Sum-Sum-Summertime!

Postponed the zoo again and went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. This well maintained arboretum is owned by the U of MN and is free to students. I was feeling a bit stir crazy since I had not left the cities since my trip to Stillwater over spring break, so I opted for the 40 minute drive out into the countryside.

It was a beautiful day and the fresh air was refreshing. There are several gardens available to walk through as well as numerous nature trails. There are also sections which specialize in specific trees, so for example, there are sections of only "Ash" or even areas dedicated to different types of hedges. I didn't walk out to these, but I drove through them on my way out and definitely plan to visit these on my next trip.

Not many of the flowers were in bloom yet, only a few flowering bushes or trees. The gardens would be quite lovely I imagine once everything has come to life for the season. Some of the specialty gardens include a multi-terraced rose garden, a medicinal garden, and a large herb garden.

I walked through the Shade Tree exhibit and the wildflower gardens which were both part of some of the trails. These were well maintained and had a pleasant and varied landscape. There were few bugs, mostly non bothersome types.


The arboretum was not far from a decent sized lake. I passed one on my drive in, but I believe the one in the photo is yet another lake.





Had another adventure previous Sunday. I went to a friend's party that previous Saturday and a friend was telling me that she had given her cat a bath. I laughed and said I could never do that with Mea because I would fear for my life! She absolutely hates water. When she gets in her mood to try to pounce/attack me, I grab a water bottle and spray her for her misconduct. The following day (Sunday) I was feeling inspired by my friend and decided to try it out with Mea anyway.

I suited up with leather gloves and a thick work shirt in the anticipation there would be much scratching and biting. I ran some warm water in the tub, got an old yogurt container to use for pouring water, added a bit of soap, then locked the kitty in the bathroom with me. I quickly picked her up, set her in the tub, and poured water down her back and did it again. She hardly moved. I believe she was in shock that she was all of the sudden soaking and did not feel the need to fight it because the damage was done. I got all the way through the bath, extra soap and all, without any trouble from her.

Her abundance of fur held a lot of water and she dripped for a long time. She wouldn't let me too near to her to help her dry off, so she had to stay locked in the bathroom for a while. I did manage to snap a photo of her all wet, which you can see posted on the blog wall. I think its pretty funny.

It is late now, so I will finish part two of this post tomorrow and inform you of my other activities of the week. Sweet dreams all!

Wrapping It Up Like a Christmas Present

I finally have a free moment to update! The past few weeks have been a toss up between being busy, exhausted, or house hunting. Luckily I seem to have solved one of these problems!

I'm nearing the end of my first year in graduate school --- holy cow that went fast! I have a lot of stuff to do before then end of the year still. I'm almost done with the big project (analyzing the weaving tools). I have one more big paper, and then a short 5 pager. I think I'm going to make it :)

Teaching is going well. Only one more lab this semester and I am done teaching for a few months!

I bought my ticket to Turkey for the summer. I'm leaving June 20th and will spend a few days in Antalya (be sure to click the link and see the Wiki page for photos) before going to my excavation site. The site I'll be at is called Alalakh. I'm getting pretty excited. I'll be there for over two months.

On to the good news. Don't want to get ahead of myself like I did last time, but it looks like I've got a house. I should explain, my offer and such was accepted, I'm just waiting for a good inspection. I thought I was going to have a house a month or so ago, but the inspection went poorly and I withdrew my offer. I've taken photos of the house already, but I'll wait to post them until I'm 100% sure. Keep your fingers crossed! Its a pretty big house in need of a good deal of work, luckily its mostly just aesthetics --- no major structural issues that I'm aware of!

Other than that, I've been trying to have some fun when I can. I planned on going to the zoo today, but it was much colder than the rest of the week has been and it was supposed to rain, so I decided to postpone it. I did manage to get a late breakfast instead which was really yummy! I get random cravings for biscuits and gravy some days. I'm not from the South as far as I'm aware... Tomorrow my friend Linda and I are going to the Minneapolis-St. Paul annual home tour. I figured it would be a good way to see what some of the other houses around here look like so I know what my competition will be when I go to sell mine in 5+ years and also it will be good for getting some ideas about how I want to decorate! I'll try to take pictures of the good ones!

