Post #2 in the "Breaking the Trend" series

Here, have a few tidbits from the life of Sarah Lambson

Be sure to take these with a healthy dose of something else interesting ( i.e. a good movie, some solitaire, a different, more engaging blog, anything to distract you really).

Beware, this first one is a rather large tidbit so you might want to make sure you wash it down real good. It's almost a morsel, it's so large. I might even go so far as to call it a piece (or dare I say a chunk).

-This weekend was All Corps. I've been calling it a combination of a tri-wizard tournament and youth conference. It's really just a gathering of all the SCA Northeast conservation corps. SCA Massachusetts, and SCA New York (Albany and Adirondacks) were there. It's a chance for us to mingle, get to meet each other, bond, do service...

...and then compete ravenously against each other for a set of bull horns.

On Friday (after we/SCA New Hampshire returned from a NH volunteers recognition at Hampton beach (we saw a piping plover! I buried my feet in sand! We had a BBQ with the best potato salad I have ever had made with red potatoes!) completely unrelated to All Corps) the other corps showed up and started setting up tents in our field. We had soup for dinner. We had a talent show. It was good. I sang "The Longest Time" with 3 other people. It was grand.

On Saturday we arose early and went to the Lake Massebesic Audubon center community garden. We were divided into teams who all had a task. I was on the cooking dinner team. I set up water stations. I moved food into ice coolers. I chopped peppers (oh so many peppers) as thin as I could. I weeded for a while because, c'mon, it doesn't take 8 hours to make dinner for 100 people. Other people built shade structures, weeded, mulched, built an irrigation system, etc. Once everyone was done and resting I really got to work and cooked all the garlic marinated portobello mushrooms and helped flip burgers. It was HOT by that grill. Then there was a dance (contra dancing) much like a dance at youth conference right after a service day, no? I talked to Elise instead.

On Sunday we awoke early again and prepped ourselves to put all the friendships we had made behind us so that we could fight to the bitter end against each other for a pair of bull horns that have been passed on for the past several years. Bear Brook has had the honor of keeping these horns for the past 3 years and today we were going to try our darnedest to keep them. I got my face painted and wore a black shirt for the occasion. We got pumped and I grudgingly tried to feel as spirited as everyone else. You all know I am not one for competition unless maybe it's one based on musical talent. Long story short and pointless details aside (c'mon, you know you want to say it Clue lovers) we lost to Mass. But if I had to choose a team to lose to it was them. The NY team were sore losers and bad sportsmen.

That's all for that tidbit. Here are a few more that are smaller.

-See Inception. This is the beset bit of advice you will ever receive from your's truly

-Speaking of this movie, it makes me want to re-try a story I started writing with similar ideas.

-I force myself to think that goldfish are really good because it's what we have.

-I've recently gotten into podcasts. Mostly NPR but there is a nature video one in there too.

-Watermelon is needed to make any BBQ complete.

-After 7 months of fighting the feeling, I am back to craving Bob Evans Food.

-I am currently murdering everyone at Bear Brook.

-Sorry. Let me clarify that last one. I am moving on with the Bear Brook Massacre. A short story about the deaths of 33 people living at Bear Brook State Park serving an SCA internship. They are written in the form of letters from the last surviving member of the community, me (don't worry, this is purposefully arrogant. The story is supposed to be humorous to the members here and making myself sound arrogant adds to that humor). I am writing to the murderer from inside an insane asylum. Do you want to know who did it? I won't tell you. Not until they are written which will hopefully be before the end of this internship.

-I've been considering entering writing contests. Is that presumptuous of me?

Breaking the trend.

Part of me hates this title. It's so devoid of quotation marks and lyricalness (yes that is a word because Blogger does not underline it in red...). It also means that from now on I have to think about a title. I guess I could always do something generic like "This one is about this..." or "Today I will write a number of random statements that relate in no way whatsoever." Something like that. I guess it can't be any worse than trying to look up song lyrics. That trend did have a good 35 entry run.

