Here is my attempt at creating the a one- minute video on why I deserve the "best job in the world": 6 months on an island in the Great Barrier Reef writing blogs, making videos, and getting more tourists to come to Queensland, Australia, and getting paid $100,000USD for my time there!! sounds good.
I am happy to say that I edited it completely on my own, and the photos used therein are all mine too!! I'm proud of the product, whether I get the job or not. Here's what I got:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
i like to ride my bicycle
Sunday, January 3, 2009
I want to ride my bicycle
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Sports
Last November, 20 (or 18, or 19 depending on the day) of us (us being the people who work, or have worked, for the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program) started a journey that started in ....San Francisco.... and ended at the Mexican border. The mode of transportation: our bicycles.
The sustainable living bike tour was in its fourth year though it was my first. I borrowed a road bike from my friend Belle who had moved back to England and shortly thereafter realized I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After a day in ....San Francisco.... we started loading our support vehicle and it was time to go. I had, just that morning, returned from my pioneer road bike ride to and from a bicycle shop to get cleats put on my new bike shoes. I had never ridden a road bike, had never “clipped in,” had never so much as changed my own flat tire (though I love riding bikes), and I was determined to hit the ground running, or I guess riding, as the case may be.
There was chaos, as is bound to be with 20 riders, as everyone got ready to take off in never before worn bike clothes for some and fourth year well worn in rags for others. We handed out maps and talked about riding safely. We were instructed to have our cell phone on us and money at all times, both of which were in my bag at the bottom of the pile of luggage. Also, I couldn’t find my helmet. It was supposed to be at the bottom attached to my bag too but when I arrived that night to our destination (after borrowing a helmet for the day), it was nowhere to be found. We would be reunited, however, later in the trip. I was very overwhelmed. We left San Francisco and started towards Point Bonita, a day to practice a few hills and get used to the bike. As we started ascending the hill before the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge. I realized I didn’t know how to change gears.
Well, I knew how, I just didn’t know which ones I needed to change or why. What became quite clear to me was that either I was way more out of shape than I thought (that marathon in October was insignificant) and would not make it up the miniscule hill, or that I needed to change gears (or more importantly learn which one to change), and fast. Danny rode easily past me struggling and told me to change gears. I told him I didn’t know which one to change and he motioned, using his own bike as a model, where I needed to push. What a difference that made!
The end of the first day- only about 10 or 15 miles, but some hilly ones, felt good. We rode, once again, across the Golden Gate Bridge the next morning and stopped at a school to talk about sustainable living before leaving San Francisco entirely.
That is, however the purpose of the trip! We visit schools and community events to talk about and run programs regarding sustainable living. One school and 25 miles down, we had a long way to go. Fourteen schools and 750 miles, to be exact.
The hilly first day was a great training run. A few days later I would be heading up the Santa Cruz mountains (13 miles of uphill with no give) and then into Big Sur on my bicycle.
Big Sur has steep hills and is a narrow two lane road along beautiful coastline. There is no bike lane and there were a few daunting signs warning us with a jagged line which was supposed to symbolize the road and “next 90 miles” or “next 63 miles” underneath it. ..Big Sur.. was the most breathtaking, challenging, and therefore most rewarding part of the trip. I learned how and why to change my gears pretty quick.
Camping in a different spot every night and putting in mileage on your legs and your bicycle every day can be quite a task.
By the time we reached Santa Barbara a couple days before Thanksgiving I was happy for the respite of staying at Danny’s grandma’s for a few days with just less than half the crew and resting my tired body. Coming into ....Santa Barbara.... was also the first hint of rain we got and that can be disheartening when your mode of transportation is a bicycle. We did a 12 mile ride (took 2 ½ hours, in the rain, because of 8 flats along the way, all because of people from our crew) from Goleta into Santa Barbara with Bici- Centro, a Santa Barbara bicycle organization, and even got to meet with the people in charge of some of Santa Barbara’s environmental initiatives where we saw a “Bikestation” (place to park your bike inside with restrooms, showers, and lockers) with a vending machine with bike gear, gloves, lube, etc, as potential purchases.
