tin_can_telephone’s Weblog

It’s incredible to me how much of an influence the weather has on my mood, nay, my happiness. I think that’s a fairly normal thing, having one’s mood dictated by weather. But I think it’s amplified with me. Luckily for me, my favorite season is nearly upon us in full swing. And I’m itching to get out of this city with all of its traffic and cement. 

There’s something wonderfully solemn about fall and it’s what makes me love it so much. I have no idea how to describe how I feel about brown leaves without getting bogged down in cliche, so I’ll just spare you and move on.

I’ve started designing a new bike odyssey. I want to ride through monument valley, head north, riding up and down the rockies in Colorado and Wyoming, through Grand Teton National Park, into Yellowstone, and then see where I end up. I want to start in late summer or early fall and finish whenever I got too cold. I’d do it unsupported again but without a pre-planned route this time.

Or I want to ride through Wisconsin and into the UP at this time of year. But I’m out of shape and overcommitted right now so I’d settle for a nice 8 hour drive and weekend of camping. In fact, that sounds perfect. Alas, I’m getting about 20 hours a week at REI (which I enjoy). So, for the moment, my enthusiasm for the chill in the air is going to have to find some expression here… somehow. 

I’m going to be out in Pennsylvania for Fall Break in a little over a week. I hope that gives me a good fix. 

I’m getting close to graduation and that means I should probably start to seriously think about what the heck I’m going to do come May. Well, come April actually (our lease is up at the end of April). I used to be sure that I would live in a city somewhere. I felt a sense of duty to be near the most human need, to not separate myself from suffering. And I still do feel that pull, but I feel the pull to live somewhere secluded maybe just as much or a little more. 

I want to live somewhere deep in a forest. I want to design and build a small house. In my environmental science class we’ve been talking about ways to cut household energy costs. We’re talking about renewable energy sources and small scale heating and cooling solutions that work well for a modest house and are easy on the environment (wood fired heating, ground water cooling, radiant energy, solar, wind, etc.). I’m thoroughly ashamed of the fact that I live in a country that makes up just 5% of the world’s population yet uses 25% of its resources. 

I’m considering buying a terrapass. This company helps you calculate your carbon footprint and then takes your money and invests it in renewable energy sources and other “green” projects that offset your footprint. It’s an idea that I like a lot.

As for a professional choice, I don’t quite have as many ideas in that department. Sometimes I wish I’d gone to a school that offered some kind of specialized degree in forestry or wildlife management. But, I definitely don’t regret choosing North Park. It’s been incredibly formative in my life in ways that I certainly wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

If the whole smoky the bear thing doesn’t work out, I’m thinking about looking into graduate programs in global humanitarian aid. I would love to find a school that offered courses on the hunger crisis. I’m more interested in the NGO aspect of it than the political, so we’ll see if anything like that is out there. 

In summary:

Short term goal: go outside.

Long term goals: figure out my life, go outside