My New Hobby

So, not that anyone needs a reminder that I'm a big nerd, but here's a little reinforcement anyway. I decided to pick up a new hobby: knitting. My cousin Jessi is a knitting fiend and made all sort of goodies for Christmas presents. Last time she was in town, she showed me just the basics, which was surprisingly easy to pick up. A week or so ago, I was wasting time in Target and stumbled across a clearance shelf full of "Knit This" kits. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to learn and it would cost less to buy this kit then it would to buy all the materials. I spent a whole $2.48 on a 'Dog Pet Toy Kit' and less than $10 on a 'Capelet Kit.' I later went back and bought a 'Hat, Scarf, and Mittens Kit,' also for less than $10. The DVD that they comes with is a bit amateur, but informative enough. (Admittedly, I only watched the first 30 seconds or so of each section and only when I needed to reference them.) Below are my first two projects: a dog ball and a dog bone. I did re-start the dog ball numerous times as I was having difficulty getting the tension of the stitches consistent, but I think it turned out well in the end. I took some photos before sending the ball off to a new home. I've been told that Molly (Joe and Virginia's Pomeranian) loves her new toy. I just finished the bone a few hours ago and have one more dog toy to knit from this kit.

Hiking at Rowena

On Monday we took advantage of the nice weather and went hiking in the Columbia River Gorge with Joe and Virginia, some long time friends from work. We decided to go to the Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena, which is known for it's beautiful views of the gorge and its plethora of wild flowers in the Spring. It was still early enough in the season that few flowers were up, but the views and landscape were pretty nonetheless. We ended up hiking just over 2 miles and went at a leisurely pace. We stopped for a while near one of the ponds and ate our packed lunch while listening to the sound of croaking frogs and the wind. Looking forward to getting out for some more hikes this spring/ summer (hopefully the Mt. St. Helens rim will be one of the hikes).

SOLV Spring Beach Cleanup

Last Saturday, Daniel, Margaret and I went to the Oregon Coast for the SOLV Spring Beach Cleanup out at Ft. Stevens State Park. We made the early morning drive out to the coast and picked up garbage for a little more than 2 hours just north of the Peter Iredale shipwreck. We found bottles, plastic, dead flip flops, wads from shot gun shells, rope, strapping, and plenty of unidentifiable garbage. It was great seeing so many people getting out there to clean up our beaches. Although we prepared for the worst, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice and sunny the weather was at the coast. The weather held the whole day and we never hit rain until we were driving back into Portland. It feels good to get out and do some volunteering again as it has been quite some time since the last time I volunteered. Here's a little more info about SOLV as quoted from their website: "SOLV is a non-profit organization that brings together government agencies, businesses and individual volunteers in programs and projects to enhance the livability of Oregon. Governor Tom McCall and other community leaders established SOLV in 1969. They saw the need for community action to address growing problems in the ever-growing state." Anyone interested in volunteering around Oregon should visit this site. There are plenty of opportunities and even another Beach Cleanup in the fall on September 16th.

More Snowshoeing Pics

Here are a couple more pics from snowshoeing at Trillium Lake, courtesy of Margaret.

Snowshoeing at Trillium Lake

Just wanted to post a couple photos from snowshoeing back on the 11th of March. I went with my friends Ron, Stacy, and Margaret up to Trillium Lake on Mt. Hood. It was an awesome experience for being my first time snowshoeing. The snow was great. The weather was great (at least in the morning when we were out there). The exercise was great. Really an all-around fun experience. I think we went about 5 miles, which took us a bit more than 2 hours, before heading up to Timberline Lodge (yes, the lodge from the movie “The Shining”) for some warmth, food, and drinks (cocoa for me!). The weather had turned yucky by the time we were ready to leave. Decided to forgo putting the chains on the truck and slowly trudged down the road with only about 20 feet of visibility. We stopped at the Zig Zag Inn (in Zig Zag, right on Highway 26) for dinner. The warmth and full tummy finally set in and I got pretty tired. I was so exhausted when we finally headed home that I had to switch off the driving with Ron. I snoozed in the passenger seat back down the mountain and into town. The exhaustion did cure my jetlag (finally!) and got me back on schedule…I’ll have to remember this technique whenever I’m in my next bout of jetlag. Snowshoeing is definitely something I plan to do again soon.

China Pictures Posted

The China pictures are finally posted. Descriptions can be seen by hovering the mouse on the picture (just give it a sec and it will show up). The easiest way to view the pics with posts (and with the fewest page reloads) is to use these links. February 2006 Archive January 2006 Archive ~enjoy

Boo

Looks like there will be no coed softball team this year. As always, it is a struggle to find enough women to play. We've just about run out of time to get a team together, and it's just not happening with only 3 females. My resources are limited since most of my friends are guys. I'm kind of bummed, but I guess this leaves me time to pursue something else. Maybe an individual sport...where I don't need other people...yeah, that's the ticket.

