Final Countdown

Well, Mom and I are leaving on the "NEVERENDING ROoAD TRIIIIIIIIIIP" tomorrow (it works best if you sing that to the tune of Neverending Story). I'm very excited and keep getting jitteries in my stomach! I'm really looking forward to the time with my mom, seeing the sites, and moving in to my place. My mom likes to play the part of a delicate old lady, but I think she'll be just fine on this long trip. She's really not old and is tougher than she gives herself credit for (and plus we're not really roughing it anywhere we stay). I think we're going to have a fabulous trip.

Its funny how whenever I travel I get all anxious about leaving something behind. I have to remind myself that I'm not embarking on an expedition through an uncharted jungle. If those anti-giant-chain-store documentaries are to be believed, I should be able to find SprawlMarts all across the fruited plains should I need Listerine or batteries. That is a comforting fact. I'm also encouraged in that the car has been packed for almost a week now, and I haven't come across too many things I forgot to include. Hopefully that means I did a good job. BTW, my dad is a hero when it comes to packing a car. I was convinced he couldn't get everything in, but somehow he managed. In fact, Mr. Engineer packed the thing so well that nothing even shifts if you brake kinda hard. What a guy!

I've accomplished some big things this week in prep for the trip. The biggest is that I finally am the owner of a cell phone! My sweet brother and sister-in-law offered to add me to their plan and share the cost. I am so thankful for them, its such a big blessing! Thanks to them, I'll now be able to leave the "I'm too poor to own a cell-phone" Facebook club. Obviously that's high on my list of priorities. I had fun going with my brother to get the phone: he's kind of a bad-ass. When we arrived, our sales-person showed us the two free phones that could come with the plan. The first was very cheap looking, and the second was only slightly better. My brother grimaced at the first one, brusquely flipped the thin plastic cover up and down a couple times, then muttered to me that they are both pieces of shit. We went and talked with the lady some more, and then he asked, "Can we see your other phones? Do you have anything inexpensive but durable? My sister just needs to be able to call and text, we don't need anything that can launch a space shuttle." The lady thought that was brilliant and kept refering to space ships throughout the rest of the transaction. It was great. I was touched when I got home that night and read my first-ever text message. He wrote, "Welcome to the future. I love you. Best of luck at Northwestern." Is he sweet or what? Aww.

Beyond the cell phone, I also bought a mattress today. Exciting I know. Sears has free nation-wide delivery on top of their 50% off mattress sale, so I couldn't pass it up. I got a very comfy plush full, and I have to say, I'm looking forward to doing homework on a bed actually big enough for my darn science books!

In addition to the mattress, I also went to the dentist yesterday. Its been over a year since I don't have insurance, but it was worth the out-of-pocket money. No cavities for me, thank you very much. I know you were wondering about that...

My librivox.org audio books are done downloading to my iPod now, so I guess its time for me to get off. I'll write about my trip when I can, but it will probably be 3 weeks! Don't get too eaten up with jealousy!

The Plan

So here's the plan for moving me from California to Illinois: drive my stuff out there, drive back, then fly out with my cat. My mom and I are going to do the road trip together (leaving July 25th), while my dad and I are going to do the flight with the cat (Sept. 2). I'm so thankful to have good parents to help me get settled in a far-away land. I don't know how I'd do all this without them!

The road trip with my mom is going to be pretty sweet. We'll be taking a week to get there, a week to get moved in, and then a week to come back. We're going to see 7 national parks and 12 states! One of my mom's life goals is to see all of the National Parks, so its great to see so many with her. We're going to see Zion, UT; Bryce Canyon, UT; Arches, UT; Badlands, SD; Wind Cave, SD; Yellowstone, WY; Grand Tetons, WY; (We'll also pop in to see Mount Rushmore, but that's only a national monument). We'll be staying a few nights at two of my grandma's time-shares, one night with friends, a couple nights in motels, a week in my studio, and the rest in tiny camping cabins (that'll be a first for us). I'm excited to get to see so much of America's finest, and am looking forward to the time with my mom. Feel free to check out our map, it zooms in and out (can I just say google maps is awesome?)

