once again the rubbermaid bins are full, my life shoved into the back of my subaru. it's very exciting to have my car full again, packed for a new adventure. i start school tomorrow - with a five day camping trip - which is part of one of my classes. love it - camping as a class. i'm certainly in the right place.

funny how the road took such a bizarre path to get to this place i dreamed of years ago - going to school to teach and be in the outdoors. didn't seem practical then, not entirely sure how practical it is now, but that doesn't matter to me as much now as it did then. i trust that doing what seems right will make everything turn out just fine in the end.

i doubt anyone reading here hasn't read shep's blog, but in case not:

a phishy tale

it's written by a man who lives in coventry, and lived through the festival there...enjoy. :) (and don't forget to check out the pics of the cars stuck in the mud. i've been there, at bonnaroo. it sucks. big time)

as he observes, there are 'four types' of phisheads. crunchy granola, dreamy lefty, party hearty and the newest gang, the trust fund brats. oh, how accurate he is....

since i didn't go to coventry, this is my little taste of what it would've been like to go. the man who created the site above didn't 'get' the music. but he missed the people. and, with phish gone, that's what i'll miss...i've said many times: everyone should go to a phish show. once. no matter whether they like the music or not - go. just to experience that sweet, special, intangible vibe of good people who love good music, good friends and good times.

in 1997, at my first phish show, i was flying from san luis obispo to las vegas. my fiance (at the time) was working in vegas and was going to pick me up at the airport and then head straight to the show. great plan. until my plane was cancelled.

there were a bunch of people at LAX on the cancelled flight who were obviously headed to the show. i started chatting with some of them...we were determined to get to vegas. miaculously, we made it on the next flight, landing a mere 15 minutes before the show started. problem: we all needed a way to get to the venue. well, i knew there'd be some room in the car i was travelling in.. i paraded off the plane with 5 phisheads in tow, telling my fiance that they all needed a ride...we piled in, and made it just in time. gave a couple of them a ride to a hotel afterwards. it was the coolest experience. only at a phish show. :)

woo! queen's (my university, which i start in *gasp!* one week) has a climbing club...here are the details of joining the club. permission to climb campus buildings! too cool. worth the $25 right there. :) plus, they meet at the climbing gym and climb every wednesday night.

Your $25 membership entitles you to:
free use of club gear (everything you need)
free access to professional instruction
free access to most of out outdoor trips
permission to climb campus buildings (with advance registration)
membership discount at the Boiler Room
10% gear discount at Peak Experience
massive forearms
extreme coolness

i 'found' my library on friday. well, i always knew it was across the street (practically) - i finally had something to prove i live here, so i could get a library card. it's a good thing they don't offer shopping baskets or carts at libraries. i'd be in trouble - at least i was limited to what i could carry.

one thing i picked up was a copy of adbusters. an interesting letter someone wrote:

if is spend time with people in the woods, at a dance weekend, at the beach or on a picinic, towards the end inevitably someone will say with a sigh, " well, back to the real world."

i make a point to correct them. spending time dancing in what's left of nature is the real world. the world of ads, cars and pollution may be all around us, swirling in our brains, but it's an artiface. - gary shapiro

today's world makes it all to easy to forget how 'fake' the world we spend so much of our time is really is.

someone else says what i think is the most important message of recent times: we need change now!

and one more thought for tonight:

we are taught at a very young age to 'colour inside the lines,' and to 'paint by numbers.' i have developed a new theory that might have a more effective impact on the metaphysical state of future generations. my theory: color over, around and outside the lines. make your own lines, and think for yourself for a change.

i miss reading shep's blog...i haven't been reading much of anything online lately, aside from school stuff and emails. he linked to a site where they 'discover' the amount of gold actually in goldschlager. wandering through the site, i found they also tested 'how much is inside a roll of paper towels'.

now, i have been wary of paper towels for many years - because the idea of using trees to clean up messes when i could use washable towels seemed wasteful...and they discover how MANY paper towels you really need to clean up a mess. (hint: it's a lot!)

though, they really should think of drinking what i think is the best invention in flavored beverages. CLEAR gatorade. my favourite drinks all seem to be red - strawberry, cherry, fruit-punchy. at camp this summer kids even discussed it in the dining hall....'what's to drink tonight?' - 'red' - as if red were a flavor and not a colour. i also have the tendancy to spill everything i drink onto something. hence, my move to drink more water and less 'drinks' is a good thing.

but, gatorade has invented a clear, red drink. woo! the yummy 'red' flavor without the instantly-staining red colour.

i still think it would take you many paper towels to clean up a whole bottle of it, but at least if you used a regular towel instead it wouldn't end up dyed a different colour in the end.

attending university in 2004 sure is different than it was in 1999! i haven't even started school yet, but already have noticed many changes. no more calling (and calling and calling...) to register. no more 'capture' (the phone registration sysytem at my old school) lady telling me 'sorry, section 4392 of psyc 139 is closed' - registration is all online, simple and easy. i can look up my books online at the campus bookstore - and they even have a price comparison with amazon.ca and chapters (the canadian bookstore chain) as well as how many new and used they have in stock.

don't get my wrong - the internet was alive and well in1999. my senior project was even a web page, albeit a pitiful display of animated gifs and un-exciting html. oh, how times have changed. planning on bringing my laptop to class instead of taking 'traditional' notes, wondering if there is a wireless network on campus....

welcome to the 21st century, eh? :)

the day...the music died...

i know there is so much music out there....but the passing of phish is most certainly a significant event to many. after reading about the mud-filled mess and day long traffic jams, i'm glad i decided not to make the journey. but, i am still jealous of those who did.

"For me, it's time to start something new," she said. "I'm thankful it ever happened."

it's been a long time since i've posted here. spent most of the summer at a camp in rhode island, sharing one dial -up line with 25 people. (ugh!) i'm vowing to keep posting this time, though...life has been good - and when it is, i find myself with less of a need to post here. i guess that's a good thing, in a lot of ways. but, it's also always nice to have somewhere to ramble. :)