Homeworking

From Warner Bros. upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: An example of a bad leader-to-be.

New verb. Do you like it? So here I am, being good and reading Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Goleman, Boyattzis and Annie McKee. I've already done everything else I have to do for this class for Monday. Anyway, I'm trundling along, reading the preface and learning that the book grew out of columns in the Harvard Business Journal, and learning that you should be nice to people, not yell at them, and not be negative if you want anything to get done. And then, I stumbled across this in Chapter 2:

"Such leaders have an emotional impact a bit like that of the 'dementors' in the Harry Potter series, who 'drain peace, hope, and happiness from the air around them.' " This is follwed by a superscript 7, which lead me to a reference of: 7. Dementors: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (London, Bloomsbury, 1999) 187.

So there you go, reading YA fantasy is helping me learn not to suck peoples' souls out. Thanks, Harvard Press!

Tracking Packages

"But now, says the Once-ler, Now that you´re here, the word of the Lorax
seems perfectly clear. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not."

So, I have ordered all of my textbooks for the semester and actually have most of them in hand. I was able to get four of them used and had to buy three new, which was frustrating, because I like to save money and trees. Trees are shady and clean the air and are very nice, except when you run into them with a car or on skis, or even sometimes just walking, like my dad did with his head the other week. But still, I think chopping them down to make books is not so good, even though I love books.

Anyway, one of the outstanding ones is a big law casebook on Environmental Law, which I'm super excited to read, because I am a dork like that. I keep getting told by my professors that everything I say or suggest "is really policy" and I'm like, you betcha it is, just wait until I get all of this into law and it RULES OUR LIVES. So, this book of case law is on its way and has guaranteed 3 day delivery. Thank you B&N.

Here's what it's done so far:

I feel sort of badly for it that it's spent a significant time of its little book life in New Jersey and is now apparently taking a tour of the state. However, I will feel even sorrier for myself if it does not come on Thursday, because I have some catchup reading to do. Not to mention redesigning Natural Resource law and giving Environmental Health law some teeth. Dear manufacturers of the world, does the phrase "cradle-t0-cradle" make your timbers shiver?

Quick overview of classes:

Leadership and Ethics, School of Public Affairs, studying adaptive leadership, professor uses lots of clips (eg. scenes from Patton, Gandhi, and Obama's inaugural - hey, is the word inaugural related to the word augury?). Starting out by studying Ernest Shackleton, Victorian dude who lost his ship to Antarctic pack ice and proceeded to get himself and all 27 of his men out alive. I keep getting distracted because I have a hunch he was kind of cute in person.

Sustainable Land Use Planning, School of Architecture and Planning, doing all projects and research around advising the City of Aurora on incorporating sustainability elements into their revision of the city's comprehensive plan. I will be focusing on, what else, concrete ways to lower emissions, increase energy efficiency, etc. ie., policy.

Natural Resource and Environmental Health Law, a class I am super excited about. We're looking at both together because they're generally treated separately but of course the environment doesn't work like that. I like this professor's style A LOT. He is cool. I want to be him. Only without the bit where he served as a combat medic in Vietnam.

Ah, Research

Google Scholar, combined with my ability to log into every journal know to man, is saving my ass. Thank you once again, Google. Also, I've been accepted to CU Denver's MPA program! Found out yesterday, on my birthday. Fun fun. Ok, back to work. Probably should study for my final too, hmm.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right . . .

"How about a magic trick? I'm going to make a pencil disappear . . ." Oh, what a great scene. So marvelous. I found that bit hilarious, which may indicate that I am all dark and twisty inside.

Confession: I am mostly writing this blog entry because I wanted to use the title. I've been playing around with the iTunes Genius function and it's just great. Keeps throwing stuff at me that I love to hear on the radio but never remember to add to my collection. Of course, the genius had its first major fumble today as well - I created a playlist based off of John Lennon's Imagine and it put a Britney Spears song on there. I think it was Lucky. The genius still needs some socializing.

