GAH!!!

Where do I begin? It's been two weeks and time has been running away from me.


Here is a list of things that have happened to me in no particular order. I tell the tales of some of them in a moment.



Saw the new X-files movie with Courtney.

Chips and salsa has become one of my new staples.

Took a group of young photographers and their mentor on the vernal pool hike and had the best time of my life in Rhode Island so far.

Destroyed only 1/3 of the knapweed that is choking Sachuest refuge.

Went to the beach with a YSA named John.

Had dinner with another YSA, Kristi at her house. Steak and salads.

Watched a dumb chuck Norris flick with the other interns.

Hated last Wednesday night.

My shoe is dying.

I fell waist deep into a mud hole.

Because of the previous event I think that my phone is dead.

Enjoyed some good storms.

Participated in minnow trap surveying…Kayaked around Trustom pond

Had lunch with people from the northeast regional office…our regional office.

Saw Mama Mia with Kristi

Etc, etc, etc.

So I wonder again where I shall begin. Never again can I let more than a week go by without posting. My last post seems ages ago. Months. I’m just going to go over a few things. If you feel the need to have me elaborate on any of the other bulleted items feel free to let me know.
Tuesday the 29th was a very good day. The previous Sunday one of the only young single adults of the opposite sex approached me and asked if I wanted to go to the beach with him and his family on Tuesday. I said yes and we set the time. I am not particularly impressed by John. He is nice, but I do not foresee soul mate status being reached in the amount of time I have left here (mom). Nevertheless, I agreed to accompany him. The beach is always fun. So with that to look forward to I began my Tuesday. It started with trying to rid Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge of its knapweed problem which is almost as bad as its swallowwort problem. Then I went to kettle pond to take a small group of children, their parents and a photographer on an amateur photography run to the vernal pool. Tom, the photographer has been taking this "class" to various places to capture nature. He approached Janis about having a "biologist" go out with them and she sent him to me. So for the rest of my time here I will be spending 2-4 on Tuesdays with this group. I have to say that it has been a long time since I have had that much fun working. The children were so active and interested and well behaved. They were all very smart and willing to get dirty to see cool things. I fell in love with one of the little girls named Sara...no not because we share a name. She was maybe 5 years old, wearing a pink jumper and could charm the pants off anyone. She was shy at first, but I couldn't get her to stop telling me stories once she warmed up. She was so sweet and the whole time I was working with these kids I couldn't stop smiling. After they were gone I was left with a content heart, a desire to have my own children and a picture that Sara had colored for me. It was a wonderful experience. Then later that day, I went to the beach with John. It was beautiful, the water was perfect and I had a good conversation with John about life, family, school, etc. Like I said earlier, he's nice, it was fun, but the potential for me never leaving Rhode Island because of him is low.

Tuesday August 5th –I will only go briefly over the catastrophe that was this day. Me and Corey were out doing Phrag Transects. Frag stands for Phragamite or Phragamitus australis I believe. It’s a sort of grassyish plant. This task is basically a tedious method of taking samples of the vegetation around the coast of the ponds located on the refuges. I had no idea how wet this would be, so I was unprepared. I wore my usual shoes, not boots. Apparently my shoes are not suited for the activities required of a Fish and Wildlife intern. I have been told that sturdier shoes meant specifically for intense outdoor activated would be better. So should I go to a Cabellas? Or a Bass Pro? Anyway, the wet muddiness caused the glue holding the rubber bottom of my shoe to melt away even more than it already had. The result is that I have almost completely lost the rubber bottom of my shoe. I wish that this were the worst of my problems. We got through 2 of the three transects with nothing worse than a little sludginess. On the last transect there were problems. Here the ground looked solid, but hidden on it’s deceiving surface were a good number of holes. First, I went knee deep into one of these. No problem. I groaned and chuckled at my misfortune. If your not willing to get a little dirty in this job then you shouldn’t be doing it. I pulled myself out. The next step I took was right into another knee deep hole. Of all the rotten luck! Of course that would happen to me. I laughed more incredulously this time and pulled myself out again. I was more careful after that and suffered no further embarrassment through the rest of the transect. As we were leaving he area I got the best yet. Usually I would have followed Corey’s every step that way he fell into a hole and I could go around the known bad spot. For some reason I decided not to do this. This proved to be a terrible error in judgment on my part. I took a step and all of a sudden the ground had dropped out from underneath me and I was waist deep in a mud hole. Not the most fun thing to happen. Again I tried to laugh it off, but this was getting ridiculous. Corey didn’t even come over to help me out. So I braced myself on the already unstable ground and hauled my lower half out of the hole. I took a few more steps, soaked and trying to wipe my hands on somewhere clean and then BAM! I was waist deep again…in another hole!!! I let out an angry exclamation this time as Corey laughed. I hauled myself out AGAIN and just started walking. I didn’t fall in again. I think that 4 times was enough. I sat on a trash bag on the ride home. I told Corey and everyone else once they heard the story that I win the “this sucks” game.

I wish I could say that falling into a hole and getting muddy was the worst part of all this. That’s nothing. Just dirty cloths and embarrassment. I’ve gotten just as dirty and wet spelunking. No my friends. The worst part is that since I went waist deep and I decided it was safe to take my cell phone out while doing transects…my phone got wet. It emitted strange crackling noises and I’m pretty sure I heard and emergency self destruct alert amid the static. There was definitely a woman’s voice similar to the woman warning the hatch people of the hatches imminent destruction on lost. Anyway, I cleaned it as best I could, took it apart as far as it would go. Then I put it in rice to absorb the moisture I guess. This was the suggestion of a supposed “expert.” Now I am waiting for the end of the week to see if this has any effect on resurrecting my phone. I am praying hard that it does. Another entry will follow some point on my feelings concerning this.

This entry is already very long. So I will make this short. The X-files movie was awesome, Dinner with Kristi was great, Chuck Norris is dumb and nowhere near as cool and awesome as Jack Bauer even if he might have been awesome in his time. I love chips and salsa, cutting knapweed is sweaty work, Mama Mia was ridiculous and silly but cute. Um I think that’s it. Again if you feel that you want me to elaborate on any of the things I skimmed on let me know. I will be communicating with those of who wish is via e-mail since I don’t have a phone. I may not have one until some time after I get home which is TWO WEEKS AWAY!!!!! I’m excited and just a little sad.

Alright. I am going to stop now and let you all get on with your lives. Pray for my phone…haha, just kidding. It does seem that all the electronics that make me happy are dying on me. First my iPod and now my phone. Maybe God is trying to tell me something.

Hope everyone is still enjoying the summer. I will be somewhat glad when mine is over.