Life in the Land of Loma

2008-11-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

If you take Ecology, you get to do the wonderful compost heap project. You basically mix up random materials with a bunch of dirt and watch it as it decomposes over time. You also either get to keep it in your room (which your roommate would love) or keep it outside and have fun looking kind of crazy as you take pictures of a box full of dirt. This is how mine turned out, and I just had to show off how incredibly beautiful it was.

But seriously, if you have to take a biology class (which you do), Ecology is where it's at. I'm not a science person at all, but I have learned so much! The professor- Maskiewicz- wants us to learn by doing, and it really works. I admit, I do get confused a lot. But when it comes down to it, I feel like I have never known this much about science in my entire life.

The faculty at Point Loma is great about making sure you really learn things.

P.S. Thanksgiving break is in a week, and I get to go home for the first time since August!
P.P.S. I can now make hot tea in my dorm room thanks to a hot pot from mama (and I am determined to use it, despite the fact that it has been ninety degrees outside the last couple of days)! I was even compelled to clean up my desk area, which only happens every once in a while.
P.P.P.S. My "Song of the Moment" is Queen's Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy.

Great hair, too.

2008-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

I miss home.

As you may or may not know, I am from Oregon. And, the longer I'm here, it becomes more and more clear: I am definitely an Oregonian. Through and through.
A couple of mornings ago, it rained (for the first time since I moved here), and I got to walk to work in it. I was literally smiling the entire time. When I realized the seasons weren't really going to change here, and I wasn't going to experience a fall this year (my favorite season), I went through a bit of shock. The inability to make hot tea and sit in front of a fireplace, or wear lots of cozy layers without getting too warm, still gets to me. I miss driving by big fields, I miss the air that smells sooo good, I miss the abundance of Evergreen trees, I miss the laid-back Northwestern attitude.
Apparently, adapting to living in a completely different environment than you've lived in your entire life isn't as easy as I thought.

But then I remember how great all the faculty are here, and how much I'm learning, and I can't help but be glad I chose to come to Point Loma. Even if I do feel a bit displaced.

Adventures are a logical and reliable result- and have been since at least the time of Odysseus- of the fatal act of leaving one’s home, or trying to return to it again. All adventure happens in that magical space, wherever it may be found or chanced upon, which least resembles one’s home. As soon as you have crossed your doorstep or the county line, into that place where the structures, laws, and conventions of your upbringing no longer apply, where the support and approval (but also the disapproval and repression) of your family and neighbors are not to be had: then you have entered into adventure, a place of sorrow, marvels, and regret.

2008-11-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Let us take some time for a...Shuttle Appreciation Post

Sure, it sometimes leaves you in front of Target for over two hours as you watch the stores around you close (and regretfully remember you have had to use the bathroom for the last hour). Sure, the upholstery is ripping off the seats and you can literally hear the windows clattering with every bump and turn. But we can't help but love it, even when he hate it. Because the shuttle allows us to do what we wouldn't be able to otherwise- escape from the bubble and explore the wondrous world outside. We, the car-less freshman, are free to sit in the aisle of Barnes & Noble reading books we won't buy, ignore our budget to eat at Cheesecake Factory, spend way too much time at Blockbuster, or buy groceries we're not sure we really need at Trader Joe's. So even when the shuttle fails to pick us up on time, or breaks down after only a week of running since it last stopped working, we best not complain. Because what would we do without it?

So...here's to you, Shuttle.

P.S. A couple of weeks ago I got to enjoy Seaport Village for the first time since moving into PLNU. My friend and I ate the most delicious turkey melts (with avocado and in a big, fluffy baguette- mmmm), tried on tons of hats at the Village Hat Shop (although I was sorely disappointed to come out hat-less- my friend, on the other hand, got an Indian headdress), and browsed through books at Upstart Crow (one of my very favorite places in San Diego). It made me so happy to be walking in the city. Seeing big buildings up close and not just from a distance for the first time in a long time put a big, goofy smile on my face (even if I was subsequently asked for money, asked for my number, and then asked for a ticket I didn't have- oops).

2008-10-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

SO sorry for disappearing on you guys for a while! I have been scrambling to study for midterms and to get homework done. Last week I was pretty much driven up the wall. I now have one exam left, but I'm not nearly as stressed.

