Spring, huh?

Well, according to the local groundhog on February 2nd (Groundhog’s Day), we were in for six more weeks of winter. I, personally, am a fan of the picture of a cartoon groundhog holding a sign that reads “I am a rodent, not a meteorologist!” Whereas watching animals for clues regarding the weather in the near future can be useful, I never understood the groundhog thing. Doesn’t seeing your shadow mean it is nice out?

Well, those that swear by the groundhog can be pleased this year. The groundhog method predicted correctly. Sort of. I can’t speak for all of the Pacific Northwest. There are too many microclimates. The paid meteorologists are still, with all their technology, weather-guessers. Don’t get me wrong, the technology and methodology is getting better with time. However, forecasting has its limits.

In my microclimate, this last month or so has been full of wacky weather. For example: two to three weeks ago we had two beautiful, 65 degree, sunshiny days that made me sad (only because I worked through most of the sunshine). The following day, we had rain. The last week and the day before yesterday it was snowing.

Spring, according to the calendar, starts today or tomorrow (depending on the calendar). The spring blossoms have been peeking up through the ground and blossoming for a fair while now. Ornamental Cherry trees are flowering, fragrant pink blossoms battered by rain and hail, covered in ice and snow, and swept away by the wind. Still, they are blooming. My hyacinths are blooming, which makes me smile. They are, after all, my favorite flowers.

Winter appears to be lingering. The imagined personification seems to want a last hurrah, a final showing of her power before leaving the area and retreating further north. Spring keeps trying to assert her power, as evidenced by the sprinkling of nice days. Perhaps this can be settled peacefully between the two. And without confusing the local flora and fauna any more. The stray cats don’t seem to know whether to shed or keep their winter coats.

Want to know if winter is ending? In a non-wacky year, the outdoor critters with winter coats start shedding. This us generally a good indication spring is coming. Their lives depend on having that protection until the cold goes away. Migratory birds returning is another good clue. Usually. They tend to follow the weather-pattern seasons rather than the calendar-mandated ones.

Oh, current weather forecast for the first weekend in spring is currently rain, snow on Wednesday night/ Thursday morning, sun on Friday, then back to clouds and rain. Spring, huh?

An evening with a Haida 3/16/12

If there is one thing that has been true for me nearly my entire life, it is this: I love to read. There may be specific genres I am not fond of (slasher, horror, gory, to name a few), but in general I enjoy reading a wide variety of the written word. I am more a fan of fiction than non-fiction, although the latter can be quite intriguing.

My collection at moment consists primarily of two categories. The first category is “textbooks.” I have collected a fair number over the years. These are not always what you usually think of as textbooks, but include some poetry, novels, and handouts used in classes. The second main grouping is science fiction/fantasy. I love how the authors push the limits of imagination and explore the realms of possibility. I do have a few authors that predominate my collection (Nix, Miller, Anthony, Atwater-Rhodes), with at least three novels apiece. I am always looking for more reading materials.

I am starting to add more and more to a third area, though I admit it is difficult. Not many people write these down, and even fewer without altering the stories. I am talking about the stories of the indigenous people of the Americas. So few First Nations/Native American/Indian people speak their language, which would give the story a unique and distinct meaning lost when it is translated to English. I wish I knew the old language.

My thesis blended my love for the old stories and my love of the Environmental Sciences. (I majored in the latter.) I took recordings of stories that tribal elders were willing to share and analyzed them. I worked off the hypothesis that the storytellers/ oral history keepers primarily focused on the local flora and fauna in their stories. If this were true, we would be able to more accurately create models of what the area used to look like “Pre-contact,” and perhaps try to bring the local ecology closer to what it used to be.

I interviewed about half a dozen elders and storytellers from different areas, and was delighted to notice some of the patterns I hoped existed. Members of tribes near the coast included sea life more than those in the interior. Large game, in general, was discussed more in the interior. Some animals already known to have large ranges starred in histories across the interviews.

I was lucky to have the chance to reconnect with one of these elders recently. He is Haida from the Alaskan area, and a gifted storyteller. He was brought in to speak at a local university, and Wisdom of the Elders sent out invitations to attend. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him tell his personal history, the history of his people, and an array of great jokes. He imparted strong wisdom on how not to live your life, and how a different mode of thinking or way of knowing can make all the difference.

He made me wonder about my own life, family, and tribal history. How much has been lost to time. What is no longer being taught? No longer being remembered? How could we preserve it? I was sure that I couldn’t, with my poor memory. But, if we all think like that, who will?

Will you be a history keeper for your family? What stories do you know? Perhaps, you will be the next storyteller, the one to keep the history alive.

~N

Postscript: Feel free to contact me further about my thesis, oral history, storytelling, etc. at

Powwow at WU, 2012 (long)

WARNING: This post is long and rambly, and generally follows a train-of-thought pattern that can be difficult or dull to read. It is also opinionated. Read at your own risk.

Every year for the past six years I have attended the Annual Social Powwow at Willamette University, my Alma mater. I worked as a student volunteer my four years at WU, and returned after graduating as a vendor. This year was their tenth year! It was wonderful to see the event to expand this year. The team went from one session to two, and they were nice enough to plan and make a delicious dinner for us in between the sessions.

