Today I bought some donuts and now I'm fretting about one heck of a Wednesday tomorrow. That's about it. Move along, nothing to see here...

Well, I dropped a post for the first time. That's okay with me, I had a very productive and busy day today and yesterday. Yesterday I cleaned my entire apartment (and I mean cleaned), I did the dishes (with Jessica's help), and I brewed a beer. I feel like I did something else productive, too, but I forget. I also watched Celebrity Apprentice. It's surprising how your subjective expectations of entertainment can lower so significantly in such a short amount of time. I love that show.

The beer I brewed is an English IPA called "Biere De l'Inde" from the book Brewing Classic Styles. I may have cooled the wort too fast with too much ice beyond the healthy temperature for fermentation. I'll have to wait a few days to see if it needs rescuing. Here's to hopes for a healthy beer!

Today I had a long day of work followed by a few beers with some school coworkers at a downtown pub. It was a nice end to the work day. Jessica and I watched little nephew Henry and put him to sleep while Molly and Dan saw a speaker at Gonzaga. That little dude is cute. Good, productive day.

3/25/2011: #1 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Portland Trail Blazers

4th quarter: 40 seconds left, Blazers down by 4.




4th quarter: 30 seconds left, Blazers down by 2.




4th quarter: 0.9 seconds left, game tied.

Tomorrow's the day -- final decision for grad school. Or at least Portland State. My friends are rooting for me to go there and I would love so much to rfeturn to Portland, but if I'm not offered an assistantship tomorrow, it just won't be financially feasible. Western Washington is cheap, and they've offered me a scholarship. Not as exciting, but right now that looks like the right choice. Edinburgh is still a possibility, but it will likely be the most expensive even though it's just a 12 month program. We'll see how this all turns out.
Below: some stuff Jess made for eating.

I had a weird dream about Tron this morning. That's probably the only interesting thing to happen to me today. I worked at LC, worked at the CIS office, took a nap, went for a jog, had some wine, and now I'm watching a very dated Alien Ant Farm music video on "The Cool TV," a local broadcast channel. It was an incredibly unremarkable day, but I really can't complain.

Photos for today: random memories from the past few months.

Sushi on Christmas Eve at Molly and Dan's

New Year's Eve at Odoherty's

Wild turkeys found in the Spokane South Hill suburb during the snowy winter

Another quick recap tonight. Work, black bean burger at Huckleberry's with Anne, made real coffee (Sumaltra), saw a double feature of Tron and Tron Legacy. I thought the first film was silly until I saw the second. I personally prefer the campy charm of the 80's to the soulless carbon copy sequel.

Also took a Jung Meyers-Briggs personality test today for fun, check out my results: INTJ

Whoops, almost forgot this one. Not a very eventful day. Worked late, met with a parent organization that has asked me to write up a proposal and by-laws for a financially independent PTO. Pretty pumped for a project that's far from my normal day-to-day. After work, I hit the gym, had some wine and watched a movie. I was just checking my pre-slumber RSS feeds when I remembered about this sucker. Here's a photo of Jess that's probably not even worth posting. Wait, are those legs coming or going?

Laundry day, Blazers lost to the Lakers, and I ate a pizza.

Official no pants/TV  day with a little treadmill mixed in there. Nice.

Into Eternity. Just saw this documentary. Absolutely incredible. Finland is building a large underground tomb to store nuclear waste, hoping it will safely contain the toxicity for 100,000 years.

Did you know nuclear waste is toxic for 100,000 years? Every time we use nuclear energy we have to commit ourselves to 100,000 years of toxicity protection from every living creature. The pyramids were built only 5,000 years ago, constructed by people that are very different from our own. Imagine 100,000 years from now, branching off from this incredible technology and potential for mass destruction we now possess. What will a civilization 100,000 years from now look like? Will it even exist? We are, right now, jeopardizing life for what is likely the remainder of human existence.

Is nuclear energy safe/clean/reliable? Does it matter? There is currently no known way of reducing or removing toxicity from nuclear waste, other than placing it behind radiation shields and waiting. This doesn't seem like any solution to me.

Watch the documentary and think about what is happening in Japan and what has the potential to happen anywhere this type of energy being used. Think about the potential for destruction, illness and death, susceptible to any above ground conflict, human error or intervention, and natural disaster. Think about the potential for spent nuclear fuel that is prone to elemental extraction to aid in the development of nuclear bombs. Now think about the radiation that this fuel will emit for the next 100,000 years. Every bit of nuclear fuel that we are using today creates waste. That waste will be toxic during the course of our entire lives, our children's lives, our grandchildren's lives, our great grandchildren's lives, our great great grandchildren's lives and on. Frightening.

