Slater Natural History Museum. Museum-1 Assistant

Posted on September 30, 2010 by cony craighead

Hey! So, I am back again. This time with a blog about…me, I guess. or rather, where I work on campus. I have been spending all four years of my education here at UPS working as a work-study student for the Slater Museum of Natural History (I actually shuffle those four words around quite a bit). What do I do there, you ask?

Well, I’ve ended up doing a lot of things. Any sort of monkey leg-work or tedious two hour tasks that need to be done, such as tying data tags to bird specimens. But, I don’t know how interesting that is, (mostly because I have already lost interest in talking about it). This all aside, what do I do most of the time? I skin birds! Or, I could say, I work on specimen preservation (but that’s only for when we are eating and someone asks over the dinner table).
We skin birds and stuff them with cotton and sew them up and dry them out and tag them and freeze them (to kill off any annoying little buggies) and then put them away in the rows and rows of specimens the museum holds for anyone who might think of some clever study which demands access to the library of information stored in the skins. Was that a run-on sentence? possibly.

At any rate, the rest of my blog entry follows in the form of pictures and my commentary for them. please enjoy! (Note, if you’ve followed me on facebook, then this will be entirely boring and old news. yes, I recycle old material. But I have a new audience now!)

also, I feel this goes without saying, but if you have questions, go ahead and e-mail them to me at ccraighead@pugetsound.edu

Posted in Cony Craighead '11 | Comments Off on Slater Natural History Museum. Museum-1 Assistant

HAR-FEST

Posted on September 29, 2010 by mcooley

The colors are changing, the weather is temperamental, the students are getting to burnt-out phase #1… Fall is here! And if thats not cause for celebration, i don’t know what is.

I don’t know how many people know, but our lovely campus is home to a beautiful garden, cared for and tended by the students for all to feast upon and enjoy. And it has EXPLODED! Kale forests, tomatillos decorating each bed like chinese lanterns, orange, white, and alien squash babies (some which have turned into squash toddlers) make up the beautiful space. And I’m lucky enough to live in the Eco Friendly Gourmet themed house, which is only two houses down… I get to saunter down to the garden, often barefoot, to feed the compost with my eco-friendly scraps and go pick my kale moments before I eat it. Not too shabby.

You like the sound of this? Then come share the garden love with us this saturday! We’re harvesting what we can for the student market, which should be a blast. Live music… fresh pressed apple cider…produce…and whatever else our creative, talented, wonderful student body can muster up to sell. And then you can come down to the garden! n. 17th and Alder for some lessons on how you too can compost your food scraps at the garden, and what harvest themed recipes you can use to enjoy this fresh produce to its maximum. The house is also going to have a potluck with some bluegrass music following that. harvest-moon_4

That being said… I hope all of you, no matter where you are or the situation you find yourself, can reap the benefits of your labor. Harvest time reminds me that we really are taken care of. Its time to enjoy life and all it has to offer.

Posted in Micaela Cooley '11 | Comments Off on HAR-FEST

Ron Thom: Where did the sun go?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by adautremont

Ron Thom’s magic did not last long this year because the rain has already graced us with its presence. In all the years I have been here, I have remembered September to be a fairly decent month. In terms of the weather, at least. Although rain is conducive to studying, I am not quite sure I am ready to say goodbye to the sun. I had to put the good ole fenders on my bike last week, after having been sprayed (more than once) with water rolling off my tires. Don’t get me wrong, I like the rain. I wouldn’t live in the Pac NW or go to school here, if I didn’t. But I’m just saying that September is too early to see the Uggs and NorthFace fleece jackets roaming around campus. But alas! The forecast for this week is mostly sunny! Whatever will Puget Sound students do with themselves? “Study” on the lawn? I’m positive of this:)

Regardless of the weather, fall semester is certainly in full swing. If I’m not mistaken, we are entering the fifth week of classes and I know some students who have midterms next week! I know everyone says this but every year seems to go by faster and faster. And when you’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of the week, you don’t wish for anything more than the weekend. I know I feel that way. I think about my weekend plans on Monday and dread the rest of the remaining week, but somehow Friday always rolls around and I don’t quite know how I got there. I guess I would describe it as the “weekday coma.” It’s that feeling when you drive somewhere but you don’t remember how you got there. It’s kind of scary but it happens every week.