Mmmmk...nothing else too exciting to report other than my strange eating habits: I've almost eaten an entire package of Oreos in two days (only one row left), chips with canned cheese, and some other strange things. That's the thing about eating natural foods/mostly organic, when you get cravings to processed stuff, you end up binging on it and then you feel like crap later, but you just can't stop eating. I think that illustrates some major food altering/added chemicals to make you addicted to the food! Yikes!

Winter Carnival!

As I mentioned last week, I was off to attend the Twin-Cities Winter Carnival (see previous blog entry for the link if you want more info). Instead of filling up my entire blog with photos (1. take too much time to load, 2. no one wants to scroll through an endless screen, etc.), I'm providing a public link to my Facebook photo album from the event. The photo here is just a teaser.

I will just start by saying it was so darn cold that my fingers were having a hard time moving to push the button on my camera --- that's with my two-layer pair of gloves. My nose was frozen, my eyes were on their way. Basically any part of your body not covered by something out here will start to freeze...I'm going to go on a tangent for a second because I find this amusing... It gets so cold that your eyes burn and start to water, but, the water blows into your eyelashes because of the wind where it proceeds to freeze almost instantly. Another example I laughed about while walking to the bus stop this morning was that I had a runny nose from the cold and was able to sniffle it back in where it froze hard. I could actually feel the hardened piece of sniffle INSIDE my nose, haha, its so cold its just laughable. I will still take this cold over all the snow we get in Michigan... And we're back. Right, so it was really cold and hard to keep steady for picture taking, but overall, I think they turned out quite nice considering it was night (we were told to go at night because it is better for viewing the sculptures). I think it helped that the ice and snow sculptures were well lit. Anywho, here is the link to the photos: Winter Carnival

Apparently there is a whole story to go along with it. Something about the god Vulcan coming here with someone...not sure on all the details...maybe next year I'll be able to relay them more.

Not much new to report about this week. The semester is still going well. I like my classes and the way I have everything arranged. I have a lot more free time away from campus where I can get my work done, which is quite a relief. No big plans for the weekend. Going to my friend Burt's tomorrow night for a movie night with fellow Anthropology TAs.

Next week, Linda, the girl who moved in across the hall from me and also Burt's girlfriend, and I are throwing Charles Darwin a 200th Birthday party. It will be pretty dorky with various evolution themes and references, but should be a good time.

Have a great week all!

The Ball is Rolling!

Before I get started with the update, I want to share an article recommended to me by a friend. I watched a documentary recently called Beyond Belief (about two women who's husband's were killed on 9/11 and decide to do something positive about it and help Afghan women who are also widows from violence), and have become interested in what is going on with the average citizen over there. I thought that this was another interesting case of someone helping the people over there, in this case, Afghan youth. Enjoy!

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On to the update. I've officially been through an average week in my new semester and the future looks bright! I am taking Anthropological Archaeological Theory, Pagans and Christians 100 to 430 AD, and Artifact Analysis. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this inspired about my field and that I could actually contribute some new ideas to current body of knowledge. Its a really good feeling :) The semester is going to be a lot of work and I have a lot of reading each week, but I'm going strong so far!

I am teaching two lab sections again this semester. My kids are really great, such an improvement from last semester! They answer questions, pay attention, and understand the material...its wonderful! I am so excited to teach them!

In other news... I went to my first ever wrestling match last week. It was interesting to watch and to try to figure out the rules since I know nothing about the sport. It looked painful being stretched and pulled like they were. I was amazed at how much strategy was required, a simple placement of the arm could make or break one's lead. Interesting, though I don't think I'd want to go again.