As a volunteer, my main powwow job was to be vendor relations (a job I shared with my wonderful friend Lexi). I got to know a number of the vendors and became on quite friendly terms. Despite how sore and sleepy I was the following day, it didn’t seem like that hard of work. I really enjoyed being vendor relations. Each person had their own idiosyncrasies, ways of doing, and little things to remember, like who had issue with whom, etc.

Returning as a vendor was interesting. I was lucky to have such vendor friends. I was welcomed into their warm circle and they helped teach me how to work in such a different environment. My mother in law was very helpful, too. She is really the one who led me into the vending world.

I must admit that I am no morning person. However, I was very willing to get up at my early-up-for-work time (6:15am) to make sure we were down there around 8:30/8:45. I did such a crazy thing for a delicious breakfast. When I went to WU, my friends and I would occasionally go to The Sassy Onion for a Saturday brunch treat. If you go to Salem, OR, you should go to this place. It is near the corner of 12th and State. (On the actual corner is another favorite: Adam’s Ribhouse. Go down State Street (away from downtown/the Capitol) three more doors, and you are there!)

So this year, I shared a booth with my Dad (who is the artist behind Chain Your Attitude), and my Mother-In-Law. A fair portion of the family (on my side) came along, too. in total, it was myself, three of my sisters, my dad, my Mother-In-Law, my husband, and myself. Now, before you state the obvious, I will. That is a lot of people. We were all sitting in a 40-ish square foot rectangle behind our L-shaped booth.

The three of us together barely filled the space. We had one 8ft table and one 4ft table, and very little stuff. I had four baskets, two basket necklaces, three chokers, two pairs of earrings, and one stocking. I guess I wasn’t as motivated to create as I’d hoped I would be.

I think my Dad, the chainmail artist, did the best. With custom orders and adjusting jewelry as requested, he was able to sell a good number of items. Many people loved his single-strand bracelets, and eyed the hackey-sacks he makes. You really should check out his shop on Etsy.

Setting up was a mess, to be honest. Spots are pre-assigned, and when vendors check in they are told where their spots are. Simple. The signs at the booth are numbered (ex. Booth #1, Firstname Lastname), and correlate with the numbers on the boundary tape on the floor. Well, a vendor swapped the signs and claimed it was their spot. Instead of making a ruckus after trying to point this out and request our spot back, we just went with the new spot.

Downsides? We had to hunt for an extension cord. We were assigned that spot because we had requested electricity. And, as an end booth, we would have been able to arrange the booth differently and had room for the four chairs we requested. (And there was some negative talk about us being spot theives and suchlike.)

Upsides? People weren’t blocking the doorway if they wanted to stop and look at our wares. And, it so happened we had a great time with the persons in the booth after ours. You see, we were set up next to one of my vendor friends. It was fun chatting with them.

I will say this, WU has always cared for it’s vendors. They help you bring stuff in, try to defuse conflicts, check up on you, and help you take your stuff back out again. This year, they fed us between seasons. Elk/bison/venison stew, green salad, potato salad, cornbread muffins, and a brownie or cookie. They even helped me get six to-go containers loaded for everyone at our booth (you don’t usually leave the booth unattended, so my sis and I went to get the food). I applaud you, WU powwow staff and Bon Appetit chefs. It was amazingly delicious and greatly appreciated.

I didn’t sell well, but that is okay. I had fun an that’s what counts. I was able to see a number of my University friends, vendor friends, and WU staff. Awkward as it was, I was was included in an honoring for Native graduates. I was even able to purchase a flute I have been eyeing for three years. The gentleman gave me a substantial discount, and my loved ones chipped in as an early birthday gift. Hopefully I can upload some pics in an edit to this post.

There you have it, a long rambley post about a great day. . Brownie points if you read all this.

You are loved

I feel very thankful and appreciative. It has everything to do with the people in my life. This even has to do with the negative people in my life. Through their negativity and their mistakes, I have learned how not to behave, how not to think, how not to be. Thanks to the Creator, Blessed, Powers That Be, I have been sent so many different people and influences in my life.

This includes you. Yea, you, the person reading this blog right now. You might be my parent, my grandparent, my sibling, my cousin, my aunt or uncle, my enemy, my soulmate, my friend, or someone completely new. Through this post we are connected. You have changed me, just reading this. You have altered my world.

And I appreciate it.

And I love you. For just being you. For impacting my world and the worlds around you. For making people think, remember, and feel a wide range of emotions they may have never known without you.

For you.

I love you.

And I genuinely do love you. You may think this post hokey, or like it is all dumb, but this is something as real as your heartbeat. Every precious heartbeat.

Take this message with you when you leave this blog, when you leave this device, when you continue on your life. Just remember this one thing: you are loved.

Oh, hello

I am sorry to be absent so long. I haven’t been all that energetic when I get home. However, I have discovered the mobile app for updating my blog. With the hour-long transit ride, I should be able to update more regularly. I hope you look forward to it as much as I do.

