Home on the Range

This past week, I spent 2100 miles on the road…by myself. 5 states and 4 days later I’m finished. Yes friends, I am back in Wisconsin.

FOR GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT! 

As excited as I am to have a job, I am really REALLY going to miss living in the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to explain, but out west there is an entirely different mentality when it comes to work/life balance. Yes you still have your workaholics, but you also have a huge number of people who can’t wait to get their 40+ mile bike ride in on the weekend, attend an avant-garde art opening, kite board the Columbia River, listen to a killer local band, check out the pow pow on Mt. Bachelor or walk the beach on the windy Oregon Coast.

Biggest thing I’m going to miss: mountains. Like this these:

I know Madison is where I need to be at this point in my life. Is it what I had planned? No. I had this romantic notion that I was going to live somewhere completely new once I finished grad school. While that didn’t happen, I know it will someday.  I’ll be back out West sooner rather than later.

For now, I’m content to be living in a city I adore. I am closer to my family and longtime friends. I can revel in the success that is Wisconsin sports right now first hand. And I can actually start my career!

I’m looking at this chapter in my life as a building process. I have a job that is actually relevant to my career path. It’s with an arts organization. It’s a nonprofit. It does great things for the community.

All western-withdrawal symptoms aside, I win.

Here are some fun photos from my trip: 

Columbia River Gorge and its foggy awesomeness.

This set up was quite stressful across SD & MN.
As if 45mph wind gusts aren't strong enough, try it with a bike on the back of your car. 

Eastern WA.

Idaho.

First time pumping my own gas in 2 years. Still got it, to the exact dollar, BAM.

More eastern, WA.

Mountains outside Bozeman, MT.

Eastern MT. My favorite photo of the trip.

More MT.

North Dakota.

I saw 3 different people driving 4-wheelers on the road. Apparently common in ND.

ND, still.

Weary traveler.

WISCONSIN!

More WI. 

There are no photos of Minnesota. It's not that I didn't appreciate the view, it's that I had both hands white-knuckled on my steering wheel.


Land of 10,000 Lakes was really "land of winds that want to whip your car like a pinball."

Hello, Again

Hello Lovelies!

I’ve come out of my blogging hiatus with a Master’s degree, huzzah! Let’s update you all on the highlights of my second and final year of graduate school went. Bullet style because that’s how I roll most of the time:

·     I was a Graduate Teaching Fellow (same thing as a TA), and co-taught a wonderful class titled Art and Gender. It’s a hybrid class of art history and sociology that touches on the idea of gender, society and how it’s reflected in art. Basically the Art History nerd in me was in heaven. Also, I never knew I could enjoy teaching so much.

·     In May, I presented my research Building the Creative Economy: Managing Creativity in Museum Development Departments. We had 10 minutes to present and man did it go fast.

·     I graduated on June 13. It was hot and graduate hoods do not help the situation.

·     My Mom and Aunt visited for my graduation and to explore Oregon. We managed to squeeze in quite a lot of sights (I’ll be posting about this more later)!

·     I bought a new road bike- happy graduation to me! Long story short: I LOVE IT. I've been on some amazing rides already!

·     I started playing softball again. It’s slow pitch and very different from the competitive world I was used to for so long, but it’s so much fun! I slid last week and got a pretty stellar strawberry on my leg. In a sick and twisted way, it brought me back to the endless summers full of double headers in 90-degree heat, wonderful teammates and friends, softball dirt EVERYWHERE, and the priceless feeling of hitting the sweet spot on a bat.

·     I read FOR FUN! I just finished the Hunger Games series by Susan Collins and am now reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett for book club.

via

via

So, those are the highlights.

Now, I’m unemployed. Currently working very hard to alleviate that situation! 

Genetics Are Fun

I was going through my photos today and found two instances (from the same event) in which I think I look perfectly like my mother and my father.

This one, I think I look EXACTLY like my mom:

…and this one I look a lot like my dad:

Thesedays, anyone who knows and/or has seen my mom says I'm a carbon copy. I agree, but then again please consider my dad suffers from male-pattern baldness  (sorry Daddy, but it's true!)

I love that dependent on the camera angle, I look like a spitting image of both of my parents.

Genes are fun.

Hello, Friends!

WHI Image ID 61120

I've noticed a few new followers in the past week or so and I wanted to thank you for stopping by and reading my ramblings! I would absolutely love to hear any suggestions or comments you have for me.

Also, for all my readers our there in cyberspace, I'm opening myself up to your questions. Is there anything you'd like to know about me? Any topics you'd like to see here on Western Ruminations?

Don't be shy! Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment or emailing me at westernruminations (at) gmail (dot) com

Black and White

Oh life, why are you so complicated at times? So much going on in my life right now that I'd love a break. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not whining or complaining, I just wish I could shut my brain off for about an hour and completely relax. Perhaps I could join the two boys pictured below in their water fountain?

Channeling simplicity this evening by posting some black and white photos courtesy of the endless talent on Flickr. 

photo credit: cacophony76

photo credit: cacophony76

photo credit: jeffsmallwood

photo credit: Shelly Pickett

photo credit: tjdewey

Stuck In a Rut (Not To Be Confused With a Routine)

"The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions."