So there you are Juli and Emily. I've moved on.

Moving on further...

Several individuals are of the opinion that I need to have a blog devoted to my critique of snack foods, restaurants, advertisements, movies, TV shows, and spinning signs.

Apparently I spend to much time thinking about and watching pointless things.

I did spend a good amount of time working at a movie rental place.

I also love my candy and snack foods.

Even though I have never taken an advertising class in y life I feel the strange need to evaluate how well and how poorly companies sell their wares to the public.

We all know I watch far too much TV.

Eating out is a favorite past time even though I can really no longer afford it.

And I just think spinning signs are a waste of energy. Luckily I have only seen one so far in New Hampshire, and it's in Manchester (of course).

These several people who think I should blog about this happen to all be interpreters. Most especially Rachel and Jess.

What is the solution here?

Take things as they come and then comment on them as I always have, I suppose. This is already a random thoughts blog. An updater blog. I have 4 blogs. I don't want to make another one just for the purpose of putting down my random opinions. And so here are some for you, dear readers, to ponder.

"Hip Hip Frap-ayyyyy!" makes me wanna gouge my eyes out.

A billboard with a woman wearing a diamond ring and covering her lower womanly parts with her hands with the words "tell him first things first" is just bad taste.

Hardees commercials make me want to vomit.

The Taco Bell Chihuahua was not a good idea.

Real men of genius? Genius.

Has anyone tried the new pretzel M&M's? If so let me know how you liked them. I have yet to get my hands on this enigmatic little candy.

Most sit down restaurants are nothing to rave about. We just convince ourselves that the food is really good because we are spending so much money on it. There are, of course, some exceptions. I for one usually end up getting the same thing at restaurants I have been to before because I know it was good and don't want to risk paying for something that I don't know if I will like or not.

French Onion Soup has to have the perfect amount of melty cheese, slightly burnt cheese (aroung the edges of the crock), onions, broth, and the perfect softness of crutons (not slimy like some can be) to be a good French Onion Soup. You can't make a soup with onions in it, slap some shredded cheese and crutons on it (without letting them soak in for a proper amount of time) and think that you can call the dish French Onion Soup. Someone should tell this to Panara.

Oh Panara. I can't stay mad at you. Your breads and pastries and bagels are so delicious. They make up for your "French Onion Soup". Plus you have a really good broccoli cheese soup.

Despite what many people say, adding strawberry flavor to peanut butter M&M's was a great move and I am glad they have kept the "limited edition" flavor so far.

What else?

I've got nothing. That's the problem. I don't remember life's little observations when I come to blog.

Should I write them down?

Does it really matter?

I wonder if Missouri has wintergreen?

Nope.

Oh well.

My new thing? Make envelops and filling them with letters. Don't want a letter from me? Too bad. Because you are going to get one! Unless I don't have your address or you are reading this and I don't know you. In which case I expect you to be greatly disappointed.

Where in the world am I?

"...you wonder if your chance will ever come or if you're stuck in square one."

Have I mentioned what an ordeal it is trying to come up with lyrics to a song that matches in some fashion what I am feeling or writing?

I can never come up with the right lyrics then and there. So I go to my iTunes and put it on shuffle. I then press the next button until I come to a song with promise. Then I go to Lyrics.com and look to see if any of the lines fit.

It's a lot of work and probably the reason I don't post as much as I would like.

I wonder why exactly I started doing this?

Here are some things I have learned about New Hampshire since living here.

-They LOVE their bikes out here. I'm not even kind of kidding. I was sitting in church yesterday and a fleet, a FLEET of them drove past (maybe a flock? I kind of like that better). It must have taken 5-7 minutes for all of them to whiz past. It was kind of like driving past a train and thinking "when is it going to end? Surely it will be soon." and then it just keeps coming and coming. On any given day I will observe at least a dozen bikers. Many with their shirts of blasting down the highway and driving in an unsafe manner. And who needs to be that loud? I mean, c'mon!

