging them in conversation and giving them safe opportunities to evaluate their beliefs were part of the norm. Such is not the case here.
At HSU, much that effort gets piped into programming. Programming is a big deal on this campus, potentially more so than it is at Marquette. Part of that is because there just isn't a lot to do in this town, but part of it is that is what the residents expect. I've found that in many cases the "hats" of the CA's focus a lot on programming and conduct and not as much as a "personal developer/friend/growth agent" that we tried to be at Marquette.
From a professional standpoint, I think that is probably a healthy view to adopt for this campus. But in some ways, it is also more challenging to be in the peer advisor role at HSU. I think I took forgranted how easy it is to program in the midst of a large city. Taking residents to sports games, music/arts events, dining/restaurants...it's a very easy way to program. Here, that luxury does not exist. Programming becomes more challenging, and maybe that is why I could adopt that extra "hat" I spoke of....hmmm, things to ponder.
Adventures in Leadership.
Many of you know this already, many do not. In addition to my awesome job at MUSG next year working for the Program Board, I will also be serving the Wisconsin United Residence Hall Association on their Directorship (this Executive Board). WURHA is an organization I've been involved in for a couple of years now. They are most well known for their big conference every February (or March this coming year...), but they do a lot more than that for students in the state of Wisconsin.
My role for the coming year is the Communication and Technology Chair. I'll be in charge of updating their website, improving the organization's communication through technology and just in general being awesome. It is the first time in about 5-6 years that someone from Marquette is in such a role, and it will be a really great experience for me to have as I prepare to enter the Student Affairs world.
One reason why I think this role will be so positive for me is that I'll be able to get involved with Residence Life not necessarily at Marquette. Not that MU ResLife is too small for me, but I feel like I could use a new challenge. I'm lucky enough to have two great experiences for that in my senior year.
Adventures in Crabs.
Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. EPIC.
First off, this is real. The local baseball team here is called the Humboldt Crabs. They are a team for college guys to play on during the summer, so it's random mish-mosh of players from all over the West Coast (mainly). The park is relatively big for the size of the town. For those of you who were wondering....305-347-305. (A little bit smaller than Pohlman Field in Beloit...)
The game this afternoon was a fun one. I ended up sitting by two really different groups of people. On one side, I had this older couple who were consistently amazed at how efficient the park was run, not necessarily about the game. On the other side, I had two girlfriends of the players. These girls knew surprisingly little about baseball and would refer to their boyfriends as "boo" from the stands, which I'm sure made them very happy.
One thing that made this game so unique was that the Humboldt Crabs have a pep-band. Yes, my friends, a legitimate pep-band. The band is made up of mainly older people playing for fun (I'm guessing they don't have to pay to get in...but that they aren't compensated for their service). Everything from the National Anthem, Roll Out the Barrel, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, to The Grinch Theme Song, Pink Panther, to everyone's favorite Black Sabbath favorite -- Crazy Train. They were very entertaining and quite good. They've been practicing.
I did not buy my "got Crabs?" / "We do!" shirt today, because I'm hoping to start volunteering at the park which 1) gives me a set something to do. 2) gives me some volunteer hours over the summer...which I need. and 3) gets me into games for free...hopefully.
Updates on the Crabs will continue. They won today in 10 innings, which puts them 3-0 on the season, starting with a homestand sweep.
Adventures in Roommates.
I have a roommate. For real. His name is Damien, he drove here from Ohio. It took him a long time but he made it and he's a pretty cool guy. His undergrad work was at Iowa State, but he is currently a grad student at Ohio University. He is HSU's NODA Intern for the summer. Basically, he'll be working with the Orientation Program on campus all summer. (The NODA Internship program is very well known and respected in the Student Affairs field as well as mine through ACUHO-I...if that helps your understanding.)
It was fun showing him around town tonight and meeting some more Student Affairs people from HSU. Updates will ensue as Damien and I get to know each other some more.
Adventures in Cooking/Entertainment.
I have a meal plan in one week. It's time for that to start...I forget how annoying it can be to have to cook every meal. But life is good. I made another trip to Safeway, so not to fear, there is enough food in the apartment to last me for at least another week.
As far as other entertainment...I've started watching this show, Dead Like Me on Netflix. It ran for two seasons on Showtime, but it is about a group of Grim Reapers...which sounds really dumb, but it provides a good character development setup for the main character who is killed in the first episode and becomes "undead" and must take the souls of people as they die. She is constantly fighting her want to be alive again with the pressures of trying to make it on her own....It's quite the entertainer.
Adventures in Chinese.
Oh, another installment in Chinese food craziness. Tonight, on our tour of town, I was introduced to another Chinese Restaurant in town...the Hunan Plaza. This place was smaller, but actually more legitimate than the last place I tried. Good food, big portions but too legitimate for Arcata's Two-For-Lunch!! I think our last hope is in the New Fortune. I hope so...this town cannot fully exist in my eyes until the Two-for-lunch spot is found.
That's all I've got for now. Should be a pretty easy week at work, more website building. My supervisor is back tomorrow from Hawaii...I think, so it will be fun to have him back in the office.
Also, WWDC Keynote is tomorrow. I'm thinking a new iPhone, video capabilities but not with video chatting. Once AT&T rolls out another round of upgraded cell-service that will be a standard. I'm also thinking that there will be no price drops, but improvements in models. We'll find out tomorrow! I'll be live tweeting most of it.
Until later,
M
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
More Adventures....
Today was Wednesday. The week is more than half over and things are looking good for Thursday and Friday. Here are some more of my adventures:
Adventures in Work:
The last couple of days have been relatively calm at work, the office has a little more buzz to it as the other RLCs (Residence Life Coordinators) return from their various conferences and vacations. As the project starts to heat up, I get to start meeting with many of the RLCs to get their input on things and to hear what they want.
As much as most Computer Hardware/Software Developers hate client meetings, I LOVE them. I love being able to tell a customer that some task they would love to have automated, can be easily automated. I love being able to help them improve the way that they go about their business. I'm a firm believer that computers should enhance your life in all the different aspects of it. From the way you work, to the way to you play, to the way that you communicate, computers should never be a detraction from that. If I, as a developer, can create a system, a process, or a piece of software that will make your life easier, so you can focus on what is important to you, then I have done my job.
