my coworker is making me a bad person.
i have gotten fed up with her shiftless selfish ways, and i can't be the nice girl anymore.
now i am being exactly as nice to her as she is to me. this translates to not giving a damn how she's doing, what she's doing, or anything about her unless what she's doing isn't exactly what she's supposed to be doing according to job protocol, in which case i am taking careful note so that i can backstab her later.
i feel terrible. i didn't know i could backstab like this. i am quite good at being catty. i have also perfected the ignoring whatever she says unless it is directly stated to me, and falling asleep as soon as she starts driving the 1.5 hours to her site (on days I go along to help). How well I learned from her!
the only thing i can't master is the interrupting. she's just too blatant and too aggressive about it, and it makes me cringe.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
cool!
So, this morning I went to a beautiful piece of prairie to the southwest of Chicago, in the largest roadless area left in Illinois. The plants were super-abundant, and the man I was working with is an awesome guy, a professor of biology at a local college who is trying to make a former parking lot into 2 acres of prairie - that is a *hard* task!!!
When we finished monitoring, we were sitting at the side of the road we came in on, near the entrance to our prairie as well as the entrance to the woods. While we were sitting there, two four-wheelers came out of the woods, each with a driver dressed entirely in camouflage. Each driver had a big belt with lots of tools on it, including a pistol. They were government guys, and each one had a huge bundle of plants on the back of his vehicle. My first guess was marijuana, then I thought, no, it can't be - this seems so unlikely, and that is a *lot*. Then we both looked closer, and, yes, indeed, they were in the midst of a drug bust, taking someone's pot crop out of the woods. The steward I was working with told me that happens frequently in those woods - it's just such a vast tract of land that it's not too hard to grow things unnoticed, but now the authorities are onto them, so it's more difficult to make it to harvest.
It was something different for my field day, anyway.
When we finished monitoring, we were sitting at the side of the road we came in on, near the entrance to our prairie as well as the entrance to the woods. While we were sitting there, two four-wheelers came out of the woods, each with a driver dressed entirely in camouflage. Each driver had a big belt with lots of tools on it, including a pistol. They were government guys, and each one had a huge bundle of plants on the back of his vehicle. My first guess was marijuana, then I thought, no, it can't be - this seems so unlikely, and that is a *lot*. Then we both looked closer, and, yes, indeed, they were in the midst of a drug bust, taking someone's pot crop out of the woods. The steward I was working with told me that happens frequently in those woods - it's just such a vast tract of land that it's not too hard to grow things unnoticed, but now the authorities are onto them, so it's more difficult to make it to harvest.
It was something different for my field day, anyway.
Monday, August 20, 2007
photos, please!
I want people to send me pictures. Digital, hard copy, don' matta. I need more images of those I love.
I was just looking through the albums I've got - i have 3 - miscellaneous from childhood through high school, a wonderful amazing college album courtesy of danielle (plus the random photos i acquired randomly, plus pictures of flowers i took last summer), and the National Park Extravaganza, Susie B. Gifford, photographer. I just admired them all, and got very homesick for 1. Melrose, 2. Ithaca, 3. the Northwest. In no particular order.
So, if you're in the mood to share something, share a picture. of anything.
I was just looking through the albums I've got - i have 3 - miscellaneous from childhood through high school, a wonderful amazing college album courtesy of danielle (plus the random photos i acquired randomly, plus pictures of flowers i took last summer), and the National Park Extravaganza, Susie B. Gifford, photographer. I just admired them all, and got very homesick for 1. Melrose, 2. Ithaca, 3. the Northwest. In no particular order.
So, if you're in the mood to share something, share a picture. of anything.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
when life turns your milk sour, make buttermilk ... pancakes
i finally made it down to the Art Institute of Chicago yesterday evening - all summer long, Target sponsors 2 free nights at the Art Institute, Thursday and Friday, and I found out about this during my first week in Chicago, and have been meaning to get there ever since, but I always have an excuse - too tired after work, or just something else to do. So i finally said to myself, there are only 3 more weeks of this, and if you miss it, then you'll be very sad and disappointed in yourself. So I just did it - got off the train, ate dinner, got back on the next Metra downtown. I took it as an omen that i was doing the right thing when no conductor came by to collect my fare. I had a nice walk through sun-struck downtown, getting to watch all the people heading home from work and the other bunch heading out for fun.
Once inside the museum, I found myself in the Impressionist section, standing amidst a huge crowd of people looking at Monet. I found Renoir, Degas, all the classics. Then I found the Chinese art collection, and Japanese, and the Islamic pottery collection! Then the modern art collection, with Pollock et al. and the usual crap with half the canvas green and the other half white. Then i found an exhibit of photographs by Jeff Wall, a Vancouverite who takes incredibly dark (not light-wise) images of people and dirty interiors and random streetcorners. Then, in the basement, i found the interesting combination of European 18th-century furniture with all its ostentatious carvings and marquetry and fancy upholstery with American 18th-century paintings and statuary. My favorite room was all Remington, both paintings and statues of horses, native Americans, and cowboys. The other great room was all Hudson River School. I felt sort of homesick looking at all the sublime paintings of the Hudson River and New England - so many gorges and hills! I want hills!