I received and AeroGarden for Christmas. I decided to plant flowers first, just to make sure I get the hang of it before I try herbs or veggies. It is doing really well and gives me hope that I will be able to actually grow things in my apartment again. Its nice to see something green and alive everyday when it is so cold and snow covered outside... Here are some pictures of my little indoor garden so far :)
















Nothing else much to report. I'm going to the Winter Carnival tonight over in St. Paul. Hopefully I wont freeze my cheeks off (either set). We were supposed to get our end of January heatwave this weekend (a whole 30 degrees), but its not looking promising at a steady 18 degrees outside... I will be sure to post pictures of that next time I post...that is, as long as my camera doesn't freeze...

Spring Semester, Here I Come!

I find it laughable that they term the upcoming semester "Spring" term. Granted we don't have school for most of January, but spring is by no means in sight. I am pretty proud of myself though. For three or four days in a row it was below zero outside and I was comfortable (yes, I wasn't just admiring the cold from my apartment either). We have had a nice high of 20 degrees for the past few days now too --- mmm, toasty. Enough about the nice weather in Minneapolis though.

As I said, the Spring Semester begins this week --- hooray! It couldn't come at a better time. While it is enjoyable and I will be cranky about a week from now, I need a break from my apartment and Netflix. I subscribed when I returned from Michigan and have been quite addicted since. I wont even disclose the number of movies I've watched in the past 1.5 weeks alone.

One of the interesting parts of Netflix is that you can rate movies you have seen too so it can recommend new ones to you. Sad to say, I've ranked over 730 movies. Haha! I knew that I had seen a lot of movies in my lifetime, but I had no idea it was that many! That only includes ones that I have come across on the site too, not ones I've searched for. Terrible. After seeing that it made me realize how much time I waste and how all of those hours could be spent doing something constructive (does blogging count? probably not...). I guess when I think about it though, I am usually doing something else while watching a movie, like finding new recipes or responding to emails.

Speaking of recipes... I have been quite ambitious the past few days in the kitchen. Maybe ambitious isn't the correct word because nothing I made was that difficult, but it sounds impressive I guess... Anyway, this weekend I tackled homemade crackers and corn chips! I'm feeling very domestic at the moment and wanted to see if I could make my own and have them actually taste good. The crackers were a lot of fun. I started with a simple wheat cracker base and added a few extra spices, though I was only working with what I had and have much tastier ideas in mind. I rolled the dough out and used cookie cutters to make shapes instead of plain rectangles. The consistency ended up being similar to Kashi's multigrain/whole wheat crackers or a thicker, less greasy Wheat Thin. I want to give it a few more tries, but I will definitely post my final results as soon as I get them in order.

The corn chips were interesting. The flavor was on, but not the consistency/texture. They were super thin based on the recipe I followed. I have another one I plan on trying soon and again. It sounds like these would be tricky (which is why I said 'ambitious' earlier), but they really are not.

Alright, enough boredem for now. I need a break from the computer and Mea wants her dinner. Until next time...

Just a Quick Update...

Short, but sweet this week.

My best friend, Ami (I'm sure you all remember her name from our trip to Europe), came out to visit me this weekend all the way from Custer, South Dakota! We haven't seen each other in 5 months! Far too long!

She got into town just in time to go to my FUTBOL game. I play with other Anthropology TAs on a club/inter-mural team called "The Four Fields." We lost miserably, but it was great fun running around and doing something physical for a change. I'm thankful I spent the $9 extra on some shin-guards...it was a pretty physical-contact-intense game!

Friday, once I got home from school/teaching we hung out for a good part of the day, got lunch, then I took Ami to Ikea because she has never been. I ate too many of their cookies while I was there...tummy-ache.

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn and went to the Farmer's Market. It was a great weekend for it! All the fall veggies and such are coming in and were pretty cheap compared to the summer produce. I have a lot of cooking planned for this week. (I may cauliflower gratin tonight, delish!)