Recent doings to come.
~N

Book Reivew: Watermark

Hello again! I have decided to introduce you to a wonderful little novel that I found recently. I first read it about a month and a half ago and now just had to re-read it again. The story has so much depth to it, and the prose is very personal. It just sucks you in.

Though the back cover says “Fiction,” I would almost say it has the feel of a “Historical Fiction” novel. The title?  Watermark: A Novel of the Middle Ages.

Cover of the novel. (Image courtesy of Vanitha Sankaran's website)

Written by Vanitha Sankaran, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and M.F.A. in creative writing, this book enfolds you in the world of Auda, a papermaker’s daughter living in early 14th-Century France. Being a papermaker was no easy feat in those times, since few people wanted to buy it. Parchment was the stationary of choice among those who knew their letters. However, with parchment prices high, some of the nobility turned their thoughts to a cheaper alternative. That is, so long as it was just as durable, dependable, and nice-looking as parchment. (As a side-note, since the characters re-used scrap linen and not the hides of animals, it was more eco-friendly!)

With the Church, a high influence over local politics, decried the use of paper, it became dangerous. Especially so when heretics, enemies of the Church, were using it to spread unholy, twisted, improper interpretations of the Holy Book.

Poor Auda has another reason to fear the Church’s Inquisitors. She was born an albino. White hair, white skin, reddish-pink eyes, and a petite frame all gave her the appearance of a “White Witch.” Someone to be hunted down and burned in such superstitious times. An added burden? She knew her letters and had her own stories to tell… stories not looked kindly upon by the Church. When heretics burn in neighboring towns, will she be safe?

Now that I have set the stage, you will have to read the book for the rest.

A well-written novel, Watermark details the politics of the times, and the dangers of mixing ignorance and superstition. Perhaps the story tells more than the tale, but a lesson to be applied to current times. And a fun, easy read.

I’ll admit that there are some liberties taken in the historical aspect of the novel. This is, after all, fiction. I hope this inspires you to do some research on your own about the times, however, and leads you to learn new things.

New Status Attained!

So, I realize it has been a while since I posted. I try to keep up, but it would appear I am failing so far. Perhaps I need to make up a blogging schedule… and try to keep to it.

My current obsession has been cleaning. Unfortunately, I let my space get to a certain level of uncleanliness, then it bugs the heck outta me until I turn around and furiously clean. Well, I have been doing more furious cleaning than letting it get to a cleanliness-challenged state lately. I realize this is a good thing. I also realize that I should not let myself get so frustrated with it in the first place, and perhaps just try to keep it clean instead. We shall see.

Oh, right, this blog post is supposed to reflect my newly acquired status! I am now no longer amongst the unemployed! I have been given a job offer, and hope to be starting soon. I have to say, it was an interesting process.

It started back in early November, when I applied for the same job. Well, they had actually decided on their candidates when I had submitted my resume and cover letter. Recently, however, a person in the Receptionist/Office Assistant position has been promoted to a different position within the organization, so they needed to fill the spot. They pulled my resume and cover letter! (Oh, I didn’t know this part till after my first interview)… so I get asked to an interview. I attend, dressed in nice slacks, a white button-up shirt, and black jacket. It went well, in my opinion. After that, I anxiously waited. They said they would be calling people starting the next day… I was thrilled to be offered a second interview.

I wore a nice gray skirt and a fave top of mine to the second interview. I intended to be there early, but due to my car breaking down, I was afraid I would be late! What did I do? I called as soon as it happened (one hour before my interview) and told them I might be late. Thank goodness I wasn’t! I was dropped of with three minutes until my interview.

I must say, being interviewed by four people, one of which being your potential boss, can be a bit intimidating. I tried to be less nervous by joking a bit. Hopefully that was a good thing, right? Well, they asked me a bunch of tough questions, including what my weakness/challenge/need-to-work-on might be. I answered honestly: being 23 years old, recently out of college, and with only two internships under my belt, I am still learning professionalism in the workplace. I understand healthy boundaries and professionalism, but am still learning how best to put them in practice. Much to my frustration, when I asked what they were looking for “understanding of professionalism and boundaries” was near the top of the list, after dependability and the ability to do the job. Needless to say, I left the interview feeling less than confident. My family (birth and chosen) inspired me to continue smiling, despite being scared. If I didn’t get the job, it was a great opportunity and I learned something out of it. They were all very confident I would get the job, so much more than I was.

Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call requesting my references, which I happily gave. I tentatively took it as a good sign I was still in the runnings. I was then asked to fill out an application. I wondered if this was a good sign, or if they just needed it to put on record whether or not I did get the job. I waited… and waited…

Yesterday I was very excited to get the call. I was offered the job! I just needed to fill out some background check information and complete a UA (Urine Analysis, the standard drug testing procedure). Not entirely sure when I start, but I am so very excited to have the job! I will now, once again, be a part of the working class. I will have an income again!

I do wonder, though, since I admitted to a MAJOR weakness… did they just appreciate my honesty and willingness to learn/work on it? Or did they decide that I was worth the effort to try despite my shortcomings? I guess I also wonder if I was their first pick, or someone else was offered the job and turned it down… like they were given another offer already or something. But, whatever the reason, I am pleasantly hired.