In Residence Life, this is a very simple task. Allow the computer systems that the staff (both student and professional) use to allow them to do their jobs easier, so that way they may focus on what is really important in their roles -- providing as much support as they can for their residents. That is what I am here for. Yes, I'm making a cool website for them, but it's not about the website, it's about improving the quality of their work life.
Today I got the chance to go to the professional staff department wide meeting. It had everyone from housing, reslife, dining in one room. Quite a boisterous bunch. I was introduced and all the formalities and such, but two things really stuck out to me at this meeting.
1) The staff does an appreciation program at all of their meetings where ANYONE gets a chance to stand up and recognize a ANY co-worker of theirs for something. It literally look the department of about 20 people, about 40 minutes to go through. Very interesting to sit back and watch.
2) For those of you who are living under a rock, the economy is in the crapper. California is getting hit especially hard with their inability to have a budget that they will pass. Basically, the Governator is threatening to basically shut the entire state down until things get straightened out. As someone who has never seen in the inner-workings of a public school in higher-ed, it was interesting to hear about the budget problems facing Humboldt this coming year.
At Marquette, they just find more donors, find another funder, raise prices, etc. Here, things are a little more complicated and as someone who plans to enter into the Student Affairs field, it was eye-opening and helpful for me to experience that discussion today in the Department Meeting.
Adventures in Entertainment:
I've now finished two complete seasons of 30Rock and I must say that I love Tina Fey. As if I didn't love her enough, the Fey/Baldwin/Morgan triple-threat makes this show probably the most under-appreciated comedy show on TV. Some of that might be the fact that it is on Thursday nights with The Office, but part of it is just poor promotion.
I'm thinking that next will be finishing up Season 4 of Weeds, and then back to 30 Rock for Season 3.
Adventures in Cooking:
After my grocery shopping adventure of Sunday, it was time to cook a little. Last night, I tried a recipe for a Tater-Tot Casserole which was baller, but a little too greasy for my tastes. I've also busted out the rice cooker which made a whole lot of rice very quickly. (Mike, Nate, Chris, are you out there? We may be investing in one of these....I mean, seriously. I think this may be a necessary evil in our apartment next year! *insert your favorite politically-incorrect joke about my Asian roommate here*)
Adventures in Roommates:
Still not here.
Where is he?
No one seems to know.
Adventures in Weather:
It rained. ALL DAY LONG today. I walked to work in the rain. I walked home from work in the rain. But hey, if you want it to be so green here, it's gotta grow somehow...
It's supposed to rain for the better part of the next 4 days. We'll make it work. So for everyone that I know that thinks I go out and sit on the beach in 90 degree weather every weekend...you are WRONG.
Adventures in Chinese:
After my exciting ethnic experience on Friday at Hey Juan's, and my American-style cooking that has been going on all week, I decided it was time to consider probably the most important thing about living anywhere -- the local flavor of Chinese Food Establishments.
Having done a little exploration myself through The Goog, I knew of some Chinese Restaurants in the area. After asking around, I the response from one person was a "severe lacking in quality Chinese food in this area." Needless to say, I got excited.
Let me explain, an ongoing joke that I have with my brother is about the Happy Wok in Beloit, WI. The food is mediocre but it's cheap and the portions are HUGE -- so we continue to patronize this relatively shady establishment because we always leave with a story to tell. When I moved to Arcata, naturally I started looking for something similar.
From the students that work in the "Housing + Dining Office" at Humboldt, the clear campus hangout for Chinese is the "Hunan Village" in town. However, from my own personal explorations, I have discovered that there is another (equally close) Chinese Restaurant in Arcata called the "New Fortune". After much deliberation, and a slight craving this afternoon, I decided to try the "Hunan Village" first, in the Arcatan Chinese Food Brawl.
It was quite the experience. The service was good, the food was tasty, the portions were big, there was the obligatory old Asian woman present. Overall, it was a fun experience. I had enough for a doggie-bag and I'm not sick from eating there....yet. (It's only been like 4 hours...knock on wood.) However, what this place lacked is that something that was clearly lacking. I mean, yes, it was relatively shady walking into the place, but it had all the makings of a legitimate restaurant and that is NOT what I'm looking for.
I think the entire experience can be summed up in this Tweet:
The next installment of this adventure will take place soon at the "New Fortune", hopefully it has what I'm looking for.
And on that note (5 paragraphs of rant on Chinese Food!), I think I'm going to take an adventure in sleep now.
Until next time,
M
Adventures in Work:
The last couple of days have been relatively calm at work, the office has a little more buzz to it as the other RLCs (Residence Life Coordinators) return from their various conferences and vacations. As the project starts to heat up, I get to start meeting with many of the RLCs to get their input on things and to hear what they want.
As much as most Computer Hardware/Software Developers hate client meetings, I LOVE them. I love being able to tell a customer that some task they would love to have automated, can be easily automated. I love being able to help them improve the way that they go about their business. I'm a firm believer that computers should enhance your life in all the different aspects of it. From the way you work, to the way to you play, to the way that you communicate, computers should never be a detraction from that. If I, as a developer, can create a system, a process, or a piece of software that will make your life easier, so you can focus on what is important to you, then I have done my job.
In Residence Life, this is a very simple task. Allow the computer systems that the staff (both student and professional) use to allow them to do their jobs easier, so that way they may focus on what is really important in their roles -- providing as much support as they can for their residents. That is what I am here for. Yes, I'm making a cool website for them, but it's not about the website, it's about improving the quality of their work life.
Today I got the chance to go to the professional staff department wide meeting. It had everyone from housing, reslife, dining in one room. Quite a boisterous bunch. I was introduced and all the formalities and such, but two things really stuck out to me at this meeting.
