Japan

The horrible (and amazing? Can I say that?) earthquake felt by Japan was an incredible 9.2 on the Richter Scale. How crazy is it to think that where we live, on this Earth, the planet breaks apart and tears down everything humanity has built in it's place. Crazy. Mother Nature essentially rules every part of our lives. No matter how hard we try to escape her, or how many funky buildings we create, she always has the last say. The video below shows just how crazy she can be. This whirlpool is just hanging out, in the ocean, doing whatever it feels like. Maybe it's just me, but this weekend totally shook me up and brought me to a whole new outlook on the world and how we look at it.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/japan-earthquate-creates-giant-whirpool/

I also just heard about Patagonia Music- "Music to benefit the environment." Zac Brown Band, Jack Johnson, and others have songs up on the website you can buy through iTunes. The sale of each song goes to a different environmental charity.

http://www.patagonia.com/us/media/music

One last thing, GO DUKE!

Biking in the snow a no-go.

My trip took me to parts of the country where biking this time of year would be considered downright crazy.  Not to say I didn't see people biking in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maine.  Luckily among the work, I was able to take a day to enjoy my time in the winter wonderland that is Acadia National Park.  The park has miles and miles of carriage roads which are used by pedestrians, equestrians and cyclists in the summer, and by cross-country and skate skiers in the winter.



I am a horrible skier, I just don't get that much practice now that I live in the south.  But I really do enjoy it when I'm not falling (I fall a lot).  I was able to get in about 4 hours of skiing.  The conditions were not ideal, it was icy even for skiing, and we weren't able to cover that much ground.  I did find out that my dog likes to run alongside us while we ski.  I wasn't sure if the whole family could enjoy this activity because he tends to get bitey when people "move oddly".

It was a warm sunny day on Friday (about 34F) so we took full advantage.  It is amazing how much you miss when you're whipping by in your car and how the simple act of slowing down can bring peace.  I think we should all consider ways to slow down our lives.  The acceleration of everything in our daily lives is very much what has gotten us into such a mess, both our bodies and our earth.

Walking Time of Reflection

Today, I took my walk around campus, God's Acre and the trail across from the soccer fields. I would have loved to bike but don't know how, would love to learn how though. My walk was a reflective time with my mother who passed away six months ago, remembering moments with her before she got sick, remembering birthdays, watching our favorite TV shows together and lunches at our favorite place Panera Bread. This time is very special because it was a time for me to cry, talk to her and realize just how much she means to me and how much of an inspiration and motivation she was and is to me, something I did not realize when she was alive. My mother has inspired me and is my sole motivation to do a documentary in honor of her and as an inspiration to others and to hopeful find a cure. She was also a big environmentalist and lover of nature, she loved trees and wanted to get involved in its conservation and saving them but never had the chance. I want to get involved in tree conservation not only in honor of my mother and her reawakening my interest in trees but also watching Earth Keepers and seeing Wangari Maathai and remembering seeing her before in another documentary and how many of her words stayed with me and growing up hearing the same words from my mother and seeing the devastation of trees being cut down and deer being driven out of their homes in the area I lived. I remember when I first moved there and so many deer were around seven years later no deer being around because they had been driven out by trees being cut down( for ridiculious and selfish reasons) and being hit by cars because they have no where to go. My mother and I find out they was a environmental/senior center who needed volunteers to plant trees so her and I would go plant trees whenever they needed help. Those moments are close to me because not only are we helping the environment but it was also bonding time for us. We soon stopped going because of her illness and other issues but I plan now to go back and volunteer there and other places to plant trees and to stop the needless tearing down of them. I think this class will give me the tools and network neccessary to start my goals.