-New Hampshire-ites also love their liquor stores. There is at least one liquor outlet in every town. Outlet. Not just store. I'm talking isles and isles of cheap to expensive alcohol in every shape and form. I know most towns have a liquor store, but this is different. On the map of New Hampshire, there are little wine bottles marking the major liquor outlets near the larger cities.

-The people of New Hampshire hate, nay, loathe Massachusetts. (Actually it seems like a lot of other Northeasterners dislike the state in general). I wonder what they did? It goes way beyond sports teams...or maybe not. Maybe that's where it started and then esclated to something...well, laughable. I suppose it can't be any more laughable than other state rivalries. Good thing they are purely on the local level and we don't have little wars breaking out here and there.

That's all I got. Nothing fascinating. Just simple facts.

Some other facts are these:

I get really excited for ice water. There are several people who put ice in their tea or coffee in the morning. Understandable since it's not fun to drink something hot when it's already 80 degrees outside at 8am. But we have a limited ice supply. We have perhaps 1/2 a dozen ice cube trays. And with all these people making giant mason jars of iced coffee and iced tea, I find the ice supplies to be limited in the hottest hours of the day. I was unpacking my cooler from the weekend this morning. I went to put my melted ice packs into the freezer and there I saw a full ice tray! I wasted no time. I grabbed a glass and plopped 6 large ice cubes into it. I then filled it with tap water. It was such a wonderful treat that I stopped unpacking and went to sit on the couch and read my book with my glass of ice water.

I think I just took for granted always having an ice-cold beverage in the house. Back home we always had a gallon jug of water, or maybe a pitcher of kool-aid. It was nice. I am going to start cooling my water in the fridge from now on.

I also get really excited for veggies. We almost always have onions and potatoes. We also often have carrots and celery because those aren't highly sought after. The thing is, now that most people are on hitch, Sue doesn't order food as often. So when we run out of veggies a week after we got them we are out of them for another whole week until the next food order. When we manage to ration them out it is a major treat and means that I get to eat more than grains and cheese for food while camping. I LOVE it when we have Kale, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, and if we are REALLY lucky, eggplant or broccoli or some other "extravagant" veggie.

I could also live the rest of my life on Feta cheese.

So that's me right now.

At least the me that mostly exists at Bear Brook. For Pawtuckaway Sarah you need to check out my other blog. If you have not yet received an invitation it's because you didn't ask for one yet.

Oh...to clarify a little more on the title, I suppose it applies more to Pawtuckaway Sarah than to Bear Brook Sarah but since these two beings are mostly the same person I felt like it fit.

Also I didn't want to search for lyrics anymore.

"It's a brand new me, I got no remorse."

I have nothing better to put into this post except this...


It's a brand new BLOG, yeah the sun is high, all the angels sing because you're gonna die.

Huh, that doesn't quite fit.

Oh well, whose perfect?

So this one is different. I have to invite you for you to be able to view it.

If you would like to, please respond via comment.

Signing out now...

...what? What was that? I haven't even told you what the new blog is about? Oh, how SILLY of me!

It's called "Tucked away at Pawtuckaway." It was originally the idea of the interpreters in order for us to keep in touch with each other. You know me and how much I love blogs. I snapped up the chance. But since it is affiliated with New Hampshire State Parks and such I would rather keep it more private lest some sort of accidental unprofessional phrase weasel it's way into the content.

Speaking of weasels, we found some baby ones! Clearly abandoned since two of them had died of starvation already. They were precious. We took them to a wild animal care center and they tell us they will be fine!

Anyway, it's about me at Pawtuckaway. The events of the week, the success of the programs/what went well and what didn't, content of programs, and other little tidbits. Pictures as well I am sure.

