Stormy day

If you're still wondering whether or not I got that vet clinic job, well... it's still in the process. It's been about 3 weeks and I'm still waiting, ha! I had interviewed at 2 clinics, and then went back again for shadows, but both clinics are still interviewing other people, some probably more qualified than I am. I would say "I'll probably know in a few days", but that's what I have been saying every week and then the same thing happends. I get a call, or I call them, and they say "well, we're interviewing one more person this week so we'll get back to you". So I'm not going to make any guesses this time, and I'm not going to wait by the phone like I have been the past 3 weeks either. I'll let you know as soon as I do.

On other news, it snowed in the mountains around Pheonix! Something I didn't think I would see... But the past 3 days have been cold and stormy, and this morning we looked out the window and there was snow lightly dusted on the mountains. Pretty cool sight to see when there are desert cacti within an arms length away from you.

Birds, birds, birds

Lately I've been spotting a lot of really cool birds down here. The most frequent are Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons, both so incredably prehistoric-looking. I'm just so intrigued by them! Both are very large birds, being the largest of the egret and heron species. There are a lot of man-made ponds and lakes around here, and occasionally you will find them standing along the waterline watching for fish, and they always look fake. Below is a Great Egret that just perched itself on a palm tree overlooking the pond.

Apparently, when Great Blue Herons are fishing, they try to be as sneaky as possible, and literally "tip-toes" up on the fish. It does a little side-step move, moving closer and closer to the fish, and when it grabs the fish it barelly has to even rush. It just swoops right in and there is this nice fishy in the mouth, its life already flashing before its eyes.

"Gulp!"

Neotropic Cormorants also frequent here this time of year. I have only ever seen cormorants on the coast and thought they were strictly coastal birds... Shows how much I know about birds...

I looooove guacamole!

The Super Bowl is coming up tomorrow, and what better way to celebrate than delicious finger food and beer?!? I was never a huge fan of football, and still don't call myself a 'huge fan', but living with Erik, I have definitely gotten more into it, and know the basics. Now that I'm in Arizona, the Cardinals have gotten into their first Super Bowl! I think I bring the state good luck or something.... ;). Anyway, I will be rooting for them tomorrow, and Erik and I will be going to a friends house to watch the game. I'm making like 20 pounds of guacamole, using this recipe, multiplying each ingredient by 5:

Ingredients

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled


• 1 lime, juiced


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne


• 1/2 medium onion, diced


• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced


• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro


• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.


GO CARDS!!

I have a lead!

Well I think that last entry paid off, cuz last Wednesday I got a call for an interview at a veterinary hospital just 4 major blocks away. I went in for the interview on Thursday, and the doctor there is super nice. I felt like the interview went really well, but it's a small animal vet, and I have no small animal veterinary experience on my resume. AND she interviewed 2 other people as well, who may or may not have small animal vet experience. The open position is a veterinary technician and receptionist. She wants someone that can do both. Anyway, I figured my chances of getting the job, or at least a second interview, were slim because of the lack of experience, but she also said she does enjoy teaching the tasks needed, so the experience isn't all that needed. She was really looking more at the personality. Plus, I did pre-vet stuff my first 2 years of college, so that helps a lot.

So after the weekend, I got a call and she wants to see me for a second interview this Thursday (the 29th). I thought that was pretty cool! I'll be there all day, in my scrubs, assisting with surgeries and other tasks around the hospital, meeting all the employees and having them all get to know me. I'm so excited and thankful that I finally have a LEAD!

I want to see an open door!

I have never gone this long without having a job; well at least since before I was legal to have a job, at 15. And instead of loving having all this free time, I am starting to go insane! I am the kind of person that likes to be busy, with new things happening every day, and of course a few hours of relaxation is nice ;). But I have gone since June without work. I must add that the first 3 months I was spending traveling and having fun... but as you know I moved down to Arizona to be with Erik in October, with no prior plans of a job down here. But with the luck I used to have finding jobs in the past, I figured everything would be fine; I was bound to get something! But I have actively been searching for 4 straight months and: nothing.

I graduated with a Wildlife degree, and there is not much down here in the midst of that... and I knew that coming down here. I just figured something would turn up by now. I have applied to a few wildlife jobs, but nothing really stands out, and no one is actually hiring. I have sorta become desperate and have applied to bookstores, and veterinary hospitals (10 total today). I'm sticking with places that are appealing to me, in this area, but everything else is sales! Big corporate businesses that I could never see myself working in. With the economy the way it is, there are few businesses actually hiring; most are laying off. Intel (where Erik works) will be laying off a lot of people in a couple weeks. I don't think he'll have a problem though since he is so new and fresh, and they'd rather get rid of the old. And he's a good worker.

Anyway, I am just writing this in hope that since I've kept it secret for so long that I'm FAILING AT LIFE (just kidding)... that maybe a door will be open tomorrow or the next day for me. You never know.

New Years Resolution: NO MORE MEAT!

I have always wanted to become a vegetarian, and I am finally making it official as my New Years Resolution of 2009. I have never liked red meat, and usually when looking through a menu, something with poultry or pork is the last thing I would pick. So I know it won't be hard for me. But I guess I am considered a semi-vegetarian, or "pescetarian", since I am still allowing myself to eat fish and shellfish, as long as they are not farm raised.

There are a number of reasons I have decided to do this. I have always been an animal lover, and Earth freak. My biggest reason is ethics. I believe that the production and slaughtering of animals is unethical, and I have seen first-hand behind the scenes in farming facilities and slaughterhouses, and it was really awful to me. Chickens are penned up in pens no larger than their own bodies, and their feet actually grow into the pen. Their beaks have to be cut off so they don't peck at each other, and they can't even turn around. They live like this until they are killed. Then when they're slaughtered, they are dipped in boiling water to loosen their feathers, and sometimes they don't even fully die, and suffer. Same goes for cows. They are kept in a stall so small they can't turn around, and after seeing how they slaughter them in an animal science class in 2004, I never wanted to eat meat again... That lasted 6 months, but when I worked at Reds Meadow, since all they really serve are meaty meals and I was working 11 hours a day with no rest, I needed the extra protein.