So anyway, this morning, i got up and went to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal, only to find that my milk had started to turn. It was a little too far gone for me to stomach on my cereal, so I just added lemon juice and made pancakes.
Once inside the museum, I found myself in the Impressionist section, standing amidst a huge crowd of people looking at Monet. I found Renoir, Degas, all the classics. Then I found the Chinese art collection, and Japanese, and the Islamic pottery collection! Then the modern art collection, with Pollock et al. and the usual crap with half the canvas green and the other half white. Then i found an exhibit of photographs by Jeff Wall, a Vancouverite who takes incredibly dark (not light-wise) images of people and dirty interiors and random streetcorners. Then, in the basement, i found the interesting combination of European 18th-century furniture with all its ostentatious carvings and marquetry and fancy upholstery with American 18th-century paintings and statuary. My favorite room was all Remington, both paintings and statues of horses, native Americans, and cowboys. The other great room was all Hudson River School. I felt sort of homesick looking at all the sublime paintings of the Hudson River and New England - so many gorges and hills! I want hills!
So anyway, this morning, i got up and went to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal, only to find that my milk had started to turn. It was a little too far gone for me to stomach on my cereal, so I just added lemon juice and made pancakes.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
becoming a city girl
i just realized that i am getting city-desensitized.
i realized this as i was riding my bike back from la fruteria - i was riding alongside a city bus, about 2 feet away. a *moving* city bus. with parked cars a foot to the right. this, from the girl who, one year ago, had not ridden a bike in a decade, and who, before moving here, rode a bike about once every two weeks, on basically country roads. now i'm biking downtown without thinking twice about it.
and i don't notice sirens most of the time.
and i used to freak out in crowds, but i went to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at a free outdoor showing in Millennium Park on Tuesday, and i sat there with at least 500 other people and felt perfectly comfortable. and then felt happy walking down the street in that mass of people as we all rushed for the El afterwards.
And i feel comfortable going into a bar alone - although I'm talking about Nevin's here, and Nevin's on session nights, so it's not really just going to a bar alone.
i guess this is good. i almost screamed today when i was on the prairie, though, because i was so sick of everything being flat and never having to lift my knees and feel the burn in my quads.
i think anyplace can feel like home, if you just accept it.
i realized this as i was riding my bike back from la fruteria - i was riding alongside a city bus, about 2 feet away. a *moving* city bus. with parked cars a foot to the right. this, from the girl who, one year ago, had not ridden a bike in a decade, and who, before moving here, rode a bike about once every two weeks, on basically country roads. now i'm biking downtown without thinking twice about it.
and i don't notice sirens most of the time.
and i used to freak out in crowds, but i went to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at a free outdoor showing in Millennium Park on Tuesday, and i sat there with at least 500 other people and felt perfectly comfortable. and then felt happy walking down the street in that mass of people as we all rushed for the El afterwards.
And i feel comfortable going into a bar alone - although I'm talking about Nevin's here, and Nevin's on session nights, so it's not really just going to a bar alone.
i guess this is good. i almost screamed today when i was on the prairie, though, because i was so sick of everything being flat and never having to lift my knees and feel the burn in my quads.
i think anyplace can feel like home, if you just accept it.
Monday, August 13, 2007
i can't decide if i won or he did
so, i just went out for an evening lakeside run, as i do a few times a week. i enjoyed myself, running at a steady pace for about 40 minutes, watching the other runners, the dogs, the kids on the playgrounds, et cetera. as i stopped to stretch at the beach closest to my house, an older gentleman in itty bitty running shorts (who had also just paused to stretch, with a lady friend) walks up to me and says, okay, you're coming with us.
what?
he says, we're the evanston running club - and he gestures to the group i hadn't really noticed, 6 or so others who have also recently stopped running - and we meet here every monday at 6:30, and at evanston high school on wednesdays.
then he says,
you're a quality runner. i hope you'll join us.
so here is what i can't decide:
is this the moment when i say, ha, forbes, in your eye!
or
thank you, forbes, for teaching me what i know about running!
?
so mom, tell that one to good ol' j. fo.
i'm a quality runner.
who knew?
what?
he says, we're the evanston running club - and he gestures to the group i hadn't really noticed, 6 or so others who have also recently stopped running - and we meet here every monday at 6:30, and at evanston high school on wednesdays.
then he says,
you're a quality runner. i hope you'll join us.
so here is what i can't decide:
is this the moment when i say, ha, forbes, in your eye!
or
thank you, forbes, for teaching me what i know about running!
?
so mom, tell that one to good ol' j. fo.
i'm a quality runner.
who knew?
the cutest old man ever
So, I went to Nevin's on Sunday, as usual. It was an especially good session - our leader, John Williams, was particularly rowdy, and we had many good musicians. And for some unknown reason, my bartender was not charging me for my drinks and was mixing shots for me. I think it was because I have made friends with his two friends, ex-Navy Iraq war vets (24 years old), and he gives them free drinks. So anyway, i was spending as much time chatting at the bar as I was playing (which was fine, because there were two other drummers, and it was the first seisun for one of them, so I wanted to give him a chance to play).
