Case in point: While walking between pools on the upper Rickreall today, Toby Keith's song Dreamwalker randomly popped into my head…. And immediately morphed into this:
Stream walkin'
Pool hoppin'
We're counting the fish again
Lunch break and I ain't wet enough
I'm jumping in!
I'm on a roll now, I gotta know where fish use ends.
Uh, yeah. But I thought it was kind of funny, so here it is.
The ones who've got this whole thing figured out…..
Today at work I tagged along again to the deaf/hard of hearing camp to sample macroinvertebrates. I went last Tuesday as well, and had a pretty good time.
It's an interesting group. A combination of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing kids. The hearing kids have family members that are deaf or hard of hearing. So there's quite a range.
Today we had a couple really good groups. They were interested and really engaged in both the splashing around in the river (and who doesn't like getting in waders and splashing around in the river?) and the identification part. I spent the bug hunting part picking up caddisflies by the handfuls, which impressed the kids. They then wanted to find caddisflies, which meant we got an awful lot of caddisflies….. They're also big and awesome looking, so that helped. The second group was particularly caddis-centric, and we got way more than we needed.
My favorite kid was a completely deaf kid in the first group that did not want to stop bug hunting. I kept having to tap him on the shoulder and attempt to signal that it was time to get out of the water. He just wanted to stay and look for critters. Which I completely understand, and it was fun to see.
I also had a pretty cool experience with the second group. I was hanging out by a bucket that had a ton of caddisflies in it (as most of them did). I like to take one or two out of their encasements, and show the kids what they look like. So I did that, and ended up with several hard of hearing kids hanging out with me, checking out the caddisflies. We were enjoying watching them walk around, and taking them out so they could walk on our hands. This was all done with very little communication, as most of them could not hear very well, and were difficult for me to understand.
It came up at one point that sometimes these kids are hard to read, because you do not get the verbal feedback that you get with other groups. But I don't really think that's true. You can watch them playing in the river, and you can tell. And while they seem to be a pretty quiet group, when they do communicate, you can hear it. I had one girl in the second group that had a laugh that you could practically feel, just because she was enjoying a bucket of aquatic bugs. How cool is that?
I've been enjoying working with kids, but this group seems particularly cool to me. Why? Maybe because part of me thinks they should be different, but they're really not. Maybe because it's harder to communicate with them, so there ends up being less structure in what we are doing, and more of just having fun. Isn't that what it's all about? That's why I love my job, after all. Because I get to have FUN! 
I wonder if I can communicate that better with this group, because we communicate through activity, and not through speech. Here, I can't really tell you why this is fun, but I can SHOW you! I think that's it. Talking doesn't do a lot of good, it's the actions that count.
Yep, they've got this figured out. It doesn't take a lot of words, all you need to do is allow them the opportunity to enjoy it themselves. Show them the joy, and they will get it. You don't need to tell them, they understand.
Another month today. Crazy.
I started work today. Lots of running around figuring stuff out, and working out logistics. Plus riding along on a trip up to their video fish tracker… Thing. Then off from work, and to a nice long shift at Chintimini. Things are crazy there, but I'm settling in more. I got to catch green herons.
Now home. Popsicle, some Netflix, and bed.
Today I worked on my project for Dan for a while, then I went to get my passport renewed. That took some time, but the application is in and in 4-6 weeks I should have a shiny new passport! Worked on my project some more, and got ready to start work tomorrow (which is now today)!!!! Got my new backpacks, and had to decide which to keep. I like the bigger one, except that it's too big, so I decided to stick with the REI.
MAde some cookies, hung out with Teresa and Matt for a bit, and now it's time for bed. I report to the office at 8:30! Woohoo!
I ran around campus some more today. And I got my hair cut. And I did some work. That's really about it.
I missed a couple weeks. That's what happens when you get teeth taken out. I guess.
So today I went to the hand specialist first thing in the morning. Of course he wants to send me to someone else. Meh.
Then I worked on a scholarship application, went to campus, worked on the app some more, got that in the mail. Went to talk to financial aid about some stuff. And formulated a master plan.
That's about it for today. It was busy, but doesn't appear so in text.
Today was full of new experiences, all stemming from one event: having my wisdom teeth taking out.
First IV, first sedation, first prescription pain pill. Only two teeth, so it wasn't too bad. Glad I was sedated, though. The last thing I remember is the room spinning around, and then I was waking up in a recliner. Weird. And 13 hours later, my mouth is STILL numb. Which is strange. But it's almost better. After getting home I read for most of the day, except for a 1 hour nap around dinner time. So I think it went pretty well. And the pain pill didn't make me go crazy or anything. I'm living in Jerry's recliner at the house for a while longer, and will hopefully make it back to Corvallis on Thursday to work at least part of my Chintimini shift.
Today I cleaned. Washed the car, cleaned it out, and cleaned my living room. Working on kitchen and dining area now. And waiting to see if Teresa and Matt are coming over to hang out tonight. And watching Bones.
Yesterday was graduation day here at OSU, and I am so proud of all my friends that graduated. But I am going to miss them. A lot. True, a lot of my friends didn't graduate, but a lot of my friends (and my BEST friend) did.
I've always been sad at graduation, knowing a bunch of my friends are leaving. But this year is different. This year my class graduated. And I didn't. I was left behind to finish my double major. They left…. Without me.
So here I am in Corvallis… Alone. My best friend has moved. The one person that would hang out with me outside of school, even though I'm not old enough to go to the bar. Nobody else does that. So I guess next year it'll just be me and Ret. Alone. Because I'm not old enough to drink.
I'm not used to being left. It actually hasn't happened in a while. Outside of previous graduations, I'm usually the one leaving. Moving away, or going to school, or finishing a job…. Things like that. And being the leaver sucks too. But it's different. It's just… Different.
And I know it's not the end. I'm going to see Teresa all the time this summer. And there's always facebook. But it's not the same as chilling in the lounge listening to Peter freestyle, or slaving away on a group project with people I've known since freshman year, or chilling in my apartment watching Bones with Teresa while we study for mammal conservation. It's just not the same. And change is weird.
I know my time will come. This time next year I will be the leaver. It will be me walking that walk, waving good bye. And I think that'll be harder yet. I'm looking forward to being done with school, but I don't want to leave this department that I have come to know as my second family. This town I call home. Nash, which I call "home base".
But that will be next year. I have one more year to live this life, before I have to move on. And I'm making the most of that. This is the start of my last year, and it's going to be an awesome year. Except maybe the being left out of everything because I'm not old enough to drink part. But I'll get over it. Because it's going to be an awesome year anyway.
Ready or not, here I come………
Another busy day.
I woke up and chilled in bed for a bit. Sent Teresa a text to find out how graduation was going. Turns out our college walks last, so they hadn't walked yet. I decided to go watch the end of graduation to see them walk. Then I went to lunch with Teresa and her family, and Matt. And then helped load up the truck to move her up to Portland. 
Came home and chilled, because it was really hot outside. Went to Hollywood Video/Game Crazy and bought a couple Wii games cheap. Wario Smooth Moves and Shake It. Shake It is weird, but I really like Smooth Moves. I like the concept of microgames.
Mostly goofed off for the rest of the day. Did a little bit of work, and cleaned a little bit too. Tomorrow I should be more productive.