1) The staff does an appreciation program at all of their meetings where ANYONE gets a chance to stand up and recognize a ANY co-worker of theirs for something. It literally look the department of about 20 people, about 40 minutes to go through. Very interesting to sit back and watch.
2) For those of you who are living under a rock, the economy is in the crapper. California is getting hit especially hard with their inability to have a budget that they will pass. Basically, the Governator is threatening to basically shut the entire state down until things get straightened out. As someone who has never seen in the inner-workings of a public school in higher-ed, it was interesting to hear about the budget problems facing Humboldt this coming year.
At Marquette, they just find more donors, find another funder, raise prices, etc. Here, things are a little more complicated and as someone who plans to enter into the Student Affairs field, it was eye-opening and helpful for me to experience that discussion today in the Department Meeting.
Adventures in Entertainment:
I've now finished two complete seasons of 30Rock and I must say that I love Tina Fey. As if I didn't love her enough, the Fey/Baldwin/Morgan triple-threat makes this show probably the most under-appreciated comedy show on TV. Some of that might be the fact that it is on Thursday nights with The Office, but part of it is just poor promotion.
I'm thinking that next will be finishing up Season 4 of Weeds, and then back to 30 Rock for Season 3.
Adventures in Cooking:
After my grocery shopping adventure of Sunday, it was time to cook a little. Last night, I tried a recipe for a Tater-Tot Casserole which was baller, but a little too greasy for my tastes. I've also busted out the rice cooker which made a whole lot of rice very quickly. (Mike, Nate, Chris, are you out there? We may be investing in one of these....I mean, seriously. I think this may be a necessary evil in our apartment next year! *insert your favorite politically-incorrect joke about my Asian roommate here*)
Adventures in Roommates:
Still not here.
Where is he?
No one seems to know.
Adventures in Weather:
It rained. ALL DAY LONG today. I walked to work in the rain. I walked home from work in the rain. But hey, if you want it to be so green here, it's gotta grow somehow...
It's supposed to rain for the better part of the next 4 days. We'll make it work. So for everyone that I know that thinks I go out and sit on the beach in 90 degree weather every weekend...you are WRONG.
Adventures in Chinese:
After my exciting ethnic experience on Friday at Hey Juan's, and my American-style cooking that has been going on all week, I decided it was time to consider probably the most important thing about living anywhere -- the local flavor of Chinese Food Establishments.
Having done a little exploration myself through The Goog, I knew of some Chinese Restaurants in the area. After asking around, I the response from one person was a "severe lacking in quality Chinese food in this area." Needless to say, I got excited.
Let me explain, an ongoing joke that I have with my brother is about the Happy Wok in Beloit, WI. The food is mediocre but it's cheap and the portions are HUGE -- so we continue to patronize this relatively shady establishment because we always leave with a story to tell. When I moved to Arcata, naturally I started looking for something similar.
From the students that work in the "Housing + Dining Office" at Humboldt, the clear campus hangout for Chinese is the "Hunan Village" in town. However, from my own personal explorations, I have discovered that there is another (equally close) Chinese Restaurant in Arcata called the "New Fortune". After much deliberation, and a slight craving this afternoon, I decided to try the "Hunan Village" first, in the Arcatan Chinese Food Brawl.
It was quite the experience. The service was good, the food was tasty, the portions were big, there was the obligatory old Asian woman present. Overall, it was a fun experience. I had enough for a doggie-bag and I'm not sick from eating there....yet. (It's only been like 4 hours...knock on wood.) However, what this place lacked is that something that was clearly lacking. I mean, yes, it was relatively shady walking into the place, but it had all the makings of a legitimate restaurant and that is NOT what I'm looking for.
I think the entire experience can be summed up in this Tweet:
The next installment of this adventure will take place soon at the "New Fortune", hopefully it has what I'm looking for.
And on that note (5 paragraphs of rant on Chinese Food!), I think I'm going to take an adventure in sleep now.
Until next time,
M
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
This I Believe...
This post is not one about my travels to Arcata.
Nor is it something I have written.
But it is something that for some reason, is really hitting home to me today.
It's a post from the "This I Believe" series through NPR. Google it.
This one in particular is from Matt Harding -- the dancing guy.
That last line is GOLD.
Have a great day! I'll post more adventures tomorrow!
-M
Nor is it something I have written.
But it is something that for some reason, is really hitting home to me today.
It's a post from the "This I Believe" series through NPR. Google it.
This one in particular is from Matt Harding -- the dancing guy.
Link to Original
I believe globalization is forcing our brains to evolve.
I've had the privilege to see a lot more of the world than anyone my age could reasonably hope to. A few years ago, on a backpacking trip, I made a video of myself dancing terribly in exotic locations. I put it on my web site. Some friends started passing it around, and soon millions of people had watched it. I was offered sponsorship to continue my accidental vocation, and since then I've made two more videos that include 70 countries on all seven continents. A lot of people wanted to dance along with me, so I started inviting them to join in everywhere I went, from Toronto to Tokyo to Timbuktu.
Here's what I can report back: People want to feel connected to each other. They want to be heard and seen, and they're curious to hear and see others from places far away. I share that impulse. It's part of what drives me to travel. But it's constantly at odds with another impulse, which is to reduce and contain my exposure to a world that's way too big for me to comprehend.
My brain was designed to inhabit a fairly small social network of maybe a few dozen other primates—a tribe. Beyond that size, I start to get overwhelmed.
And yet here I am in a world of over six billion people, all of whom are now inextricably linked together. I don't need to travel to influence lives on the other side of the globe. All I have to do is buy a cup of coffee or a tank of gas. My tribe has grown into a single, impossibly vast social network, whether I like it or not. The problem, I believe, isn't that the world has changed, it's that my primitive caveman brain hasn't.
I am fantastic at seeing differences. Everybody is. I can quickly pick out those who look or behave differently, and unless I actively override the tendency, I will perceive them as a threat. That instinct may have once been useful for my tribe but when I travel, it’s a liability.
When I dance with people, I see them smile and laugh and act ridiculous. It makes those differences seem smaller. The world seems simpler, and my caveman brain finds that comforting.