We had a Thanksgiving feast in a little park over looking Santa Barbara and when it got colder and darker we went inside for guitars, songs, and games.
Hopping on our bikes the next day with our Thanksgiving feast still digesting felt good. It’s funny when you get to a point where you find out how long you’re riding that day and know exactly what that means, what that might feel like, on your body and your watch. Sixty miles does not mean the same thing on day 12 as 60 miles means on day 4. We kept riding, through Ventura and Malibu (with a quick stop at the sand dunes)
before splitting into 3 different groups for 3 days to tackle Los Angeles. Or divide and conquer, I guess, since that is the area with the most schools to visit.
We reconvened by accident on the side of the road to Carlsbad, where we would all be meeting up anyway, and finished the ride to Carlsbad (somewhat) together. We took the steep hill up to Torry Pines on our way to San Diego and split to spend the night at different homestays of people we know. Though it was nice to sleep indoors, I have to say, I was missing camping.
We woke up in San Diego, reconvened at the ferry terminal to Coronado island to visit Mar Vista, our last school, and then headed straight for the border. We didn’t go into Mexico this year sadly because of the violence that’s been happening down there, but we still spanned over 750 miles in 3 weeks. It was cause for celebration.
for more info, videos, pictures, etc, you can check out the official bike trip blog at: www.sustainablelivingbiketour.blogspot.com
I want to ride my bicycle
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Sports
Last November, 20 (or 18, or 19 depending on the day) of us (us being the people who work, or have worked, for the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program) started a journey that started in ....San Francisco.... and ended at the Mexican border. The mode of transportation: our bicycles.
The sustainable living bike tour was in its fourth year though it was my first. I borrowed a road bike from my friend Belle who had moved back to England and shortly thereafter realized I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After a day in ....San Francisco.... we started loading our support vehicle and it was time to go. I had, just that morning, returned from my pioneer road bike ride to and from a bicycle shop to get cleats put on my new bike shoes. I had never ridden a road bike, had never “clipped in,” had never so much as changed my own flat tire (though I love riding bikes), and I was determined to hit the ground running, or I guess riding, as the case may be.
There was chaos, as is bound to be with 20 riders, as everyone got ready to take off in never before worn bike clothes for some and fourth year well worn in rags for others. We handed out maps and talked about riding safely. We were instructed to have our cell phone on us and money at all times, both of which were in my bag at the bottom of the pile of luggage. Also, I couldn’t find my helmet. It was supposed to be at the bottom attached to my bag too but when I arrived that night to our destination (after borrowing a helmet for the day), it was nowhere to be found. We would be reunited, however, later in the trip. I was very overwhelmed. We left San Francisco and started towards Point Bonita, a day to practice a few hills and get used to the bike. As we started ascending the hill before the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge. I realized I didn’t know how to change gears.
Well, I knew how, I just didn’t know which ones I needed to change or why. What became quite clear to me was that either I was way more out of shape than I thought (that marathon in October was insignificant) and would not make it up the miniscule hill, or that I needed to change gears (or more importantly learn which one to change), and fast. Danny rode easily past me struggling and told me to change gears. I told him I didn’t know which one to change and he motioned, using his own bike as a model, where I needed to push. What a difference that made!The end of the first day- only about 10 or 15 miles, but some hilly ones, felt good. We rode, once again, across the Golden Gate Bridge the next morning and stopped at a school to talk about sustainable living before leaving San Francisco entirely.
That is, however the purpose of the trip! We visit schools and community events to talk about and run programs regarding sustainable living. One school and 25 miles down, we had a long way to go. Fourteen schools and 750 miles, to be exact. 
The hilly first day was a great training run. A few days later I would be heading up the Santa Cruz mountains (13 miles of uphill with no give) and then into Big Sur on my bicycle.
Big Sur has steep hills and is a narrow two lane road along beautiful coastline. There is no bike lane and there were a few daunting signs warning us with a jagged line which was supposed to symbolize the road and “next 90 miles” or “next 63 miles” underneath it. ..Big Sur.. was the most breathtaking, challenging, and therefore most rewarding part of the trip. I learned how and why to change my gears pretty quick.