Then, the highlight of the night. On his way out, my favorite old man accordion player, who i'm pretty sure is a WWII vet, stopped to say good bye. He told me that I get more beautiful every time he sees me, and that my face is like what you see on the prow of a ship.
Wow.
Not quite sure what to say to that. I've never been hit on so eloquently by someone so old. I guess age would mean he's got experience with this. And it's kind of nice to be able to make someone happy by just sitting where he can see you.
On a separate topic, my roommate and I went to two street fairs on Saturday - one aimed particularly at pet owners (meaning there were a bajillion dogs, each one cuter than the last) and the other aimed at the gay community (meaning that everyone was *fabulous*). My goodness. It was awesome. So many PEOPLE, first of all, and so many flamboyant people. There was even a stripper standing on a box dancing for people, and letting them put money in his leopard-print shorts and take their pictures with him. Also a lot of good art and jewelry for sale, but that really seemed secondary to being there and being seen and seeing people.
Now it's back to work, and work seems much more boring. The cute boy who worked in the horticulture department is gone. I got his phone number, but what's the point when he's off to Rhode Island. My friends are leaving one by one, since they're all seasonals. And Pete is gone, too. Now I need to start over with finding friends for the weekend.
Then, the highlight of the night. On his way out, my favorite old man accordion player, who i'm pretty sure is a WWII vet, stopped to say good bye. He told me that I get more beautiful every time he sees me, and that my face is like what you see on the prow of a ship.
Wow.
Not quite sure what to say to that. I've never been hit on so eloquently by someone so old. I guess age would mean he's got experience with this. And it's kind of nice to be able to make someone happy by just sitting where he can see you.
On a separate topic, my roommate and I went to two street fairs on Saturday - one aimed particularly at pet owners (meaning there were a bajillion dogs, each one cuter than the last) and the other aimed at the gay community (meaning that everyone was *fabulous*). My goodness. It was awesome. So many PEOPLE, first of all, and so many flamboyant people. There was even a stripper standing on a box dancing for people, and letting them put money in his leopard-print shorts and take their pictures with him. Also a lot of good art and jewelry for sale, but that really seemed secondary to being there and being seen and seeing people.
Now it's back to work, and work seems much more boring. The cute boy who worked in the horticulture department is gone. I got his phone number, but what's the point when he's off to Rhode Island. My friends are leaving one by one, since they're all seasonals. And Pete is gone, too. Now I need to start over with finding friends for the weekend.
Monday, August 6, 2007
i forgot to blog.
i was too busy living.
i spent the last week burning the candle at both ends, working my butt off and then going out every night.
worth it. i guess.
it's the peak of the field season, and i'm monitoring all sorts of cool plants, on prairies, in bogs, on the dunes ... it's a good time. sometime life will slow down enough for me to post pictures.
i'm also doing quite a bit of research on Population Viability Analyses. for anyone else who took Population Ecology, NatRes 310, or ConsBio, NatRes 410, you know how much it hurts. it's somehow more fun when it's for real life, though. and without Evan Cooch flexing his pecs threateningly and telling you you're stupid and pain is good for you.
So, this week at night I ... played Irish music, went to a barbecue with my coworkers, went to see the Simpsons movie, played Irish music again, went to see Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi at an outdoor concert, got hit on at a bar by many men with large pectorals and a questionable amount of brains, went to Wrigleyville after a Cubs game to watch the drunken crowds (not as much fighting as I had hoped for), and finally went to bed at a reasonable hour on Saturday night, before going back to Nevin's for more Irish music and getting hit on by men of questionable intelligence (as well as some smart ones).
so anyway, that's the short version.
i spent the last week burning the candle at both ends, working my butt off and then going out every night.
worth it. i guess.
it's the peak of the field season, and i'm monitoring all sorts of cool plants, on prairies, in bogs, on the dunes ... it's a good time. sometime life will slow down enough for me to post pictures.
i'm also doing quite a bit of research on Population Viability Analyses. for anyone else who took Population Ecology, NatRes 310, or ConsBio, NatRes 410, you know how much it hurts. it's somehow more fun when it's for real life, though. and without Evan Cooch flexing his pecs threateningly and telling you you're stupid and pain is good for you.
So, this week at night I ... played Irish music, went to a barbecue with my coworkers, went to see the Simpsons movie, played Irish music again, went to see Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi at an outdoor concert, got hit on at a bar by many men with large pectorals and a questionable amount of brains, went to Wrigleyville after a Cubs game to watch the drunken crowds (not as much fighting as I had hoped for), and finally went to bed at a reasonable hour on Saturday night, before going back to Nevin's for more Irish music and getting hit on by men of questionable intelligence (as well as some smart ones).
so anyway, that's the short version.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
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