I believe my children will have brains ever so slightly better suited to the vast complexity that surrounds us. They will be more curious, more eager to absorb and to connect.
And I believe when they look into eyes of strangers, what they will see before the differences are the things that are the same.
That last line is GOLD.
Have a great day! I'll post more adventures tomorrow!
-M
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Smile...like you've got nothing to prove!
It's been over a week since I left Beloit for Sunny California. It's been a crazy week. My project at work is great. I have a lot of autonomy, but it is still creating something that I know people will use.
One thing about my professional career (in terms of Computer Engineering) is to create software and systems that work and that make people's lives easier. It is also to create things that serve some greater purpose. For instance, in my work at the Sexual Assault Treatment Center, my work helped the nurses with the way that they gathered information about their patients -- which made their jobs easier and allowed them to focus on quality care for their patients.
Let me draw that same thought process for the system I'm making here. I'm designing a website that will make the lives of all of the Residence Life staff much easier. So that way they can focus on the things that aren't keeping track of programming or advertising -- but rather focusing on the needs of the residents.
Anyway, enough blubbering about my project. It's going well.
This week has been entertaining, getting to know the area, the town, the people, and everything Arcata, CA.
A couple of things I would like to recount for you.
Friday night, I went into town for dinner, after going through campus with my camera. I ended up at a restaurant called "Hey Juan's Burritos." The place had come with recommendation from many people, so I figured I would give it a shot. As I walked into the place (which is about the size of the Captain's Galley in South Beloit, for those of you who understand that reference), I noticed the transient in the corner and then the smell hit me like a load of bricks. It wasn't the smell of burritos or mexican, no, it was definitely the potent smell of marijuana. Immediately my plans to eat there switched to a "to-go" order, but my interaction was all but over.
As I approached the counter to place my order, I realized that the guy taking my order was less than sober, but the girl making the food was even more chilled out than he was.
Coming into this experience, I knew at some point I would encounter a situation similar to this one, and quite frankly, I'm surprised it took almost a week to come across it. I was also surprisingly proud of how well I handled it. (For those of you not in the know, Click Here!)
And in case you were wondering, the burrito tasted like burrito and it was fantastic. I will definitely be returning soon.
Saturday, I had a big day planned. First, I checked out the Farmer's Market on the Plaza. It was quite the experience. So much more than a market, this is clearly a community gathering. I found some strawberries which are awesome, and I actually ran into the head of housing at Humboldt there. He is a really nice guy, and remembered my name. (You all know how that feels when someone remembers your name...)
After the market, I came home to look up my route to Eureka to see Pixar's Up. Eureka is a town about 10 miles south of Arcata and it contains franchises! The locals of Arcata joke that you have to go to Eureka to buy a pair of pants -- and it's the truth. I took the bus to Eureka and found my way to the theater, placed conveniently right on the bus route.
As I got on the bus, I knew that something amazing was going to happen. Just one of those gut feelings that I get. Sure enough, about 2 stops down an old man in a wheelchair is waiting to get on the bus, except he's heavily intoxicated and it blabbing on about this, that and the other thing. It was HILARIOUS to listen to. Of course, besides the fact that this man was so intoxicated at 230pm.
As usual, the movie was INCREDIBLE. I got to see it in 3D and I recommend that to anyone who wants to see this film does it this way. The animated short before it was probably my favorite one yet (yes, even better than Presto!) and the montage at the beginning of the movie was awesome and sets the tone for the entire movie.
Today was more a chill day, that started off with a round of frisbee golf round with Jeremy and his girlfriend, Mallory. It's been a while since I have thrown the disc around, but it was still a fun time and a good chance to meet Mallory and also see Jeremy in a non-business setting.
I went to Safeway today for groceries and plan to cook this week! I made Sloppy Joes tonight with enough left over for lunch tomorrow, so that is pretty exciting.
This is a complete side-note, but I have been watching 30 Rock and have fallen completely in love with it. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are absolutely hilarious together, and Tracy Jordan just complements them so well.
Coming up this week:
1) Meeting more of the Res Life Staff as they come back from vacation!
2) Will the roommate ever come? Does he exist?
3) More cooking adventures.
Pictures to come by way of You-Tube video.....to be embedded right between these lines. :-)
------------------------
------------------------
Until next time,
Matt
One thing about my professional career (in terms of Computer Engineering) is to create software and systems that work and that make people's lives easier. It is also to create things that serve some greater purpose. For instance, in my work at the Sexual Assault Treatment Center, my work helped the nurses with the way that they gathered information about their patients -- which made their jobs easier and allowed them to focus on quality care for their patients.
Let me draw that same thought process for the system I'm making here. I'm designing a website that will make the lives of all of the Residence Life staff much easier. So that way they can focus on the things that aren't keeping track of programming or advertising -- but rather focusing on the needs of the residents.
Anyway, enough blubbering about my project. It's going well.
This week has been entertaining, getting to know the area, the town, the people, and everything Arcata, CA.
A couple of things I would like to recount for you.
Friday night, I went into town for dinner, after going through campus with my camera. I ended up at a restaurant called "Hey Juan's Burritos." The place had come with recommendation from many people, so I figured I would give it a shot. As I walked into the place (which is about the size of the Captain's Galley in South Beloit, for those of you who understand that reference), I noticed the transient in the corner and then the smell hit me like a load of bricks. It wasn't the smell of burritos or mexican, no, it was definitely the potent smell of marijuana. Immediately my plans to eat there switched to a "to-go" order, but my interaction was all but over.
As I approached the counter to place my order, I realized that the guy taking my order was less than sober, but the girl making the food was even more chilled out than he was.
Coming into this experience, I knew at some point I would encounter a situation similar to this one, and quite frankly, I'm surprised it took almost a week to come across it. I was also surprisingly proud of how well I handled it. (For those of you not in the know, Click Here!)
And in case you were wondering, the burrito tasted like burrito and it was fantastic. I will definitely be returning soon.