Locks of Love & My Natural Hair Color

About five or so years ago, I decided to cut my hair off and donate it to Locks of Love. This is a non-profit organization that collects hair donations and makes them into hairpieces for financially disadvantaged kids who have lost their hair due to a medical condition. I think it is a great cause and well worth me having hair less than an inch long for a while. Anyone who is interested in donating should visit the donation page on the website for more info. The hair should be sent in a braid or ponytail and should be at least 10 inches long (hair that is shorter will be sold to help offset their costs). So, I finally sent my hair in to the organization this week. There's no real good reason that it took so long, but here's the quick run down. I cut my hair. I found a small box to ship it in. I got a new job at school in addition to full-time class schedule and a regular part-time job. Moved into an apartment. Took on a more advanced position for my job at school. Took on an active role in a student group at school. Planned a wedding. Moved partially out of the apartment (to lease to a visiting professor for the summer months). Got married. Finished moving out of the apartment. Went on a honeymoon. Started full-time classes again and a very busy schedule with the student group. Took summer classes too. Walked in summer graduation. Went to 5 weddings in a months time. Went to Ireland with my family. Finished classes in December. Continued working with the student group. Finished building an addition at my parents place. Moved into the addition. Went to Hawaii for Spring Break with Daniel's family. Started playing softball on a coed team. Applied for grad school and got in. Started a G.A. position that came out of the student group. Went to Texas for a conference and to visit friends from elementary school. Continued working very part-time at my regular job when they needed me. Went to Oklahoma, New York, and Ireland with my Mom & Grandma. Started grad school. Moved into an apartment near campus. Went to Asia for a month as part of my grad program. Came back and went to my brothers wedding. Started a new coed softball team with several people from my grad program. Started job searching. Finished classes. Graduated. Finished my exit project. Continued job searching. Continued working at my regular job, but full-time hours. Moved out of our apartment and back home. Found the hair packed away in a box and pulled it out to send in. Went to China for a month to visit my parents. Came home. Finally mailed out the hair. Like I said, no real good reason, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. As for my natural hair color, it's been ages since I've seen it. Took a picture before sending in my hair. Here's the photo.

The Line Between Confidence and Cockiness

So, as many of you know, I've been in the midst of a career search since graduating from my Master's program. I got a call this morning in regards to a job I applied for. The call was a little unexpected (I only applied via the web a day and a half ago) and I am just getting organized again (after moving followed two weeks later by a month of vacation) to be prepared for interviews. Anyway, I did a million things wrong and in less than 5 minutes (and probably less than 500 words said by me), I managed to kill the interview. The woman on the phone wrapped things up really fast and said "your experience is a little light for what we are looking for." And that was pretty much it. I should have defended myself. I should have tried to ask questions. But the fact is I didn't. Why not? I keep asking myself that question. I don't come across as a super-confident person (worse in phone interviews) because I think there is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. I know too many people that are cocky, boast about themselves, and even embellish their experience. That's not something I'm willing to do, but I suppose that's at the risk of blowing an interview. I can't even tell you how many times I've been rejected because of my lack of experience. So how the heck is someone supposed to get experience without any experience? It's a never ending battle. So, I went to school and got my Master of International Management degree so that I could be more successful in life. I quit my position as the Assistant Director of Marketing at Portland State in the Athletics Department so that I could be more successful in school. Now I wonder, should I have stayed with the job to the detriment of my grades? I try to live my life with no regrets, so I have to stand behind my decision that leaving was the right choice for me at that time. School was tough enough without the added pressure of working essentially full time. (Although this was a graduate assistantship and I was only required to work 20 hours a week in the office, the actual demands of the job were much more rigorous. After it was all said and done, with events, work I did at home, and office hours, I probably put 40 to 50 hours a week into it.) It became obvious that there weren't enough hours in the week for the job and the full time degree program. Something had to give, and it wasn't going to be my education. I know that the time will come (hopefully soon!) that someone is willing to take a chance on me. Someone will say 'I know you don't have the experience that we would like you to have, but I think you have the potential and are worth the risk.' I know that if someone is willing to take a chance on me, that I can go in there, learn the ropes, apply my skills and education, and knock their socks off. I just need to figure out how to get someone to realize that without sacrificing my integrity and crossing that line from confidence to cockiness. On a side note, the woman who interviewed me did send me her contact information after the call. I think she is a recruiter and interviews on behalf of companies. So, I suppose that she may have seen something in me there...

My Silly Schipperke

My family has three dogs. There is an Afghan Hound (Ghoulie), a Yorkshire Terrier (Chang-Chi), and a Schipperke (Gadget). I know, it is quite an eclectic mix of breeds. Ghoulie, who is 13 years old, is a very loving dog and kind of like a big puppy.We used to breed Afghans (beginning 24 years ago when we got our first one) and she is from the very last litter that we had. She was born on Halloween, hence her name (her brother was Boo). Chang-Chi is 9 years old and was purchased in Korea when my parents lived there. His name is the Korean word for 'accessory,' because it is the closest word to 'Gadget' that they could find (My aunt used to say to my parents [who are both Scorpios] "You Scorpios always have to have your gadgets"). Growing up around bigger dogs, he isn't your typical prissy Yorkie. Gadget is 14 years old, deaf, and going blind too. He can still see okay, but it is really easy to sneak up on him if he's not paying attention. So, on to the story. I walked into the utility room that the dog's can access through a doggie door. They all got excited as I reached up into the cubby where we keep their rawhide bones. I gave Ghoulie hers and she bolted outside. I started to give Gadget his, but apparently he thought I dropped it. So, he looked at the floor and grabbed a small wedge of wood, roughly about the same size and color as the rawhide. He immediately ran out the door to go roll on it or bury it or whatever the ritual is that he does. I shouted for him, forgetting that he is deaf like I always do. Chang-chi got his bone and I went outside into the dog yard to chase Gadget and his piece of wood down. He took off running away when he saw me approaching. When I caught up to him (which isn't hard since he is basically built like a fat sausage with little legs), he looked learily at me and kept backing away. It took some convincing, but I finally managed to make the swap between the wood and the bone. Without skipping a beat, he ran across the yard, dropped the bone, and rolled allover it to call it his own. Okay, so maybe it's not so funny hearing it second-hand, but it was quite amusing to me. I know that dogs can have emotions like happiness, anger, shame, etc. I have seen all of these in my dogs before. I suppose this time he just decided to hide his embarrassment by continuing on with his head up. Silly Schipperke.