Gramps

I've recently come to the realization that my grandparents that have passed away are not coming back, specifically Gramps, my mom's dad. This may seem like a silly thing to have just realized at 25 years old, but it's true. I'm not really sure why this is finally occurring to me now, but I have an idea that it's because...

birds...


and photography...


...have come into my life :)

Gramps was an amateur photographer and a bird lover. Photography was something that I'd always intended to take up, but I never took the step to actually embrace. There were always excuses of insufficient time, money, equipment and experience. I also thrive on being with other people and photography seemed like far too much of an individual activity to invest any time in. And birding? Well, he wasn't a lister or anything, he just liked filling the feeders in his backyard and watching the birds that came to eat. I remember learning about Baltimore Orioles from him and how oranges are their food of choice.

Fast forward to 2008 and things began to change. It was then that I decided I needed to take control of my life and the things I do in it. It's not that I was passively floating through life before, but I was working hard to try to get into medical school - so I skipped all the fun stuff in hopes of realizing that dream. Long story short, I didn't get into med school (which was for the best, in hindsight). It took a bit for me to pick myself up and decide what to do next. In the fall of '08 I got the chance to move to MI for grad school and it was then that I decided to 'take life by the horns' so to speak.

I was realizing that there were many things I 'wanted' to do, yet I made no move to actually do any them. What was I waiting for?! They were all sitting there like empty promises to myself. So, in the midst of other things, like triathlons, a marathon, and a roadtrip to the mountains, also began birding and photography.

Gramps and I had a special relationship. I was the only grand-daughter on that side of the family, so from early on I was 'Grampa's Girl'. We saw G'ma & G'pa S quite a bit, but didn't spend a whole lot of time with them. Then Grandma passed away and we started seeing Gramps all the time. He signed my brothers and I up for golf, took us out to lunch, and - wow, this memory just came back to me - bought me my first camera. It was a Nikon film P&S, nothing special, but I was on the yearbook that year and he wanted to make sure I had a good camera for that :)

There isn't anything I wouldn't give to be able to sit with him and share the pictures I've taken and talk about the birds I've seen, and those I haven't seen yet. I inherited his lenses, so all the pictures I take are truely a tribute to him. But, to sit at his kitchen table again and look out at the birds on the back deck - I can't think of any better way to spend an afternoon.

Except, maybe, attempting a 4 owl day - details to come.

:)

Born Free in February

The second installment of my book reviews for this year is regarding the book Born Free by Joy Adamson. This book was just what I needed at this point in the year. I was feeling a need to let go of my relationship that had just ended, which is exactly what this book was about. Joy and her husband, George, lived in Africa and they came to be the sole caretakers for a lion cub they named Elsa. There came a point when they realized they must teach Elsa to hunt and live like a wild lion since they would not be able to keep her forever. Through a lot of hard work and patience, they - amazingly - were able to teach her to hunt and become aclimated to a wild lion's way of life. It is a truely touching story about letting go of their friend because it is what is best for Elsa. I finished the book in 2 days - it's a great story and the version I have had many photos of Joy, George and Elsa throughout their time together. There has been a movie (or several) made about this story and I have yet to see them, but this book is definitely worth the read!

Opening the year with The Historian

I've had the privilege to already read 2 amazing books this year. Going back several blog posts, one of my NYRs was to read 1 book for fun each month.

January was the month of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Now, I don't claim to be a literary genius in the least, but this book was a joy to read. It's a hefty text, weighing in at 900 and some odd pages, but every last one of them is worth it. In fact, I wanted more from this book! I was (slightly) disappointed that partway through the daughter's story trailed off. On the other hand, the story of the professor and his student and their search through history (yes - the book IS after all called The Historian) is riveting and addictive. It has the page turning characteristic of Angels and Demons with a scholarly kick. I felt a little like a lemming reading Angels and Demons because it had such a 'pop culture' feel about it. Reading The Historian made me feel a little more distinguished in my leisure reading, and I learned a lot about the history of Romania, Turkey and many other eastern European countries. Also, with the huge vampire kick that is going on right now ala the Twilight series (which I haven't read yet, but I think will give me the same feeling as when I read Angels and Demons) this is a refreshing look at the legend of Dracula and how it has morphed over the ages. In the end, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. There is a little bit of heavy reading at parts - and since I wasn't familiar with the history of eastern Europe at all, it took a little extra wiki-ing for me to get through some parts, but it is definitely worth it!

