Friday, August 19, 2011

Thesis: Facts and Figures

Mode of distraction: Reflection satisfaction. 
Distracting me from: Working out on my lunch break.


1 thesis advisor
3 full drafts 
9 workshops
19 submissions
25 readers
483 pages written in Thesis II
873 total submission pages
380 final thesis pages







Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Recipe for Coexisting with Nature

Mode of distraction: Sorting through vacation pictures.
Distracting me from: Final thesis edits (and insanity). 

It may shock some of you to know that there are people out there who believe I will shun nature and the outdoors any chance I get. And I was one of them.

I'll let that sink in.

Contrary to that notion, there is, indeed, a way to conjure up a nature-tastic experience that I would enjoy. It's a rather simple, straightforward recipe (as all the ones I work with are):

1 cabin (with indoor plumbing, bedding, and lots of windows--with screens)
1-2 bottles of sunscreen
1-2 bottles of "Off!" (or other bug repellent)
2 pairs of sunglasses
2 bathing suits
Constant sun (preferably coupled with a breeze)
Water (pool, spa, river, lake, ocean--all acceptable)
Good people (as many as you can round up)

Yes, I've had an epiphany. I am not a nature hater. There. I said it. I find scenery and a fast-moving river and trees and sunsets and stars all absolutely gorgeous. Breathtaking, even, when it's nature at its best. It's calming and captivating. All that good stuff.
Private beach: serenity incarnate.

There's just one thing.

I need a respite. I need a place to separate myself from the earth and all its inhabitants, and I need that at my disposal. And I won't apologize for it.

See, I have a lot of friends who can just roll up in a Jeep with a sleeping bag and climbing gear and thermal underwear and toe shoes and park themselves in the dirt for a week and have a grand ol' time, and I'm often treated as some indoor princess and pavement fanatic for not jumping at the opportunity to join them. This, however, is only partially true.

What's wrong with enjoying nature from the occasional distance? Nothing, I say. Put me in a campground all day--I'll bask in the sun, soak in the river, pee in the bushes. I'll do it all...so long as when the sun goes down and the liquor dries out, I can return to a cabin with doors and indoor plumbing to rest, cleanse, and sleep.

All these needs--which, really, aren't much--were met on my recent trip to Leavenworth, WA for the McKay family reunion, and it was a great time. This was no surprise, but I did come to realize that I can get that warm, fuzzy feeling with nature, so long as I'm not left for dead inside it. But I do get it. As I stood with my boyfriend and Aunt Tavi on our cabin deck, which overlooked the maddening and mesmerizing Icicle River, my aunt said, "No matter what's going on in my life, good or bad, I can come here and look at the river and know that it will always be here and always be flowing," and there's something to that idea that really resonates. Especially in the midst of my end-of-thesis craze.


Needless to say, seeing the McKay family again--and having Alex come--was a truly wonderful time, and I know I could really enjoy it because I had a place to come "home" to at the end of the day. And if that makes me an indoor princess who hates nature, well...fuck you, you're wrong. I just need my nature a little watered down.

You enjoy your dirt hole, and I'll enjoy my flushing toilet.