Camping in a different spot every night and putting in mileage on your legs and your bicycle every day can be quite a task. 
By the time we reached Santa Barbara a couple days before Thanksgiving I was happy for the respite of staying at Danny’s grandma’s for a few days with just less than half the crew and resting my tired body. Coming into ....Santa Barbara.... was also the first hint of rain we got and that can be disheartening when your mode of transportation is a bicycle. We did a 12 mile ride (took 2 ½ hours, in the rain, because of 8 flats along the way, all because of people from our crew) from Goleta into Santa Barbara with Bici- Centro, a Santa Barbara bicycle organization, and even got to meet with the people in charge of some of Santa Barbara’s environmental initiatives where we saw a “Bikestation” (place to park your bike inside with restrooms, showers, and lockers) with a vending machine with bike gear, gloves, lube, etc, as potential purchases.
We had a Thanksgiving feast in a little park over looking Santa Barbara and when it got colder and darker we went inside for guitars, songs, and games.Hopping on our bikes the next day with our Thanksgiving feast still digesting felt good. It’s funny when you get to a point where you find out how long you’re riding that day and know exactly what that means, what that might feel like, on your body and your watch. Sixty miles does not mean the same thing on day 12 as 60 miles means on day 4. We kept riding, through Ventura and Malibu (with a quick stop at the sand dunes)
before splitting into 3 different groups for 3 days to tackle Los Angeles. Or divide and conquer, I guess, since that is the area with the most schools to visit.
We reconvened by accident on the side of the road to Carlsbad, where we would all be meeting up anyway, and finished the ride to Carlsbad (somewhat) together. We took the steep hill up to Torry Pines on our way to San Diego and split to spend the night at different homestays of people we know. Though it was nice to sleep indoors, I have to say, I was missing camping.
We woke up in San Diego, reconvened at the ferry terminal to Coronado island to visit Mar Vista, our last school, and then headed straight for the border. We didn’t go into Mexico this year sadly because of the violence that’s been happening down there, but we still spanned over 750 miles in 3 weeks. It was cause for celebration.
for more info, videos, pictures, etc, you can check out the official bike trip blog at: www.sustainablelivingbiketour.blogspot.com
it's a wonderful life
Friday, January 23, 2009
it's a wonderful life
Current mood: hopeful
It’s amazing to work in a place where picking trash up off the ground is expected, not alarming. Where I work, live, and play with the same people every day. Where my food is made and I wake up each day with different ways to reach the same kids, or different kids to reach the same ways. Environmental education has taught me a lot. I so value the experience of a 5 mile bike ride on a dirt road into a town where everyone truly knows your name, where all you can find is a dive shop, a restaurant, a visitors center, and a small (not local) grocery store. Riding home in the dark with headlamps on, stars above, and bioluminescence in the water below makes you look at things a little differently. It’s impossible not to.
My time in between the island life- in NYC over the summer and in ....Dallas.... right now- has shown me how much I truly have learned. It has shown me how to integrate my environmental knowledge into a (more) normal lifestyle. Or perhaps just a more ubiquitous lifestyle. Every choice I make has power in it’s potential to make the world a better place or contribute to the environmental mess we’ve created and perpetuated. Every choice is thought out. I like not having the ease of accessibility; it makes it impossible to take things for granted. And even though I’m going into my third season now with the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program, it’s still impossible for me to take the experience of that beautiful place for granted too. Communication is hard and as I ponder going back there soon I’m trying to have all the unlimited internet and cell phone service time I can, before these things too, are limited and therefore valued even more.