Another reason is environmental. I believe the production of meat and animal products for mass consumption, especially through factory farming, is environmentally unsustainable. According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. In addition, animal agriculture has been pointed out as one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases – responsible for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalents. By comparison, all of the world's transportation (including all cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships, and planes) emits 13.5 percent of the CO2. Animal farming produces 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide and 37 percent of all human-induced methane. The habitat for wildlife provided by large industrial monoculture farms is very poor, and modern industrial agriculture has been considered a threat to biodiversity compared with farming practices.

Another reason is health. Studies have shown vegetarianism significantly lowers risks of cancer, heart disease, and other fatal diseases. It's been said that vegetarians tend to have lower body mass index, lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less incidence of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, renal disease, osteoporosis, dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other disorders.


I am still eating fish as long as they are not farmed, and dairy products, just less of them. I will still be getting an adequate amount of proteins and iron, as I know what to subsitute meats for. So don't be worring about me! I know what I'm doing, and I'm proud to do it.

Recap of 2008

I thought I would say a "farewell" to 2008 by giving a recap on the happenings! 2008 was probably the biggest year for me in my life. I graduated from college proudly with a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife in December of 2007, and was soon after accepted into a job working for Oregon State University in Newport, OR studying the migration patterns of gray whales. I didn't think it would be that easy to get into a decent paying job right out of college, and felt so lucky. I moved into a huge house just a block from the beach with 2 roommates, with a view of the lighthouse, and life was amazing! I got to experience whale watching and acquired a great fond of bald eagles, as there were at least 4 living in the area that we observed every day.




The job was only granted a 6 month contract though, and sadly I had to leave it May 30th. I was happy at the time to be done with the job, since I had so many plans for the summer. First Erik and I went camping together in his freshly running '74 VW Bus, to Detroit Lake and Silver Falls State Park. He had bought the bus not running, and fixed it up himself.

This was followed by taking a road trip with my friend Sheila to the Sierra Nevadas, CA, where my dad manages a resort, Reds Meadow. I have practically grown up there since I have gone every summer of my life (skipping a few when I was really young) and first learned to ride horses and discover my love for nature and wildlife. I visited my old friends and even took a few rides out for a little tip money ;).


Soon after our little trip to CA, my next stop was Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, where I went for the first time in my life with my grandma, aunt and cousin on my dad's side. It is such an amazing place, I just wish it wasn't so freaking crowded with people! We went in July, which is probably the worst time to go because of crowds, but it was still worth it. We were there for 10 days which was a perfect amount of time. We saw everything we came to see and more. I can't even go into too much detail about the place since it was so amazing to me and it would take up this entire webpage, but we definitely had our share of experiences there with both wildlife and nature. I just have to say, if you have not gone, you must.








After getting back from Yellowstone, Erik and I went to the coast for our last little bit of time together before he had to move to Arizona. He had been called for an interview about a month before he even graduated from college for a job with Intel, and was accepted soon after, so how could he not take it? And since distance with us is so difficult, we both new deep down it wouldn't work between us, so it was a hard time for me that last weekend. Our last day at the coast, he asked me if I would like to take a little road trip. Well that meant driving down with him in his VW bus from Oregon to Arizona! I said yes of course, and we left the next day.

We took the Sierra Nevada route, and went by Reds Meadow again, after camping and exploring Yosemite for 2 nights, and then made our way around Death Valley (no air conditioning, so we avoided it as much as possible!) and to Vegas where we stayed one night at the MGM Grand, which was great after sleeping in a van the last 3 nights! It was my first time to Vegas, and unfortunately since we were both broke, we didn't do or spend much, but we still had fun. My favorite casino was definitely Paris!

After getting to Phoenix with no bus troubles whatsoever, Erik and I spent 4 more days together finding things to do around Tempe. It reached 115 degrees, and not having air conditioning in the bus made it very hard to get around and see things! I also started to get very moody because I new we would have to say goodbye soon, for a very long time, and with the possibility of having to end our relationship because of the distance. The last day was very hard for me, as I am the worst at goodbyes. I flew back to Oregon after a great trip together that I will never forget.

A month went by, and during that time Erik and I tried to make it work as hard as we could, but things were getting harder and harder. I was not finding a job, I hated living back at my mom's after not living there for 5 years, and I was just in a bad place in life where time stood completely still. I'd never experienced that before, and I hated it. I've always been so lucky with jobs, and not having one was driving me insane, not to mention Erik's and my relationship falling apart. I needed to get out of Oregon, and start over. Finally Erik invited me to come down and live with him, and I did so in 2 weeks. In those 2 weeks, I had taken all of my things out of storage where my entire apartment had been the last 6 months, set up a garage sale all by myself and sold all my stuff for $300, giving the remains away to the Humane Society Donation Center. I only kept what I could shove into my little VW Jetta that Erik and I would drive down in together in 2 days. It was a very exciting, fast-paced couple of weeks. I knew it would be hard for me to find a job in my field in Arizona, but it was worth it to me to save Erik's and my relationship. I guess I'm in love ;).

So, this is where I started my blog. My first day in Arizona was my first blog on Hug a Cactus, and it goes on from there to finish off 2008. It was a great year, so full of every up and down, and so many different experiences! I'm really hoping that 2009 will be just as great, if not even better, and I hope the same for you!

Happy New Year.