Cameron

Blog 1-25-09

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year! Year of the Ox!

Well this week was a tough one. My awful cold really slowed me down right as school started to really pick up. Now I’m staring down the barrel of a bunch of stuff due Tuesday and I’m scheduled to work everyday this week on top of that! But I’m going to have to rise to the challenge. My group is counting on me to help bring this wood drying shed project into the light. We met with an actual city plans reviewer on Friday and she helped us outline what codes and permits we needed to be aware of before we can start building this shed. Who knew a little shed could be so much work?

But in the midst of all this work, you’re friend Cameron knows it is important to relax. I spent much of this weekend sleeping, reading, drinking tea, and watching movies. I even got up at noon today and make myself some French toast. And tonight there is a concert at my friend’s house, which I’ll attend at least for a little while. The problem is that he lives on the other side of town, and it is supposed to be get down below 20 degrees tonight.

And I got my eyes set on the long term as well: I am applying for scholarships (deadline is February 2nd!!!!), I am lining up summer jobs, and I just bought myself a ticket to the Animal Collective concert in may in Portland!

So even though I am up to my ears in stress, I am reminding myself to just take a moment to relax… ahhh, that’s better.

I woke up this morning to a sore throat and sniffles, but my sickness could not persuade me to miss the monumental inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama (it’s funny to think that my version of Microsoft word 2004 doesn’t recognize how to spell his name).

After his moving and poignant speech, I traded going to class for some extra sleep, and then I went to the student health center this afternoon. Whether you want to study pre-med, or if you are sick in any way, they really do take good care of you.

The weather has been clear and sunny and occasionally warm (50 degrees or so!), and Mount Rainier has been out and robust (I swear she’s moving closer to Olympia every time I see her). The nights have been really foggy though, but in a fun, spooky kind of way.

Well, I have lots of homework to make up, and tomorrow is going to be a big day. I have an important meeting to attend, and I am going to see one of my favorite artists and Evergreen Alum, Nikki McClure speak tomorrow night. This week also kicks off the beginning of the 6th annual Middle East Film Festival here at Evergreen.

It’s gonna be a nice last half of January, even though my head is full of brown mucus.

So, guess what? Monster Jam tickets were SOLD OUT! Maybe next year…sigh…

But that’s ok, because tonight, I get to go see a crazy show to help support the Olympia All Ages Project. Mount Eerie, Son Skull, and Wolves in the Throne Room are playing, and a bunch of my friends will be there, so it is shaping up to be a crazy Saturday night.

But I got lots to do this weekend for my class, Green Studio. I need to do some drawing assignments, read a few books, and draw up some plans before a meeting to get the ball rolling on the wood drying shed project. Basically, me and four other students are going to design and build a structure on campus that will allow Evergreen to take donations of timber and mill it into lumber that will be dried and then used in our wood shop. It is a perfect way for us to get real world experience working with a team on a real project with a client and a budget and a deadline. It is going to push me to challenge myself more than I have ever had to go before for a class. It’s a big responsibility, but I am really excited to see this project through from beginning to end. It really highlights the beauty of Evergreen’s academic structure.

Well, I got a lot to do before the concert, so I’ll talk to you kids next week!

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great holiday season and 2009 is treating you well!

I made it back up to Olympia with no problems despite the EXTREME weather. That is to say, we a had a few inches of snow, some rain, some wind, and some cold. If you are from the mid-west or the east coast, our measly powdering of snow is chump change compared to what you are used to. But being from Southern California, I am just not used to the ice and the snow. But of course, most of the frozen stuff is gone, and we’re back to the usual rainy days!

I’m still in green studio this quarter, and I am so excited for what it is shaping up to be! We are going to be learning lots of practical applications of green design, and I actually get to design a building that is going to be built on campus during the spring! Well, I am working with a team to design it and get it approved by the school, and we are working against a small budget and an even smaller amount of time, but as heavy as the responsibility is, I am still excited. This is such good real world experience!

But before I get too bogged down with working, I am going to Mikrofest XIII on Saturday. Mikrofest is Olympia’s DIY music festival at which about 20 bands play all day at two stages (actually people’s living rooms), and I can’t wait!

Also, I am planning on going to Monster Jam with my roommates next Saturday! Once I get my computer fixed, I will try to post some pictures of all this stuff.

I love college.

See Ya!