I really wish the week wasn’t like this; where is speeds by so fast you don’t know where the time went because you were so darn busy that you filled every spare moment of time. I want to remember my senior year and not be like, “Where did the time go?” Unfortunately, that is the way it has been going. I have filled my days with so much activity that down-time makes me anxious and I question whether I am forgetting to do something. Therefore, I am challenging myself and anyone (anyone reading this blog?) who feels like time is zipping by, to cherish these college moments. They are probably some of the best ones of your life. Even the late nights in the library, the thesis class that kick your butt, and the meetings that cramp your personal/social life by being scheduled at the most awkward times of day. In combination with the epic nights and adventures with friends, these are the moments you want to enjoy and not be disappointed by at the end of the year that you did not fully appreciate in the moment.

Posted in Annette d'Autremont '11 | Comments Off on Ron Thom: Where did the sun go?

Midterms Already?

Posted on September 23, 2010 by aschoblaske

Yes, indeed. While my friends back home are still waiting for school to start (since they are on the quarter/term system), I just finished taking my first real test of the school year (although I’ve had 3 or 4 quizzes and a paper already, too…). It was for Human Physiology, and taken, of course, at 8:00am. Not my finest hour, but I got used to it when I took Organic Chemistry sophomore year (in which we started exams at 7:30am), and it’s neat to have accomplished so much by 9:00am!

Besides test-taking and studying, things here on campus continue to get busier and busier by the minute, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Relay For Life committee (for which I’m the Chair) had our first meeting last week, and a few committee members are already getting started on their roles, which is SO awesome to see!

All of the fraternities and sororities had their Informal Recruitment processes this week. This is a process for upperclassmen (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) and transfer students who are interested in getting involved with the Greek Community. I am a member of Gamma Phi Beta, and we had an amazing turnout to our two get-to-know-you events… Bid Day is this Saturday, and I’m so excited to meet our newest members!!

I’ve also been busy doing various fundraising walks here in Tacoma and at home (in Portland, Oregon). Last weekend, I took the 3-hour drive home to walk in the Race For The Cure with my mom. It’s a tradition we’ve been participating in for 12 years now, so it’s always really special to take the time to get involved with the Race. Here we are getting ready to walk/run the 5k…

IMG_4109

This weekend, I am volunteering at the Pierce Country Aids Foundation (PCAF) AIDS Walk. It’s held in downtown Tacoma, and the Puget Sound community gets really involved every year. Last year, our “Loggers of Love” team was the largest team at the 5k walk event. It’s always so cool to see students all come together for a common cause! Thirdly, I’m volunteering at the American Cancer Society’s Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on October 9th. Phew! I’ll be all walked out pretty soon.

One of the great things about midterms, though, is that it means that Fall Break is coming up!! We get two days off in the middle of October (this year it’s the 18th and 19th), which means a 4-day weekend. Last year, I went to San Diego to visit my sister (who is at USD), and this year, I’m flying out to Providence, RI to visit some of my friends from studying abroad. A lot of them go to Brown, so I’m very excited to see them, see their campus, and who knows? Maybe I’ll even see Emma Watson while I’m at it?

I have class in 20 minutes, so I should be wrapping up my post, but I just want to end with  two little plugs for prospective students reading this blog. First of all, our Fall Campus Visit Day is this Saturday… It’s a GREAT way to come see our campus and learn more about it if you think you might be interested. To register, just go to the Puget Sound Admissions page! The second plug is for a brand new Facebook page called “Puget Sound Admission”. It’s a student-run page (which means admissions counselors won’t be reading it at all) where you can ask questions about the campus. If you want to know something about student life or specific classes/majors/etc. that only a student can answer, this is the place to ask it. There are over 100 Puget Sound students currently part of the group, so if you have a question, there will surely be an answer out there!