I know that I could simply put all this on my blog here. But I would rather not put the address or existence of this blog out there to the Bear Brook community. So, there will be no Pawtuckaway talk here. It will all be on my other blog. This might mean that less posting will occur here. More incentive for you to comment and tell me that you want to be invited to my new blog.

That's all, I am really signing out now.

"...Valencia!"

This song is in my head.

Getting a face lift. As if you didn't notice.

I have 4 words for you.

Lord of the Rings.

I'm on a binge.

Gosh, I thought I had more to say here.

Huh.

Guess not.

Maybe I am too distracted by Lord of the Rings.

Yup, that's gotta be it. I'm watching the cast commentary on the first half of Fellowship of the Rings.

"They become feathers when you stab them."

"How can he carry a ring if he's just made of feathers?"

It's always nice to know that your work is appreciated. We all need validation. That's the point of all these online networks, is it not? Perhaps not the main point, but a big part of it surely. But it makes all the difference when it's your academic work that is appreciated. It's encouraging.

I'm hungry.

If I were a responsible person, I would be posting pictures of the family trip. But on the second day I lost my camera. It has been found since then. Somewhere in the deep recesses of the rental van.

There was also so much that happened that I am not going to put it all in this blog. Which is a good thing because most of the people who read this are the ones who where there on that trip.

Instead I am going to pose a question for all you LOTR lovers out there. Should I go through all the extras for each Lord of the Rings move before progressing, or should I watch the films in order and then go back and watch the extras?

Gosh, I need lunch apparently. It's only 11:10. Not even 11:11 yet. Who is excited for October 10th, at 10:10 am or pm so that it's 10:10 on 10/10/10? Because I'm not. I'm excited for December 12th, in the year 2012 at 12:12 am or pm so that it's 12:12 on 12/12/12. Even better will be that time on that day in the year 1212. I won't be alive for it, but won't it be a great event? The highest those numbers can go.

I must be bored.

It is my day off. And I only have one consecutive day off this week so I couldn't really do anything of merit. Like a visit a cool place.

I am going to give a little bit of advice:

Eat French Onion Soup.

Read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

Use Microsoft OneNote.

Goodbye.

"'Round the bend, the sun is in the sky it's starting to look like it's gonna be, yeah, it's gonna be a bright beautiful day."

I am going to be interpreting at Pawtuckaway State Park.

http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park.aspx

http://newhampshirestateparks.reserveamerica.com/campgroundMap.do

It's decided.

Megan and Rachel are at Franconia Notch. They couldn't be more pleased being best of friends and getting to live in the White Mountains.

Peter is at White Lake, my second choice. This is going to be great for him, especially since he gets to join the Monadnock interpreter at the end of the season.

Speaking of Monadnock, Sylvia got the Monadnock/Greenfield location.

Jessice is staying at Bear Brook.

And I, I am going to be spending 1-2 days planning things at Bear Brook and then I will commute to Pawtuckaway and spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there. Camping.

Yeah, be jealous. I get to camp by a lake in beautiful New Hampshire every weekend starting at the end of June and going to Labor Day.

Of course it would have been amazing to live at Franconia Notch, in the White Mountains in the middle of a National forest for free. I cannot deny that it wasn't breathtaking there. But my main turn-off, believe it or not, was that there was one lake in that park and they don't have canoeing or kayaking. Plus, since this location is one of the most popular in the state, it would be insanely busy much of the time. FYI, Franconia Notch was my third choice.

White Lake would also have been spectacular. You get a whole small house to yourself (a lot of it is used for storage, it doesn't have AC or heat and the shower is cold water, but still.) and you live right next to a moderate sized glacial lake with crystal clear waters and a sandy bottom. You get a bike to ride around the camp ground. You are right at the feet of the White Mountains. What more would a person want? Well nothing, but this interpreter will only be there until Labor Day and then they go to Monadnock. I will explain in a bit why this is what turned me off from White Lake even though it was my second/almost my first choice.

