It's Wednesday and Richard Gets an Encore

Yes, due to popular demand Richard has delayed his departure enough to write a life changing blog post for us one more time next Tuesday!

Actually his visa came through so he'll be flying straight to Brasil on Wednesday instead of heading to SLC on Monday.

We took Joseph and Johnny back to UVA yesterday and Richard is at institute so the house is empty again--and almost clean. The job search continues, although it has slowed a little over the last week--picking up speed again though. Otherwise, check out the quote book if you haven't for a while, and if you don't know what the quote book is check google plus for the same info....

Hope everyone is doing well.

Tuesday Coundown 2, (and maybe 1, and Takeoff all at the same time)

Love you all!

I thought to start it out with that, seeing as how I always ended with it before.
And seeing as how this may be POST FINALE

you must FINALE with an accent;
as in, FI-NAL-E

I thought two "I love you guys" would make up for this fact.
For those who I haven't told yet

and I'm sorry if this is your first hearing of it,

I am leaving for Provo Utah on Monday the 17th
of this selfsame month.
It appears my visa has not gone through yet

which would make some sense,
since I turned in a thing or two late XD

but nonetheless, I get to see Aunt Mindy and Uncle Jordan

Yay!

Though I don't get to go to Texas to see Aunt Kathy, Uncle Kerry, and Kailey...

Not yay

Still, I am going to Brazil soon.
Excited

yes

Ready

probably not

Nervous

only because I don't feel nervous about the things I should be,
like being able to communicate at all.

So I love you all, and wish uma boa viagem, até nos encontrarmos novamente

Thank you, Google Translate :D

Silly me: needs a haircut
:D

Too bad there weren't any good children's books

Yesterday there was a huge used book sale. Christine and I spent the morning rummaging through boxes and boxes of used books. It was absolutely glorious. I only got a couple, but looking through so many books cheered me all the same. Monday after 2pm, the leftover books are all free. I look forward to more rummaging!

Right now I am sitting at a table in Hutchinson Hall, indexing a really faded 1875 NY State Census which is very hard to read. What is Hutchinson Hall, you ask? (Follow the link!!! Really, I promise it's not a trick).

[Space for you to click on the link:]



That's right!!! I'm sitting in a replica of the Harry Potter great hall! Be very jealous.
I actually don't know if it was the great hall, per se, but it looks like it (though it appears a little smaller [according to a helpful sign, occupancy of it by more than 300 people is dangerous and unlawful]).

Well, don't be too jealous. It doesn't mean that there is any more lighting than in Alderman, that the first-years-who-don't-know-how-to-study talk more quietly than those in Clemons, or that my census is any easier to read.
I'm not really complaining; I was just trying to make you all feel better about the fact that you are not here. Did it work?

Walking here this afternoon, I saw a raccoon, crouched by a tree. It looked rather confused.
I also saw some yew bushes and was struck by how very picturebook-ish the berries looked. Does that make any sense? I mean, it's no mimosa tree, but it could still be a plant out of Dr. Seuss, right?

Miss and love you all!

A Bee Fence

Hello All!

Sorry I have not updated in while. I will do better, I promise.

Today for our lecture we went to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area. This is one of my favorite parts about this experience, that not only do we learn theories in class we get to go out and practice ithem/see them in action. Today this was a very good thing, as it definitely changed the way I saw what we learned.

A wildlife management area (WMA) is an area that’s put in the trust of local people in order to preserve wildlife and help the development of local communities. It is different from a state park in that people are allowed to live there, to farm and raise livestock. However, the villages who are a part agree to help to preserve the wildlife and share the proceeds that come from the lodges and tourism on the WMA. A council, chosen by the village assemblies, manages the area. It sounds like a great idea, and in theory should work. However, during the presentation it was obvious that the council did not quite understand what they were doing and were primarily focused on economic gain. Our professor even asked about how some of the numbers did not add up (they were written on a poster on the wall) and the council said that they were placed in a bank account and then stated that they did not have enough money to properly equip their patrols, disregarding the amount that was unaccounted for. I know that this sort of corruption is not just an issue in Tanzania, that it is also present in the US and wherever else you go, but it was eye-opening to actually see it happen.

