To Class We Shall Go....

I'm gonna write a bit bigger today, because its just that awesome of a day. Welcome to Tuesday folks. Why? Why is it so awesome you ask? Well, because it's following the kick-butt day of Monday! You see, after I posted my Monday Fog, my day went exponentially better in the sunshiny hill town of Duluth. 


I had a beautiful date with my favorite brunette in town, during which we went to Target, McDonald's (sadly exciting), and did homework!! We sound lame, but I promise it was amazing. 


Today, is a new day. It started a bit rough, with my forgetting to wake up (that's my story...) for my 8AM Environmental Conservation so I got to sleep in until 9:10!! Then I got to sit by a friend in my Dino class at 9:30... after which I watched last night's episode of the Voice (HOLY AWESOME Episode btw) and finished the longest chapter in the history of chapters. Then I went to the gym.... hold it. Note this. I, after a week of avoiding the gym, finally went back to continue working towards my semi-impossible goal (which I'm not sharing). 


I set a new PR... which I'd argue coming from my initial mile time in September being 9 minutes (ouch) is exciting. I've finally done it, I'm down to a nearly six minute mile... over by only twenty seconds. I'm so excited. I'm having one of those little kid moments where I just found out I get to go to the candy shop... except its better... because its healthy. 


Finally to round out this awesomeness, I went to Physical Geo, which I normally skip, only to find it's been cancelled. Time to play some LOL with Lucas and bunker down for the snowstorm. Stay Savvy and Stay warm!!




Happy Tuesday Friends. 
Enjoy a song from my favorite late-artist. 
Love Always,
H.Eilene

Monday Fog

I live in the beautiful city of Duluth... I wish it were foggy today, because I really enjoy seeing the fog over the lake.. but alas, it's sunny and bright after our snow storm last night. Either way.. gorgeous. There's a lot to love about living here, but as many people argue, the lake is the best.

I went home this weekend, as my Friday post would suggest. We arrived home around 8PM and I got to spend the night just hanging out with my big sister, her husband and little miss Violet. I tend to spend a lot of time with the Youngs, and I absolutely love it. Eventually the parents got home and I got to see my dad for the first time in awhile... You know those hugs where they just remind you that no matter how bad your week has been, things are gonna be okay because your daddy is there? Maybe you don't.. but that's what it did for me.

Saturday was busy... really busy.
1. Met for coffee with Canadian
2. Visited Grandparents
3. Target for 3 hours with Big Sister
4. Dinner with Youngs
5. Movie with L.Palo
6. PUZZLE until 4:30 in the morning with Big Sister + Husband

Maybe that's not busy for you.. but dude.. I was so tired! Then, was woken up at 8:30 Sunday by a friend freakin out about the snow storm. Unfortunately for him, I can't fall back to sleep, so he was rendered a jerk for the day.

Anyways, I'm back at school (duh) and I'm actually excited to be here.. compared to the past few weeks where it's been "I can't wait for the weekend to go home"..
I love home.. but I definitely am ready for this two weeks before Spring Break. Midterms are upon us and I'm ready to kick some college-butt. :D

Today feels like a gloomy day, because I'm exhausted... but it's bright and sunny. Hopefully my Monday Fog clears out of my head so I can enjoy the beautiful day!!

"The Best Part of Waking Up"

Was definitely NOT Folgers in my cup... Actually. Morning like this morning.. I couldn't find the best part of waking up. It was one of those mornings where the cold air outside the warm cozy blankets of my bed were not worth it. Also, the presiding groggy headache didn't help me to swiftly move from the blankets to my dresser to change into the clothes for the day.

Nonetheless, I'm awake. It's 2pm. And I'm anxiously awaiting heading home for the weekend. I've been home a lot lately, like, the last three weekends, but this weekend it isn't just to spend time with family. I get to see one of my best friends. My excitement and the looming remembrance that I only get a few hours before we both head back to our own schools... are conflicting.

I love school. I love the friends I've made, though I rarely see them.. but I love my friends and family from home. These conflicting senses of home and school.. suck. College lesson of the day.

XoXo- H.Eilene


photo courtesy of: http://www.cafefaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/coffee-cup.jpg

Moodle Sucks and Agriculture.

