http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/ en Copyright 2009 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:52:48 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss My New Year's resolution: to attempt to relax and enjoy my last quarter at OSU. And two days into the quarter, I'd say it's a 50/50 chance I'll stick to my resolution. With 24 credit hours, this quarter is so far turning out to be one of the easiest quarters I've had at the University. I'm taking Astronomy H161, Sociology H101, Comm 604, H&CS internship, and Comm 460. I know, 5 classes doesn't sound like an easy quarter buuut....I completed the internship over the summer and am just tacking the credits onto this quarter, and, if you noticed, I'm taking two 100 level classes as a graduating senior. The classes are still challenging and pretty interesting (so far), but I must say they are (again, so far) much easier than some of the higher-level classes. I have a couple situations to work out with the University, and after that's all said and done I can probably drop the Comm 460. Which, while I'm sure it's a fine class, is a little too similar to another Comm class I took last quarter to hold my attention for long. As hard as I try to stay focused on school, my mind keeps wandering to life after graduation with the job at the horticulture nursery I'm starting and the house I might make an offer on.... I just have to try to remember to enjoy my time in college (without a mortgage) while I still can. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2009/01/staying_focused_kinda.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2009/01/staying_focused_kinda.html Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:52:48 -0500 Finally---both my laptop and family computer have been out of commission for the last few weeks, and we just managed to get the computer de-virused (apparently it had like 345 different threats, 5 of those which were viruses) and hooked back up to the internet. No small feat, let me tell ya. The tech guys were able to save most of our files, including my papers from way way back in the good ol' days of highschool. Sorting through everything and re-reading papers, I must say, left me pretty impressed. I don't remember writing half of these papers, and was pleasantly surprised at the depth and cohesiveness of the metaphors I came up with. I'm not tooting my own horn or anything, as there were also the fair share of chemlabs and Spanish papers I laughed my head off at, but I'm amazed at how advanced our highschool English classes were (I'm also ignoring a short video of me dressed like a rapper rapping about cheeseburgers for a presentation on the Scarlet Letter. Not sure what I was thinking there...). But some of the prompts for the papers rival those I've received in college. My friend also called me and informed me that she found several home movies we had made for English presentations. She claims that one has me running around in a blow-up fat suit attempting to speak French. A Tale of Two Cities, perhaps? But I'm looking forward to watching those and remembering just how much fun we had in school. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/12/a_blast_from_the_past_rapping.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/12/a_blast_from_the_past_rapping.html Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:57:12 -0500 We had an interesting debate the other day in my Comm 424 class. The two groups, uh, discussed heatedly whether or not the ever-growing presence of civic journalism will slowly edge out traditional journalism. And while I'm not going to recount the dozens of excellent points made within that hour by both teams, there was one idea that had made its way to the surface of the debate by the end that has me thinking.....what are the rights of the everyday citizen journalist, the common blogger? (Ignoring the slight irony of me hashing out this question in a blog....) In my opinion, ordinary people contributing to the multitude of media is a wonderful thing. True, not every blogger has to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (one must keep this in mind when when getting information from any source other than the primary source, oneself), but blogs, opinion sections, letters to the editor, youtube and other outlets of the sort create a unique place for any individual to express their views of the world around them, complete with their own personal opinions of their day to day experiences. When reading the writings of an ordinary citizen, you get to see things from a different perspective than that of the on-the-job reporter. A behind-the-scenes look, if you must. And while you have to take such accounts with a grain of salt (actually, I have no clue if that's the right saying.....but it sounds semi-right to me. You know what I mean.) it's almost refreshing to get the un-official look at what's really going on. And what I think is the greatest thing about citizen journalists: they have the every right to write about their experiences and opinions (steer clear of libel. Opinions are seen as a tenant of freedom of speech, libel is not.), just like the readers have the right to form their own opinions on the subject. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/11/the_rights_and_wrongs_of_civic.