School!!!

This post is most definately belated. Last week I sat down with my academic advisor for what I hope to be the last time. She officially gave me the green light, letting me know that my course load for this semester fulfills all of my major requirements. Pending one spainish class that I can take during the summer I will officially graduate college with a bachelors degree in Cultural Anthropology. FINALLY!

Im currently taking a massive load, no pun intended, of 18 units which includes the following courses: Ethics and the Environment (a philosophy class geared at answering environmental issues from an ethical perspective), Immigration and Health (looking at immigration and the health effects associated with drastically changing location), Coastal Environments (a basic marine biology course), Environment/ Populations/ Culture (one of the best anthropology classes I have taken looking a the worlds problems, specifically the environmental ones, from a holistic perspective with the mind to solve them), Medical Ethnography (where we learn about plants and the practical medical uses they have) and an online course on Religion and Rituals.

With that course load I say goodbye to the grind that is undergraduate work and say hello to the real world!

As graduation approaches the common question asked of seniors is what next. If you dont know us very well I suggest you read many of our previous posts that discuss this matter, but in short we are planning on joining the Peace Corps. It currently looks like our posting will happen sometime in the Spring or Summer of next year (2010) which leaves a significant amount of time between graduation and our assignment. The thought as of right now is to either stay at our current positions (junior high ministry assistant and dermotology office assistant) inorder to save some money or to find some sort of relief work (teaching english, working at an orfanage, etc.) until we leave for service. If anyone reading this knows of any sort of relief work (paid or unpaid) that we could participate in for that amount of time please let us know.

-Paul

Sally

Yes, Sally the cat is getting an entire blog to herself as she's been particularly funny/mischevious lately. Plus she keeps us well entertained and thought she might entertain you as well. Sleeping UNDER the chair cover.

Literally watching 'Planet Earth' with me. She particularly likes the small and skittish creatures such as the mice, lizards, and bugs.

Like I said...

Sally had a problem with her aim when it came to the litter box. Paul created a palace of sorts for her so we could at least solve the problem this loss of aim created for us. He calls it "Sally's Poop Palace". If you don't believe me, please see photo below.

In case you were going to call me a liar.

She keeps us well entertained with creating a toy out of anything, and often she becomes bored with one thing and moves onto another. Hence the recycling bin.
Now she may look quite innocent here, but this is the perpetrator about to enter the scene. When cleaning out the closet last weekend, I stumbled upon this little masterpiece of hers.

Those are definitely Paul's BLACK dress pants. They've been hanging in the back of the closet for seven month, collecting Sally fur. Yuck.

-Alyssa

Backpacking

In September, Paul and I went backpacking through part of the Sierra National Forest and never put up the pictures. We had grand plans of hiking each day and making a giant loop but a couple of persistent and painful blisters forced us to take it easy. Regardless, the trip was beautiful, so I thought I'd post a few.

-Alyssa

Alyssa's Dream Date

Paul and I went back and forth on whether or not we should exchange Christmas gifts this year. After some creative though, we came up with some ideas.

Paul and I have far too many books in our little apartment. With two bookcases nearly full and two tubs of children's books in the garage, we really should read everything we own before we adopt any more books. However, books are far too tempting and fun, so Paul suggested we give one another a book for Christmas. I gave him the new Rob Bell book, and he gave me The Life of Pi (I know book titles are supposed to be underlined but I can't figure out how to underline using this blog thing).

I came up with the idea of choosing our own dates. Paul and I go don't go out very often, but when we do we have to make sure we both really want to go on that date. My idea allows us to choose whatever date we want and the other person has to go. Paul would like to see a show sometime, and knowing him, probably go out for Italian or Pat & Oscars.

I chose to go down to Balboa Park for the Museum of Photographic Arts and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. The photography museum had photos taken by children that they correlated with literature. The science museum had an exhibit titled "Animal Grossology" as well as the normal exhibits that you get to play with. These are some pics from my date.

Paul created concentric circles with sand on a potter's wheel.

This was part of the "Animal Grossology" exhibit, teaching how a cow digests its food.

The slime game was gross, and slightly inappropriate.

Also part of the exhibit, Paul dared to stick his hand into a dark box and guess what was inside. They were really just fake replicas of sea creatures skin.

By far the weirdes thing I saw in the exhbit. It actually had you try to move a "piece of food" and see how it is blocked by the hairball.

I took this for my own self satisfaction. I feel that too many people have been misinformed and do not believe me when I tell them their blood isn't blue. It's already oxygenized in your veins and is therefore red. Veins are blue. Blood is red.

-Alyssa

A day with LJ

So Paul has been out of town all weekend at Forest Home for Junior High Winter Camp, only this time as a counselor and not staff. I have no doubt he's having a blast, but I've been having quite some fun myself. My best friend, Leanna, and I both have zoo passes and took advantage of the beautiful sunny weather to check out some animals.

Giraffes are by far my favorite.

I'm not quite sure about this baby giraffe. He kept licking the pole.

Elephants are Leanna's favorite animal.

His best side.

Those silly digging meerkats.


I don't even remember what this one was called, but its legs were so thin it looked like they would break, and their eyes looked circled with white eyeliner. Leanna called them the supermodels of the deer.

A random peacock walking around. Not Leanna's favorite.

baby koala

-Alyssa