Happy St. Pat's!

This kid's name is not Marc, and his parents do not like ACDC.
Second Step is finally over. Phew. See ya, buddy.

Waste of a day, 'cept Ben's campaign meeting, guacamole, Deschutes IPA, and the Blazers narrowly escaping Dallas. Only links today. This is what my day consisted of:
   •  Watch "DJO - Star Trek - I'm a Big Chocolate Slut" on YouTube - (foul language alert)
   •  Minecraft
   •  Gameday Open Thread: Mavericks 101, Blazers 104 (Postgame) - Blazersedge

Brutal IPA for a brutal day.

Rejoice! The temperature in Spokane breached 50 degrees today for the first time since October. Jess and I walked (and walked and walked) downtown looking for a chocolate croissant (for her) and a cheap meal (for me). We found neither, but we settled for a "good-enough", which turned out to hit the spot anyway. Continued experimental geeking and vanquishing virtual bad guys proved to be the perfect Sunday afternoon activity following our afternoon romp. We garnished the day with a dinner at Molly and Dan's, wrestled with Henry, and had a glass of wine before heading home. Finally, ended the weekend on a high note:

Slept in, St. Patrick's Day Parade, sushi, nap, Huckleberry's pasta bar, froyo, rooted my Droid, Call of Duty, SNL.

"It contours to the dent in my skull."

A fine range of dreadlock haircare products in Huckeberry's organic section:

The Ornery Jessica Bania

Productive day. Long day at work, then volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank with my College Bound Club students. Then, topped off the day with a Benedito's Pizza (second time this week, yes.)

Oh, also, I got accepted by Western Washington's School Counseling program. I'll wait until I hear about financials before I make a (tough) decision. Though, it's nice to be wanted.

Remains of the day:

Few odds and ends today.

• The 10,000 Hour Rule: From my skimming and uninformed understanding, you can be great at anything if you practice the craft for 10,000 hours. That is interesting to me. I will start playing basketball 10 hours a week, and according to this principle, in approximately 19 years I'll make the NBA.
• Getting pumped for Portland State. Crossing my fingers for an assistantship!
• I'm creating quite a nest egg in my savings account. I reeery want a new camera, but I'd rather go to Scotland or Japan or grad school.
• I'm pretty appalled that Wisconsin Republicans stripped teachers of their collective bargaining rights after the massive teacher protests. I do not think this is a priority in educational reform.
• Speaking of reform, something I'd been meaning to discuss for a while is Waiting for Superman, which is quite controversial. The film argues that Teacher's Unions and bad teachers are the root of our public school's problems. Teacher's Unions are selfishly protecting adults, not children, says the documentary. However, this film fails to address the problems of poverty and does not address any systemic causes of difficult or underachieving students who dictate if teachers are effective or failing. It's very one-sided, leading viewers to believe there is only one problem and only one answer. Critics of this film claim that it's disguised right-wing propaganda aimed at dismantling the Teacher's Union. So far, it seems to be successful.

I forgot to take a picture today, so I just took one of my desk. Here you go.

Not much to report today. Anne and I went to Bennedito's and enjoyed their famous Beer Buddies after work. Jessica is hurting me with her elbows as I type this.

RESUME

Back to the daily grind. Resuming work, which is going well. Today was alright, but tomorrow I'd like to integrate more caffeine. 

After work Jess, Anne and I ate a Papa Smurph's pizza and played some pool at a Spokane pool joint. Cool. 

RETURN

Home now. Vancouver to Spokane via Steven's Pass is not a short drive by most measurements, but the beautiful views and good company made it fly by. The Cascade mountain range amazed me today when I realized what was hidden beyond the clouds and snow on Thursday. I am more proud of my little mountain wagon than I thought possible.

Final thoughts on Vancouver: Impeccably clean, beautifully planned and constructed, with an unbelievable mountain backdrop. Also considering the international flavor with the 30% Chinese population, 51% non-English as a first language, and the British/Canadian heritage, this was the perfect blend between the Pacific Northwest and England; London in the mountains. University of British Columbia is nicely tucked away from downtown with an impressive campus, which would be a perfect place to study. I will definitely be keeping this location in mind during any future displacement considerations.

Oh yeah, Western Washington University and the School Counseling interview... not blown away, especially after my impressions have had time to settle. The program is heavily focused on mental health counseling skills and students are run through a rigorous client counseling course where every minute is observed and recorded. This isn't a facet of school counseling I had planned on focusing on, and it isn't something that makes a school counselor any more marketable. It also seemed very uptight and not very comfortable/personable. If they were to offer me placement I think I'd have to pass. I feel like Eastern Washington's School Psychology program would have been a much better fit, though unfortunately the application deadline has passed.