Saturday, I had a big day planned. First, I checked out the Farmer's Market on the Plaza. It was quite the experience. So much more than a market, this is clearly a community gathering. I found some strawberries which are awesome, and I actually ran into the head of housing at Humboldt there. He is a really nice guy, and remembered my name. (You all know how that feels when someone remembers your name...)
After the market, I came home to look up my route to Eureka to see Pixar's Up. Eureka is a town about 10 miles south of Arcata and it contains franchises! The locals of Arcata joke that you have to go to Eureka to buy a pair of pants -- and it's the truth. I took the bus to Eureka and found my way to the theater, placed conveniently right on the bus route.
As I got on the bus, I knew that something amazing was going to happen. Just one of those gut feelings that I get. Sure enough, about 2 stops down an old man in a wheelchair is waiting to get on the bus, except he's heavily intoxicated and it blabbing on about this, that and the other thing. It was HILARIOUS to listen to. Of course, besides the fact that this man was so intoxicated at 230pm.
As usual, the movie was INCREDIBLE. I got to see it in 3D and I recommend that to anyone who wants to see this film does it this way. The animated short before it was probably my favorite one yet (yes, even better than Presto!) and the montage at the beginning of the movie was awesome and sets the tone for the entire movie.
Today was more a chill day, that started off with a round of frisbee golf round with Jeremy and his girlfriend, Mallory. It's been a while since I have thrown the disc around, but it was still a fun time and a good chance to meet Mallory and also see Jeremy in a non-business setting.
I went to Safeway today for groceries and plan to cook this week! I made Sloppy Joes tonight with enough left over for lunch tomorrow, so that is pretty exciting.
This is a complete side-note, but I have been watching 30 Rock and have fallen completely in love with it. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are absolutely hilarious together, and Tracy Jordan just complements them so well.
Coming up this week:
1) Meeting more of the Res Life Staff as they come back from vacation!
2) Will the roommate ever come? Does he exist?
3) More cooking adventures.
Pictures to come by way of You-Tube video.....to be embedded right between these lines. :-)
------------------------
------------------------
Until next time,
Matt
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
HSU -- Hills and Stairs University
Today was my first day working through my internship and it, like every other first day of work I've ever had, was intense. Stressful is really the perfect word, not stress as in "zOMG! I have so much stuff to do" but rather like the "there is so many new things to take in". Names, faces, people, roles, buildings, places, and the list goes on and on.
My project looks to be an interesting one, but something that I can handle and work with. I'll give more details as time goes on.
Two quick stories:
As shown in the title of this post, I have now discovered what HSU stands for. Hills and Stairs University (as my supervisor so eloquently pointed out on my brief tour of campus). They are EVERYWHERE, but they connect to all of the quads and such all over campus, at some point I will venture around with my camera to give a better idea, but for right now, there are tons of hills, and where there are hills, there are stairs.
Two, for lunch we went to a local place called Japhy's which was quite the experience. A very unique place with a unique sense of food. Much of our discussion at lunch revolved around something that I hit upon in my last post and that is how there are hardly any "chains" in Arcata. Everything is a Mom-and-Pop Shop, and there are very few chain shops here. 2 stores and a subway. That's it. It's just a very different way of life -- but that is Arcata. Even with the chains here, most people don't frequent them. It's very interesting....
Imagine living your life without:
Wal-Mart
Starbucks
Jimmy John's
McDonald's
Target
etc. etc.
That's not to say that there are replacements -- there are, and they are awesome -- ESPECIALLY the coffee. OH, the coffee. LOVE the coffee.
Quite the place that would be right?? That is where I live.
I'll continue to update later this week with more pictures of campus hopefully and other random fun stuff.
Peace,
-M
My project looks to be an interesting one, but something that I can handle and work with. I'll give more details as time goes on.
Two quick stories:
As shown in the title of this post, I have now discovered what HSU stands for. Hills and Stairs University (as my supervisor so eloquently pointed out on my brief tour of campus). They are EVERYWHERE, but they connect to all of the quads and such all over campus, at some point I will venture around with my camera to give a better idea, but for right now, there are tons of hills, and where there are hills, there are stairs.
Two, for lunch we went to a local place called Japhy's which was quite the experience. A very unique place with a unique sense of food. Much of our discussion at lunch revolved around something that I hit upon in my last post and that is how there are hardly any "chains" in Arcata. Everything is a Mom-and-Pop Shop, and there are very few chain shops here. 2 stores and a subway. That's it. It's just a very different way of life -- but that is Arcata. Even with the chains here, most people don't frequent them. It's very interesting....
Imagine living your life without:
Wal-Mart
Starbucks
Jimmy John's
McDonald's
Target
etc. etc.
That's not to say that there are replacements -- there are, and they are awesome -- ESPECIALLY the coffee. OH, the coffee. LOVE the coffee.
Quite the place that would be right?? That is where I live.
I'll continue to update later this week with more pictures of campus hopefully and other random fun stuff.
Peace,
-M
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Welcome to Arcata
The last two days have been quite the exciting run.
Yesterday was really long. And when I say really long, I mean, really long. After finally arriving in Arcata, I found my ride home from Mike who is an RLC at Humboldt.
(For those of you who speak ResLife, RLC = Residence Life Coordinator -- think Hall Director of sorts. Their role is a little different than that, but it's close enough for comparison.
For those of you who have no knowledge of Residence Life, Mike is a person who works at Humboldt with residents of their university-owned housing.)
Mike showed me around Arcata and gave me some basic knowledge of the community. It was nice finally being able to see the downtown area with my eyes instead of the Google Street View. One of the first things I noticed about the town is that there are hardly any chain-stores or anything really "corporate" -- almost every store is a Mom-and-Pop shop. It hasn't been until just recently that their drug store was purchased by CVS, and their theater was bought out by a chain. Other than the Safeway and the Subway, almost everything else is an original.
As we were driving, one of the first things I noticed about this place is how green everything is. I guess you can attribute this to the fact that most of this area is carved out of the forest. The other reason why this area is so lush is the climate here is the fact that the temperature is so moderate here. With a yearly temperature average of 57 degrees and almost 42" of rain a year, there is plenty of time and place and weather for plants to grow here. (Yes, including marijuana!)
