heard

i have been hearing two very interesting words quite frequently these past few days. don't worry, they have not appeared in the same sentence ... yet. don't you love when this happens? you learn a new word or a word that has been forgotten comes back into use ... or at least into your realm of the universe. i think reading for fun has something to do with it ... oh the joys of not being in school!

WORD #1

Main Entry: bur·gle
Pronunciation: \ˈbər-gəl\

Function: transitive verb

Inflected Form(s): bur·gled; bur·gling \-g(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology: back-formation from burglar

Date: 1870

: burglarize

WORD #2:

Main Entry: eu·nuch
Pronunciation: \ˈyü-nək, -nik\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunuchus, from Greek eunouchos, from eunē bed + echein to have, have charge of — more at scheme

Date: 15th century

1 : a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace
2 : a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals
3 : one that lacks virility or power s>

— eu·nuch·ism\-nə-ˌki-zəm, -ni-\ noun

PART III: Connections are Made

"The context of my personal awareness of, and interface with, environmentalism has merit in understanding how my academic and professional experiences have led me to pursue this specific thesis topic. I came to graduate school specifically to write a thesis like this one. I choose the University of Oregon because of its orientation to environmentalism, as well as what the program had to offer. Its location within the Pacific Northwest, widely regarded as the leading region for sustainable practices in the United States, solidified my acceptance of attending the UO. However, before the thought of graduate school to pursue a Masters of Science in Historic Preservation and before the idea behind this thesis had fully taken root, I had the beginnings of the idea planted in my mind simply by paying attention to how I felt in particular places. I am certain that I have a heightened sense of self-awareness due to my anthropological training and thus I began to notice my feelings as I walked around the historic Capital Hill Southeast Washington, D.C. neighborhood that I worked in.



Specifically, I noticed the differences I felt at home (in a high rise apartment building in Northern Virginia - the middle of what seemed to be corporate America) from how I felt as I walked to work from the Capital South Metro station through Southeast DC. I couldn't help but notice the irony that I went from home/corporate America to work/historic neighborhood. Isn't that backwards - a commercial living environment to a domestic working one - I was all confused. I worked in two old row houses that had been renovated into one and our neighbors were all residents ... these were there homes. As mentioned previously, I have always loved old things and thus it came as no surprise that I enjoyed the walk past historic row houses everyday. I noticed the variety of shape, style, and condition even though I had no real knowledge or formal training in architecture. What I did know was this: I felt something different when I walked through a historic neighborhood. I felt a sense of richness, depth, and stability. As a deeply religious and spiritual person, I quickly developed a sense of moral obligation to understand these buildings and neighborhoods and the role they played in people’s lives and in their surrounding communities."

Part IV coming soon!

Since I brought it up - let us fondly reflect on DC and the Capital Hill area ... I miss it so. Some of these pictures I am sure I have posted before ... but they really capture the area ...

The church building on the corner of 3rd and A St?

(work peeps - help me remember!)

Jimmy T's


The Capital Building


My first Thanksgiving in DC ... this was my 2005 Christmas card
(wow has it been that long? Sheesh I am getting old)


In between the capital building and the National Mall-
the sculpture is so dramatic - i love it!


One of my favorite things to take pictures of -
the Library of Congress Jefferson Building -
this picture is my desktop ... has been for a few years now.

PART II: The Gears Start Turning

The next installment on how I came to write my thesis ... to catch up read this one first. I promise to do better and post the next two installments in a more timely manner.

PART II:

"The teacher loved the idea since the seventh-grade class was working on a recycling project that could be highlighted in the book and the entire yearbook staff seemed to like it as well. After all, they voted the theme in - "97% Recycled 3% Attitude" – hands down. I thought I was pretty clever. After the yearbook was distributed to all the seventh and eighth graders at the end of the year, with its big silver 97% and even bigger recycle sign stamped into the fake forest green leather front cover, my tune changed. It was not exactly a big hit with my peers – go figure since I was blatantly saying we were highly unoriginal. I became extremely embarrassed about my contribution and needless to say blocked the concept of recycling out of my mind for at least five years (ah, youth ... always uncomfortable about something)."