Let me just get it out of the way that Bear Brook was not an option for any of us. Jessica automatically gets it because she doesn't have a car. Good thing because I can only imagine that it would be on the bottom of everyones list including mine. Who wants to stay here the whole time? Well, I'll get to that a little more later.

Monadnock/Greengfield-This was on the bottom of my list. I didn't want to go here. Greenfield was nice enough. It didn't speak to me all that much, though. It wasn't until we got to Monadnock mountain that I knew I couldn't be at this location. This mountains is the most climbed mountain in the United States and the third most climbed mountain in the world. Amazing, huh? Wouldn't it be cool to work there for half the interpreter-ship? Of course it would, if you were in good shape. My particular physique is not built to climb mountains. As part of our tour, we hiked a mountain trail. I thought I would be fine but they chose one of the steepest trails. I made it 1/6th of the way and knew that if I tried to go further I would push myself too hard. This is why I hate hiking with large groups of people. Everyone goes at their own pace. I was behind everyone else and I was holding them up. If I had been hiking alone or with 1 other person I would have gone whatever pace was best for me and not felt bad. But I couldn't have 7 other people waiting on me all the time. Plus, being a proud person, I would have tried as hard as I could to keep pace and would have injured myself. I've never climbed a mountain before and at 3,000 feet high I probably would have gotten elevation sickness. What I'm trying to say is that given another chance with 1 other person who is patient, I could make it to the top. I didn't make it on Monday and though I was disappointed with myself I knew that I made the right decision in not pushing myself. That doesn't mean I wasn't a little ashamed. The point is, there would be no guarantee that I would be in the shape I need to be in order to hike this mountain 1-2 times a day several days a week every week in September and October. I have made a goal to make it to the top of that Mountain before I leave here, it's just not my destiny to be an interpreter there.

So now we get to Pawtuckaway. Two weeks ago we had a service day and then had pizza dinner at Pawtuckaway. The second I got there, I felt a thrill. Just past the shelter was a beautiful, wooded boulder landscape. Almost like a labyrinth of rocks within the forest. (Hopefully those of you who are coming to visit will get a chance to see it). I walked excitedly around the rocks, letting my hands trace their gigantic shapes. A little ways along the path I could see blue. Water. A lake. A huge lake! And bordering it, these huge granite boulders. I abandoned caution and climbed my way up. And there I was on the face of this boulder looking out at the water. It was so beautiful and I thought "I can see myself here. I don't even really need to see the other places. I like it here."

Of course I saw the other places and realized how wonderful they were as well. For a time I fell in love with White Lake, it was so lovely. I also considered Franconia Notch as a first choice but that was really only because I felt like trying to take advantage of living in the Mountains. As I said before, Monadnock didn't ever really appeal to me. After more time and deliberation I realized that Pawtuckaway was where I was meant, nay, DESTINED to be.

When the other asked me what finally made me decide my choice, I told them it was just a feeling. The more I thought about this place, the more I knew that Pawtuckaway was the state park I was supposed to work at.

And so even though there is the smallest amount of regret because I won't be in or near the White Mountains, I am happy and really looking forward to my summer.

One other potential benefit is that according to last year, the Sunday program took place at 2om which might meant that I can go to the morning sacrament meeting somewhere near Pawtuckaway. I'm not getting my hopes up on that, though.

What else is there to look forward to? Well, in 4 days I get to see Juli, Elise, Beckie, Kirst, Mom, Dad, Max, and SADIE!! I am so excited. I am going to spend the weekend cleaning and getting ready. Also we have only 1 more field trip to do with the 4th graders! I love doing these field trips, but I think I am kidded out for the time being.

Okay, so that is the news. No pictures, all words.

See many of you soon!

"Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time. Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice, you've made it known."

Why do I keep forgetting that when I sit in the comfy leather chair for too long it gets hot?

Oh well.

I love lost.

Many more pictures on the way.

Moss is so cool.

