We talked about oxygen needs today in class and the professor mentioned how oxygen pressure changes with higher elevation. "That's why," she said, "you'll see people who climb Mt. Rainier wear oxygen sometimes." MT. RAINIER!!!!!
I was giddy, dancing in my seat, with the fact that she mentioned my mountain.
Sad with the fact that I was probably the only one in the room who knew the mountain.
But nevertheless.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday
I got out of class a half an hour early today, stopped by Target just to look, ended up buying only 10 bucks worth of stuff (amazing, I know), then took a different way home because there was traffic on the highway.
The sun is shining, the snow is finally melting, except for the plow-made mountains (finally, mountains in PA!)
And I thought to myself: Why don't you drive anymore?
You see, when I was a 21 year old, living by myself in North Seattle, I would pick up and drive. I'd leave my studio apartment, pack up a water bottle, sunglasses, and a bunch of country CD's, fill up the gas tank, and then head for the hills. Literally. Nothing felt better than driving through the mountains, so every couple of months, that's what I did.
Highway 2 was my favorite drive. I'd take the on-ramp out of Everett and drive 5 hours round-trip, ending my drive entering the Lake Washington tunnel on I-90, which reads, "Welcome to Seattle."
It is so beautiful.
5 hours. Yes, I know. That seems like too much. But it was just perfect enough. I'd take those 5 hours and escape--and daydream. No one knew where I was for those 5 hours and it was just me and my mountains. Armed with an arsenal of great country music, because really, if you're on a roadtrip, that's the only kind of music that speaks to you. I'd soak in the surroundings--rolling asphalt surrounded by rich, dense evergreens, each summit revealing a valley of bluish-green rivers, letting you know how cold and furious they are. I'd open the windows, and the sun-roof, blare the music and sing, embracing my surroundings.
My last drives on Highway 2 were for research. Trying to decide which direction was the best for my new boyfriend to witness. I'd drive, and dream about a future trip with him, taking notes of what to point out, which music to play, all in the hopes that he'd have as much as he could to work with, in order to fall deeper in love with this place. He really didn't need to though. He was hooked for other reasons.
The smell of the mountains gets me everytime. It's intoxicating and addicting. And so there I would drive, hair in my eyes, sun on my shoulders, mountain in my lungs.
Which is why I asked myself why I don't do that anymore. The simpliest answer is, "because there are no mountains." Highway 2 is not here, I can't turn right at Leavenworth, get on highway 97, pick-up apples in Wenatchee, then race to Seattle and try to capture the city in the sunset.
So, I drove anyways today. I got in the car, turned on Miranda Lambert, who is the most underappreciated country singer ever, and picked a direction. Because, even though I don't have my mountains, I can look for a replacement. Today I drove, it doesn't matter where, but I did it. And I felt that feeling again. I didn't smell mountains, but I felt that difference in my lungs. I didn't see dense trees, only bare trees waiting for their flower buds, and what surrounded me where snow-covered fields.
None of that matters. I still loved it.
Instead, I drove for an hour and a half, still sang, and rolled the window down for a bit to throw my gum out (don't judge). I saw a white horse, munching on the small patch of grass that's pushing through the snow. I saw a field of snowmen, gathering their little snow-bodies together in a elementary school recess field. I saw spring on the horizon. I saw fields that never looked so long before.
Tonight, I'm making rub-with-love salmon, and going to the gym. It's a very quintessential Catherine kind of day. Hello you, welcome back.
The sun is shining, the snow is finally melting, except for the plow-made mountains (finally, mountains in PA!)
And I thought to myself: Why don't you drive anymore?
You see, when I was a 21 year old, living by myself in North Seattle, I would pick up and drive. I'd leave my studio apartment, pack up a water bottle, sunglasses, and a bunch of country CD's, fill up the gas tank, and then head for the hills. Literally. Nothing felt better than driving through the mountains, so every couple of months, that's what I did.
Highway 2 was my favorite drive. I'd take the on-ramp out of Everett and drive 5 hours round-trip, ending my drive entering the Lake Washington tunnel on I-90, which reads, "Welcome to Seattle."
It is so beautiful.
5 hours. Yes, I know. That seems like too much. But it was just perfect enough. I'd take those 5 hours and escape--and daydream. No one knew where I was for those 5 hours and it was just me and my mountains. Armed with an arsenal of great country music, because really, if you're on a roadtrip, that's the only kind of music that speaks to you. I'd soak in the surroundings--rolling asphalt surrounded by rich, dense evergreens, each summit revealing a valley of bluish-green rivers, letting you know how cold and furious they are. I'd open the windows, and the sun-roof, blare the music and sing, embracing my surroundings.