It was a long, tiring weekend, but I feel surprisingly well rested and ready for the week. I was very much in need of a weekend away and this was perfect for that. Spokane is nice, and its familiarity was a welcoming sight today, but it just can't compare to some of the other amazing locations this region has to offer. Six months left, and the offer from Portland State grows more enticing by the hour.

Final road trip quotes:
"You're retarded, those are America-colors."
"Eat it Canadian, eat my pee."

Near Gold Bar, Washington. Steven's Pass ahead.

Fueling up in Central Washington near Wenatchee.

VANCOUVER

Today: Granville Island, UBC, nude beach, downtown. I love this city.

Quotes:
"This is niice... Eastern Washington blows."

"Did you catch the skitz?"

*Walks by woman shooting up heroin* "Yeah... this neighborhood has got some problems..."

"Seriously, like all she does is walk around my neighborhood two hours a week." - fragment of an authentic Canadian conversation

"Where are you from? The US? Sorry aboot that." - Canadian mall cop

PROGRESS

Another long day. From our hotel in Everette, we made the drive north to Bellingham. We looked around, explored WWU's campus, I interviewed and Jessica wandered, then we had a couple of beers, a coffee, and a strange chat with a local, then took off for Vancouver.

The interview did not go very well. I have a habit of becoming very nervous and fumbling around with my words. They're a competitive program and I felt like I probably won't make the cut. That's alright with me, though. If Portland State can come up with an assistantship, I wouldn't think twice.

However, I have discovered something that I see myself growing very fond of. Vancouver. What a gem of a city, an amazing place. I'm going to have to scheme up a way to live in this city someday. Tonight Jessica and I grabbed a glass of wine and wandered downtown. Tomorrow will be much more intensive with a visit to University of British Columbia and the "sights".

Random roadtrip quotes:
"It really did feel like we were in the Starship Enterprise and being chased by the Borg or something" - NOT me
"OH SHIT did the cheese fall out of the window?"
"I'm from up north... further than Canada... a little place called 'Alaska'"

 Seconds before I locked my keys in the car and minutes before I had to pay $50 to get them out.

Our new Alaskan friend Adam in Bellingham

 Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham

Vancouver hotel. A bargain at $40 a night!

ROAD TRIP / BETTER NEWS

I'm typing this post tonight from a Travelodge hotel in Everette so I will be brief.

Events of the day:

• Now Red Cross certified in CPR/First Aid/AED after 7 hours of training.
• Drove over Stevens Pass through near-whiteout snow conditions in my $700 station wagon. She performed beautifully.
• Received a call from the Graduate Director of the Sociology Department at Portland State University during the drive. Accepted. I'll find out about assistantships in two weeks.
• Decided to crash in Everette after the slow-going over the pass. Waking up early tomorrow to head north towards Bellingham. My interview starts at noon.
• Images from the drive (taken with Jessica's Nikon D80):

PREPARATION

I'm currently hauling butt to get packed and ready for a weekend trip to Bellingham and Vancouver. I haven't done my dishes in about... mmm, three weeks or so. It's proven to be quite a chore.

I have an interview with Western Washington University's School Counseling program and Jessica and I are checking out University of British Columbia, where Jessica applied. I've never seen this corner of the northwest, but I've always wanted to visit. I just hope ol' Creaky can survive the pass.

Long day at work, but it all went pretty well. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm competent at my job after six months of fumbling around.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day, but soon I'll be off to Belingham and my first graduate school interview. Wish me luck!

NEWS

Didn't get into University of Oregon's Sociology MA/PhD program.

Samuel Adams' Noble Pils: C+

SLEEP DEPRAVATION

I slept for 3 hours last night. Went to bed early and couldn't make it through the night. I had a dream a one-eyed spider was after me and woke up, of course I couldn't fall back asleep. This is the last stand against my bizarre sleep schedule.... I will starve myself of sleep and I will fall into a natural pattern that includes going to bed at 11pm and waking up for work. That sounds swell and all, but right now I am dog tired.

Sleepy, not stoned.

The work week is picking up. I'm already having to juggle a thousand things I wouldn't normally be able to remember without my Android phone organizer. The focus right now is on the following: mentor catch-up, food bank preparations, senior citizen laborers, state office scurrying, fulfilling unnecessary and overdue training requirements, red crossing and first aiding. Also a trip to Bellingham is on the docket for Thursday.

I'm very sleepy. Next time I have some pep, I'd like to write a bit about educational reform and Waiting for Superman. I'm now going to keep moving until I can allow myself to collapse into a pile of pillows and blankets.

I went to Taco Time today. Boring post.