And I was going to post something nice about my weekend with pictures and everything, when I realized- the battery in my camera is dead. And I seem to have misplaced the charger.

So I will post something for real soon. Just...not quite yet.

Until then, have this creepy picture of my friends and I (and puzzle over the fact that Andrea bears a striking resemblance to Anton Chigurgh).

2008-10-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

That would be a picture of what I would call the most heavenly nosh in probably the history of the world: The oreo-marshmallow-caramel-covered apple. I kid you not. Andrea and I decided not to share, and we were both thankful for that. It's like eating happiness.
Several people who were walking by stopped to ask what we were eating and where they could get one.
I hope they did (get one, that is). It could make anyone's day.

At Oktoberfest, I also bought a little dress and Andrea got an elephant purse, both apparently made in Nepal. We also got to peruse a store with tons of yarn (I am so learning how to knit my own hats and scarves)...and apparently there are many restaurants and stores I'll need to visit before the year is out.

I also got to stay at Andrea's house for the weekend, and I am so grateful. After being in a dorm for a while, it is so nice to be able to be in a real house. As good as a dorm room may be, I don't think it can really compare to the comfortable, warm feeling you get in a home. I got to sleep in a big, wonderful bed again and eat delicious homemade foods. Mmm.

Right now I am loving:
- Reliving my childhood through Disney movies.
- Smoothies from the Point Break Cafe.
- Getting stoked for Halloween.
- Putting chocolate and peanut butter in my oatmeal to make it a little more...interesting.
- Cool days, although so far they are few.
- When the cafeteria decides to serve Asian food.
- Chocolate cereal from Trader Joe's (thank you, mama).
- Any night I get more than five hours of sleep.
- Taking any chance I can get to be off-campus.
- WEEKENDS.

2008-09-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Nohea and I took a jaunt over to Hillcrest to check out Buffalo Exchange, which we'd heard a lot about but had never been to.

To put it simply, the trip was insane. It was both of our first times attempting to take public transportation in San Diego...and it's apparent that neither of us are natives.

Ultimately, we learned that:
- Buses kind of suck.
- The trolley is magnificent.
- We should be thankful every day for the shuttle.
- Sometimes, trying on wigs comes at a price.
- Buffalo Exchange is alright...but, again, I am not a bargain shopper (as seen in the blog below). I did, however, find a cute skirt that was too big for me (oh well).
- Old Town is a safe haven.
- Pinkberry is delicioussss.
- Sometimes it is necessary to ask questions.
- Somehow, everything always comes together in the end (however, we probably won't be going to Hillcrest for a while now).

Upon our return to Old Town, we could have kissed the ground we were so happy to be alive. And then we celebrated with a delicious Mexican meal.

Next weekend I'm going to go to Oktoberfest with my friend Andrea, and I am psyched!

P.S. We also met this guy in Hillcrest:
The one with the chest hair. Stud!

2008-09-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

If there is anything I have learned in the past couple years of my life, it is how to appreciate everything (even things that seem small or superficial or silly). Being thankful is incredibly important to me. And so I had begun, in my personal journal, keeping track of all my favorite things.
I would like to continue the tradition here.

Today, I want to appreciate...Anthropologie

It is pretty much the bane of my wallet's existence. And, much to my luck, the off-campus shuttle here at Point Loma can drive me there any Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Now, I am not a bargain shopper. I prefer to save my money and spend it on something wonderful than have a multitude of things I am only okay with. For me, Anthropologie is the ultimate shopping experience. Here there are the most wonderful dresses, hats, shoes, and home furnishings. And even though this place has definitely made a dent in my bank account, it is entirely worth it. If I have one dream, it is to have enough money to live my life as if I were in an Anthropologie catalog.
So girls, if you want to add a little romance, charm, or old Hollywood to your wardrobe- I urge you. Go now.

(And it has just occurred to me how incredibly girly I am.)

hello, bonjour, guten tag

2008-09-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

I am really not a person for introductions. When I have to write an essay, the one thing I agonize over is the first sentence. When I have to give a speech, those first words that are supposed to enrapture the audience always fail me (and I ultimately end up with something pathetic like, "Hello, I'm Haley, and I am going to give a speech on Thoreau's essay Civil Disobedience.")
So let's skip the formalities and get right to it!

To kick off, here is a picture of my dorm (Klassen), as seen from above: