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I really don't have time for this, but if not now, NEVER. So, a super-quick drive-by update, just in case any of you have been wondering where the hell I've been for the last week or so.
-Thursday and Friday I went camping for work at Pepeiao Cabin with my boss Mark and my Canadian volunteer comrade-in-arms Caitlin. We tromped around in the Ka‘u Desert for a couple of days through what used to be native shrubland but is now largely alien grassland, checking up on outplants that were put in after a fire some years ago. It was fun! Mark and Caitlin are both great company, and Mark's a fantastic cook, and Caitlin brought a bottle of Jack, and I got to see some cool endemics that I'd never seen/heard of before, and the stars were pretty at night, and it was awesome.
-Having thoroughly exhausted myself by spending two days tromping around over difficult terrain and then hiking the five miles out in an hour and a half- that's 3 1/3 mph, under full pack, okay, because Mark has really long legs and also he is a LUNATIC- after that, I got to leap into two-and-a-half days of NONSTOP DANCING, because it was dance workshop time again. This time the instructor was ANDREW SUTTON OMG YAY~!! Most of you probably don't know who he is, because I don't think I had a Livejournal the first two times he came to Hilo (that I was around for)... he is probably my favorite dance instructor, and he is so so fun to dance with and hang out with... he's just a great teacher, a great dancer, and an all around swell guy. This time around I managed to avoid getting wrapped up in MASSIVE SCHOOLGIRL CRUSH mode, I think maybe because his level of addictive insanity has mellowed out a little, idk, in his ~old age~ or something. But I do still adore him. ...Anyway, Friday night hour-and-a-half dancing to Jazz Mele at the Tavern followed by hour-and-a-half Fusion class, Saturday SEVERAL HOURS of Lindy/Charleston classes followed by SEVERAL HOURS of dance party in the evening, Sunday SEVERAL HOURS of Lindy classes followed by what was thankfully a chill meeting/hangout/party at our house that went REALLY LATE INTO THE NIGHT. And then Monday we went for sushi and did some downtown shopping and then I had an hour-long private lesson with Andrew followed by THREE HOURS OF LINDY CLASSES with the Hepcats and OH GOD I AM SO TIRED. *SOB* ...Anyway I love hanging out with Andrew because he is all into having ~adventures~ so when I'm with him we end up doing stuff I wouldn't otherwise do. Like how finally after living here for 25 years I walked into a kava bar and drank ‘awa out of a coconut shell and tried drops of ‘awa concentrate (oh god) and shots of fermented noni juice (OH GOD). ...Straight ‘awa the old-fashioned way isn't bad, actually, I was expecting to dislike the taste.
-So because clearly I haven't had enough dancing, and Int'l Folk Dance tomorrow and Swing at the Lounge Thursday won't be enough either, Mom and I are going to Maui Party this weekend. This will involve a dance workshop on Friday, dance party Friday night, dance party Saturday night, dance party Sunday night, and some chilling/other activities in between. Basically swing and blues dancing until the early hours of the morning every night until we fall over, sleeping as late as possible, lying on a beach for a bit, and then doing it all over again before catching the Monday morning flight home. And then of course the usual three hours of classes Monday night. ...WHOO!
-So the purpose of that camping trip last week was supposed to be sort of a test run so that they could send me and Caitlin out by ourselves for longer trips. That's not going to happen, because within the last week and a half I've applied for, interviewed for, and successfully acquired a new internship. YAY~!! ...Okay so I haven't really mentioned because it's all been sort of up in the air, but I've been in communication with Patrick Hart, Professor at UH Hilo, regarding my pursuing a Master's in Biology in UHH's Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science program. IN THEORY Pat will be my adviser, and IN THEORY he will be able to hire me part-time as a field technician up at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, maybe starting later this summer and going for something like nine months to a year, during which time I can figure out what I'd like to do my research on and start collecting data and then IN THEORY start classes in Fall 2013 (he can't take me on in 2012, he's already got too many students). ...So anyway one of Pat's old students Jackie Gaudioso needed a couple of interns for an avian disease survey project, and he put in a good word for me, and I spent a few days in AGONIZING FITS OF NERVES because I wasn't the only one applying and omg I have next to no experience working with birds and agl;sakhgfsjs I really wanted the internship and I GOT IT and I did a happy dance in my bathroom with a lot of shrieking and flailing. So I'm starting with that on February 13, and I'll have it for the next 4-6 months or so, and I'll have housing in the National Park and a $20/day stipend (YAY MONEY) and I'll be hiking and camping for 4-10 days at a time in remote spots all over the island, catching birdies and a;lhsgksjflsa;sghsf I AM SO EXCITED. *bouncebouncebounce* So I'm leaving Veg and NPS which makes me a little sad, but really this is a good thing, I need this, I want this, so jumping ship to USGS PIERC it is. Also it's possible I'll be jumping straight off the plane from Maui Party and straight into three days up at Hakalau to scout things out, but it's not likely at this point, since they want to be leaving earlier than I'm landing. But I'll be talking to Jackie about it tomorrow. Or Thursday. I hope. @_@ ...WHOO!
-Here watch a cute video about seal cuddles:
Seal meets girl. Seal falls in love with girl. The end. from Bob Dobalina on Vimeo.