While I'm on the topic, the weather here is really unique. Mike, my ride / tour guide, told me that most days it will be some sort of overcast with a temperature right around 55. The sun tends to come out in full force in the spring and fall, but remains behind the clouds most of the summer and winter.
The other thing that is neat about this place is that they have a legitimate town square. Yes, it's square and it's the hub of entertainment in the town. It's called "The Plaza", but it's still a square. (With "Barcata" covering one full side of the square...it's where all the bars are in town. Creative name, I guess.) Needless to say, I'm excited because it makes this place sort of like Stars Hollow. No gazebo in the middle of the square though, sadly. (Rory, there's your second-straight shout out!)
Onto the rest of my adventures.
Last night, I made my first trek into town to get some living essentials -- all the stuff I didn't want to or couldn't pack. It's about a 10-15 minute walk into town from where I live on campus, but the views walking in are phenomenal, so I don't really mind.
After getting a solid 12 hours of sleep last night, today I made two trips into the town, once this morning for groceries and once for dinner and movie. As Mike put it yesterday, the grocery stores here per capita is ridiculously large. He's right. I chose to investigate the one closest to me, which is one of these half-organic, half-"real" food places, so it made shopping much more fun to say the least. Other than an excellent selection of produce, they also sell bulk spices. I'd never seen that before, so I think it is noteworthy. I did break down and purchase some cloth bags today. They were a buck each and I get a discount every time I use them at the store. (Michael, I know you will be disappointed....)
Dinner and movie was also fun. I went to the Minor Theater which is one of the oldest theaters in the US originally built to show feature films that still does so. The theater itself had less than 100 seats, but was a cozy place to watch Angels and Demons, so no complaints. Dinner was my first foray into Arcata dining, finding myself at a New York-style pizza restaurant that I will most definitely be patronizing again. Tasty stuff for cheap. Can't beat that.
I will try to get pictures up tomorrow of my apartment and some of the starter ones of Arcata. I've found some real gems that many people will enjoy.
-M
Edit:
Pictures can be found here!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008341&id=1593660019&l=0069c2272f
Yesterday was really long. And when I say really long, I mean, really long. After finally arriving in Arcata, I found my ride home from Mike who is an RLC at Humboldt.
(For those of you who speak ResLife, RLC = Residence Life Coordinator -- think Hall Director of sorts. Their role is a little different than that, but it's close enough for comparison.
For those of you who have no knowledge of Residence Life, Mike is a person who works at Humboldt with residents of their university-owned housing.)
Mike showed me around Arcata and gave me some basic knowledge of the community. It was nice finally being able to see the downtown area with my eyes instead of the Google Street View. One of the first things I noticed about the town is that there are hardly any chain-stores or anything really "corporate" -- almost every store is a Mom-and-Pop shop. It hasn't been until just recently that their drug store was purchased by CVS, and their theater was bought out by a chain. Other than the Safeway and the Subway, almost everything else is an original.
As we were driving, one of the first things I noticed about this place is how green everything is. I guess you can attribute this to the fact that most of this area is carved out of the forest. The other reason why this area is so lush is the climate here is the fact that the temperature is so moderate here. With a yearly temperature average of 57 degrees and almost 42" of rain a year, there is plenty of time and place and weather for plants to grow here. (Yes, including marijuana!)
While I'm on the topic, the weather here is really unique. Mike, my ride / tour guide, told me that most days it will be some sort of overcast with a temperature right around 55. The sun tends to come out in full force in the spring and fall, but remains behind the clouds most of the summer and winter.
The other thing that is neat about this place is that they have a legitimate town square. Yes, it's square and it's the hub of entertainment in the town. It's called "The Plaza", but it's still a square. (With "Barcata" covering one full side of the square...it's where all the bars are in town. Creative name, I guess.) Needless to say, I'm excited because it makes this place sort of like Stars Hollow. No gazebo in the middle of the square though, sadly. (Rory, there's your second-straight shout out!)
Onto the rest of my adventures.
Last night, I made my first trek into town to get some living essentials -- all the stuff I didn't want to or couldn't pack. It's about a 10-15 minute walk into town from where I live on campus, but the views walking in are phenomenal, so I don't really mind.
After getting a solid 12 hours of sleep last night, today I made two trips into the town, once this morning for groceries and once for dinner and movie. As Mike put it yesterday, the grocery stores here per capita is ridiculously large. He's right. I chose to investigate the one closest to me, which is one of these half-organic, half-"real" food places, so it made shopping much more fun to say the least. Other than an excellent selection of produce, they also sell bulk spices. I'd never seen that before, so I think it is noteworthy. I did break down and purchase some cloth bags today. They were a buck each and I get a discount every time I use them at the store. (Michael, I know you will be disappointed....)
Dinner and movie was also fun. I went to the Minor Theater which is one of the oldest theaters in the US originally built to show feature films that still does so. The theater itself had less than 100 seats, but was a cozy place to watch Angels and Demons, so no complaints. Dinner was my first foray into Arcata dining, finding myself at a New York-style pizza restaurant that I will most definitely be patronizing again. Tasty stuff for cheap. Can't beat that.
I will try to get pictures up tomorrow of my apartment and some of the starter ones of Arcata. I've found some real gems that many people will enjoy.
-M
Edit:
Pictures can be found here!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008341&id=1593660019&l=0069c2272f
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Travel Stories...
Wow. What a day!
As I write, I'm in San Francisco waiting for my next flight that will bring me to my final destination of Arcata. I've got nothing left, I'm just exhausted and I really just want to get to a bed. The last 24 hours have been extremely challenging. The idea of being alone and being so far away from anyone I know really started to set in on Friday morning. Conveniently, I had left myself one rather large task to do before I left home to keep my mind occupied -- PACKING.
For those that know me, you know a few things that enhance this story:
1) I'm not necessarily "organized", but I am sharp as a tack and remember where I put things.
2) My wardrobe is relatively simple.