To begin, I'd like to apologize for having such a long break between posts. Apparently, exams, essays and sleep can do that to a person. I'm a little frustrated with myself about that, and a few other things, but I guess that's life eh?

Moodle. Internet assignments are honestly going to be the thing that kill me in college. This week, for example, I had an assignment due to a forum by 5pm on Wednesday. Being smart, I finished it Tuesday (smart/ still procrastinating) but decided to double check it on Wednesday before posting it. Wednesday, 5:10pm rolls around, and what did Miss Hannah forget to do? Post her forum. That's right. This smooth chick definitely lost 20 points (full credit) on an assignment that was finished because it's posted at 5:10. This week... is definitely not my week. I wish that were the worst of the problems. I try not to miss classes just because I over sleep.. but this week.. I did :/ I missed my 8am Tuesday, and I really enjoy it. Today, however, I woke up, went to my classes and got caught up on all my late reading assignments and got ready for next week by finishing my weekend homework... all in 3 hours at Duluth's Starbucks. Shitty week is hopefully only to go up from here.

I've learned.. through various readings and getting my feet wet a bit in high school that I really really enjoy talking about, learning about, and looking at soil. SOIL.
It's silly to you, probably, I mean... it's so trivial. Soil is dirt. Dirt is brown and squishy. Bugs live in dirt. Ick. SOIL is organic material on top of minerals and rock. SOIL is what gives life to crops, trees, and beautiful flowers. Essentially SOIL gives us life.
I love it. I absolutely positively love soil.

I'm sorry if you're thinking.. what is this babbling lady talking about soil for.. WHO CARES??

Me :] I'm the one that likes soil. I like soil because soil plays a huge role in agricultural practices all around the globe. WOAH. Wait a second.. I'm actually talking about something related to geography. Oh man. Mark the date. Hannah officially stopped rambling about the random happenings around the school..

Agriculture is necessary to sustain life.. but at current population growth rates, we can't possibly expect to grow enough food to feed all the people we're making (for lack of better word). Worse yet, is that productivity of soil isn't possibly going to be able to keep up with  population levels if we don't start using more sustainable methods of farming. There are several options that need to be looked at, such as crop rotation, integrated uses of pest control and nutrient control (meaning not too much of one type of control.. too much of anything is bad.. in this case not only for the soil but also for human health and ecosystem health), no-till farming, and erosion preventative crop structure.

Number of people increases --> amount of food needed increases --> pressure on ecosystems increases--> soil degradation increase.... --> amount of food produced DEcreases..

I like soil. I like worms, even though earthworms are invasive (fun fact). I like bugs. I like plants. I LOVE trees. Finding better solutions to reduce our ecological footprint doesn't only lie in more sustainable living within our homes... but even bigger and deeper problems.. Instead of focusing ONLY on the things we can see.. we have to remember what lies beneath our feet.

Always,
H.Eilene


photos courtesy of:
http://sustainableswcolorado.org/sites/default/files/images2/agriculture.jpg
http://chiotsrun.com/2009/04/28/the-balance-of-nature-growing-soil/

I'm NOT Weird.. I Promise.

I love chicks. Not girls, come on now, I have more respect than to refer to girls as "chicks". I'm in love with baby birds. I'll be honest, I'm partial to ducklings, but how can you ignore the squishy soft look of these baby geese. I like to look at pictures of baby animals when I'm nervous or stressed. How can you still be freaked out when you're staring at squishy baby animals??! I can't.

You may be asking yourself, now Hannah, why are you freaked out?  Well Friends, I'm getting a new roommate today. Actually, in only a few short hours. I'm not nervous about the person. She seems really nice, and I'm sure I'll love her. I'm afraid she won't like me. I know it's a little sad that I'm not confident enough to be sure she'll love me, but I'm kinda weird.

I have weird quirks-- I like sunshine and happy music, when I get bored I love to color, I read Dr. Seuss on Skype to my male-best-friend, and I make dorky noises during conversations with him. I like to do silly things, and I like to dance around when I'm stressed. I eat Lucky Charms at midnight and sometimes I'm scared to match my socks. My favorite person in the world is a toddler, and I have random pictures and letters hanging on my wall. To anyone else I probably sound like a five year old,  but these things... they make me happy, and they make me.. well, me.

