Environment and Culture

I wrote the following for the class I am taking on the Environment, Culture and Place in the Changing North:

Studying Environmental Sciences is learning about the varied ways everything is interconnected.  I think the readings brought that across well.  Our studies will not be limited to a specific field or even group of fields, but will be wide open.  Biology, Geography, Ecology, Physics, Tectonics, Meteorology, Oceanography, Sociology... they all play a part in defining our world and they all relate to each other.  The more we know about our world, the more we can predict how our actions will affect the present and the future.

Juneau, Alaska is a unique location for a symposium of this kind, on the coastal waterways in a temperate rainforest and bordered by glacial mountains so close guests can take a tour walking on the Mendenhall Glacier.  We have a unique collection of ecosystems here and a unique way of life.  Tiered levels of buildings seam to clime the steep hillsides downtown.  Drainage allowances compensate for the high annual rainfall.  Indigenous people study their culture and languages while adapting to the changing modern world with agility and ingenuity.

We are not living in a pastoral paradise, but neither are we living in an apocalyptic nightmare.  Times are changing and we are adapting to those changes, altering our own actions as we gain more wisdom as well as knowledge.  The more we share with each other, the farther we will be from the frightening conclusions of images like those brought forth in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) or in Waterworld (1995 film).

2011 Reading Challenge

Terye has completed her goal of reading 65 books in 2011!

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65 of 65 (100%)

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Reading the Sea of Monsters

I am almost done with the second book in the Percy Jackson series, and I am loving author Rick Riordan's style.  Each book is a bite size piece of a modern epic interspersed with humor and great details of Greek mythology and references to the Iliad.

Finals are Done!

Boy, did I forget how hard finals can be when they're all stacked together in a couple days.  All four are finished and I am very proud of my work in three of them.  I enjoy History, Geography and Science and I learned a lot this term.  A month break, and them back into the fray!

Landing in Aurora Bay

As we flew over rivers that flowed down to spill into the Cook Inlet, Dyllan said, “Here we go!”  The women in the seats ahead tensed and chatted excitedly.  Grace pulled out the headphones to her MP3 player and turned her music on MUCH too loud, closing her eyes. 

I had just enough time to wonder what all the excitement was about, and then the plane began to turn in a wide angle down to the left and Grace leaned against my side, pushing me into Dyllan’s shoulder.  I hadn’t realized how tall or solid he was until that moment… or how warm.  The smell of musk, old leather and aftershave was exhilarating.  My heart rate picked up and I prayed I was the only one who could feel the beat.

The plane shook a bit as we turned in almost a circle.  It straightened out just in time to line up with the runway and slow down for landing.  After a few moments Grace realized she was still leaning on me and sat up quickly.  I righted myself and nervously said “thanks” to no one in particular.  My voice sounded odd to me with my ears stuffed and waiting to pop.

The double strips of light greeted us ahead, and we bounced off the tarmac twice before smoothly pulling into Aurora Bay’s only airfield.  Glacial mountains towered over lush green trees.  Four foot tall fireweed and bright yellow dandelions were sprinkled across the grass meadow on the left of the airstrip.  Beyond that was milky glacial run-off pouring into the bay and out to sea.

As we taxied in, we saw several cars lined up near the rounded metal hanger marked in big green letters “Andy’s Toys.”  I rolled her eyes at the sign, and then took a closer look at the cars.  They were all old and beautiful.  It looked like the start of a car show.   A mid-‘70s turquoise and white Chevy truck was parked beside a custom tie-dyed Volkswagen Van.  A huge golden Buick Roadmaster was parked at an odd angle to the others.  Behind those three was an early ‘80s cherry red Mustang and a shiny black F150 with a blue medic’s light bar on top.

Grace and Ami revamped scene

A mother and daughter fussed over bags with pricy brand name labels like Hot Topic.  They were both brunettes with streaks of blonde and vibrant red that were probably added today at a ritzy salon.  The high school girl strutted around in a hot pink sun dress with black lace edging the bodice and bottom hem.  “I dare them to call me a boy now!” she said triumphantly, spinning around.

I marveled at her perfectly feminine hourglass shape and glowing makeup, wondering how anyone could mistake her for a boy.  She could be a pop star.  Then I caught my own reflection in one of the windows.  My hair was pulled back tight, I didn’t even own makeup, and I had on a boring old forest green t-shirt and denim jeans worn down to white strings at the knees.  I looked more like the biker boy than the pretty girl.  I grabbed my big duffle, the Penney’s sack and two small bags out of the back of the camper.   “Dad, I need to find a restroom… like now.”

After a couple quick words with Andy, Dad led me past a long row of small planes in bright colors to the bathroom.  He stood outside, examining a brick red 5-seater float plane that was tied down nearby.  

I changed into the sparkly goddess shirt with tapered sleeves I’d found at the hip New Age import store, then pulled down my brunette hair and brushed it out.  Hints of auburn sparkled through it.  I tied back the front third at the top of my head and let the rest fall loose.  I traded the worn out jeans for new sea-green jeans with silver stitching.  I smiled into the mirror and the difference was striking.  I looked like her mother did on screen fifteen years ago.  I’d just have to remember to smile…

Ami's Sleeping Lady Story

After dinner it was time to head back to Merrill Field where we would meet Andy.  As Dad drove toward the airfield in downtown Anchorage, I could see Mount Susitna in the distance.  The mountain was called the Sleeping Lady.  It really did look like the form of a woman sleeping with her hair flared out around her head.  Dad pretended not to know anything about it so I could tell him the sad story.  Long ago Anchorage was the Valley of the Giants.  A giant couple lived there, and one day the man went out hunting.  The woman told him that she would pick berries and then nap until he returned.  When her basket was full and her man had not returned, she lay down by the water and fell asleep.  She still lies there dreaming of his return.  I wondered silently how long it would be until she could wake.

Another Book Read

I finished another book last night.  I have read 62 books this year.  My goal is 65.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Looking for Feedback

So, if the post I rewrote in first person was the first part of a book, would you read on?  Is there enough action?  Is the main character understandable and interesting?  What would you change?

Wow... my weather widget predicts local weather as a question mark.  Either I need a new widget or it's just another day in Juneau.