Off to one of my favorite classes: American Schools Inside and Out. Today, we are having a guest speaker come to talk about the achievement gap and white privilege in schools (how fitting, since my Teach For America phone interview is this Saturday).

Cheers!

Posted in Alayna Schoblaske '11 | Comments Off on Midterms Already?

Honest Movement: Exercising the ‘Letting Go’ Muscle

Posted on September 19, 2010 by leah vendl

Having done my performance and presented at the AHSS Symposium, it occurs to me that all I have left to do is turn in my Summer Research paper. It also occurs to me… I don’t want to be done with this project! (A professor tells me, “Welcome to true academia!”)

I’m left with this feeling probably because I wanted to be have more than a paper after the grant was done–and I did: the experience of a living, breathing piece that I literally embodied. And now I’m having to figure out what to do with my body once the piece been brought to fruition. Perhaps I’ll start with advice from a dear friend’s mother, by exercising my ‘letting go’ muscle.

We have to unclasp our hands to grab on to whatever is next.

And yet I’m left a bit bereft in the wake of the performance that has left me thinking, are we just put on this earth to make beautiful things and let them go? But I think the answer is–at least in part–yes. Yes, indeed. And that’s okay! Welcome to Senior Year!

[Oh, and once that muscle’s worked out I’m sure I’ll need both hands to grasp my English (WRC) thesis–how film affects pas de deux (two-person dance) in the dance film “Smoke” and the modern ballet “Appartement,” both by Swedish choreographer, Mats Ek!]

Posted in Leah Vendl '11 | Tagged , | Comments Off on Honest Movement: Exercising the ‘Letting Go’ Muscle

Tacoma is for Lovers Indeed

Posted on September 19, 2010 by mcooley

On our one day of sunshine this week, I took my Saturday to fall in love with Tacoma. Cruising around on our two-wheeled non-motorized transit, we let ourselves get lost in South Tacoma and Hilltop for the day. And I’m so thankful that I did. This town, I tell you what. Don’t tell the girls I live with at the Eco Friendly Gourmet Theme House, but I was in desperate need for a good greasy spoon breakfast joint, a real diner. And as big as Tacoma is, we knew there was one hiding. We ventured to Marcia’s Silver Spoon on 2601 S. Tacoma, where they make scrambles filled with everything but the kitchen sink (they may take that a bit too literally), a side of pancakes means two cakes larger than your head, topped with a mound of butter.  It’s a great old place with a flashing, neon sign and an ancient coca cola advertisement on top. We told ourselves that the 20 minute bike ride made it worth the butter…and bacon… and pounds of pancake batter…

DSCN2488

We then stopped by La Grand’s community garden on S. 18th and G street. The garden is in a predominantly Vietnamese neighborhood. The land was given to the community through a grant, and the community has certainly not left the space to waste. From corner to corner, the garden is exploding with tomatoes trelaced with the utmost care, squash that are held dearly in woven baskets, herbs which are protected by plants which climb to hide them from the sun, and life. I also got to practice some of my Vietnamese, reminding me that, well, I need to practice my Vietnamese. And they’re compost system, my WORD… immaculate. Who knew waste could look so good? Speaking of gardening, if you find yourself on n. 17th and Alder, come pick some kale! The campus garden has just about reached its harvest season peak, and there is more kale than we know what to do with.

And, finally, I visited 2nd Cycle on MLK and between 10th and 11th completely on accident. It’s a volunteer run bike co-op which offers extremely affordable (often free) bike mechanic assistance and spare bike parts. Its an awesome hole in the wall place that just feels so welcoming… I wish I remembered their hours, but you can visit their blog at 2ndcycletacoma.blogspot.com. But don’t forget about our bike shop! Its located in the expy with the skilled and diligent Chris Marsh, who is AWESOME and knows more than anybody in the entire universe about bikes. A slight exaggeration, but only slight… Open MWF from 3-5.Squash in a Basket!