View Road Trip With Momma! in a larger map

Best Haircut EVER

First, let it be known that I do not usually enjoy getting my hair cut. The small-talk, the neck-tweaking, the bumbled description of the style I want, the tiny hair-shards forever embedded in my clothes... pretty much not my idea of a good time. However, yesterday I found the best place for a haircut (just in time for me to move away of course). Not wanting to look like a scarecrow at my brother and sister-in-law's super excellent 4th of July BBQ, I drove around yesterday looking for a salon that was open. I spied a place called "Cool Cuts 4 Kids", and being desperate, popped inside to ask if they did adult hair. The answer was yes, and I was promptly signed in as a "Biggie". Let me tell you, this place was decked out for kids. The waiting area had 6 little stations with tvs and video games, as well as a little play area with toys. Every salon chair had a booster seat, and some were even little cars that the kids got buckled into. The various haircutting stations were all decorated thematically, and I was lucky enough to get seated at the Disney Princess station. When I sat down, the stylist asked me if I'd like to play video games while she cuts my hair. I almost declined, but then thought better of it. I thus spent the entire time playing Rugrats on X-Box, trying in vain to beat a snowman in a toboggan race for double A batteries. Needless to say, it was awesome. Not only was this a fun place to get my hair done, but the stylist was pretty good too. Since apparently my descriptions of my dream haircut suck, I always bring a picture of what I want my hair to look like. Despite this attempt to simplify the haircutting experience, it seems I never have a stylist who actually studies the picture. I was delighted yesterday when my Cool Cuts stylist not only discussed the picture with me, but even referred to it a couple times throughout the "procedure". YAY! I'll definitely be going back before I move away. If only I could fit in those car-chairs...

Bastanchury Oil Fields

If I could paint my memory of the Bastanchury Oil Fields, this would be it. I am so thankful this artist captured the site before it was lost to urban sprawl. Here's her website: http://www.blackgoldprints.com/

A Brief Chronology, Part I

I've pretty much always liked plants. While I can't remember just one instance that was pivotal in my becoming a plant person, I can think of many many things and people that contributed to my love for these cool organisms. I thought I should jot some of them down, if just for my own sake. I decided I'd break this list into parts, so that each post isn't so long.

Part 1: Grade School
Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact timing of these memories, so I've lumped them together as "grade school". They're in pretty good order I think...

• Kindergarten: One of my earliest memories involving plants occurred at Rolling Hills Elementary School, and involved Lima beans, a plastic zip-lock, and a wet paper towel. I remember eagerly checking on my seeds every day, and was so impressed by fuzzy root and tiny leaves that emerged.
• Orange County Fairgrounds: Being homeschooled, my mom would take my sister and I on field trips during the week. I remember her taking us to the little farm of the OC Fairgrounds. We planted radishes in little Dixie cups, and I kept very good care of them until they sprouted. I know that's not anything incredibly special, but it stands out in my mind.
• Bastanchury Park: my childhood home backs up to a hilly, city park, and my room is the only bedroom that looks out onto it. I spent so many hours climbing the trees in that park, and had many an acorn war with my friends. I especially adore the beautiful, old pepper trees at the top of the hill, remnants of a farm long gone. Other trees of the park in my psyche are the 3 very bent California sycamores (great for climbing), one giant pine outside my window, and the swaying, white eucalyptus along the periphery. In the watered desert of Southern California, I think this park helped keep me in touch with the rhythms of nature. The falling leaves and acorns in autumn, the pine pollen blowing and the tiny green flowers of the pepper trees in Spring... I think these things were good for me to see.
• Bastanchury Oil Fields: Now a cookie-cutter housing tract, the oil fields adjacent to Bastanchury park were a great open place for me to explore some of the natural history of California. While I was only allowed to go there with my parents (bums occasionally inhabited the area, and the oil derricks weren't completely fenced off), I really enjoyed our annual Spring excursions there. My parents would point out the different wildflowers blooming, we'd collect owl pellets to dissect, and a couple times we even caught some tadpoles from a vernal pool to raise into frogs and toads. Once, my dad took my sister and I up there at night to watch a meteor shower (I still remember my how my dad freaked me out by throwing rocks into the bushes and telling me they were coyotes). Even though this plot of land was only a couple acres, surrounded by busy roads, and sprinkled with noisy derricks, telephone wires, and evidence of the homeless, I really appreciate the time I spent there and believe I am better for it. I'm still bitter about those darn boring houses killing the place.
• Grandpa: Its funny, my dad's dad wasn't really a big part of my childhood, but he did contribute to my love of plants. I remember going to his house once and he gave me a spider plant and a Christmas cactus. He told me how he had started them from cuttings, and gave me a water, pH, and light meter to help take care of them. I still have that spider plant, but it was the meter that really impressed me. I liked it so much that I even sewed a fabric case for it. Even though I had no idea what pH was, I diligently measured the moisture, pH, and light levels in the park behind my house, recording the data in a journal. I think that was my first scientific undertaking.