I loved this video so much I had to post it here. All of the vampires getting together for a meeting: Dracula, the Count from Sesame Street, Angel, Count Chocula, the True Blood vamp.... so funny. Even Buffy!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Thoughts
As I was driving home for the thanksgiving holiday down the 101 freeway, I stared out into the ocean and could see all the way across the Santa Barbara channel to the Channel Islands. Both Anacapa and Santa Cruz were clear in sight. The sun was glistening perfectly off the waves and it was just incredibly gorgeous. Sights like these make me so happy that we are an ocean planet, and I am thankful every day for the resources and happiness the ocean provides us.
Here is a little appreciation list to say what I'm thankful for, as cliche as it may be. I'm thankful for...
- My parents- without them I would never have reached the success, happiness, optimism, and love of life that I have. I owe everything to them. For pushing me to do well in school, teaching me about life, supporting me in college.
- Matt- he is always there for me through thick and thin. He loves me unconditionally (though he may be embarrassed of me sometimes!!), wants me to succeed and supports me, laughs with me, listens to me even when I'm being crazy, and is my best friend.
- My friends- they let me just have a good time and let go of all of the stresses in the world, and are goofy! with me. Dancing to crazy music in the Denny's parking lot and riding in grocery carts through the neighborhood really make me happy. We have a true, lasting friendship that even distance couldn't break.
- Nature- it inspires me and takes my breath away. The level of detail, the way every piece fits... it's just incredible. Ecology is possibly the most mind-boggling thing on the planet. It is my passion and I devote my life to it because I know that without most of the things on this planet, I would not exist. We rely on nature and the outdoors- it renews us, provides us with air, food, recreation, happiness.... good times with friends, incredible creatures... I hope everyone can appreciate nature in this way, and I hope it continues to be appreciated throughout the generations as technology, computers, video games and the like progress
What are you thankful for? Let me know!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Did we REALLY graduate at the worst time possible?
You know, everyone is so pessimistic about their current situation. But of course since I am the eternal optimist, I see things right now a little differently, at least for those of us that just graduated.
About an hour ago I looked at my Blackberry, which was flashing red telling me I had a message, and saw an email from Chancellor Yang about some regents meeting to talk about increasing student fees mid-year. And of course I read the Nexus talking about how much everything was increasing this year fee-wise. So personally, I'm glad to be out of that place that just robs us poor old students blind.
And you know what? The job market really ISN'T that bad... I think we need to realize too that for a lot of majors, a B.A./B.S. just isn't enough anymore. More and more people go to college so our degrees are becoming less and less competitive. We're going to have to start out at lower level jobs that we would have had to a while ago.
The thing is, I'm in a REALLY competitive field and I'm still finding a ton of jobs I am qualified for. It just takes persistence and determination, and I think a lot of people gave up as soon as they walked across that stage to get their fake diploma.
Also, in some cases we may even have a BETTER chance at getting a job because they can pay us less than all those other, very qualified people looking for jobs.
But maybe I'm just in a really good mood because I got an interview for an internship at the Long Beach Aquarium. Woo! Nah, I really believe everything I'm saying and I really think that we shouldn't lose hope, because there ARE jobs out there, even if they're not what we were expecting... AND we don't have to pay all the ridiculous fees to stay in college (even though college was a GREAT time).
So I guess all I'm saying is that we all need to keep our chins up and be thankful for what's been put in front of us.
And you know what? The job market really ISN'T that bad... I think we need to realize too that for a lot of majors, a B.A./B.S. just isn't enough anymore. More and more people go to college so our degrees are becoming less and less competitive. We're going to have to start out at lower level jobs that we would have had to a while ago.
The thing is, I'm in a REALLY competitive field and I'm still finding a ton of jobs I am qualified for. It just takes persistence and determination, and I think a lot of people gave up as soon as they walked across that stage to get their fake diploma.