Colorado Trip

I've been back from the conference in Colorado for about a week...and I'm SO behind in class and TAing! I'm getting things caught up and I think after this weekend I should be sitting pretty well.

Conference in a nutshell: Lots of amazing scientists, awesome new friends, gorgeous mountains and some impressive science. I think it was quite a successful trip overall.

I did have to pass on what would have been my first ice climbing outing this weekend. Since I was out of town all last weekend, have tons of crap to catch up on and didn't find it fair to ask my roommate to watch my dog (again) for the weekend, I had to skip out. Hopefully it won't be my last chance and I can try it sometime. Sounds like some of my friends are looking to hit the climbing gyms pretty hard soon, I can't wait. It might be time to go ahead and buy those climbing shoes and harness I've been keeping my eye on... :)

Ethics class is calling my name...

Movin' on

is tough. This is definitely the most broken up I've been over a breakup, ever. And I even knew it was going to happen. It's really frustrating. I'm not usually someone that can't control my emotions, but I'm finding myself letting it get the better of me. I'm getting sick of wiping up tears and blowing my nose, seriously! Hopefully, a week in Colorado, keeping busy with talks and posters, is just what the doctor ordered. I'm heading out EARLY on Tuesday morning - 3:30AM Michigan Flyer to the airport!! I've got lots to do tomorrow to finish up at work and packing. This 3 oz rule is really starting to tick me off. I don't even think they make contact solution in bottles that small! No to mention liquid foundation makeup! Gah! I'm annoyed. Maybe I should just go to bed... :)

Reflecting on my resolutions

I think I'm pretty happy with the resolutions I've come up with, though I thought of one more. I'd really like to have a 200 species year for birding. I think striving to see 200 different types of birds in one year would be awesome! It won't be easy, but with some effort, I think it's doable! I got a great start helping with the Allegan County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) yesterday! I'm pretty sure I was able to see 32 species yesterday!! (I'm awaiting confirmation from fellow birders). It was the most picturesque CBC ever. I think almost a foot of snow fell while we were hiking around the county, big, huge, fluffy flakes. Very refreshing since there is hardly any snow in Lansing! Thankfully I got new hiking boots and a new North Face jacket for Christmas, I was completely warm for all 6 hours out in the frigid Michigan winter! Awesome!

So, just 168 more species to go!

Happy New Year!

Not just Happy New Year, but Happy New Decade as well!

I think 2009 shaped up to be a pretty good year, lots of firsts including my first Olympic Triathlon and First Marathon!

Here is a quick list of "My year in review"

January - Superbowl party with great rockband memories

February - Went on my first hash with GLH3, the Red Dress Run on Valentines Day, and met some awsome new and crazy friends

March - Spartans kicked @ss in March Madness - Final Four!

April - Found a great gym buddy and competed in my first indoor triathlon

May - Moved into a new house and got a Blackberry :)

June - My little brother graduated high school and I competed in my first olympic tri

July - Roadtrip to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park, first time in the mountains and hiked 3 14ers in one day - most amazing trip ever

August - Mom came to visit for the weekend and I successfully made homemade sushi

September -First time birding, mist netting and learning to drive a motorcycle

October -Roadtrip to Minnesota for my first marathon

November - First committee meeting with PhD committee

December -hmm, should have been the Christmas Bird Count, but I was too hungover :( Oh well, there is always next year!

All in all, pretty great year, I think.

Now, resolutions...those are always tough. This year I'm actually going to document my resolutions, so I remember them and know when they're broken :)

1) Do something active every day. Walk when I would have normally driven, swim, bike, run, etc.

2) Use my camera twice a week.

3) Eat healthier: no more than 1 sweet per day, get better about eating protein, fruits and veggies

4) Keep my clothes put away - this is a HUGE problem that I've had since I was in middle school. I've bagged up a bunch of clothes to get rid of in hopes that making more room in my drawers and closets will make it easier to keep it clean.

5) Purge all the clutter in my room

6) Read 1 fun book per month

So there they are. Let's see if I make any changes or break any of them...

Happy New Year!