Point is… Get out and start loving this place! Admit it Tacoma, your beautiful.

Posted in Micaela Cooley '11 | Comments Off on Tacoma is for Lovers Indeed

Good v Evil

Posted on September 16, 2010 by cony craighead

Eeeviiiilll! Actually, no. Incredibly adorable young racoon at Point Defiance, begging for snacks from passing cars (naughty naughty! Don't feed the wildlife!)

Eeeviiiilll! Actually, no. Incredibly adorable young racoon at Point Defiance, begging for snacks from passing cars (naughty naughty! Don't feed the wildlife!)


Goodness gracious I have only just gotten to the third week of classes and already I find myself behind on nearly everything. I think somewhere in the transition between Junior and Senior year, the number of activities which require my full, complete, undivided attention hit some kind of asymptotic line. The crazy part is that I’m not even taking part in a lot of the events or groups going on here at campus. I have only mailing list membership of a lot of clubs and campus activities because, well, I feel busy, ha ha ha. Which is actually really rather an interesting thing to be saying right now. Sitting down to my computer. Writing a blog about…daily life on campus.

Which is apparently the purpose, so that you (my general online audience) will know what is like to spend a day in the life of a UPS student. So what did I do today? I suppose that is honestly the best place to start on a blog about daily life, isn’t it?

I woke up. Nearly four hours later than when I usually get up. But then again, I normally go to bed about four hours earlier than I did last night. Procrastination for the win! Ah, good heavens, is anyone asleep by now? I have I chased you away from any desire in reading this nonsense? Ok. Better plan.

My one and only class on Thursday’s is the 400 seminar course ‘Religion and Violence’ with Greta Austin (not to be confused with Great Austin, as my dyslexic fingers seem intent upon naming her). The 400 levels in the religion department are meant to be capstone courses for the Religion major seniors, and require a 25 page research paper upon completion of the course. Cony, you are being boring again. Ok. Course aside, how cool is it to be talking about violence, God, politics, religion, morals, peace, unibombers and youtube videos all at once?!

We split into groups of about five students to discuss particular chapters from last nights reading together, and report to the class the highlights of the text. My solitary group of three were to mull over the final chapter, where five different policy solutions to religious violence were suggested. Do we fight fire with fire? Simply squelch the extremist position and wipe it off like a stain? (I hear dissent! quick, turn off the microphone!)  Do we let them destroy themselves, by allowing them to terrify themselves with their own terror? (the Lord have Mercy! What have we done?!) Do we take the moral high road, and emasculate their cause? (Change you say? I can put Change in my platform too…). How about subsuming extremeism into the mainstream, and diluting it with moderate concerns? (Tentatively sending envoys to the TeaParty, coaxing them to the ballot…hoping they won’t stampede…).

There are of course, merits and disadvantages to all of the above, and our group of three couldn’t settle on a single point. We started our own mild argument.  Can the state remain fundamentally religiously neutral? Even with a large demographic clamoring for it to be much more pervasive in government? Would it be better to publically acknowledge and accept that demographic, and nip the momentous movement behind it in the bud, before it can really get rolling and call for actual revolution? Is revolution really even at stake?

wait wait wait! We are here to discuss the book. And not even the book. Just the chapter from the book. Lets settle down a little bit and look at what we are. For one, we are not Politics majors, so let us let them talk about public policy. What we are here for is understanding the relationship between religion, the religious rhetoric employed, and the violent actions undertaken by a minority fraction of the human race. *Deep sigh* Ok. That gets us…almost where we started. ha ha ha ha. Ah, but it was such great fun talking!