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/11/the_rights_and_wrongs_of_civic.html Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:13:11 -0500 The combination of the weather and the fact that it's midterm time in most classes definitely make these days pretty blah. There's no other way to say it. The silver lining to this perpetual cloud that hangs over Columbus: I scheduled for my final quarter at Ohio State, and actually was pleasantly surprised by how few classes I have left. My Horticulture advisor pointed out that I had already completed the minor without two classes I was planning to take winter quarter, dropping my total winter quarter class count (how's that for alliteration?) down to three. So I've completed both my minors (Spanish and horticulture), have one more class for my major (journalism), and two more classes to graduate with honors. Both classes for my honors contract are freshman level classes....which I'm guessing are going to be fairly easy compared to some of these other upper level classes. Not quite sure how that worked out that I'd take my only 100 level classes as a graduating senior...but I'm also not sure it's entirely a bad thing. We'll see. I'm dropping from 31 credit hours this quarter to 19 next quarter (4 of those are from my hort internship over the summer)--who knows, I might actually have some free time to enjoy.... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/10/the_blah_days.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/10/the_blah_days.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:41:37 -0500 http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/10/undecided.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/10/undecided.html Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:47:53 -0500 So I'm back. In Columbus, I mean. I moved into my new apartment yesterday. Well, actually it's my friends' apartment; since I'm only going to be here a few more months (yay graduation!), I'm living with a few of my friends in their new apartment. I didn't have to sign a lease, so I can just move out when I'm done and not have to worry about the kind of problems I had last year (quicknotes version for those who aren't up-to-date on my problems: 12 month lease, found someone to sublet, housemates decided last minute they did not "approve" of the person for no particular reason, me left with rent to pay). So far this living arrangement tops last year by a mile--the gals I'm living with haven't yelled at me for my "untasteful" clothes once, no one's preached anything to me yet, I'm allowed to leave and come back whenever I want to, and they actually know how to change the toilet paper rolls (I swear my housemates last year just didn't know how to). Though I'm in Columbus, Cincinnati hasn't let go of me quite yet--I'm still working for the Nursery, albeit a hundred miles away, already have plans to go back Thursday to celebrate my Mom's birhday and help my brother through his first-ever surgery, am already booked to drive the kids to school several mornings next week when I'm in town, etc., etc., etc. Our Fall Sale at work is completely over, and I'm still waiting to hear the final figures. We were hoping for a record year. I already know it was record in other ways: several people were injured (compliments the hurricane) and after walking across acres putting plant after plant back after people changed their mind and dumped the merchandise wherever they pleased, my colleague imparted some special wisdom that touched us all: "There's a special place in Hell for people who don't put stuff back where they got it." If I ever own my own business I'm going to make that into a sign. And in the meantime, remember to put my second-thought items back from whence they came. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/09/theres_a_special_place.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/09/theres_a_special_place.html Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:46:15 -0500 It's been a while since I've written---sorry. My laptop has decided it doesn't want to connect to the internet. But you didn't miss much...mostly I've just been in the routine of working all day. A pretty calm and uneventful routine. Today, however, was a slightly different and rather scary interruption. At the our nursery we're in full swing getting ready for our Fall Sale which starts next week--an event we've been prepping for since last September. It's quite an amazing sight to behold, the solid acres of blooming plants staged before the sale, the thousands and thousands of customers that come piling in, and then the empty acres after just a few days. Today most of the farm was working to move the final crops and put up signage. As my mom (who is the perennial grower and manager) and I were driving along the main greenhouse in our kubota, I caught sight of a tailgate of a company truck fly off the edge of the hill (it's more like a cliff...) leading to our huge irrigation lake. We jumped out and ran, joining the workers who had been working closeby. As we reached the lake, all I could see was the very top of the cab and the bed of the truck disappearing beneath the surface and one worker we call Smiley trying to fight his way out of the passenger-side window. Smiley got free as the truck sank completely in the middle of the lake, but started flailing; he can't swim. My mom then jumped into the lake and swam out to him. As soon as she reached him, however, he panicked and grabbed her arms, pulling her down with him. By this point I had reached them, and was able to grab his arm and get him to calm down enough to let my mom grab his other arm and let us start to tow him to shore. Now I'm not the best swimmer--I don't think I've really been actually swimming since I was like 15. Our steel-toed boots didn't help, either. But we managed to slowly drag him to shore, though. Smiley sat staring in shock for a while, and I'm pretty sure he hit his head as he went over the cliff, but he's otherwise unharmed. I realized after the fact how bad everything could have turned out. What if the window hadn't been open? What if he had been knocked out in the crash? There were five other men standing watching, none of which know how to swim. What could they have done if my mom and I hadn't driven by? What if he had taken us under with him? I'm just thankful that the window was open, Smiley was able to get out, my mom and I were able to help him, and we were all able to go home safely. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/09/calm_interrupted.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/09/calm_interrupted.html Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:06:59 -0500 So last Wednesday my friend Jordan invited me to "bike night." The only information he gave me was to be at his house at 7:15, wear jeans, and bring a sweatshirt (I also deduced all on my own that bike night would indeed also involve his motorcycle...). Still not really knowing what I was invovled in, I hopped on the back of his bike (with the brand new helmet he bought me for his bike strapped to my head. I might also throw in that it was an extremely complicated helmet and took us about twenty minutes to figure out how to fasten and another twenty to figure out how to get it back off...) and we sped off with a group of his friends. We got about half way to where we were going (I still didn't know at this point...) when Jordan's friend alerted us to the fact that our plates had fallen off the back of our bike. Not wanting to risk getting pulled over or something like that, Jordan decided to turn around and drive all the way back to his house, take the tags off his old bike, and fasten them on to his new bike we were riding. We then took off, speeding into the setting sun....only to run out of gas and have to refuel his three gallon tank. And then get back on the road. We finally got to a restaurant that was absolutely packed with about every make of bike out there. We found his friends, ordered some food, hung out for a bit, and then got right back on the bikes. I'm pretty sure it took about double the time to get there than we actually spent hanging out there. Jordan's super excited about his bike (I can tell based on the fact that his other two cars have been sitting in his driveway in the same spots for the entire summer...) and, although I still worry for him and his speed racer mentality (I think we hit close to 150 mph on the ride home), I've gotta admit it's a lot of fun and I can't help but be excited myself for the next bike night. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/bike_night.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/bike_night.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:12:26 -0500 Work has been stressful lately. Not only is the heat intense and the work load increasing with the fast-approaching Fall Sale around the corner, but certain people at work have been spreading rumors (more so than usual), making the work environment just down right frustrating. Is it not possible for someone to succeed based solely on hard work? According to some of my coworkers, it's not. For me, any praise I've received or success I've had comes not as a result of my efforts, but of the fact that someone "thinks I'm pretty" or one of those other petty excuses. Personally, I feel as if I've earned everything I've gained. Some women at work have also been complaining about the dress code, as I've mentioned before. My boss had to have another talk with the company today as a result of gossip the other day--gossip which me and my shorts happened to be the topic of. Apparently a four inch inseam is not long enough. I'm now digging through my brother's closet to find "appropriate" shorts to wear while I'm by myself in the middle of a field. Wouldn't want to offend the trees or anything... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/rumorville.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/rumorville.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:59:35 -0500 For those who don't know, I work outside. Such a job is a wonderful way to get your daily dose of vitamin D from the sun and a wonderful tan (and some not-so-wonderful tanlines...). Working hard outside in 90+ degree heat (not to mention the recent smog alerts), however, has left some of my coworkers lying in the dust, literally. The Big People working in the management office (the air conditioned management office), however, have been complaining about the way the workers dress on a daily basis. Apparantly it is necessary to wear shorts that reach at least to two inches above the knee. (Which leaves me shopping in the boy's department and saying hello to some new weird tanlines...) They have also voiced the opinion that all shirts should have capped sleeves in order to prevent the womens' bra straps from accidentally becoming visible. Because heaven help us if someone sees a strap. How scandalous. These shirts should also come up to the wearer's neckline. I can honestly say that some days it's so hot and the work is so demanding that nothing sounds better than stripping everything off and jumping in the lake. While I know that this would be in no way appropriate (or healthy, seeing how many chemicals and fertilizers are injected into the lake...), I do not see a problem with girls wearing a sleeveless shirt or shorts actually made for a female. I don't think The Big People realize how much more hot that extra foot of cloth makes it, and how much more uncomfortable and dangerous it is for some workers. They didn't mention anything about not wearing swimsuits to work, though. Maybe Monday I'll show up in a two-piece.... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/its_getting_hot_in_here.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/its_getting_hot_in_here.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:10:37 -0500 Today most of my day was spent 1) in grief at my new hair cut (which is about two inches shorter than I wanted it to be and makes me look like a cross between a baby doll and a lampshade...) and 2) attempting to negotiate my way through the wonderous world of real estate. As I'm looking at graduation in a few months with a good job already lined up, I've also been looking for places to live when my life in the "real world" begins. My mom suggested I look for a house instead of renting an apartment, her logic being that I can spend around the same amount on a mortgage as monthly rent and in the end still have a house to sell and (hopefully) get some of my money back. Sounds like a plan to me. One of the houses I looked at today was a bit of a disappointment, though. It's really cute from the road, but when you get a closer look, it needs a lot of work. They're also asking $150,000 for a two bedroom, one bath, single level house. I may be somewhat new to this real estate world, but it seems like a lot to me. So tomorrow the journey continues... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/journey_to_the_center_of_the_r.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/journey_to_the_center_of_the_r.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:59:34 -0500 I'm freezing. Unusual statement for 90 degree days in summer, I know, but I'm sitting in a room with the air conditioning full blast wishing I had a sweatshirt. And I want to wish everyone a happy fourth of July! I know I'm a little late....like more than a week late....but people are still setting off fireworks near my house, so I figure the holiday mood hasn't expired quite yet. My family drove to Lancaster Pennsylvania for the weekend of a fourth to visit with our big Italian family out there. Every fourth, my mother's cousins host a huge party, and every fourth we drive the nine hours or so in order to attend. Food is a big part of these parties. It seems like we never actually sit down for a meal, but just are constantly eating all day and night long. And I'm not complaining one bit...although I'm pretty sure I'd gain quite a few pounds if I stayed out there for longer than a weekend... During our trip we also visited Longwood Gardens, aka a horticulturalist's dream garden. I did take lots of pictures with my mom's camera (due to my lack of one. Mine now rests at the bottom of a lake in Oregon...), and will attempt to upload some pending the finding of the cord needed to download them... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/happy_12th.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/07/happy_12th.html Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:14:50 -0500 I can't believe it's Sunday night already. My one day off this week---and it's already coming to a close. Sometimes I wonder where all the time goes; it seems to be flying out the window. Work is definitely one of the major time comsumers. I work at the farm five to six days a week, with most of those days consisting of 9+ sweat-soaked hours. It doesn't leave much free time....but I manage to pull a few hours out of here and there. But there are some fun (maybe fun's not the right word. Interesting. That works...) there are some interesting things I get to do at work. I'm learning to monitor the electroconductivity, pH, nitrate level, etc. of the media used by the nursery--which is actually a really important job within the horticulture field, although most people catch a whiff of chemistry and turn their heads the other way. Maybe I can learn this elusive trade and then rent my knowledge out for big bucks in the future.... I'm also in charge of a tagging project--taking pictures of all the blooming and mature plants, doctoring the pictures in the really expensive (and kinda cool, I hafta admit...) editing program, and setting the final drafts up in the data base and barcoder. With millions of plants on the lot, it's kind of a time consuming task, but it's at least a break from the regular day-to-day grunt work I usually encounter at the nursery. But I've got to go to bed--I've gotta be into work by 6:30 tomorrow. I promise to have updates on the more fun side of life the second I get a second... http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/06/out_the_window.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/06/out_the_window.