Backtrack to move out from Marquette this semester. This experience can only really be classified as "hot mess". I wanted and needed to get out of Carpenter and things just ended up in boxes in my basement. This made packing for CA much more interesting. Most of my clothes were out, but very little else. Needless to say, I was able to find everything (...except for one thing...) and managed to maneuver it into roughly 75 pounds of stuff. Even I was pretty impressed with my ability to pull it together under pressure.
I did mention that there was one thing that I couldn't find. But I'm very proud to announce that not only do I hold a Social Security Card, but that I also know where it is. As Jess (@mollyputz88) knows, this provided me a VERY healthy distraction during finals week when I was freaking out about not having it. It turns out I had stashed it at home....thank goodness.
After getting my life in order, I was able to get about 2 hours of sleep to prepare for my crazy day. GLORIOUS. I did get some more sleep on my way to the Milwaukee Airport, but once we got there it was entertaining.
United tells all customers to be there 90 minutes before their flight departs when in Milwaukee. 5am departure time equals a 330am arrival at the airport correct? Sounds great, except for the fact that United doesn't open their ticket counters until 4am. No naturally when my dad and I arrive at 3am, the airport is dead. Gotta love air travel.
O'Hare was fun, met a family that was traveling to Hawaii to see their son come back from a year-long deployment with the Marines. It was heart-warming for me to hear their story and especially on Memorial Day weekend, it helped to put everything into perspective.
Now, I'm at San Francisco waiting for my final flight of the day into Arcata. It's kind of foggy, but the locals say that is normal, and it can make flying in and out of here a total crap-fest. Let's hope my flight goes according to plan -- Matt needs a BED.
Haunting Thoughts:
One thing that I've been pondering for a while is the concept of how walking is an act of falling. How everytime you take a step, you don't know if you will be able to safely place that foot back down. We constantly fall -- but we fall forward.
As I take these next steps in my life, toward this summer, toward my Senior year of college, toward Grad School, I think it is important to note that you do fall forward with every step. If you don't fall, it wouldn't be a step in that direction.
Here's to taking the next step, and having enough faith in myself to know that the foot will land down safe and sound, only to prepare to take the next step.
Pictures to come!!
-M
(Side Note: After I wrote this, I proceeded to have my flight to Arcata delayed 2 times due to fog, making my trip almost 4 full hours longer than necessary.)
As I write, I'm in San Francisco waiting for my next flight that will bring me to my final destination of Arcata. I've got nothing left, I'm just exhausted and I really just want to get to a bed. The last 24 hours have been extremely challenging. The idea of being alone and being so far away from anyone I know really started to set in on Friday morning. Conveniently, I had left myself one rather large task to do before I left home to keep my mind occupied -- PACKING.
For those that know me, you know a few things that enhance this story:
1) I'm not necessarily "organized", but I am sharp as a tack and remember where I put things.
2) My wardrobe is relatively simple.
Backtrack to move out from Marquette this semester. This experience can only really be classified as "hot mess". I wanted and needed to get out of Carpenter and things just ended up in boxes in my basement. This made packing for CA much more interesting. Most of my clothes were out, but very little else. Needless to say, I was able to find everything (...except for one thing...) and managed to maneuver it into roughly 75 pounds of stuff. Even I was pretty impressed with my ability to pull it together under pressure.
I did mention that there was one thing that I couldn't find. But I'm very proud to announce that not only do I hold a Social Security Card, but that I also know where it is. As Jess (@mollyputz88) knows, this provided me a VERY healthy distraction during finals week when I was freaking out about not having it. It turns out I had stashed it at home....thank goodness.
After getting my life in order, I was able to get about 2 hours of sleep to prepare for my crazy day. GLORIOUS. I did get some more sleep on my way to the Milwaukee Airport, but once we got there it was entertaining.
United tells all customers to be there 90 minutes before their flight departs when in Milwaukee. 5am departure time equals a 330am arrival at the airport correct? Sounds great, except for the fact that United doesn't open their ticket counters until 4am. No naturally when my dad and I arrive at 3am, the airport is dead. Gotta love air travel.
O'Hare was fun, met a family that was traveling to Hawaii to see their son come back from a year-long deployment with the Marines. It was heart-warming for me to hear their story and especially on Memorial Day weekend, it helped to put everything into perspective.
Now, I'm at San Francisco waiting for my final flight of the day into Arcata. It's kind of foggy, but the locals say that is normal, and it can make flying in and out of here a total crap-fest. Let's hope my flight goes according to plan -- Matt needs a BED.
Haunting Thoughts:
One thing that I've been pondering for a while is the concept of how walking is an act of falling. How everytime you take a step, you don't know if you will be able to safely place that foot back down. We constantly fall -- but we fall forward.
As I take these next steps in my life, toward this summer, toward my Senior year of college, toward Grad School, I think it is important to note that you do fall forward with every step. If you don't fall, it wouldn't be a step in that direction.
Here's to taking the next step, and having enough faith in myself to know that the foot will land down safe and sound, only to prepare to take the next step.
Pictures to come!!
-M
(Side Note: After I wrote this, I proceeded to have my flight to Arcata delayed 2 times due to fog, making my trip almost 4 full hours longer than necessary.)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tell Me Again...WHAT are you doing this summer?
Hello friends!
This summer I will be spending two months in Arcata, California through an ACUHO-I Internship at Humboldt State University. While there, I will be working through HSU's Office of Housing and Dining with some of their technological needs.
Are you confused yet? -- So were my parents. (And let's face it, they still are pretty confused!)
Here's some more info on ACHUO-I and HSU.
About ACUHO-I:
From it's website: "ACUHO-I is the Association of College and University Housing Officers -International. ACUHO-I members believe in developing exceptional residential experiences at colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions around the world.
The ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program is one of the most prestigious and competitive higher education internship opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students. Today's students are seeking experiences that not only shape them as future housing professionals, but also influence their current education. The Housing Internship Program offers an unprecedented learning experience for both the interns and the host sites.
