Making connections

I've been working on "networking" with geology professors at different grad schools recently. What an ordeal it is! Write an email, reread said email 15 times, attach super long CV, send, and wait for a reply. The waiting is the worst. Some professors reply the next day. Others, not so much. I've been waiting five days for one of them to reply. And I know he's in his office. I saw him give a presentation last week when I was in Colorado. Does it really take that much time and effort to say, "Hey, I got your email and will look at your CV when I have time." Or just cut to the chase, "Hey, I'm not accepting MS students right now." Just let me know something.

So, for those who don't reply to my emails, I'm going to take it a step further. I got the idea from one of the professor's websites. It said, "Please try good old U.S. mail if email isn't working!" So this is my plan. I will send them a letter in the mail. Hopefully, it won't get lost or ignored like an email might. I mean, they may get 3o emails a day, but only 2 or 3 letters a day. And soon, one of them will be from me.

Pictures from Colorado

I have uploaded photos from Colorado.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kwarrell/KeckColorado2010#

Catching cool breezes

Most of my work is done now. I don't think I have any field work left (emphasis on think). I'm sure Dave or Will will come up with something. Actually, they just did. I have to go get seven more samples of stream sediment. Happily, it will all be shipped home for me. I do not have to take it all on the plane.

I think I made some sort of personal record. I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in five days. Never have I finished a book in that time. I was certainly impressed with myself, mostly because I didn't believe it was possible. I've started The Joy Luck Club. I'm not certain that it will be as good as Snow Flower. That book was really good. It started off really sad and depressing, but then I really got into it. I recommend it to anyone, and have it if you'd like to borrow it.

We have five days left! It's certainly sad to think about. I do believe that I just might miss Gordon Gulch. I mean, I've spent seven hours there every day for the past two and a half weeks. And Colorado, oh Colorado. When the trip started, I was not impressed in the least with Colorado. Over the three weeks I've been here, it has slowly grown on me. The wild flowers, the weather, the hippies, the lifestyle. It almost evokes something similar to New Zealand (it just took longer for it to sink in). I don't know how exactly to describe it. I guess you'd have to travel to either of the two to understand what I mean...

Looking up at the clouds, to the west, everything is a pale steel blue, the clouds a tad darker than the sky. The blue darkens toward the east. Directly overhead, the clouds are a fleshy pink, soft and undefined. They fade into a tangerine color in the east, with well defined billows edged in a slightly brighter gold. On the horizon, silhouettes of the mountains, not so far away. Can you see it?

Almost done?

My project is probably 85% complete... maybe. At least the field portion of my project is... we'll have to see what Kurt wants me to do with it when I get back, which could be a lot or a little. In either case, it will be a whole lot less work than some of my colleagues will have to do.

It has rained almost every day this past week and is supposed to rain the next three days. It's really a downer on everyone's mood. Meanwhile, I've taught myself how to weave flowers out of grass while waiting for the rain to pass. Not very productive, but it is rather hard to map anything when any amount of dampness will ruin the paper.

I've started reading a new book entitled Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Very interesting, and I recommend reading it so far. I finished reading The Namesake. I started it in New Zealand and didn't have time until now to finish it. Not much else is new. We went to the Boulder Farmers' Market last Wednesday and are planning to go again this Wednesday. They have mango sticky rice, which I am eagerly looking forward to. The dining hall here is not too keen on ethnic food, and if they do serve it, it lacks some serious flavor.