Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!

Hi Everyone!

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes, Happy Birthday to Abby and good luck to Cathy on her interview. I feel very much like I've been on hiatus and have been meaning to give everyone a brief update on what I've been doing. 

Well, in case you didn't know, I'm back in Chattanooga for the rest of the semester. I was able to score a little space to process my soils (which basically is picking out roots) - so that's what I've been doing since September. I'm really glad that I can do this here because then I don't have to spend that time away from Stelios. Although the room I'm in is a bit like a closet - no windows, brick on 3 sides and the 4th is painted with things like spider man, the cat in the hat and has a bunch of writings. It used to be the smoking room for the building and based on the painting, I don't think it was necessarily tobacco based smoking.

My entire family was just here for the week (and we managed to find places for everyone to sleep in the house!). My parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Because they spent part of their honeymoon in Smoky Natl Park, we had to go there for a few days. And since my younger brother loves Civil War History, we spent a good day and a half on the battlefields around here. It was kind of fun though. We have a distant relative that fought in the battle here and so we followed where his infantry was during the two days of the battle. Definitely made the experience a bit more personal. It was a really nice visit. When I finally download some scenic vista pics, I will try to post them.

Stelios and I spent my birthday hiking. There is part of the Cumberland Trail just a few miles north of our house so we went there. It was very pretty as the trail was up a gorge and the leaves are turning colors - Stelios was even happier because there were still a few beetles that he could collect. Other than that, he got me some flowers and a wonderful chocolate cake and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and recovering from all the family.

Hopefully I will get some pics posted soon! Thanks again for the Happy Birthdays!

Happy Birthday Cheryl!

Wishing you a great day of celebrating and a year (and many more) of joy, laughter and learning.

Happy Mole Day!

One of my seniors brought us cupcakes for Mole Day. Apparently chemists always celebrate it on 10/23 (at 6:02, officially). It makes me happy that there are at least a few real geeks around, although she hadn't heard of pi day (March 14), so I volunteered that she should come back with some pie in a few months.

Happy Birthday Abby!

I may be off by a day or two (?) but I think today is Abby's birthday. Happy Birthday, Abby!

Prescience

Here's a fascinating link I stumbled across. It's from the Onion, in 2001, as W took office for his first term. Then, it was silly satire. Now, it's straddling that uncomfortable line between hilarious and too-true-to-be-funny.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28784

Back in Blonde

So, over a year ago, I admitted my vanity and desire to have blond hair, although it was darkening and there was nothing I was willing to do about it.

I have no idea exactly how I pulled it off (I didn't dye it and I didn't do field work this summer), but I am back as a blonde for a while.

I'm embarrassed by how happy this makes me, but it does.

Madrones

Molly, I think madrones might be the tree you are thinking of. One of my favorite parts of Northern California. I also love manzanitas and their peely red bark.

Imade from the town of Fairfax, California.

Joe Biden is coming to My School

Holy Moley, I just found out and the school is abuzz. Tomorrow at 2:30 Joe Biden will be here at Jewell at my school. I have sent Steve out to get tickets. I hope we get to go.


Yesterday we had an e-mail that some of the homecoming events were being moved around - I thought that was strange, but had no idea what it meant. Now we all know.

Cheers
Jennifer

Happy 1 Month Anniversary!

Cathy and Scott!

Little Joys

It's been a year since we started the afternoon gratitude box, and it occurs to me that its time to resurrect it. I know everyone is busy. I know many of us have nothing really eventful in our lives. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, I particularly like keeping in touch via little bits on news or non-news.

My joy of the day: a beaver apparently built a dam across the river in town over the weekend. Amazing how quickly it went up. But my real joy is that there is a football built into it. I don't know why, but it really makes me giggle.