My last drives on Highway 2 were for research. Trying to decide which direction was the best for my new boyfriend to witness. I'd drive, and dream about a future trip with him, taking notes of what to point out, which music to play, all in the hopes that he'd have as much as he could to work with, in order to fall deeper in love with this place. He really didn't need to though. He was hooked for other reasons.
The smell of the mountains gets me everytime. It's intoxicating and addicting. And so there I would drive, hair in my eyes, sun on my shoulders, mountain in my lungs.
Which is why I asked myself why I don't do that anymore. The simpliest answer is, "because there are no mountains." Highway 2 is not here, I can't turn right at Leavenworth, get on highway 97, pick-up apples in Wenatchee, then race to Seattle and try to capture the city in the sunset.
So, I drove anyways today. I got in the car, turned on Miranda Lambert, who is the most underappreciated country singer ever, and picked a direction. Because, even though I don't have my mountains, I can look for a replacement. Today I drove, it doesn't matter where, but I did it. And I felt that feeling again. I didn't smell mountains, but I felt that difference in my lungs. I didn't see dense trees, only bare trees waiting for their flower buds, and what surrounded me where snow-covered fields.
None of that matters. I still loved it.
Instead, I drove for an hour and a half, still sang, and rolled the window down for a bit to throw my gum out (don't judge). I saw a white horse, munching on the small patch of grass that's pushing through the snow. I saw a field of snowmen, gathering their little snow-bodies together in a elementary school recess field. I saw spring on the horizon. I saw fields that never looked so long before.
Tonight, I'm making rub-with-love salmon, and going to the gym. It's a very quintessential Catherine kind of day. Hello you, welcome back.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Pictures
I've added 6 new pages onto this blog (I've been a very busy bee this weekend, no?).
There, I will post all of my pictures that I've taken over the last few years. They're no where near professional, but I'm proud of what I've produced. Not bad for a 300 buck camera with no filters or special lenses.
There, I will post all of my pictures that I've taken over the last few years. They're no where near professional, but I'm proud of what I've produced. Not bad for a 300 buck camera with no filters or special lenses.
What keeps me up at night
I am just enthralled with this blog that I recently discovered. The pictures, the adventures, the raw emotion and honesty....ah, the beauty. Someone needs to tell Oprah about this woman.
http://enjoyingthesmallthings.blogspot.com/
http://enjoyingthesmallthings.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 13, 2010
K S and the Pursuit of the Trivial Pursuit
Last year, all K and I wanted was the classic Trivial Pursuit game. We searched everywhere, only to find: Trivial Pursuit and the 90s, Disney Trivial Pursuit, Dumbed-down Trivial Pursuit so you're not embarassed in front of your friends. We looked so hard, we even went to KMart (eeew). No one had what we were looking for. This took months until finally, I guess the makers decided to release the 25th anniversary edition and we found it everywhere. Last night reminded me of that little adventure......
We made a pact before Christmas that we would pool our money and buy ourselves a Wii. Our anniversary happens to fall the week before Valentine's day, so we usually combine the two events and buy one present. The plan was to save $100 each and buy the console, so last night K and I ventured out to Target to pick one up. We were excited. We vowed that this would replace eating out (not that you eat with a Wii, but we would save in other departments to compensate) and would be our primary source of entertainment for awhile.
Target was out.
So we went to Best Buy.
They were out.
So we called Toys R Us.
And the other Target. And the Target in Mechanicsburg.
And the Best Buy in Mechanicsburg.
Gamestop, Costco, you name it, we called. And NO ONE had this Wii.
Apparently, Nintendo is behind with making and shipping.
So we were really bummed.
Which made me think about how much I really wanted this thing in the first place. Did I want to spend over $200 bucks on the game console, plus ala cart for every other damn thing it requires? Sure its fun, but what else could I do with that money (or a fraction of it?)......
1) Plant a very elaborate garden come spring, which I'm in the process of planning right now.
2) Take a weekend roadtrip once the weather warms up
3) Save it and make the next 3 months a little easier
4) Focus on the other aspects of life
And by #4, I mean screw the Wii, keep the time I'd spend in front of the tv, and live.
This winter snow has really got me thinking and dreaming. Thinking about how nature and the sunshine affects my mood and who I am. My blood flows better and I can breathe easier knowing I'm outside. Dreaming about hikes, fresh sun-warmed tomatoes, about black labs playing frisbee in the grass, and about grilling. I don't want a Wii, really, I want to exercise outside, to take pictures of flowers and plants, and to grow what I want to cook.