For interns, the Housing Internship Program offers a broader experience by accomplishing new tasks and being exposed to a different housing operation at a different institution. By learning about the administration of student housing, interns will be able to contribute new ideas to their home institution. Interns also have the chance to interact with future employers and mentors."
About Humboldt State / Arcata, CA:
From Wikipedia: "Humboldt State University (HSU) is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of Arcata Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Its location eight miles (13 km) north of Eureka and 279 miles (449 km) north of San Francisco on the North Coast of California is notable for its natural beauty."
The Short and Sweet Version:
I'm building a website through a really awesome internship program, and they are going to house, feed, and pay me to do so.
Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about this whole process.
Is it nerve-wracking? Yes.
Is it scary? Yes.
Is it exactly what I need right now? YES.
Many of my closest Marquette friends know this, but I had a really rough semester. It was a rough semester for me academically, spiritually, emotionally, and just in many of the day-to-day things to get done. Towards the end of the semester, things started to clear up, but what I needed more than anything was a break from Marquette.
Don't get me wrong, Marquette is a phenomenal place, and a place that I love dearly, but you could classify it as one of those "it's not you, it's me"-type of things. I need some time, some space, and a new place. That is why Humboldt looks so promising. Going out west to get a fresh perspective is exactly what I needed for this break from school.
This also brings me to the name of this site -- Westward Expansion. The expansion is not only physical but also professional, emotional, and found in the maturation that will happen this summer. I think it is only fitting that the name of this blog be modeled after what I will be experiencing this summer, seeing as how it will be keeping track of those very things. So keeping that mind, I provide it with a cool name with a deeper meaning -- how traditional of me.
Also, if you didn't know by now, now you know -- my plan is to go into the the Student Affairs field upon graduation from Marquette. Part of entering that field is that I have to go to grad school to get a Masters Degree. More school is fine with me, but I think this summer is an excellent opportunity to see how I operate in new situations again -- a status check of sorts. It's been a few years since I've been placed in a situation like this, and I have changed in many ways since my freshmen year of undergrad.
If you haven't figured out from the tone of this post, another thing you should know about me is that my life is hilarious. I find humor in everything and needless to say, my writing will be reflective of that. So naturally, this blog will not only track my professional development that takes place on the West Coast, but it will always tell the stories of my antics and the random (yet comedic) things that happen to me.
I will recounting some of the finer moments here in text, video, and pictures. (Yes, video!) But, if you want more updates feel free to follow me on Twitter (@mattyweiss) or you can read those same updates on the right-hand side of this page.
I fly out on Saturday the 23rd and start working on the 26th, so I will probably get my first post up in the middle of next week. (Fire the up the flickr too, there will probably be photos as well!!)
Until then, peace
-M
This summer I will be spending two months in Arcata, California through an ACUHO-I Internship at Humboldt State University. While there, I will be working through HSU's Office of Housing and Dining with some of their technological needs.
Are you confused yet? -- So were my parents. (And let's face it, they still are pretty confused!)
Here's some more info on ACHUO-I and HSU.
About ACUHO-I:
From it's website: "ACUHO-I is the Association of College and University Housing Officers -International. ACUHO-I members believe in developing exceptional residential experiences at colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions around the world.
The ACUHO-I Housing Internship Program is one of the most prestigious and competitive higher education internship opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students. Today's students are seeking experiences that not only shape them as future housing professionals, but also influence their current education. The Housing Internship Program offers an unprecedented learning experience for both the interns and the host sites.
For interns, the Housing Internship Program offers a broader experience by accomplishing new tasks and being exposed to a different housing operation at a different institution. By learning about the administration of student housing, interns will be able to contribute new ideas to their home institution. Interns also have the chance to interact with future employers and mentors."
About Humboldt State / Arcata, CA:
From Wikipedia: "Humboldt State University (HSU) is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of Arcata Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Its location eight miles (13 km) north of Eureka and 279 miles (449 km) north of San Francisco on the North Coast of California is notable for its natural beauty."
The Short and Sweet Version:
I'm building a website through a really awesome internship program, and they are going to house, feed, and pay me to do so.
Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about this whole process.
Is it nerve-wracking? Yes.
Is it scary? Yes.
Is it exactly what I need right now? YES.
Many of my closest Marquette friends know this, but I had a really rough semester. It was a rough semester for me academically, spiritually, emotionally, and just in many of the day-to-day things to get done. Towards the end of the semester, things started to clear up, but what I needed more than anything was a break from Marquette.
Don't get me wrong, Marquette is a phenomenal place, and a place that I love dearly, but you could classify it as one of those "it's not you, it's me"-type of things. I need some time, some space, and a new place. That is why Humboldt looks so promising. Going out west to get a fresh perspective is exactly what I needed for this break from school.
This also brings me to the name of this site -- Westward Expansion. The expansion is not only physical but also professional, emotional, and found in the maturation that will happen this summer. I think it is only fitting that the name of this blog be modeled after what I will be experiencing this summer, seeing as how it will be keeping track of those very things. So keeping that mind, I provide it with a cool name with a deeper meaning -- how traditional of me.
Also, if you didn't know by now, now you know -- my plan is to go into the the Student Affairs field upon graduation from Marquette. Part of entering that field is that I have to go to grad school to get a Masters Degree. More school is fine with me, but I think this summer is an excellent opportunity to see how I operate in new situations again -- a status check of sorts. It's been a few years since I've been placed in a situation like this, and I have changed in many ways since my freshmen year of undergrad.
If you haven't figured out from the tone of this post, another thing you should know about me is that my life is hilarious. I find humor in everything and needless to say, my writing will be reflective of that. So naturally, this blog will not only track my professional development that takes place on the West Coast, but it will always tell the stories of my antics and the random (yet comedic) things that happen to me.
I will recounting some of the finer moments here in text, video, and pictures. (Yes, video!) But, if you want more updates feel free to follow me on Twitter (@mattyweiss) or you can read those same updates on the right-hand side of this page.
I fly out on Saturday the 23rd and start working on the 26th, so I will probably get my first post up in the middle of next week. (Fire the up the flickr too, there will probably be photos as well!!)
Until then, peace
-M
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