In other news, my DVR is stubbornly resisting recording new House episodes, and I keep forgetting that it is failing to perform its one function in life, and I keep having to watch them online. This is generally through something called MegaVideo which likes to click me through to AdultFriendFinder and shows me pictures of busty women who desperately need makeovers. It's annoying. But that PI on the show is so yummy! Mmm, yummy. Also - House as a cheerleader = priceless.

I have a very clever idea for an Etsy shop. I'm not revealing it on the interwebs yet, but oh, is it clever. I've locked in a store name and a gmail account, so we shall see soon! I'm excited. I want to see if I can have more than one shop - I know they each need a separate e-maill adress but I don't know if they crosscheck other stuff too. I'd like to keep this brand separate from my other ideas. It's just too clear of an idea to muddy with other crazy thoughts. Can you imagine if I actually managed to make some money on Etsy? How random and how great would that be? I never even considered such a thing, but this just might sell.

Today in my Planning Issues and Processes class we were discussing transit, and the group leading the discussion asked if the congestion in LA was as bad as it was in the 70s (yes) and asked what alternatives there were. A clever guy at the back of the room was like, "Yes, the alternative is called Colorado and Texas." Oh California, you crack me up. Now go home. I keed, I keed. But seriouslt, the number of incredibly thoughtful and intelligent people in the program is amazing and humbling. I've got a lot to learn! I'm going to do a little mini-project this week for my methods class and sit outside various Whole Foods and King Soopers and see how many people leave with reusable bags vs. plastic or paper. I wonder what I will find? I'm thinking the Boulder Whole Foods, S. Boulder King Soopers, Superior Whole Foods, and Louisville King Soopers. I have like 4 days, so yeah. I could do something up at RMNP tomorrow instead, like maybe interview elk. "Hello, Mr. Bull Elk. Is the bugling getting you any? How do the ladies like your rack? In humans it's the ladies who have the racks, har har. Oh, just a little people humor, sorry." Yeah, I think doing something with the elk might be more wildlife study than planning oriented.

I will leave you with this moment of zen, and the inspiration for the foray into the hills. Pic is from the Folks Fest in Lyons this summer.

GREing

Welp, I took my GRE. I got a 750 on Verbal; the 99th percentile starts at 740, so I'm pretty pleased with that. Although, for the record, every such assessment I've ever taken has actually failed to measure my ability - I max them out, which means I'm not getting an actual sense of where I am. One day it would nice to know exactly what increment of 1% I fall into . . . . Math was a particularly dreadful episode in the ongoing saga of Lisa-only-studies-math-when-she-has-to. Sad days. Not reporting that score, but the math on this test is super-duper easy so don't be worried if you have to take it! Just study for oh - four hours would have helped, I bet.

Anyway, I'm nicely above what I need for CU Denver's Public Affairs school, so that's all fine. And done! My LSAT students are about to take the October LSAT too, so my life is freeing up a bit. I'm excited to be able to focus more energy on my two Planning classes - I'm loving them, the lectures, the readings, all great. It's a good fit.

Sam is running up and down the stairs and wants to know why I love the internets more than a real live kitty, so I should run. I hope you like the pic - it's by this artist on Etsy, love her work. Colorado native!

Websites and Applications

This is a handprinted relief print by an artist on Etsy.com. I laughed for about a minute when I found it. Unfortunately it was sold out, but don't you worry - there is a LOT of really cool stuff on this site, and most of it is bizarrely affordable as well. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, eveything on it is handmade. Crazy fun! Thanks to Jennie for enabling me to spend lots of time ogling and drooling.

And thanks to Tanya for introducing me to zenhabits, a great resource for cultivating all those positive habits we wish we had and actually achieving goals. And setting goals. Etc.

Speaking of goals, I need to apply to grad school! Like now! Oops!

I'm freaking out, man. Note: I quoted this last night to my LSAT students and added in "These schnozberries taste like schnozberries" and "Uh - do we sell litercola?" and NO ONE GOT IT. This is what is wrong with the youth of today. A tragic lack of film lit.