Also, in some cases we may even have a BETTER chance at getting a job because they can pay us less than all those other, very qualified people looking for jobs.But maybe I'm just in a really good mood because I got an interview for an internship at the Long Beach Aquarium. Woo! Nah, I really believe everything I'm saying and I really think that we shouldn't lose hope, because there ARE jobs out there, even if they're not what we were expecting... AND we don't have to pay all the ridiculous fees to stay in college (even though college was a GREAT time).
So I guess all I'm saying is that we all need to keep our chins up and be thankful for what's been put in front of us.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Reporting from Dive Into Your Imagination
I'm visiting the Dive Into Your Imagination crew today and it's good to be back! As soon as the ocean appeared on the side of the 101 freeway I felt renewed and happy.
Dive Into Your Imagination has been doing some awesome stuff... Annie is one of the few people who have seen the garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. All of the videos they have been creating and putting out are completely amazing and informative.
It's really strange for me to go from a super eco-friendly place like Santa Barbara, to Palmdale where it seems like the information isn't reaching. My house is full of plastic water bottles, plastic silverware... tons of single use plastic. I go to the grocery store and see people buying packages upon packages of plastic water bottles... and I don't know what to do about it. It's not like people that live further from the coast refuse to reduce their use of plastic... they just don't know anything about it!
One of the biggest environmental issues today is one of the least known about... Fish populations are in a huge decline and we are stealing tons of fish from countries that rely on it. This means people in Africa who rely on fish for their livelihood barely catch anything. We are driving poverty in so many nations. We are destroying an ecosystem that makes up 70% of our planet and gives us 50-90% of our oxygen!!! How is this issue the least paid attention to in this green eco-movement?
How do we reach people that don't already love the ocean and get them to want to protect it? How do we get people to understand that no matter how far away from the ocean you live, you still live in a watershed that will eventually reach the ocean... and in the short-term that watershed, which is our drinking water, is becoming polluted with harmful runoff, plastic, and other debris?
The problem is just so intimidating, and I sometimes feel little hope- look at the rainforests... ever since we were kids we heard about saving trees, not using as much paper.. but rainforests are still being destroyed for our use and for agriculture, which leaves the soil uninhabitable after the crops are harvested. What hope is there for the ocean when nothing has been done about issues we've been hearing about for years and years?
Become a fan of Dive Into Your Imagination!
Dive Into Your Imagination has been doing some awesome stuff... Annie is one of the few people who have seen the garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. All of the videos they have been creating and putting out are completely amazing and informative.
It's really strange for me to go from a super eco-friendly place like Santa Barbara, to Palmdale where it seems like the information isn't reaching. My house is full of plastic water bottles, plastic silverware... tons of single use plastic. I go to the grocery store and see people buying packages upon packages of plastic water bottles... and I don't know what to do about it. It's not like people that live further from the coast refuse to reduce their use of plastic... they just don't know anything about it!
One of the biggest environmental issues today is one of the least known about... Fish populations are in a huge decline and we are stealing tons of fish from countries that rely on it. This means people in Africa who rely on fish for their livelihood barely catch anything. We are driving poverty in so many nations. We are destroying an ecosystem that makes up 70% of our planet and gives us 50-90% of our oxygen!!! How is this issue the least paid attention to in this green eco-movement?
How do we reach people that don't already love the ocean and get them to want to protect it? How do we get people to understand that no matter how far away from the ocean you live, you still live in a watershed that will eventually reach the ocean... and in the short-term that watershed, which is our drinking water, is becoming polluted with harmful runoff, plastic, and other debris?
The problem is just so intimidating, and I sometimes feel little hope- look at the rainforests... ever since we were kids we heard about saving trees, not using as much paper.. but rainforests are still being destroyed for our use and for agriculture, which leaves the soil uninhabitable after the crops are harvested. What hope is there for the ocean when nothing has been done about issues we've been hearing about for years and years?
Become a fan of Dive Into Your Imagination!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Having anxieties but moving forward.
Why is it that when I find jobs to apply to, I get nervous about it and put it off? I think the whole process just intimidates me... I feel like I'm not good enough, not smart enough, not friendly enough... but that's not true. I have so many qualifications and I always interview really well... I think I've always had fun interviews. Lots of laughing. That's good right?