-THIS WAS NOT AS QUICK AS I INTENDED IT TO BE.
-♥!
-Thursday and Friday I went camping for work at Pepeiao Cabin with my boss Mark and my Canadian volunteer comrade-in-arms Caitlin. We tromped around in the Ka‘u Desert for a couple of days through what used to be native shrubland but is now largely alien grassland, checking up on outplants that were put in after a fire some years ago. It was fun! Mark and Caitlin are both great company, and Mark's a fantastic cook, and Caitlin brought a bottle of Jack, and I got to see some cool endemics that I'd never seen/heard of before, and the stars were pretty at night, and it was awesome.
-Having thoroughly exhausted myself by spending two days tromping around over difficult terrain and then hiking the five miles out in an hour and a half- that's 3 1/3 mph, under full pack, okay, because Mark has really long legs and also he is a LUNATIC- after that, I got to leap into two-and-a-half days of NONSTOP DANCING, because it was dance workshop time again. This time the instructor was ANDREW SUTTON OMG YAY~!! Most of you probably don't know who he is, because I don't think I had a Livejournal the first two times he came to Hilo (that I was around for)... he is probably my favorite dance instructor, and he is so so fun to dance with and hang out with... he's just a great teacher, a great dancer, and an all around swell guy. This time around I managed to avoid getting wrapped up in MASSIVE SCHOOLGIRL CRUSH mode, I think maybe because his level of addictive insanity has mellowed out a little, idk, in his ~old age~ or something. But I do still adore him. ...Anyway, Friday night hour-and-a-half dancing to Jazz Mele at the Tavern followed by hour-and-a-half Fusion class, Saturday SEVERAL HOURS of Lindy/Charleston classes followed by SEVERAL HOURS of dance party in the evening, Sunday SEVERAL HOURS of Lindy classes followed by what was thankfully a chill meeting/hangout/party at our house that went REALLY LATE INTO THE NIGHT. And then Monday we went for sushi and did some downtown shopping and then I had an hour-long private lesson with Andrew followed by THREE HOURS OF LINDY CLASSES with the Hepcats and OH GOD I AM SO TIRED. *SOB* ...Anyway I love hanging out with Andrew because he is all into having ~adventures~ so when I'm with him we end up doing stuff I wouldn't otherwise do. Like how finally after living here for 25 years I walked into a kava bar and drank ‘awa out of a coconut shell and tried drops of ‘awa concentrate (oh god) and shots of fermented noni juice (OH GOD). ...Straight ‘awa the old-fashioned way isn't bad, actually, I was expecting to dislike the taste.
-So because clearly I haven't had enough dancing, and Int'l Folk Dance tomorrow and Swing at the Lounge Thursday won't be enough either, Mom and I are going to Maui Party this weekend. This will involve a dance workshop on Friday, dance party Friday night, dance party Saturday night, dance party Sunday night, and some chilling/other activities in between. Basically swing and blues dancing until the early hours of the morning every night until we fall over, sleeping as late as possible, lying on a beach for a bit, and then doing it all over again before catching the Monday morning flight home. And then of course the usual three hours of classes Monday night. ...WHOO!
-So the purpose of that camping trip last week was supposed to be sort of a test run so that they could send me and Caitlin out by ourselves for longer trips. That's not going to happen, because within the last week and a half I've applied for, interviewed for, and successfully acquired a new internship. YAY~!! ...Okay so I haven't really mentioned because it's all been sort of up in the air, but I've been in communication with Patrick Hart, Professor at UH Hilo, regarding my pursuing a Master's in Biology in UHH's Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science program. IN THEORY Pat will be my adviser, and IN THEORY he will be able to hire me part-time as a field technician up at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, maybe starting later this summer and going for something like nine months to a year, during which time I can figure out what I'd like to do my research on and start collecting data and then IN THEORY start classes in Fall 2013 (he can't take me on in 2012, he's already got too many students). ...So anyway one of Pat's old students Jackie Gaudioso needed a couple of interns for an avian disease survey project, and he put in a good word for me, and I spent a few days in AGONIZING FITS OF NERVES because I wasn't the only one applying and omg I have next to no experience working with birds and agl;sakhgfsjs I really wanted the internship and I GOT IT and I did a happy dance in my bathroom with a lot of shrieking and flailing. So I'm starting with that on February 13, and I'll have it for the next 4-6 months or so, and I'll have housing in the National Park and a $20/day stipend (YAY MONEY) and I'll be hiking and camping for 4-10 days at a time in remote spots all over the island, catching birdies and a;lhsgksjflsa;sghsf I AM SO EXCITED. *bouncebouncebounce* So I'm leaving Veg and NPS which makes me a little sad, but really this is a good thing, I need this, I want this, so jumping ship to USGS PIERC it is. Also it's possible I'll be jumping straight off the plane from Maui Party and straight into three days up at Hakalau to scout things out, but it's not likely at this point, since they want to be leaving earlier than I'm landing. But I'll be talking to Jackie about it tomorrow. Or Thursday. I hope. @_@ ...WHOO!
-Here watch a cute video about seal cuddles:
Seal meets girl. Seal falls in love with girl. The end. from Bob Dobalina on Vimeo.
-THIS WAS NOT AS QUICK AS I INTENDED IT TO BE.
-♥!