Graduations, Arcata-inspired lessons and perhaps a new place to call home

Year two of grad school, check.  Now there's just a few large tests, research presentation, one year of classes/internships and a 3-month internship that starts tomorrow between me and the title "Dr".  I think this is understandibly both exciting and scary.  

Speaking of exciting/scary, my little sister graduated from Humboldt State!  I returned home post-finals to see her in the cap and gown and was reminded of many things.....

1.  Graduations are boring, even when you love the person who's doing the walking

2.  The sun always manages to come out in Arcata, just when you're thinking the fog is the reason you could never return to live there 

3.  Sunscreen is really something I should start taking seriously

4.  Playing dress-up out of other people's closets is always fun

5.  I am the bitchiest of us Athings

6.  Playing beer-pong is doubly entertaining when the opponents are your parents and when they are playing with an entire bottle of wine split between glasses

7.  I need to own a hottub when I'm rich or thereabouts

8.  Homemade sushi is my favorite meal

9.  Stand-up comedy is hilarious, and especially funny to hear retold while hiking 

10.  It's never too early to start scrubbing mold off your bathroom ceiling....unless your older sister is a sucker/at a loss for what to get the graduate who only needs things that cost on the order of $100+

11.  If you think dancing on stage while unbuttoning your jeans and hiking your shirt up so that your bra and panties are showing is a good idea, you're probably 1.  at Sidelines 2.  ready to stop drinking    

12.  I love running in the forest, but the trails I ran in highschool aren't quite as hardcore as I thought they were (which is not to say that running them hungover is easy)

13.  I like being in a town where organic is the norm and soymilk is automatically out at all coffee shops 

14.  Despite the fact that I grew up in Humboldt, while laying out in the sun at the river I am proud to report that I did NOT know that the question "do you burn?" means do I want to smoke pot (I'm sure I would have gotten there eventually, but my first thought was definitely more along the sunburn line).... Although I was told by one of those that DOES, that this was funny, since he'd only been here (Humboldt) 3.5 years and knew that, I am proud to report I did not lash back that it was the precise fact that so many that move up to Arcata feel the need to become addicted to pot, grow dreadlocks, stop showering, and wear huge hemp necklaces that made me want to leave

15.  Dirty Hippie stereotypes aside, I still really enjoyed the feeble protest attempts of a man standing on the day of graduation--on which I believe I saw more cars/traffic in Arcata than I have in all my years--with a "stop driving pollution death machines" sign 

16.  It only takes one night of reality TV to make me hooked (and I agree with my mom that Adam should have won American Idol hands down)

17.  A strength and conditioning class that involves basically squatting with weights for an hour followed by a 10-hour car ride is a recipe for soreness when combined with a person who only exercises by running, and an 18 mile run the morning following aforementioned workout makes eccentric contraction of every leg muscle just about impossible.  Note the usage of the term "eccentric"; you're impressed by my usage of semicolons and PT jargon I know.  

18.  Corvallis isn't a shithole after all

19.  Having a 7yr old girl tell you about their rock-climbing induced "front-wedgie" is priceless

20.  I need to live closer to my sister

Well, that's a nice round random top-20 list, so I'll stop.  I should mention that on the way down I dropped Gomez off with Erin and Matt, but have now adopted Zeus/Z, or Zeke as I like to call him.  I am officially a cat-lady I think.  This one will be with me all summer while his owner, a guy in my program, is in San Diego for his internship.  He has six toes on his front paws. In other words he's a bit creepy....

Also, I returned home late friday (the song I chose to sing on repeat for this drive was "Little Black Sandals" by Sia, fyi)  only to leave for Bellingham on Saturday for Ski to Sea, a race that involves teams that x-contry ski, snowboard, run, canoe, kayak, road and mountain bike in an all-day race.  Controversy surrounds the official placing of team Hustle, for which I was there supporting, but one thing is for sure, with a bit of training a legitimate 2nd place finish in the Recreational division is definitely possible, especially if the all-star team Kaite and I put together turns out (Victoria, Taryn, Lindsey, Laurie, Julia if you are reading this start mentally preparing for a new reason to fly back to the Tacoma area next year).  Bellingham was uncharacteristically beautiful this weekend I am told, but even so, it may just be the big city version of Arcata I've been hoping to find.....