I want to enjoy my boyfriend in different settings, not sit next to him on a couch while we play pretend.
So that's it. I'm officially an adult. I didn't make a frivilous purchase. I saved my money, thought about what's more important, and I have no regrets.
Woot to me.
We made a pact before Christmas that we would pool our money and buy ourselves a Wii. Our anniversary happens to fall the week before Valentine's day, so we usually combine the two events and buy one present. The plan was to save $100 each and buy the console, so last night K and I ventured out to Target to pick one up. We were excited. We vowed that this would replace eating out (not that you eat with a Wii, but we would save in other departments to compensate) and would be our primary source of entertainment for awhile.
Target was out.
So we went to Best Buy.
They were out.
So we called Toys R Us.
And the other Target. And the Target in Mechanicsburg.
And the Best Buy in Mechanicsburg.
Gamestop, Costco, you name it, we called. And NO ONE had this Wii.
Apparently, Nintendo is behind with making and shipping.
So we were really bummed.
Which made me think about how much I really wanted this thing in the first place. Did I want to spend over $200 bucks on the game console, plus ala cart for every other damn thing it requires? Sure its fun, but what else could I do with that money (or a fraction of it?)......
1) Plant a very elaborate garden come spring, which I'm in the process of planning right now.
2) Take a weekend roadtrip once the weather warms up
3) Save it and make the next 3 months a little easier
4) Focus on the other aspects of life
And by #4, I mean screw the Wii, keep the time I'd spend in front of the tv, and live.
This winter snow has really got me thinking and dreaming. Thinking about how nature and the sunshine affects my mood and who I am. My blood flows better and I can breathe easier knowing I'm outside. Dreaming about hikes, fresh sun-warmed tomatoes, about black labs playing frisbee in the grass, and about grilling. I don't want a Wii, really, I want to exercise outside, to take pictures of flowers and plants, and to grow what I want to cook.
I want to enjoy my boyfriend in different settings, not sit next to him on a couch while we play pretend.
So that's it. I'm officially an adult. I didn't make a frivilous purchase. I saved my money, thought about what's more important, and I have no regrets.
Woot to me.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Hello 25
This is my 25th post.
I view this as a very big accomplishment. Even though I have all of, maybe, 3 followers, I'm proud of this blog. It's really not for you all. It's really for my own therapeutic needs.
And I know there are spelling errors. I know I talk funny sometimes. I know that most of my posts are about how much I miss Seattle. That's all okay with me.
I like how I talk and I love how I write. I'm not doing this professionally, which is why I'm torturing myself through nursing school. I'll get better and this blog will evolve. So, right now I'm going to do a little giddy dance and celebrate my 25th post.
Writing was always something that I enjoyed doing. When I was in elementary school, I would write "chapter" books and create elaborate stories about love or solving crimes. In high school and college, I knew that I was going to pass the class as long as I was given the chance to write a paper down the road. My proudest semester wasn't when I finished LPN school; it was the semester in which I had English 101 and got an A on every single paper.
My point of this post is not to brag. It's to explain that I really love this little blog, for all it's quirks. I love that there is an outlet and media in which I get to share my simple story.
People journaled before the internet allowed mini-blogs. They did this in order to capture and keep their thoughts and memories. Maybe because there was a hope that someone would read it and understand them better. I don't know if this is my goal.
If all I do is write about good food, beautiful nature, and a cute black lab, then that's good enough.
I view this as a very big accomplishment. Even though I have all of, maybe, 3 followers, I'm proud of this blog. It's really not for you all. It's really for my own therapeutic needs.
And I know there are spelling errors. I know I talk funny sometimes. I know that most of my posts are about how much I miss Seattle. That's all okay with me.
I like how I talk and I love how I write. I'm not doing this professionally, which is why I'm torturing myself through nursing school. I'll get better and this blog will evolve. So, right now I'm going to do a little giddy dance and celebrate my 25th post.
Writing was always something that I enjoyed doing. When I was in elementary school, I would write "chapter" books and create elaborate stories about love or solving crimes. In high school and college, I knew that I was going to pass the class as long as I was given the chance to write a paper down the road. My proudest semester wasn't when I finished LPN school; it was the semester in which I had English 101 and got an A on every single paper.
My point of this post is not to brag. It's to explain that I really love this little blog, for all it's quirks. I love that there is an outlet and media in which I get to share my simple story.
People journaled before the internet allowed mini-blogs. They did this in order to capture and keep their thoughts and memories. Maybe because there was a hope that someone would read it and understand them better. I don't know if this is my goal.
If all I do is write about good food, beautiful nature, and a cute black lab, then that's good enough.
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