"In my world, the environmental movement – which basically consisted entirely of recycling – took a hiatus while I was in high school. Yes, I still recycled newspaper and soft drink cans, but environmentalism was not on my radar much other than basic recycling and erratic weather patterns caused by El Nino. With El Nino came a gradual awareness of the discussion about climate change for me. By 2001 I was studying Archaeology at Brigham Young University (p.s. blogger wants me to spell archaeology like this = archeology ... that is sooo wrong) and we often were reminded of the earth’s warming and cooling periods – the most recent Pleistocene (ice age) and the current Holocene (interglacial period). The lecture would often touch on the controversial issue of whether or not man was speeding up the warming of the earth by accelerating the rate of depletion of the Ozone Layer through industrial and car emissions; or if this was a natural cycle that the earth goes through and we were more than capable of adapting to it. It is only recently that the world has come to a general consensus that the rate of climate change is increasing due to human activity and that changes in behavior might need to happen. That makes this thesis more important and relevant than ever."

PART III ... coming soon.

running and writing

Ran a ten-minute-mile for the first time in my life yesterday. I had to convince myself to do it every step of the way. Don't be too impressed, I quit after one mile.

In all honesty I had already run 2 miles at my usual 11 1/2-minute-mile pace before deciding to give it a go ... the first 10 minutes of running are my least favorite so I couldn't start the ten minute mile right away. Come to think of it, the last 5 minutes are no fun either ... which leaves a solid 10-15 minutes of feeling alright while running ... this "feeling alright" is a relative feeling of course.

Update: I am 4 pounds away from my goal weight! So far I have lost 38.4 pounds in six months ... yeah, I almost don't believe it myself. Crazy. I must say - the last 10 pounds are the hardest and by far are taking the longest. So if you need some inspiration ... a motivator ... a cheerleader ... I promise you I can help. Drop me a line.

In other news ... I have OFFICIALLY started writing the first draft of my thesis (everyone scream YAY!) For the first time I feel like I can actually do this and have a vision of what it looks like. For soooo long ... like before I even came to graduate school ... since like 2006 ... I knew what I wanted to write about (Kelly - remember those talks on the way to the metro from the gym? "The Greening of Preservation" I believe was the title ... well its changed a bit since then ... but the general idea is very much still there!) The research, writing, editing, and re-writing process is a beast ... but I can honestly say that it has actually started to click (I am sure there is more writers block in my future).

I can also honestly say that its amazing how the Lord helps you get your "to do" list done when you put Him first. I have noticed that as I put my church calling (job/work/responsibilities for all you non-peeps out there) first and serve and make time for people that my capacity is enlarged ... capacity to write, to read, to think, to listen, to comprehend, to express, to serve, to love, and to give is all increased at the same time. As I read the Book of Mormon everyday I feel the peace and reassurance that I can get through whatever comes my way as I seek to know my Father in Heaven better and to emulate my Savior Jesus Christ. Reading the BOM everyday is something I have never been good at but I re-committed to do it after a challenge by my Bishop starting February 1st ... I am happy to report that I am keeping it up and really really enjoying it! So that is my testimony ... put the Lord first and He will help you push through it all and get it done. Not that I don't have hard days or unproductive days or even terrible, horrible, rotten, no good, very bad days ... but just that I have a better capacity to breathe and know that this too shall pass ... and I remember the things that are really important. I feel blessed.

my old self

A lot of people say that when you lose weight you have "a new you" or "a new body" or something like that. I can honestly say that I don't agree. Its more like I am my old self again. I feel like the girl I have been seeing in the mirror the last few years (okay lets be completely honest and say the last 6 years) is not me. She reminded me of me ... but something was off. She lost that sparkle in her eye and it had been replaced with sadness.

As much as I hate to admit it ... losing 30 pounds really does make you feel better about yourself. I am running for the first time since my sophomore year in HIGH SCHOOL. I am eating better and I feel like a million bucks.

I feel brave posting this ... but what has helped me is my accountability to myself and others ... and while I realize that these pictures are not exactly comparable, I hope you can see the progress. So here goes:

Taken August 17, 2008 ... 3 days before I started "the program."

Taken December 18th, 2008 - minus 30 pounds and in new jeans!
(haha - almost exactly 4 months later - I didn't even plan that)

One of the sad things is that I have gotten out of the habit of taking pictures of myself ... so currently, this is the only picture I have taken since I started my journey, so I need to work on that. Also, the journey is not over ... I have some more to lose and I know its going to be even harder since I am at the same weight I was when I started my second year of college in 2002 and thus the remaining 10-20 pounds have been with me for a very very long time. So, wish me luck and send me good vibes to keep it up.

futuristic boats and and nameless eels (CROATIA TRAVEL LOG)

The historic island/city of Trogir (a UNESCO world heritage site, by-the-way) sits between the mainland and another larger island and is linked by foot and car bridges. You can read the history of the intact medieval city here. As a result the "Riva" or waterfront is the "it" place to park your HUGE yacht. Some of these boats looked like they were capable of not only sea voyages, but underwater and space travel as well ... these are boats of the future ... unfortunately the biggest ones were foreigners and not Croatians.