-Ellen Glasgow

This quarter has been kicking my arse. It's not that my classes are incredibly difficult, but I find myself not as engaged as last quarter. I've decided to chalk it up to the fact it's Winter and rains 75% (seems like 99%) of the time.

In hindsight, I'm still happy about attending graduate school directly after undergraduate. I know this is a field I have true passion for, yet being a student is getting really old. I'm ready to come home and not have homework, or at least not feel guilty reading a book for fun. Not to mention actually making money instead of forking it over for tuition would be quite excellent. Wow, I'm not bitter at all, am I?

I promise I'm trying to break this melancholic melodrama. It's just not who I am. Here's to finishing out this quarter and spending some much needed time at home in just under three weeks!

Happy (Belated) Birthday Dad!

First off, I am an awful daughter for not posting this on my dad's actual birthday, which was yesterday. Dad, I'm really sorry!

Regardless, here's to the most fun-loving guy I know. Thanks for being there for me throughout the years and giving me a great perspective on life. (Not to mention teaching me: how to throw a baseball, swing a golf club, throw a football, shoot a basketball, change a tire, drive a tractor, change my car's oil(!), shoot a gun, how to swim and countless other priceless lessons).

So, Dad, Happy Birthday! Drink a glass of WI beer for me and have a good one!

Life's Necessities

Here's another video I made for my design class:

(family, you're going to get a good laugh out of it)

Life's Necessities from Steph S on Vimeo.

Oh Yeah...

I CUT MY HAIR!

It's a bit shorter than what I was aiming for, but hell- it grows back, right?

I'm loving the change (and of course saving money on shampoo)!

Thanksgiving: Version 2009

Like I said, I have a lot of catching up to do on here and one topic that must be blogged about is my wonderful Thanksgiving in San Francisco. Don't get me wrong, coming home would have been great, but I had an amazing time with my family on the West Coast!

I drove down to the Bay Area (about an 8 hour drive) Wednesday before Thanksgiving with a few close friends from school. On the drive we:

• Experienced the Cascade Mountain Range in the fog.
• Drove past Mt. Shasta (I-5 runs really close to the base).
• Ate at In-N-Out Burger- a California chain which I had never experienced before.
• Listened to (probably) an unhealthy amount of the Glee soundtrack.

The trip went smoothly and I made it to my cousins' house just around dinnertime. They actually live in the East Bay, across the bay from San Francisco, and have an awesome view of the city from their living room.

I was also greeted by these handsome fellows:

(Jerry [Garcia] and Freddy [Mercury])

In typical Thanksgiving fashion, we ate too much great food and zoned out to football. Perfect.

I also got my urban fix by spending Black Friday downtown San Francisco followed by tasty Chinese food in Chinatown. Heaven. Saturday, we hit the outlets and I got a personalized tour of Cal's campus. Here's a photo from Lawrence Hall of Science:

Moral of this story: I have an absolutely amazing family and I am extremely grateful for their hospitality.

I've Lived Here How Long?

I previously posted how I'd have to get used to this whole quarter system. Well, it really hit home today when I realized I register tomorrow for winter quarter. Yikes.

Don't worry (mom and dad) I know exactly what classes I'm taking, I'm just mystified that I've lived in Oregon for as long as I have (and somehow didn't notice)? Admittedly, the novelty that I live in Oregon has worn off and I'm slowly warming up to small college town life. Yes, a town of 130,000 is small to my standards, let alone a student body of a mere 20,000 students. I guess you could say I got used to being a "number" at the giant 40,000+ school from which I came.

In hindsight, I take this realization as a good indication that I've made great friends and love the Arts Admin. program. In actuality, I've only lived here for 3 months, but it seems much longer. I'm not complaining; I see my good friends pretty much everyday, absorb new culture, explore the scenery and relax.... and do the whole grad school thing too.

...Although I'm beyond excited to be home in less than a month for winter break!

Heavenly Bluegrass

To escape the crazy reality that is my life right now, a few friends and I went to a bluegrass concert last night. Depending on your musical persuasion, you may or may not have heard of Old Crow Medicine Show, but they're a pretty big deal on the bluegrass/country front.

Admittedly, I was dragging a bit after my night class, but once I arrived at the theater and the music started- my yawning ceased, immediately! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but the show was in a modest sized theater (think The Barrymore in Madison) and was full of people dancing to fast-paced fiddling and high energy lyrics.

It was a perfect respite from the recent news. I'd like to think all of my grandparents are now happily dancing to the big bluegrass concert in the sky. Rest in peace Grandpa S.

National Park Fever

I think it's safe to assume I'm not the only one watching the Ken Burns series on PBS about the National Parks. I'm sure it's also true I'm not the only one out there who wants to visit some of them...or all of them, ha.

I argue however, I was intrigued before the series made its television debut. My drive out west offered a snippet of nature's sublime offerings I had never seen before. My personal experiences, combined with my new environment (and admittedly, the Ken Burns documentary) really inspire me to escape the rigors of real-life for a bit and explore nature. There's no better way to de-stress and cope with what life throws at you, right? Seeing it's the closest, this is my first choice:

Crater Lake!