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:48:46 -0500 As some of you might know, the cicadas have once again awaken and clawed their way to the surface of Cincinnati. As I sit here at least twenty of the hard-shelled insects (their hard shells make them rather painful when they fly into your head. They're no match for a windshield going 45+ mph, however. They get their revenge, though, by having extremely sticky innards that require several hours of hard scrubbing...) are clinging to the window screen, almost as if they're just waiting for me to step foot outside... Now working outside in fields on most days, I'm used to all manner of insect life finding its way into my hair and up my shorts, and am not really bothered by the cicadas. I was a little upset, however, by the scene I woke up to this morning: outside my screenless window a huge splotchy spider (that probably has a more scientific name than "huge splotchy spider") had built a web that caught a cicada, and had proceded to begin to suck its juices while the cicada struggled and screamed (at least in my half-asleep mind it registered as screaming). I know spiders have to eat and the circle of life blah blah blah, but the side of me that has problems even killing flies felt really bad for the cicada and the torture it was going through, despite the fact that it was too late to save it. It's a bug eat bug world out there. And, believe it or not, this situation actually reminded me of some trouble I recently went through in my life with my ex-housemates (hey, spending hours on end tagging thousands of bushes alone in a field will lead you some deep thinking and metaphors about everything). Don't get me wrong, it's not like my housemates (ex-housemates) tied me up and attempted to suck my juices, but it feels like they cornered me and are sucking the life out of my bank account as I watch helplessly. I knew ever since I signed the 12-month lease that I would be subletting my room for the summer, and my housemates knew as well. Beginning winter quarter, I began looking for someone to rent the room (you may recall some of my previous frustrated blogs about the process...) and really did everything in my power to attract attention to the situation (including hanging illegal flyers and randomly asking people on buses where they were living in the summer). My housemates did nothing except send a facebook message to their younglife groups after I asked them to the twentieth time. So they didn't want to help, no big deal, my room, my problem. Fast forward a few months. It's move-out time. I'm super excited. And I've had only one offer on the room. No big deal, it only takes one. Except that the week of move-out, my housemates decide that they'd feel uncomfortable with and don't approve of my new person (who I happen to have known for a few years and trust not to be a psycho killer). It's a problem, but no big deal. I understand that they're the one's who will have to live there. But I did my job and found someone--someone who would be saving me a whole lot of money by renting the room. If they were going to put limits on who I could consider, they should have helped a little more to find someone they approved of. So I asked for them, in exchange for me not renting the room to this person, to buy out my room. I don't know, in my mind that seems fair. After I moved out they sent me an email explaining that they have decided not to pay me any money, and that if I rent out my room to this person they'll pretty much take me to court (they're willing to pay for a lawyer, but not help with my room?). They also graciously decided to use two bills I missed payment on as my payment for my parking pass they were going to buy back. Which is good and fine, except I never missed a payment. So not only have I been working since winter without help to find someone only to have my housemates disagree in the last week, I still have to pay rent on a room I'll never see again, didn't get any compensation for my parking pass, had my name dragged through the mud by them saying I didn't pay bills, and face the threat of them taking me to court if I do anything to try to change it. Vicious. It's definitely a bug eat bug world out there. http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/06/bug_eat_bug_world.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/06/bug_eat_bug_world.html Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:11:31 -0500 The last few weeks I've been a combination of sick and extremely busy--mostly extremely busy because I was sick. I first noticed my illness when I was actually in Cincinnati working for the weekend. I went to a doctor in Cinci, had doctors misdiagnose me, load me up on a number of different drugs, and then tell me that those drugs meant I couldn't drive. So no going back up to Columbus. I did get several notes for professors and such explaining why I wasn't in class--that I really was in a hospital a hundred miles away and not just nursing a bad hangover--but I guess that doesn't matter to some professors. I had a reading guide due in one of my classes the day I was in the hospital. I managed to send a copy up with my dad on a business trip to Columbus and get it to a friend and she delivered it to the professor's office the day after it was due along with a copy of my doctor's note ( I had already emailed all of my professors explaining the situation, the note I guess was just proof). And the professor took ten points off for it being late. Normally ten points doesn't really matter, but in a class where every point counts towards the difference between an A and a B, I was a little upset. What, I'm wondering, could I have possibly done to not get points taken off? Like I said, it's not like I just didn't feel like coming to class that day--I was in a hospital 100 miles away. What was I supposed to do, have them send it on an aircare flight to the professor's office? But I'm off now to spend every last penny I have putting gas in my car---tomorrow I move out of my house and back to Cincinnati (!). http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/05/in_sickness_and_in_health.html http://blogs.targetx.com/osu/blonde_gardener/2008/05/in_sickness_and_in_health.html Wed, 28 May 2008 08:25:54 -0500