On an island, the name of which I cannot remember, where less than 100 people lived and only the small harbor had electricity, we romped around some long forgotten limestone houses and communities. We were lucky enough to have our own private boat and captain waiting for us to hike the few miles up to it, especially since there was only two ferry stops a day - 9 am and 12 noon. The island is so small that it doesn't even have a school, it shut down a few years ago since only one child lived here ... how strange is that. He ended up going to live with grandparents on the mainland. Something about that makes me a little creeped out ... not that I normally think about schools of the number of children that live in a town or neighborhood ... but doesn't that just seem kind of ... final. It makes a place feel even older. In the harbor area, the only place with electricity on the island, there is a really old church (of course) still standing with its fake facade (picture above) that started out as the real facade until they realized they couldn't afford to build such a big building. It now has a bit of a courtyard and I really really like it.

Another really cool thing about historical Dalmatian is the water catchment systems they set up. Oh, P.S. the coast of Croatia is called the Dalmatian Coast architecture and town plans, according to wikipedia: "Dalmatia is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern Croatia [... and] signified not only a geographical unit, but it was an entity based on common culture and settlement types, a common narrow eastern Adriatic coastal belt..." The climate is Mediterranean ... so its like southern California ... a bit arid at times and so they try to catch all the fresh water they can. These huge limestone (historically) and concrete (more recently) slabs lay in sloping expanses, in essence funneling the water into storage cisterns or wells. The water is channeled (above) into the well through a gravel and sand filter (below).

This particular well (below) located in an abandoned village on the coast was recently quality tested by the regional government and rated as having some of the purest water in the area! The owner, who heard through the grapevine (or at the local cafe) that American students were interested in documenting their little town, randomly meet up with us at the village and wanted to show off his well. His son, who now lives in Sweden was visiting and was kind enough to translate for us (another example of people speaking multiple languages ... Croatian, Swedish, and English ... sigh). He said that there was an eel living in the well and that is why it was so clean! I about died ... and then he said that the eel was 45 years old! I said ... wait ... how do you know he is that old and how do you know he is still alive (i was shocked and thus not thinking clearly that they put him in there that long ago and that he would float to the top and the water would start tasting bad if he were dead ... all good points). Then I asked if he had a name ... because hey at 45 ... he is part of the family! They roared with laughter and the son had to ask his dad to make sure he did not have a name (i thought that was funny). They said no and then I proceeded to ask if I could name it ... to which I got the response ... "no, you cannot Christen our eel" ... ahhhh, good times!

(home of nameless eel)

PEACE ... LOVE ... and stamps are now 41 cents

Went to the downtown Post Office in Eugene yesterday. The line moved at a decent pace. Four clerks were helping customers ... all four had long hair ... only one was a woman and her hair wasn't the longest in the quartet.

Middle-aged Eugene hippies that ended up with real jobs ... workin for the MAN even. I wonder how long each has worked for the US Postal Service.

my squeaky shoe

my left black jack purcell squeaks at the heel. its no big deal walking around camps ... until i go to the library and everyone turns to stare at me.

when did i become obsessed with red?

I never used to like red. When did that change?

It happened in that order ... hmmm and I have a red (and white) polka-dot dress ... strange.

will i ever stop moving?

I am waiting for my queen size bed and ikea dresser to be picked up right now ... they won't be here for at least an hour ... and I am thinking. Uh oh ... thinking. Yeah - I agree, its a dangerous past time.

But anyway - I am doing it. Thinking about moving ... past, present, and future. I leave on a plane tomorrow headed for LAX and really I don't know when I will be back on the East Coast. Geez, I am totally getting sad. My parents have lived in Southern California for pretty much their entire lives. I joke with them that I have lived in more states in my 24 years than they have in their 35 years of marriage. As I am looking at my life packed up in suitcases I can't help but wonder when will this end? When will I feel comfortable enough to "settle down" and actually live in one place for more than a few years. I am not even talking about just living in one city or area ... an even bigger accomplishment would to be live in the same house/apartment/dwelling for more than one year. Well thinking back to my college days, I did live in one apt. for two years but I lived in a tent for two months in between those two years ... but still, I think that is the time frame to beat.