So, I look at baby animals when I'm nervous, and as you can now see, I babble. I babble a lot, when I'm tired, stressed, and when I'm really really excited. I guess I'm nervous because I don't want her to think I'm psychotic. Because, truth be told, I'm not. I just like happy things, and all those things make me happy. :)

College Lesson for the day: Taking 20 credits was probably a really dumb idea. I can't remember if this has been a lesson... if it has... it's something that I learn a lot... like almost every day.

Hey, did you know that my best friend has a blog too? His has awesome art, and you should definitely check it out... but don't forget to come back to me. :)

http://thegrassycoloringbook.blogspot.com/


Have a fabulous Thursday... I'm off to my Not-Valentines Date with the best boyfriend ever!!!

Happy Friday!!

Okay, it's not technically Friday, but it will be in two-ish hours. :)

Tonight's question is whether its okay to push a community to become more developed even if it means destroying some of their cultural practices. It's an opinion based question. You don't have to agree with me, but I have a very strong view on this.

One of the most prominent characteristics of the human race is the diversity between cultures all around the globe. As western culture makes it's spread across the ocean into hundreds of states (think geographically defined states not Minnesota-like states), it's tending to mute out the voices of the cultures onto which it invades. I think that cultural diversity is important. I believe that if everyone in the world was like a Westerner, the world would be boring, travel would lose its purpose, and we'd be like animals in a herd.

The answer to this question is no, to me. I do not believe it is morally okay to push a community to change if it could destroy their native culture. It's like asking if it's okay to build a dam that would end the existence of a species. You can't just destroy something for the sake of development. Find a new way to make the world a "better" place, because the value of culture and specie diversity is far surpassing an economic gain than could come from destroying them.


About that picture. Torrey Pines is beautiful. If you ever get the chance to get out there, go. I was fortunate enough to hike this mountain-like hill and I will never forget the view. It's just incredible.
If you're wondering why this applies, it's my college lesson for the day...
It's kinda like the rule where you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover.. except, you're not supposed to judge a hill for it's plants. There are pines and there are cactus on this hill, and they all look the same... but just like humans, and just like cultures, they're not all the same.



P.S. Totally met one of the girls from the coffee shop at mass tonight. She was really awesome. Maybe you should be friendly, unless you're studying for a midterm or finals.. then by all means, be a bear. Also, Enjoy this song :) Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Rival.

Okay, Seriously More on this Later :)

Gold star to whoever can tell me where this was taken.... just kidding.

Torrey Pines Beach in San Diego.

College Lesson Time.. Again

I'm writing in really big (well, bigger) font today, because I feel as though this lesson is more important than any of the others. College exams are hard. College exams with a professor you've never had before are even harder. Study your butt off, and sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. But, do you give up? No! You try harder the next time. 


I was on the phone with my mom last night (love her to death) and she asked how my exam went Friday. It was okay! I had just gotten the scores back and I did alright. I could have done better, but I could have done FAR worse. 


"Isn't that your major?" was her first response.. after a moment of silence I was able to come up with the words, "Yes mom, but it's my major. It's something I enjoy and I want to study, not something I'm an expert on. I'm allowed to have room for improvement."


So, here's the lesson (I hope you picked up on the first one... part of it was bold):

If you don't get a perfect score in a major-related course, don't freak out. It's not your major because you know everything, it's your major because you're learning. You're in college to learn, so keep your chin up and smile. :D but if you really don't want to smile, you can hide behind a giant piece of fake coral...... 


Also, I lied. There's never more coming on that picture. Love always!! --H

More on this Later.....

The Iron Range: Why so important?

Where the Heck is Japan... Just Kidding!

I have two important college lessons learned today that deserve sharing. By today, I most definitely mean yesterday, because when I began writing this post it was Friday, and now it's Saturday. Either way, the college lessons I must share with you are the secrets behind test memorization and coffee shop courtesy.

Let's start with the test part, because no one likes taking tests, why would anyone like reading about them? I guess that begs the question why bother writing it, but again, I am sharing valuable lessons learned during my experience in the Twin Harbors. So, rule of thumb: when you're working on memorization, the easier things to remember are the things you'll forget on the exam. So, a few days ago I made a random crack at not being able to find Japan on the map. This was for my World Regional Geography exam that was yesterday (Friday). While studying for the map portion of the exam, I particularly struggle in identifying Japan, which believe me, made me question how the heck I planned to get through the next four years of Geography... anyways, I found it (applause) and ever since it's stuck out like a sore thumb on the map.

