Subterranean Homesick Bassoonist

I haven’t written in a while, mainly due to law school applications. Who wants to write a blog post after working 8 hours a day, going for a quick run only to hammer at personal statements for another 3 hours? I’ll tell you: not me.

So then I complete my personal statement, gather all necessary pieces and send off the applications to the 7 schools only to be realize my writer’s block is back and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to read a blog that reads about the application process - just take it from me that it’s extremely involved.

Now months have gone by and new adventures collect. Suddenly it’s April and I haven’t updated since early October - d’oh! Here’s a taste of what we missed:

In November I turned 27. Some of my friends came over for a murder mystery dinner, which was slightly altered by mistakenly playing the last track on the CD first, identifying the killer before we even began! But it didn’t matter to us - we had fun playing our assigned roles as Italian mobsters, accusing each other and acting defensive.

My mom came to visit for Christmas. It was a great time! We went for walks on the beach, checked out the migrant monarch butterflies in the Ellwood eucalyptus grove, and had a lovely dinner with Steph & Aaron Baker and Jonathan (prepared by Jonathan, of course).

New Years was, naturally, a champagne and rich dessert indulgence-filled fun time. On a whim, Aaron Wyatt and his girlfriend Kate stopped by for a night between their adventures in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was great to see them and get to show off the Santa Barbara coast. They should move here… or at least to San Francisco!

Jon and I hit the North Tahoe slopes again this year, perfecting his alpine ski techniques (it was his 2nd time skiing ever!).

In early February, Jon convinced me to join him in his hometown of London for a week’s holiday. We were kept very busy by his high-brow cultured mother - we visited the Tate Modern and the National Gallery (where she’s worked for 20 years as an editor!). We took in an English play by Alan Ayckbourn, and enjoyed the Royal Opera House’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflote. We went for a run along the River Thames and enjoyed the mile walk to Windsor Castle. We were treated to a delicious dinner cooked by Jon’s mate Nick, and accompanied sister Kate to a local music venue with folk singer friends of hers performing. All in all, it was a busy, but relaxing time. It was really nice to see Jon in his element and get to meet his family and friends from home.

After returning from London feeling fresh and rejuvenated, my friend Annie invited me to join her backpacking in Big Sur. We hiked the 10 miles out along the Big Sur River to the Sykes hot spring. It was a TOUGH 10 miles in, being either uphill or downhill there wasn’t much of a break for the knees or the lungs. As I was the bearer of our food, the trip out was a whole heck of a lot easier for me! Here’s a photo of Annie hugging a beautiful California redwood:

After Big Sur, I decided to run a local downhill 5K race and ended up crushing it in a finishing time of 21:42. It was raining hard at the beginning, but it didn’t matter - actually it probably helped motivate me to run faster in order to keep warm!

Next was my trip to visit Pace and Vermont Law Schools. They are ranked in the top 3 of environmental law schools in the nation, so I thought it’d be wise to go and check them out in person. What I discovered is that I am not a city mouse (felt a bit stifled in White Plains where Pace is located), and that I want a sense of community in my education. Naturally, I loved Vermont Law School and immediately sent in my deposit for enrollment in the class of 2011. I start this fall and am tremendously relieved to have that decision made!

My trip back east coincided with my friend Keith’s 30th birthday party, so I was lucky enough to get to join the festivities and see some of my good friends. I’m really excited to be living so close to my Boston friends and family again.

Which reminds me…. Martineau’s due to visit me at the end of the month!! I can’t wait to host him and get to show him where I’ve been living for the past 2 and a half years. Hopefully Matt Brunetti will be able to join us too and we can have a mini reunion.

As for this weekend, I’m excited to take in a Santa Barbara Symphony open dress rehearsal, then head off to Santa Cruz Island for a weekend camping trip with Jonathan, Jim & Jen. I’ll have to be sure to report in a more timely fashion next post!

Cheers! LW

I’m off to Ohio for my friend Susan’s wedding - congrats Susan!! - but first a few points:

1. Yosemite was BEAUTIFUL… I saw lots of pikas, marmots, alpine lakes, and even a meteor shower!

2. Death Valley was HOT… well, it’s usually hot, but we managed to visit during - get this - the hottest weekend of the year! Temperatures were about 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. And no, you can’t fry an egg on the tarmac… utterly disappointing.

3. Reach the Beach was SO MUCH FUN! Running is usually such a solitary sport, but not with RTB. The Homestar Runners support their teammates during each runners’ designated leg not only by cheering, but by checking in on injuries, nutritional needs, etc. Never do you get to feel that sense of team camaraderie when you run a 5K race… plus my friends are amazing people.

4. I competed in my first triathlon and have caught the tri bug! I may just have to purchase my very own road bike to continue participating in this event (donations not only accepted, but strongly encouraged).

5. Next up: Law School Applications!

My lack of posting is somewhat shameful. However, I think I’ll get over it… okay, I’m over it. That was quick.

ANYWAY…

I am in great need of a vacation - work has been taking over once again and the proverbial burnout status is scarily close. I managed to develop tendinitis in my hands and arms from typing/mousing improperly and too much. I drink too much coffee and can feel myself crashing come mid-afternoon. The good side of this is that I’ve been incredibly productive and have several vacations to look forward to.

First being a backpacking trip in Yosemite. We leave on this coming Friday and hike/camp for a good 5 days before returning to the beautiful Santa Barbara land. Multi-purposes: I will get to spend some quality time with my good friend Christy, who I don’t see very often and get away from the e-mail, phone, techno junkie life I lead as we head into the wilderness for a few days of escape.