The hard part about some of the jobs is they want all this extensive and specific experience... but how am I supposed to get that experience if everyone requires it? I have a LOT of general experience, but not a broad range of specific experience.
I just need to be confident in myself. I can do it!
The hard part about some of the jobs is they want all this extensive and specific experience... but how am I supposed to get that experience if everyone requires it? I have a LOT of general experience, but not a broad range of specific experience.
I just need to be confident in myself. I can do it!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The job search continues...
As I continue to entertain my boyfriend as a guest, I am working on applying to two more jobs. One as a Cheetah Keeper at a zoo in Oregon, and another as an education mentor for the animal care team at another zoo. I figure if I put out 100 job applications.. I have to at least hear back from one... right?
It's just so frustrating continually applying and filling out a new, long online application for each job when I don't even get an interview. I'm starting to wonder if I'm missing some error in my resume or something. I just have to keep telling myself that while I'm finding a lot of jobs that I am qualified for (as I have worked at a zoo/aquarium for a combined 2 years, which most of them want), there are a lot of people without jobs. This means that there are people that are quite overqualified applying.. and as soon as they apply my resume is gonna get thrown out.
Good things come to those who wait, right?
In the mean time I'm continuing to post photo albums and articles on http://www.DiveIntoYourImagination.com and our facebook page, which I made myself... mostly with pure html coding. I am going to be starting a twitter and facebook page for http://www.euroscrub.com... links to be posted when they are done.
Can't wait to get paid at the end of the month... me and my boyfriend are going to nice restaurants and eating me out of house and home!
It's just so frustrating continually applying and filling out a new, long online application for each job when I don't even get an interview. I'm starting to wonder if I'm missing some error in my resume or something. I just have to keep telling myself that while I'm finding a lot of jobs that I am qualified for (as I have worked at a zoo/aquarium for a combined 2 years, which most of them want), there are a lot of people without jobs. This means that there are people that are quite overqualified applying.. and as soon as they apply my resume is gonna get thrown out.
Good things come to those who wait, right?
In the mean time I'm continuing to post photo albums and articles on http://www.DiveIntoYourImagination.com and our facebook page, which I made myself... mostly with pure html coding. I am going to be starting a twitter and facebook page for http://www.euroscrub.com... links to be posted when they are done.
Can't wait to get paid at the end of the month... me and my boyfriend are going to nice restaurants and eating me out of house and home!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Adventures of a Marine Biology Graduate
Hey all,
Though I know that no one is reading now, I know that people will read in the future... I have to start somewhere, right?
The purpose of this blog is to provide insight into the plights of a young girl (me, of course) as she attempts to fulfill her dream in the field of aquatic biology.
What is Aquatic Biology, you ask? Most of the time, we hear about marine biology, but never aquatic. Well here's the secret... the only difference is that my degree includes freshwater. I would be perfectly happy standing in the middle of a stream sampling it, as I have done before. Let's see if I can find that picture.....
Though I know that no one is reading now, I know that people will read in the future... I have to start somewhere, right?
The purpose of this blog is to provide insight into the plights of a young girl (me, of course) as she attempts to fulfill her dream in the field of aquatic biology.
What is Aquatic Biology, you ask? Most of the time, we hear about marine biology, but never aquatic. Well here's the secret... the only difference is that my degree includes freshwater. I would be perfectly happy standing in the middle of a stream sampling it, as I have done before. Let's see if I can find that picture.....
Yep, that's me in the jeans. That was for my super intense Aquatic Communities class. Gave me some really great experience, but I'm not sure if the jobs I'm applying to realize that.
We wrote a scientific journal-style paper once a week. Usually about 10 pages each. My final one was nearly 30 pages. On top of all the writing, we of course had to get the findings. This included going out to streams all over Santa Barbara, taking measurements and collecting samples, then going back to the lab to analyze everything. Definitely one of the most intense classes I've taken, but also the most rewarding for sure.
If anyone knows where I can find a job doing that, let me know ;-)
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