I learned that when I have to work harder to remember something, I'm more likely to remember it come time of the exam. Proven with not only the location of Japan, but the ridiculously tedious memorization of the GNI, GNI per capita, HDI, TFR, and PPP (among other random stats) for each of the eight countries I had to know. I memorized the numbers for Pakistan, seemingly without flaw, but China, China proved to be a bit of a struggle. Come Friday morning... which numbers did I remember? I can promise you if you guessed Japan, you missed the change in examples. If you guessed Pakistan, you most definitely missed the point of the lesson. China. I remembered China because I had to work harder to memorize them in the first place.

Following this exam (we're moving to lesson two if you didn't catch the transition) I decided to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee at the Northern Shores Cafe on campus while taking notes for my next class. I had been at my table for maybe fifteen, twenty minutes at max, when a seemingly kind girl interrupted my focus to ask if she may sit at my table. I kind of looked at her confused, but realized being that it was morning and we were in a coffee shop there were probably no open tables and I didn't need to take up an entire four person table to study. I shifted my computer and notes to the right side of the table and she sat down on the left. She was just texting and being quiet, so there were no immediate concerns.

Another fifteen minutes pass and soon there are two very excited, giddy, squealing girls bouncing up and down and hugging at my table... (I was not pleased). At this point, I assumed the normal, logical, rational thing.. that they would leave. Did they? Not a chance.

My quiet study time was interrupted by the chatter of two girls who sounded like middle school cheerleaders, and I mean no disrespect. I was a cheerleader, and I enjoyed being peppy and cheerful, but this wasn't a pep rally or a football game, this was my quiet study table during my quiet study time. They continued to have a full conversation as if I weren't sitting there and then, as I stood to go to class, they both smiled and said it was great to meet me. They didn't meet me! They sat at my table and made me feel like I was the one who didn't belong! It was my table. I was studying, and being the normal person in this situation.. which isn't usually the case. Normally, I'm the weird one who does strange and curious things. Nope, not yesterday. My study time was shattered by the squeals and giggles of two strangers invading my space. Lesson number two for the day: if a stranger asks to sit at your study table, say no... growl, show your teeth and spread out and make it look like there's no room. Okay... maybe not so rude. Maybe set out some ground rules, say sure, but I really need it to be quiet.. or something better planned out. If it's a very peppy looking girl, say no, because chances are there are more coming.

Anyways, it's Saturday night. Clearly, I'm on my blog which means.. I have no life. So instead of saying I'm signing off for something fun, I'll be honest... I'm signing off to read about Air Temperature and Surface Temperature... I have no life. Please don't mock me.

Love always,
Hannah "The Hammer" Eilene

(Matt, that was for you)



PS picture courtesy of www.animalsw.com

Dinosaurs Are Extinct

My favorite movies growing up were the Land Before Time movies with Little Foot (an adventurous young Apatosaurus). Now, in college, I'm taking a course all about Dinosaurs!! It's called the Life and the Death of the Dinosaurs, but before we get to talk about the fun stuff, we have to discuss plate tectonics, sedimentary strata and how paleontology started. So far, it's not a very fun class.

One of the first things I learned here in college is: you have to find something to keep you entertained if lecture is really boring. Most of the time I rely on witty text messages from my friends who are usually in a boring lecture as well, otherwise if I'm in a lecture with my computer... I tend to play Tetris or SuperMario. I take notes, and I get the information, but sometimes extraordinary measures are needed to stay awake.

This is one of those classes where it's often difficult to stay focused or stay awake (because it's not the fun stuff yet). I was really worried after the first class that I'd really have issues, but then the next class came the interpreter. One of the girls in our class is deaf or hard of hearing, so the interpreter translates what the professor says using ASL. I've found my distraction.

It's great, because not only am I still focusing on the words my professor is saying, I'm also focused on the signs... and have begun to pick up on a few. I can officially sign "Dinosaurs can not swim".

Also, this class is great because the guys that sit in the row behind me make sarcastic remarks (quietly) after the professor explains something that most college students already know. For example, today, she spent about ten minutes explaining the concept of extinction. It was lengthy and by the time she was finished, I had been zoning out and thinking about lunch. She then followed her ridiculously complex definition with "Basically, it means they're gone for good."