Second is a four day weekend during which my British beau and I will brave the heat and head to Death Valley. It has been a goal of his to fry an egg on the pavement of Death Valley during his time in California and his excitement is contagious. Naturally, we will have to camp in the neighboring mountains - can’t exactly hang out in the Valley itself for an overnight trip. The word from the Death Valley tourist center is that there are beautiful trails to hike in those mountains as well. Should be another nice mountain getaway from my urban techno street life.

Third is REACH THE BEACH RELAY RACE!! This will be my third year running this race with the Homestar Runners. The mid September race date ensures the fall foliage of New Hampshire will be in full swing. This is also the best event for me to spend quality time with old friends and to see my mom too!

The news around here is that one of my old Northampton running buddies Matt Brunetti has moved from his recent home in Boulder, CO to my current town - Santa Barbara! That’s right, Matty and his friend and roommate from Boulder, Steve, have moved in with me while they sort out their logistics. I moved into Will’s old bedroom, which is smaller, and the move feels right to me. I like a smaller bedroom - it’s cozier for someone who doesn’t have much furniture like myself. My cat Snowball seems pleased with the new enter-the-bedroom-through-the-window situation, so the adjustment should be an easy one.

My friend Annie gave me a wetsuit and has got me ocean swimming - and some distance at that! We’ve built up from 600 meters to 1 kilometer last Thursday and I can feel my form improving as I get warmed up and into some resemblance of a rhythm. I’d like to try the 1K swim/3.5 mile run for the final SB Nite Moves race. Running’s going well and I’m very excited to run RTB again this year (the 2nd year seemed SO MUCH easier than the 1st - mostly because I knew what to expect, I imagine), but having a new sport to develop is incredibly motivating in a different way than a racing goal. Swimming in the Pacific also makes me feel like I’m really taking advantage of the beautiful area in which I live.

and gorgeous this place is!

above is me passing some Nite Movers… should’ve registered that time!

This is a photo of swimmers at Leadbetter Beach competing in the 1K swim of Nite Moves. (both photos courtesy of the SB Athletic Association website - thank you!)

I’ve written about 3 hugely long posts… and lost them them all to the internet abyss… the metabyss as Molly Bidlack coined. Who reads this stuff anyway? And is it even interesting? I write about things pretty mundane, but do try to dress them up a bit. I’ve heard the expression that even good frames won’t save a bad painting, though, so really do the useless ramblings of all bloggers out there just evaporate and disappear into the metabyss?

There are blogs I’ve come across that I continue to check up on, even though some of the writers I’ve never met. And why does the human nature in us make us curious about what others are writing, thinking, feeling, etc? Do people I’ve never met read my blog? Do people who dislike me read my blog? Probably… it’s pretty human to be curious about your enemies. Blogging can take the “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” adage to an entirely new level.

Which leads me to yet another modern dilemma I find myself up against - web presence. How much web presence to maintain and its repercussions. Obviously, I am one who has decided to leave my blog easily “Googleable”, but the decision was weighed heavily. There are many options available for various levels of presence, privatization, etc. however there are some sites in which your presence is forced. Google makes it possible to view a snapshot in time of any given address… how is that?? In the end, I suppose the presence is worth it to me. Being easily available to friends & family makes it worth any toxic onlookers or hate mail I may receive. So here I will continue to be…

And really, why do I weigh negative opinions of me so much more heavily than I weigh the positive ones? I suppose it’s because I stop and try to see other perspectives - which can be both a strength and a weakness. I’ve struggled with this concept for years, but even more poignantly lately. The temporary assessment (as they are ever-changing, naturally) I’ve come to is that at the end of the day, it’s all about the only thing within my control - my own personal integrity.

Okay, so I know you have all been DYING to see me with my braces. Well, today is your lucky day!

Before (looking cute and crooked)

25 April 2007 (oh, the agony!)

4 May 2007 (the pain is becoming bearable)

25 May 2007 (back to a more natural smile)

1 June 2007

29 June 2007

24 July 2007

13 November 2007

In the legendary words of Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’.”

… one must learn to make the best of it.

Why oh why do I always get so seasick??

I went on a whale watch last weekend… a looooong one. The Condor Express left the harbor at 10 am SHARP and I don’t think we docked again until almost 3 pm! While this extended trip is great to taking your time to look out for wildlife, it’s a long haul for someone feeling and literally being sick.

But don’t stop reading just yet. I don’t ACTUALLY feel very sorry for myself. I knew I would be seasick. I didn’t take anything to counteract said sickness. I just decided to grin & bear it. Luckily, there was much cause for grinning because… we saw LOTS of whales!!

Us grinning & bearing… obviously.

The boat and its passengers were lucky enough to spot 7 different humpback whales in close range. We saw humpbacks flipping their fins, humpbacks fluting their tails, humpbacks smacking those pesky sealions, and even humpbacks breaching!

We also had a special guest Wilson’s Warbler bird keeping us company on board. I’m not 100% sure how this bird planned to fly the 6 miles back to land, but (s)he sure was good company for me in my less-than-desirable state.

After I [finally] got sick, I started to feel a little better. Focusing on the horizon, breathing deeply and trying to enjoy the rare opportunity to watch the wildlife at sea proved to be an… ahem, special time.

Big Sur, California - wow. I managed to escape up there with my special someone for the weekend and was blown away by the scenery. We went camping, running, hiking and enjoyed the beach since the water was waaaaay too cold! I returned home feeling well rested and rejuvenated. It was truly . . . special.

The elephant seals living their tough life-style on the beaches off Route 1.

Enjoying a nice cup of coffee (yum!) and gorgeous view Saturday morning at a super secret campsite.

Flowers, coffee, mountains and the ocean at the second super secret campsite. That’s right - I have my connections!