Things are not convenient there. I broke my sunglasses halfway through the spring and had nowhere to buy new ones. Luckily, we have a pretty good stash of lost and found at camp, and they were easily replaced. The students come and go each week and sometimes it is a real struggle. There can be a lot of resistance from kids who are not used to being in the middle of nowhere, of doing a solo- hike at night, of hiking up any hills, of using hand- eye coordination to push a kayak forward and having the forethought and the teamwork to do that with a buddy. Perhaps they are not used to doing a night snorkel, to spending time in a garden or a microscope lab, to being out of their comfort zone, or to see that their actions have consequences further reaching then themselves. It’s the tough weeks that challenge me that make me REMEMBER. Remember what it’s like to be out of my comfort zone, to change my style of teaching, and to remember what it’s like to be away from home for the first time, as many of the kids might be.
Being out of our comfort zone is a remarkable way we really get to know ourselves.
I am not done learning.
I’ve had many adventures in the past year:
Camping in isolated spots on Catalina:
Showing my island world to my sister Meredith and her husband Scott:
The ....Chicago.... ..Marathon.. October 12:
Seeing Obama at my Alma Mater in Fort Collins, Colorado October 26th:
Water fun and scuba diving Catalina Island:
Hiking the untouched hills on Catalina:
Seeing friends and riding bikes in Fort Collins.., ..Colorado....:
.JPG)
Seeing two of my brothers get married:
Spending a summer with my sister Morgan near NYC:
Biking across the ..Brooklyn.. bridge:
Learning to work, live, and play with the same 20 people:
Returning home, again:
it's a wonderful life
Current mood: hopeful
It’s amazing to work in a place where picking trash up off the ground is expected, not alarming. Where I work, live, and play with the same people every day. Where my food is made and I wake up each day with different ways to reach the same kids, or different kids to reach the same ways. Environmental education has taught me a lot. I so value the experience of a 5 mile bike ride on a dirt road into a town where everyone truly knows your name, where all you can find is a dive shop, a restaurant, a visitors center, and a small (not local) grocery store. Riding home in the dark with headlamps on, stars above, and bioluminescence in the water below makes you look at things a little differently. It’s impossible not to.
My time in between the island life- in NYC over the summer and in ....Dallas.... right now- has shown me how much I truly have learned. It has shown me how to integrate my environmental knowledge into a (more) normal lifestyle. Or perhaps just a more ubiquitous lifestyle. Every choice I make has power in it’s potential to make the world a better place or contribute to the environmental mess we’ve created and perpetuated. Every choice is thought out. I like not having the ease of accessibility; it makes it impossible to take things for granted. And even though I’m going into my third season now with the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program, it’s still impossible for me to take the experience of that beautiful place for granted too. Communication is hard and as I ponder going back there soon I’m trying to have all the unlimited internet and cell phone service time I can, before these things too, are limited and therefore valued even more.
Things are not convenient there. I broke my sunglasses halfway through the spring and had nowhere to buy new ones. Luckily, we have a pretty good stash of lost and found at camp, and they were easily replaced. The students come and go each week and sometimes it is a real struggle. There can be a lot of resistance from kids who are not used to being in the middle of nowhere, of doing a solo- hike at night, of hiking up any hills, of using hand- eye coordination to push a kayak forward and having the forethought and the teamwork to do that with a buddy. Perhaps they are not used to doing a night snorkel, to spending time in a garden or a microscope lab, to being out of their comfort zone, or to see that their actions have consequences further reaching then themselves. It’s the tough weeks that challenge me that make me REMEMBER. Remember what it’s like to be out of my comfort zone, to change my style of teaching, and to remember what it’s like to be away from home for the first time, as many of the kids might be.
Being out of our comfort zone is a remarkable way we really get to know ourselves.
I am not done learning.
I’ve had many adventures in the past year:
Camping in isolated spots on Catalina:
Showing my island world to my sister Meredith and her husband Scott:
The ....Chicago.... ..Marathon.. October 12:
Seeing Obama at my Alma Mater in Fort Collins, Colorado October 26th:
Water fun and scuba diving Catalina Island:
Hiking the untouched hills on Catalina:
Seeing friends and riding bikes in Fort Collins.., ..Colorado....:
.JPG)
Seeing two of my brothers get married:
Spending a summer with my sister Morgan near NYC:
Biking across the ..Brooklyn.. bridge:
Learning to work, live, and play with the same 20 people:
Returning home, again:
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