Our group sessions were concluded, and the class was brought back together to report on what our groups had to say. (I don’t really feel like providing the minutes of the meeting, as though I was some secretary, so please, just fill in with your imagination so that I can get to what I want to talk about). Cool.

But all through class were repeatedly encountered that religious violence is almost always grounded in the idea that the violence is being perpetrated in an act of defense in a raging, cosmic war. The revolution has already started, and there are only those too blind to see it (er, like you and me). Cosmic war, eh? The ongoing struggle between Good and Evil. You know, I think we can all relate (not that I am asking you to sympathize with abortion clinic bombers…but I am. Just for the sake of this thought, for a moment). Really though, what is it that is so seductive about a cosmic war between the forces of Good and Evil, where the “Good guys are always outnumbered, and the Good guys always win!” (quoted from our in-class documentary viewing). Why is it that we are so drawn to stories like Jedi v Sith, US v USSR, Harry Potter v HeWhoMustNotBeNamed? Why is it so much harder for shades of grey to become instant generational icons (Looking at you, District 9. I love you, but so many people … are uncomfortable with uncomfortably unsympathetic sympathetic anti-heroes).  My house mate rants and raves with disgust and defeat against the monumental popularity of Avatar (the evil villain had no motivation but to be an evil villain! I mean come on, who buys that?! What happened to, you know, reason?), but it won’t tarnish the fact that we like having the line drawn in the sand.

Besides, Cosmic Battles of Good and Evil transcend so many obnoxious daily things. Like the fact I’m not doing my homework right now, or that I will have to pee terribly after I down my eighth cup of tea. And what kind of Holly-wood blockbuster would cast Jane Normal when you can dress up Dr. Evil in spandex and give a giant mystical sword of +20 damage to Loner Hero so that he might save the world and get the girl.

Wait wait wait, am I suggesting that religious violence is a form of escapism? But wait, all of this escapism is prevalent in  secular society as well…ermm…hmmm…maybe none of us has the answer, but we would all like to think that we do, or at least think that someone else does, reassuring ourselves that if we seek long and hard enough, somewhere, sometime, there will be an answer. Or at least a really really really good theory. Maybe.

Posted in Cony Craighead '11 | Comments Off on Good v Evil

First Weeks

Posted on September 13, 2010 by dwmiller

The first two weeks of the semester have been very engaging and I am looking forward to the rest of the semester, I’m taking three courses with a PE quarter credit as well. I started my week on Monday with Individualized Fitness with volleyball coach Mark Massey. Then on Tuesday I start in the morning with Presidency and Congress taught by Professor David Sousa. Next I have History of the United States in the 1960s with Professor Nancy Bristow. Finally, Tuesday from 6-9 I have my Senior Seminar in US politics with Professor Bill Haltom.

Friday was LogJam, one of my favorite events of the year. It starts at 5 pm with a club fair and food available for faculty, staff, and students. The activities fair is a great time to walk around, see friends freshly back from summer, and check out new clubs and organizations on campus. Music from campus groups and local groups always accompanies the food. This year, we had a helicopter to take a picture of students filling a giant P and S, and also to drop ping pong balls that could then be redeemed for prizes. The helicopter flew over the field to Flight of the Valkyries, which was a very cool effect.

Saturday was the first football game under new head coach Jeff Thomas. The team played well and there was a great crowd there to support the team to a 36-19 victory over Pacific. Our offense and defense are both exciting and the guys all seemed to have fun. It is great to be in a crowd that is supporting the team and able to watch a victory.

The rest of the weekend I spent seeing friends who were gone over the summer. It was great to catch up with everyone and watch college football while we did. Of course, now that school has begun, there is a lot of school work to do as well. But so far all of my reading and response essays have been interesting.
Now school starts to settle in and I get to start looking forward to Parents’ Weekend and Homecoming in early October.

Posted in Dan Miller '11 | Comments Off on First Weeks

A Thursday Night Snapshot

Posted on September 9, 2010 by aschoblaske

Who: Alayna, a 21-year-old student who loves the many, many, many campus activities she’s involved in SO MUCH, and who is just starting to grasp the fact that she’s actually a senior in college.