That night, we made a trip to a place called Nye's, a Polish polka bar! It was great fun! I actually recognized the place from my trip in 2007 with my mom, we walked past it and I remembered seeing a sign that said "Voted Best Bar by Maxim Magazine." It could very well be! The polka band members are pretty old, I think the youngest guy was in his 60s. The oldest member, Ruth, was well over 90 and rocked an accordion like none I've ever seen! :)

Ami left Sunday morning. Sad now. She's coming back out for my birthday in November, yay!!!

Other than that, I have a really busy week ahead of me with a rough draft due and tons of reading, so I'm done writing for now. Hope all is well with everyone!

The Falls in the Fall

Classes and teaching have been occupying most of my life lately, but I did manage to enjoy a weekend away from homework (for the most part).

Saturday was a busy day. The Anthropology Department held its annual Paleo-Picnic. Events included flint-knapping (stone tool making), archery, and butchering a pig using the stone tools we made that day. I didn't take part in the butchering surprisingly. I lectured about and dissected sheep brains all week, so I wasn't really in the mood to cut anything else up...

The weather was beautiful -- sun shining, about 60 degrees, a gentle breeze -- perfect fall day! I took advantage of the seasonal loveliness and went with a friend to Minnehaha Falls in the afternoon.

The falls are located about 15 minutes from where I live and are nestled within a large, lush park.

The first few photos are of the falls from the top. The water is pretty low this time of year, but the waterfall is still lovely.

I love how bright the colors are on the trees!

This is a sculpture which overlooks the falls. It has some sort of hair, maybe horse hair which makes it a little less cold compared to most sculpture and a little more natural/organic. I like it.

This is a pretty little bridge near the base of the falls. It took a while to get a photo without people in it, but it was worth it.

The last two photos I like because you can see the vibrancy of the Fall here. I love how brilliant everything is.

It was great walking around here too because leaves covered the ground and smelled great! They also made a very definitive crunch, which I always enjoy...


















As you can see, it is a lovely Fall in Minneapolis. All I need now is some apple cider and I'll be a happy camper!

News, Newspaper, and Worm Friends!

I have been meaning to update and share some details from the past week, but I keep getting side tracked (i.e. yesterday's post). There was big news today that I'm just itchin' to get to, but I will try to get the other stuff out first.

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday morning, bright and early, to pick up some tea that I ordered from a local maker. I say 'maker' not 'grower' because she doesn't grow it, but instead, blends ingredients to create some of the most amazing, flavorful teas I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I first came across this magical brew two years ago when I was in Minneapolis for an Anthropology conference and the hotel I stayed at served the tea. I've patiently been waiting two years since to get my hands on it and I couldn't be happier! The blend that got me hooked is called Hi-C Punch, but I've found two other flavors that I can't live without -- African Fruit Bowl and Choco Mint (I drink this chilled with cream and sugar, brings out the chocolate flavor) -- AMAZING!!! Check out the Mrs. Kelly's Teas link on the side of the blog or click here (ships nationwide, just fyi).

Ok, got distracted again. While at the market, I bought a bushel of tomatoes, other veggies, and some strawberries. I spent the rest of the day and part of Sunday stewing tomatoes, making my homemade sauce to freeze, and trying out a new fruit leather flavor, strawberry banana! The tomatoes turned out great (this coming from the girl who loathed tomatoes until last year). The fruit leather also turned out great, but it took much longer than the first batch, almost double, because of the banana I think -- made it thicker and took longer to dry. Uneventful I know, but that was the majority of my weekend.

Ok, so my big news/ excitement for today is that I picked up my worms for my indoor compost! A girl was willing to give me some from her colony, so it includes some little bitty baby worms too. I brought them home, got their bedding together and introduced them to their new place. I have to give them a few days to settle in before I can start feeding them, but I already feel better knowing they are here and will help eat up even more of my waste!

I'm including some photos so you can see what they heck I'm talking about when I say 'indoor compost'...

Pile-o-newspaper pre-shredding, post shredding in bin, and worm friends and babies!

Here are some links about how to start your own indoor compost!

Vermicomposting

"How To" with photos (be sure to read a later entry of this blog before making yours, click here)

Where to Get Worms thought I got mine from someone on Freecycle.