Anyway, I need to get rec letters, write an essay, fill out forms, find my tax info, do the FAFSA, have a heart attack . . . and ideally all by October 1st - hahahahaha - but definitely by October 15th. Oh, and I take the GRE September 30th, which I'm sure I will do fine on, but I'd kind of like to destroy and emerge all victorious. Picture me as River and the GRE as the Reavers. That is what I am going for. Also I am trying to have some kind of social life and work out. I think maybe I want to try to be a runner and try to yoga every day. Crazy? Maybe, but I remember what it felt like to just be able to run, and it rocked. Also, doing yoga helps me be more productive and blisses my brain out, and I love that feeling too. Plus the continued quest toward being in shape.

I miss everyone far away. I dunno if you guys read this, but I think you should and then start blogs of your own if you don't have them.

Love and kisssies!

Orthodox Jews in a Paddleboat

Well, let's see. I've been feeling cruddy for the last two days, which is obnoxious. I think it's starting to lift a bit now though - if I have one more ridiculously long sleep session I bet it will be gone. It also sheds some light on how I managed to lose six pounds last week despite not going to my weight lifting class and eating lots of crap. Should have paid attention to the scale and gone on a detox diet and slept more. Oh well. But I am moving back down toward 107 lbs, which makes me feel warm and fuzzy because that's what I've weighed since I was like 14. And I'm doing it by excercising more AND still eating whatever I want! And getting sick. Shhhh . . . If I ever go over 120 lbs and I'm not pregnant I bet I'll have a panic attack. And have to eat some Ben and Jerry's to calm down again. Haha, I don't think I know how to diet. I heart food.

Which reminds me of the great Michael Pollan article Unhappy Meals, which appeared in this week's NYT magazine. You'll have to buy it for $5 or subscribe to NYT Select to read the whole thing (not a bad idea really; one of those things I plan on doing once I pay off the credit card). Therefore, no linky - you'd just get an abstract. However, you could just buy The Botany of Desire or The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan's style is eminently readable and a lot of fun besides. In The Botany of Desire he profiles four plants and their interactions with humans: tulips, potatoes, marijuana, and apples. In addition to the book providing a reason to read about pot (I especially like the bit where he's growing it out behind the barn and the sheriff brings by some firewood) you get to learn that Johnny Appleseed's apples were only good for making cider. Which is to say, booze.

Anyway, the article is just wonderful, and it suggests not eating anything that your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food, ie., no breakfast bars or other processed crap. I plan to try to behave myself next time I go to the supermarket. Down with corn syrup! Up with fruits and veggies and nuts! They taste better anyway and are kinder to the environment. And therefore my health. Gotta keep my life in line with my values.

In other news, I am back to seriously considering applying to CU Law school. I made it to a talk on Machu Picchu given at the Changes in Latitude store. The speaker was a woman named Ruth M. Wright, who in addition to helping work out where the water came from at Machu Picchu (she's been there at least 15 times with her husband; they have a permit to study it) went to CU Law and while there drafted and passed the legislation setting the 55 foot limit. And then she went on to become a state legislator and minority leader (Dems, of course) and help save Colorado from various evils . . . yeah. And wrote an excellent Machu Picchu guidebook with all the requisite nerdy detail. May just have to take the June LSAT and apply for Fall 2008.

Cat put the deposit down for Machu Picchu - Peru, here we come! This was Cat on the phone:

Me: Hi!
Cat: Hi! I'm going to send the deposit to the trek people.
Me: Ok, how much do I owe you?
Cat: Uhh, $150 I think. *pause* So we're really going to do this?
Me: Yeah we are! Wait, are you asking?
Cat: Well, just checking.
Me: We're going to do it, and it's going to be amazing, and we can check it off the "do before I die" list!
Cat: Ok. As long as we're sure.

This from the girl who called me last summer to announce that she was going to hike the Inca Trail next June, did I want in or not? I agreed with some trepidation due to my serious lack of athleticism and dislike of dirty hair and bitey insects. But it's the freakin' Inca Trail! The answer is yes. The answer is always yes. Oh well. That's what friends are for - to convince each other to do ridiculous but worthwhile things.

The picture is from Prague, Spring 2004. Orthodox Jews in a paddleboat! My current desktop. Anyone for Europe sometime soon? Wanderlust has set in . . .