For fun - lets chronicle the locations:

1. House I was born in - Irvine, California - January 1983 - August 2001

2. Deseret Towers - Provo, Utah - August 2001 - May 2002

3. House I was born in - Irvine, California - May 2002 - August 2002

4. Sparks Apt. - Provo, Utah - August 2002 - May 2003

5. Foxwood Apt. - Provo, Utah - May 2003 - August 2003

6. Campus View North Apt. - Provo, Utah - August 2003 - May 2004

7. Tent - Escalante, Utah - May 2004 - July 2004

8. Campus View North Apt. - Provo, Utah - July 2004 - May 2005

9. House I was born in - Irvine, California - May 2005 - September 2005

10. Crystal Plaza Apt. - Arlington, Virginia - September 2005 - August 2006

11. Rhapsody Condominium - Washington, DC - August 2006 - August 2007

12. House I was born in - Irvine, California - August 2007 - September 2007

13. Hideaway Apt. - Eugene, Oregon - September 2007 - June 2008

(then who knows ... will I stay or will I go?)

Let's count it out people. That is 13 moves in 6 years. Two of those are across the country and 7 of them are from one state to another. I am tired, how about you?

But I am excited for this new adventure. Sad to leave behind my many good friends that I have made here, as well as those of you who have been in my life for awhile but happen to be here with me. It has seriously been soooo great. I love the East Coast and I love everyone I have gotten close too. I know that this move is a good one for me (as have so many of the previous moves) and I look forward to the challenge of school and meeting new people. I am also very excited to serve the Lord in a new way in a smaller church setting in Eugene - I know it will be good for me.

So, here goes nothin'.

Pineapple Welcome

Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

Beacon Hill
Boston, Massachusetts

I always knew that the pineapple was a symbol of welcome and I found two great colonial examples of how early America influenced that. I love it! I would love to find an antique brass door ornament like these above and put it on my house one day! Check out what I learned:

"Today the pineapple is known as a universal symbol of hospitality and welcome. It suggests to all a sign of friendliness, warmth, cheer, and graciousness.

Since the 17th century, the pineapple has been a favorite fruit of the wealthy. In colonial America, families would set fresh pineapple on their tables when visitors joined them, and it would be served as a special dessert. This was the utmost symbol of welcome. Often, when visitors stayed the night, they would be given the bedroom with pineapples carved in the bedposts or headboard."

"It is hardly surprising that this communal symbol of friendship and hospitality also became a favorite motif of architects, artisans and craftsmen throughout the colonies. hey sculpted pineapples into door lintels; stenciled pineapples on walls and canvas mats; wove pineapples into tablecloths, napkins, carpets and draperies; and cast pineapples into metal hot plates. There were whole pineapples carved of wood; pineapples executed in the finest china kilns; pineapples painted onto the backs of chairs and tops of chests."

a gem of a park ... unfortunately it is made out of pebbles

My last reflection that had been overlooked in the past month or so was my little excursion to a park in my neighborhood. Meridian Hill Park is a beautiful Italian style garden park with balustrades (which I love), alcoves, stairways, balconies, and a large stepped fountain. The design is just great! I have been meaning to take a walk through it since it is only 6 or so blocks from my house and now that the weather was getting nice, I decided to do it one Saturday morning.


This is the classic photo of the fountain that everyone takes. It is built on a hill so the water cascades down 13 different steps or basins. I was hoping for some more flowers around the sides of the pools ... sadly it wasn't living up to its glory at the moment.


Water is such an interesting thing to watch or photograph - catching the movement in one moment as it breaks over the edge!

My only other complaint about Meridian Hill park (besides the lack of up keep on cleanliness and on planting) is that the stunning architecture is composed of concrete aggregate ... apparently it was an experiment ... who thought that was a good idea?! I hate it. I want a clean smooth service ... it looks outdated, not classic like the forms it has been shaped into.

The over all view of the water feature ... cascading down the hill. Very beautiful. Can you believe that this is in the middle of DC?

I love that there were these banisters on the stairways - it makes the garden feel like a room or an extension of your living space. It feels very romantic, like a fairytale. Couldn't you just picture running down these steps in a ball gown and into the arms of prince charming? (Ok - I just lost half my readers in this moment - sorry, I am done now!)

I had to take a picture of the balustrades up close to show you how sad it is that it is made out of concrete aggregate! What a crime of aesthetics! In case you don't know - concrete aggregate consists of small pebbles specially selected for size and color from which forms are pulled while the surface is still susceptible to treatment. Wire brushing and acid washing are then used to expose the texture. YUCK!


Meridian Hill Park has the only female equestrian statue in DC - it's Joan of Arc of course. You all know by now how much I love oxidized bronze ... its so green, runny, and pretty. I like the angles I could get too of this statue since it was so high up.


This fountain is very much like the large fountains in St. Peter's Square in Rome outside the Vatican. The Italians are so good - I love how the large scale compliments the details found in everything.