The guy behind me whispered in response, "Oh, really? So that's what extinct means.. I guess that's why there aren't any dinosaurs outside. Thanks Deb. Thanks."
Sarcasm = Entertainment.

So, in case you were wondering how this pertained to our effect on the environment, it doesn't. This is definitely going on the "College Experience" map portion of the blog. Unless, we want to link it to the fact that humans are driving many species to the brink of extinction... because truthfully, that's a subject I have to spend a lot more time babbling about.. it's one of my biggest annoyances in the planet.

If you've never read anything about Hellbender Salamanders, Florida Panthers, or any other endangered specie, I encourage you to. In the United States alone, there are over 496 endangered animals and 735 endangered plant species. This isn't something that just happens elsewhere, it's a problem in our own backyard, so get educated.

Well... That worked.

Official Post Day 1:
College Lesson Number 1
Endangered Species

Enjoy the rest of your day :)
I have a World Regional Geography exam to study for.... and distractions (like Facebook) to get to.

My reason for caring...

Every person has a reason for caring about what matters to them. I care about the planet for a lot of reasons, but to be honest, it comes down to something far more important to me than my major or a subject I'm good at. It goes far beyond just the school. My sacred space is the reason for delving into this journey. I care because I don't want to see places like this, my favorite place in the world, disappear. This place helps me see the beauty in the world, let's me reflect, and helps me remember how to love. This place is my reason to care about everything else. I've seen the most beautiful birds, bugs, and plants.. I've seen the most beautiful rocks and the felt the chilling water of the Brule River rushing around my feet and between my toes. This place is what I see as people talk about habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and the rest of the scary things that threaten our world.

I think sometimes it helps to go back to the beginning.. to know what started it all. This is what fuels my fire and feeds my oyster fishery? Yeah... that was pretty awful. This place.. is my oyster. Forget it. this place is what makes me want to protect our Earth. There's only one "May's Ledges" and there's only one Earth.

What does that even mean?

Hello all! My name is Hannah Eilene, and I have been notorious for starting blogs and not keeping up with them.. each one I say, "this one is different!!" But they all end up the same. This one isn't allowed to be like the others. I'm not allowed to give up. 
The world is your oyster... so what?
Do you fish for it? Do you over exploit it until soon there's nothing left? Do you eat it? Why is the world an Oyster? Why isn't it a Cod? Why not a Carp? 
No. Well.. No doesn't answer that question really, but no. The world isn't something you eat, and it's certainly not something you'd want to destroy... and yet.. we are. Heh..


Welcome to The World Is Your Oyster!!


I like the planet. I like soil, and I like species... especially the ones that are slowly fading away. This is my blog to tell you all the things I learn as I make my moves towards being a more Environmentally-Conscious person. I'm not going to become a vegan... and I'm not going to become the next Alexander Supertramp.. but I really do want to work on being more conscious of the planet we're living on, and unfortunately, we're destroying. While I do so, I hope to learn more about why our society is the way it is. 


I'm a college freshman. I'm double-majoring in Geography and GIS and minoring in Environmental Studies. Part of the reason I'm doing this is because Geography looks really heavily into more than just where Japan is on a map (which I struggled to find today... apparently it's going to be a long four years). Geography broken down is more than just maps. Geo: Earth. Graphy: Story. 


I'm studying Earth's Story, and a major part of Earth's story is the technical and science-y stuff, like the rotation around the sun, the weather, climate etc.. that's the Physical Geography side. The other part is the relationship between humans and Earth, and this particular part really captures my attention. How do human's use the earth, and how do other organisms rely on the earth.. It's not just as simple as saying, "Well Duh, They live on it." Because trust me, if it were that simple.. I wouldn't be so interested. I wouldn't be reading or sitting in lecture saying.. I want to know more. 


The truth is, this blog is going to be about my experience as I explore college and as I slowly try to map out the story of Earth. (Map.. it's a pun.. get it?) Anyways, I hope you'll follow as I learn the new and interesting technologies associated with GIS especially. The hope is to be able to post at least three times a week either interesting photos I find pertaining to the things I'm learning, or to just lay out the things I'm learning here.. because experts say you learn better when you're explaining concepts to someone else... 


Now, let's crack this oyster open :)