What: A bit of an almost-end-of-the-week decompression, which consists of Chinese food from Safeway (something that I really shouldn’t be spending my money on since I have a meal plan… but sometimes my taste buds just can’t handle the same SUB food over and over) and watching last night’s Top Chef finale on Hulu in my room. Oh, bliss…

When: After the Summer Research Poster Session/Symposium. Before studying for my Biochemistry and Personal Finance quizzes tomorrow. Right as the sun is setting beautifully over the Sound.

Why: Why am I decompressing? Because I seem to have scheduled myself silly this week and need some time to sit on my bed and not think about anything but the delicious food the Top Chefs are making. Why am I about to study? Because my professors demand a lot of me (and all of their students), and I really want to learn this material before the quizzes tomorrow.

Where: Gamma Phi Beta, a Greek house full of incredible women, 34 of which joined last spring and who I am loving getting to know. University of Puget Sound, a campus full of passionate students and teachers and citizens who simultaneously balance challenging academics with more community involvement than I can explain. Tacoma, a city with a rough exterior, but a friendly and gorgeous interior. Washington, a state that has nearly every outdoor landscape imaginable while hosting a major city full of outstanding entrepreneurs.

Just your typical college Thursday night, I suppose…

Posted in Alayna Schoblaske '11 | Comments Off on A Thursday Night Snapshot

espresso yourself

Posted on September 6, 2010 by mcooley

Thank you, sweet Patron Saint of all Things University, for this Labor Day weekend. Recently back from an internship in Guatemala, and then a semester abroad in Vietnam, I am the epitome (thank you spell check for that one) of dazed and confused. A three-day weekend of sleeping late, cafes, biking, friends, and food is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Readjustment is real folks, very very real. Logjam was one of the more terrifying evenings back.  For the uninitiated, Logjam begins with hundreds of students, faculty, and staff meandering around a maze of tables with smiling, enthusiastic individuals representing their respective clubs. Once I finally found the Permaculture Club table that I was to rep, its safe to say I was in a state of shock. My fear then turned into anger, as I saw a helicopter, yes helicopter, drop hundreds of ping-pong balls on eager individuals. Exorbitant spending on seemingly frivolous things (unless I’m missing something) isn’t the easiest thing to swallow after these past seven months.

orange mocha from Cafe Dei

If I may, let me talk about a caffeinated beverage that is easy to swallow… espresso. It’s been a theme of my first week back, and I believe it is going to continue throughout my last year. I just started a new job with the Oppenheimer Café, and I am in love. Yes, I work with beautiful people and am learning to make the drink of the gods. I’ll take it. Since our coffee comes from a local roaster, A.J. of Valhalla, all Oppenheimer baristas are free to take barista lessons from A.J. on Saturday and Sundays evenings. The man is married to coffee. And I mean that quite literally, as he has a tattooed ring of coffee beans around his ring finger on his left hand. He lives coffee, loves coffee, and wants us to do the same. Our Sunday night lesson consisted of about two hours just on how to pull a perfect shot. Ideally, you want put the 15 grams of freshly ground espresso beans, tamp it with a weight of 37 pounds, and pull the shot in 15-20 seconds, immediately pairing the shot with perfectly steamed milk so as to avoid oxidation. I was told to look for a red brown color, and a striped and speckled layer of crème on the top. Perfection states so sweet. And, to my delight, 6th avenue now has two amazing cafes! Café Dei, and then Beyond the Bridge Café, both of which make an amazing cup of Italian espresso. At Café Dei, the owner made me the most heavenly mocha…with freshly grated orange… bliss. So, thanks to my new dear friend, espresso. You saw me through this week, and may this be the beginning of a long a beautiful relationship.

Posted in Micaela Cooley '11 | Comments Off on espresso yourself