Travel Bug

So lately I have been thinking about travel a lot.
I have been thinking about all of the places in the world, and how New Jersey is so small and how I just want to get out there and see as much as possible. Mostly, I want to see as much nature as possible before it is gone. I want to see hundred foot tall trees, so large in diameter that it takes five people to encircle it. I want to see clear blue streams and the tops of mountains and the insides of caves and the dense greenery of forests. I want to see fields of wildflowers and bees and all of the animals that inhabit these lands. I want to camp, live in a tent, backpack, bicycle. I wish there was a good way to travel to other countries without taking planes, with the high emission rate and all. But the expanse of the United States is just a train ride away. So here is a list of places that I want to be right now.

Washington State and Oregon: I've heard the natural landscape in these states is breathtaking. You have it all. The mountains, rivers, forests, ocean...

Budapest, Hungary: My grandmother on my mother's side is Hungarian/Eastern European. I want to see where that side of the family is from. Plus, I have heard Budapest is a wonderful city

South America: Any country really, I have never been to the continent and the nature there must be fascinating

New Zealand: Green mountains, surrounded by ocean, Lord of the Rings was filmed there...need I say more?

I haven't left the Tri-State area in two years, and I haven't left the country in three years. I need to get out into the world again.

Organic Farming

Yesterday I spent 9 hours working at the organic farm to which I am an intern this summer.
I can tell it is going to be a great experience.
Working outside, playing in the dirt, the smell of tomato plants.
The feeling of working at a useful project, the growing and tending to vegetation, is a rewarding experience.
Last summer, when I maintained a large vegetable garden at my home, there was no better feeling than walking to the house with a large tub of grape tomatoes or squash or peas that I had grown from seed or seedling. Watching the tiny plants fulfill their destinies, from seed to flower to fruit, helps me to appreciate the seasons of life.
I want to learn as much from this internship as possible.
Owning and operating my own organic farm in the future has become a accessible goal of mine, and I will work with dedication toward this goal. Most other aspects of my life are up in the air right now, where I will live after college, graduate school immediately or later, the day to day tasks, but mark my words I will have an organic farm. There will be fields of ripening vegetables, possibly some fruit trees, goats, sheep, chicken, ducks and rabbits roaming about. There will be a border collie and a blue heeler and probably too many cats to count. I will be surrounded by life and I will care for it and it will care for me.

Menacing Kittah

Vegan agave nectar cupcakes

On Monday night, I baked vegan agave nectar cupcakes.
The ingredients of vegan recipes always make me smile.
Soy milk, agave nectar, apple cider vinegar...
I brought them to roller derby endurance practice and the were a big hit.

Endurance practice was challenging and excellent.
I got to use my R3's at a practice for the first time, and they didn't let me down.
My heels were in a considerable amount of pain though, and I may have to invest in some of those soft heel pads you can put in shoes. I bought a pair of squishy arch supports today to try out at practice tomorrow, I am hoping they help to support my wonky feet.

One of the things I love about derby is the energy I always feel AFTER a practice. It's a mix of endorphins, adrenaline, the feeling of community, the feeling of achievement at having completed a strenuous two-hour work out...I never leave derby practice in a bad mood. I am always glad that I went. I encourage any woman who will listen to try out derby. There are so many wonderful benefits to the sport.

Slowing down and enjoying the day

Baby goats are adorable.
Yesterday I took a drive down the road to visit friends of the family at their farm.
It is one of my favorite places in the area to visit.
They have goats, alpacas, chickens, ducks, horses, rabbits...
And their are always baby animals to play with and feed.
Yesterday a pair of two day old baby goats were licking at my legs and chasing me around the paddock wanting to be carried and fed. They quickly chugged down bottles of milk while the older goats drank water from bottles.
I was able to hold tiny black bunnies and a very friendly older rabbit.
It's a great thing to be able to walk into a backyard and be in the company of living creatures.
Each time I visit this farm it just makes me more excited and enthusiastic for the day when I have my own farm.
It's a lot of work, running a farm, but the rewards seem worth it in so many ways.

Later in the day I was inspired to do some baking, and baked a small batch of delicious simple muffins.
I encourage anyone who does not bake to take up the activity, as it is always a wonderful thing to see that you have created a baked good from scratch. My favorite thing to bake is bread, it is extra delicious when it is fresh and you have the opportunity to add fruit or nuts or vegetables to the bread. Right now I have a loaf of cranberry lemon bread waiting in the fridge that I have baked, and it makes me glad to know that I can make some of my own food from various ingredients and a recipe book.

Memorizing music

I am not great at memorizing music.
I have always been pretty good at playing music, the exception being the guitar. I'm not so good at guitar.
But flute, piano, saxophone...never gave me much trouble. And I can read music well. Tabs, notation, pretty decent.
So now I am learning the bass guitar.
Which isn't difficult at all, seeing as I already play guitar.
But memorizing music. How do people do it!
I suppose just playing the music over and over and over again. So that is what I am/will be doing. I figure I should dedicate at least an hour a day to playing the bass if I want to become proficient. I have always wanted to play in a band, and now I have a couple of people who are serious about starting up a band. This makes me happy.
Sleep. Eat. Skate. Bass. Read. Sleep. Eat. Skate. Bass. Read. Sleep.

Derby for Life

My new skates arrived in the mail today and I was psyched to try them out on the outdoor skate rink.
Reidell 3's, sooo pretty.
I was not planning on getting new skates, but my old ones are literally falling apart in certain places so it seemed appropriate. Now I have a pair of skates to use with indoor wheels and a pair for outdoors, which is convenient because now I do not have to switch wheels on and off all the time.
Skating was a bit rough today though.
My ankle brace has been digging into my shin the past few skate sessions, causing me to have a lovely welt/bruise on said shin that is rather painful.
Also, I'm just plain tired from skating so much. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on the rink is a lot. Especially when two of those days were hardcore practices. I'm hoping an improvement in my skating will be observable, but I think I need to take tomorrow off and rest up. Maybe just do some stretches, crunches and push-ups.
Derby takes a whole lot of dedication and practice, but you gotta know your limits. It is especially important to know when to take a day off. Better to take one day off than to injure yourself and be unable to skate for a month.

SUMMER

Goals for this summer:

1) Get into good shape, I'm talking Tank Girl badass shape.
2) Get drafted onto a roller derby team.
3) Learn to play bass guitar well enough that I don't feel like a liar when I tell people I play bass guitar.
4) Learn as much about organic farming during my internship as possible.
5) Read at least ten books.

I figure that these five goals should keep me with plenty to write about on this blog. And hopefully anyone reading will learn a little or a lot about roller derby, organic farming, bass guitar and the books I am reading!

End of the Semester

Tomorrow is the last day of the semester and I will be moving out of my much loved dorm room. Though it did not have carpet or air conditioning and the heating was sketchy at best, I will miss it. It was an excellent semester, I can not believe I am going to be a junior in college. I'm half way done and I feel as though I have just arrived.

This summer should prove exciting though. I will be working on an organic farm as an intern and will be skating/playing roller derby as much as possible. Working on the organic farm should give me a lot of interesting experiences to update about on the blog. Expect photos of tiny seedlings and sustainable crops and fields.

Marissa and Miranda performing Old Friends

pretend you're a river, a forest. by derrick jensen