It was also eye-opening to see exactly how much money the tourism industry makes, which is supposed to help the community, and then see the condition that people are in. Visiting a lodge when we go on safaris makes me feel wrong, because of the pristine and extravagant conditions there compared to the rest of the country. It’s being able to see what is happening and not just hear or read about it that is causing me to become more determined to be someone who helps to solve these issues.

Fun fact: elephants are, in fact, terrified of mice. It’s not just a cartoon thing, it’s scientifically proven. A PhD student also recently found that elephants are terrified of bee hives. This could lead to the development of a “bee fence” to protect crops (especially pigeon peas and pumpkins, which elephants love) from the elephant, rather than the killing of crop stealing elephants. As a bonus the farmer would be able to harvest honey, which is a big trade here.

Making this Up as I Go Along

I don't remember how long ago it was the last time I posted. Sorry guys.

Richard is getting his final couple of things for his mission tomorrow--as long as we can find someplace local that sells V neck sweaters. He's currently on the phone talking to Ruth.

In other news, I had a couple of job interviews last week, and it looks like probably none this week. Johnny and Joseph seem to be doing well enough. Johnny will probably be here this weekend. Ruth, Adrianna, Andrew, and Megan: you all will have to speak for yourselves, since the only contact I've had with you is on the phone/internet.

I really enjoyed seeing everyone on this last trip, including Grandma and Grandad and seeing Judi and her nieces at the farm.

Btw: I just learned from Richard that we live in the Wimpleton Palace. Strangely, I never knew this before. Can you tell this is not a planned post?

I really should think about what I'm going to put up here before I start typing shouldn't I?

Adri: Richard just asked if you were going to be in town for his farewell address. No need to respond. I just laughed at him.

I posted all the good quotes from this week on google+, but now realize I should have saved them for this forum. Oh well.

One goal I have for next week: Not only post, but think of something to write before I start typing so I don't end up wasting your time reading gibberish.

Some interesting articles:
An example of Changing News Slant

The Benjamin Franklin Effect: We Know We Love those We Serve


love you all

--dad

Tuesday Countdown, 3...

Hullo all!

A cough drop to sooth my throat,
A calm convo with Ruth to sooth my head,
A little more time to write,
And then I'm off to bed. :D

Within the past two weeks, I have been traveling far and wide

aka, two states

in order to see a bunch of you guys.
Sadly, I know some of you feel left out,

because you were :|

particularly those either on a different hemisphere or area of the United States.
All I can say is:

I'm sorry :(

For those who I did visit/saw in the past two weeks,
getting to see you for the last time has made my
leaving feel a lot more tangible.

But don't cry for me,
meus meninas! (y meninos!),

and +5 points if you can guess
what that is a reference to.

for I'll be back again, and
we'll all be yay happy :D

Love you all

Silly me: got shot for the last time!
Silly pants: got covered in bleach

Untitled (like the majority of the art exhibits I saw)

Hello everyone!
So I'm sitting here in Reynolds Hall (which is kind of U of C's version of Newcomb) in between GC sessions.

Update on my life:
Christine and I went to see Millenium park last week! Christine took some pictures of my non-photogenic awkward self (as you all know, photogenic-Ruth doesn't really show herself in the light of day much) in front of the bean. We also went to the Art Institute. There were a bunch of really neat exhibits (a lot of which I could understand that someone thought of as brilliant, even if I didn't really understand them), but I think my favorite was one by a guy named Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Along the top of the wall there was a "frieze-like self portrait" made up of dates and places from the artist's life. In one corner there was a pile of candies wrapped in multiple colors, a plaque offering the reader to take one, and a choking hazard warning for young children (I took an orange one and did not choke). Across the room was a stack of paper, with the same invitation, minus the choking warning (there is now one hanging on my bathroom door). There were also some lights strung from the wall to the floor in a small section, and a wall with a series of graphs with a line faded in different spots (neither of which really made any sense to me). Overall, I really liked it.

Anything else of interest? I had an interview Friday. The place is a bit of a drive, but I really liked the environment. I have another one tomorrow, several places that have not yet responded to my application, and a couple more that I need to apply to. (I know, I should have said: "and a couple more to which I need to apply," but that just sounds ridiculous.)

In any case, I hope you are all doing swimmingly and enjoying your respective situations. Miss you all!

 NB: What do you guys think of this as a hat to match Richard's scarf?