Guess who made a spider on a rainy day?

Long-horned beetle. Pretty cool, huh?

Heh. This dragon fly did a hand stand for the camera.

Here is my long-horned beetle friend again. Look at those antennae!

Okay. So for a little more an explanation. Wednesday was rainy and the kids who were going to come on a field trip to Bear Brook had to cancel. We felt so bad that we worked on making pet rocks for each class. This is one of them. A toad. Look at the fly on his tongue! And the paper feet! So cute. And put in a box with real leaves and pine needles.

Here is the outside of the toads box.

These are my favorite. The two salamanders. The spotted salamander and the red-spotted newt. In their own little hand made vernal pool. So cute!

Random picture of a frog some kids caught on Thursday.

There are those salamanders again. I would be so psyched if I were a kid!

These are the "rainy day" haikus that we wrote for the kids and put in each pet rock habitat.

Another haiku chilling next to the toad.

Megan wrote cute little instructions for each class on how to take care of their pet rocks.

This is the moose habitat. I helped with this one the most but the outside was done by Rachel.

There's the moose I made. Actually it's a free floating moose head. A little creepy, but you try finding a rock that looks like a full moose body! He's living by a pond I painted for him with rocks and branches from the outdoors. That is how we spent to majority of our morning that rainy day. It was so much fun! If only we could do that every day.

Going back in time, on Monday we went to White Lake and Franconia Notch which are two places that we have the choice of working at this summer. We went on a walk near Franconia Notch to see the Flume. A waterfall flowing through the steep granite walls in that park. This is a Jack in the Pulpit plant. I have been waiting all spring to see one of these. You should see how excited I got when I saw it!

Here is a view of part of the White Mountains from the parking lot of Franconia Notch.

A view from White Lake State Park

The lake at White Lake is a glacial kettle lake. Formed by the movement of rocks caused by glacial movements. The hole left behind is filled. There is no outlet or inlet. The bottom is clean and sandy and the water is clear. Halfway across the lake the water is no deeper than your waist.

Here is another view of the lake. The park is at the feet of the White Mountains. A wonderful location.

More of The Flume. Beautiful cascades!

We had to walk up a lot of stairs. I admit that I thought of Lord of the Rings.

We could feel the spray of the water.

These are the trees that ledges jutting out of sheer rock.

Trillium! This pretty flower has just started popping up. Love this plant.

Farther up, the water is mostly a stream tumbling its way to the flume.
Rachel sits in the thinker pose trying pose in the perfect senior picture pose.
We didn't see any bears.
More pretty waterfall!

All the Interpreters! Going up, we have Sylvia, Peter, Me, Rachel, Megan, Jessica. Some of us are going along with what I suggested and are saying "FLUME!" Others didn't like the idea so SOME of us (namely me) look silly while others look just fine.

Count how many rocks standing on other rocks you see. I know the picture is small. People get down there and leave these rocks behind. It was cool to see.

Covered bridges. I hear that there is a covered bridge festival in New Hampshire in the fall. When I told this to Rachel she laughed. I guess it is a little silly to think that covered bridges are lovely. I'm like Strong Sad.

Heart Stump.

Megan is King of the World!

So, I am hot sitting on this chair.

We have been leading field trips for kids that last two weeks. Little 4th graders running around. We take them on an activity hike and then ponding at a vernal pool. It's been so much fun and a taste of what we are going to be doing for a lot of the summer.

Some classes are great, others are less than thrilled at being in the sun and bugs. It's a challenge, but I love it! This is one of my favorite parts of doing what I do.

We are going to see one more park on Monday and then put in our preferences. Hopefully by the end of the week we will know where we are going to be placed. I don't even care about seeing the last park. I just want to know!

Then we have 4 more field trips and then it's another weekend, and then I get to see the FAMILY! Mom, Dad, Elise, Juli, Beckie, Kirsti, and Max and Sadie.

That's all I got.