Cave and Wave

Lost World Caverns, looking up towards the entrance to the wild side

I just got back from the third year of helping out at the Girl Scout Cave and Wave resident camp... though this year, they took of the "wave" part and just went caving. Which all of us caving adults found a little weird: the girls went to camp on Sunday, drove up to West Virginia on Monday, caved Tuesday, drive home Wednesday, then spent Thursday through Saturday just doing camp stuff. We figured that for what they were paying (several hundred dollars!) they would at least have let the girls cave for two days. Our regular caving program is only like $85 for two days of caving. The girls didn't seem to mind, so I guess they enjoyed arts and crafts and camp stuff like that.

Anyways, since it's a resident camp program, they need "specialists" to help out. That's where we come in. We all love the chance to help other people get exposed to caving, because you can never really be sure who will like it and who won't. I've seen athletic, outdoorsy people absolutely despise caving, and I've seen very prissy people love dragging themselves through the mud. Being staff for the camp is interesting though; we've all been spoiled by the usual caving meals (which are REALLY good!), so we all are VERY saddened by the camp food that is served us. :( The girls don't know any better, but the adults are sad. Though overall, we had fun. We might even have some of the girls come back for the regular caving trip in the fall.

Lost World Caverns, The War Club - stick figure added as frame of reference. It's 28ft tall!

In 1971, Bob Addis sat on top of the War Club for nearly 16 days to start "Stalagmite Sitting" as an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

I didn't bring a camera this trip, so I have no pictures this time, so I swiped some from Lost World Caverns. We are close friends with the Steves (yes, two men, both named Steve) who own the cave, and they are the best! We just love them. Big Steve led the camp girls through his commercial tour Monday night, and they were all thrilled. Very few caves are as loaded with formations as Lost World is; and even fewer are in such good shape. The Steves are working very hard to keep their cave in good condition, because even though it is their business, it is also a living ecosystem and you can't tamper too much with that.

For fans of W&M

I am in the process of cleaning off my bookshelves before I move, and I have stumbled across a little gem. For my Abnormal Psychology class, we read The Outsider, which is a moving account of a man's descent into mental illness. The author, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, follows his father's struggle with schizophrenia; once a brilliant sociologist, Charles Lachenmeyer lost his job, his family, his home, and his sanity to a disease that has no known cure. Needless to say, it was a little depressing to read. However, there was one section that made it all worthwhile for me: Charles Lachenmeyer attended the College of William and Mary (Go Tribe!), and Nathaniel visits the campus to talk to several professors of his father. During his stay in the 'Burg, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer makes several profound and hysterical notes about the area (bolds are my additions):

Colonial Williamsburg, the large-scale recreation of Colonial life dedicated to the belief "that the future may learn from the past," dominates the town of Williamsburg, creating a surreal environment where the eighteenth and twentieth centuries compete for attention in a marriage of history and commercialism. As I walked down Duke of Gloucester Street, ... an actor in period costume confronted me with an archaic greeting and a theatrical bow. This invitation to participate in his conflation of the past and present reminded me of Church Street, where a transient had invited me into his delusional world with a similarly misdirected look of recognition (Lachenmeyer 56).

haha! The reenactors being compared to homeless crazy people! So funny if you know how Williamsburg is. Nothing compares to seeing a man in leggings, cape, and tricorn hat step out of a car and scamper into Wawa for a cup of coffee or sandwich. It is so bizarre and unique to Colonial Williamsburg.

My other favorite quote from this section was just a paragraph later, as he described the campus itself:

... and an endless array of commemorative plaques. As I wandered across the quadrangles I discovered without trying to that Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Marshall were all alumni of William and Mary (Lachenmeyer 56-57).

And that's really how it is, too! You learn more than you were really planning to, especially about all the important people who attended W&M. We've got plaques and statues in every nook and cranny of campus; even out in the bushes! Next time you visit, try to find the statue of the two children listening to a book on tape (I'm not making that up; there's an old-fashioned tape player in the grass next to them), or the fat little duck statue (a personal favorite).

Just wanted to share that little bit of bizarre humor with my fellow W&Mers.
:D

M is for...

M is for marching band! More specifically, the Fabulous Marching Cavaliers of Princess Anne High School ... Yes, our full name was the FMC, and yes, we would kick your butts for harassing us about it.

I marched all four years of high school, and was Brass Captain for both Junior and Senior years. We had a pretty awesome band. We were often called the PA Track Team because we'd move about the field so much compared to our competition. Trust me, it's a lot harder to play, let alone sound good, when on the move :P

Though it was grueling, sweaty, and borderline abusive (much like any high school sport), I really enjoyed my years marching. You are instantly bonded with your bandmates, mostly from survival camaraderie: stand out in the August sun for 40+ hours a week with the same people and you all have a common bond. Keep standing out there through the snow in November (our championship tournament was in Pennsylvania), and you are friends for life. As much as I enjoyed it while it lasted, however, I was glad that W&M didn't have a marching band!

Me and Burr, 2001

So these are all pictures from our old uniforms, which were white-based (obviously). Our old band director retired and the new director wanted us black-based, so for my senior year we were in different uniforms... but I have more pretty pictures of us in the whites, so that is what you get. Personally, I think the whites were much more stylish, with the big red capes and the bright blue jackets, but the blacks FIT. SO. MUCH. BETTER! It wasn't even a close race. The pants are really overalls (so they cannot fall down in the middle of the show!), and the whites were just shapeless "Farmer Johns," as we called them. But my black pants gave me curves! Woot! I love well-fitting clothes. And black shoes are much easier to keep clean than white ones are. And as cool as a big cape is, it pulls at your collar and makes your jacket ride lopsided; the much smaller and sadder capes that went with the blacks didn't have that problem. So, overall, though they lacked style, the blacks were better designed.

Me and De, 2001

Brassline, 2001 (yes, I am in there, and yes, I do know exactly where)

Mid-show, the famous "Park & Bark" pelvic thrusts (or for non-marchers, the spot where we stand still and play really loud for effect), 2001

ROCK ME, PA!

MOVIE REVIEW: Jumper

I was intrigued by this movie when it came out, but not enough to be extorted by the movie theatre industry. (Truth be told, I see few movies in theatres; partly because I like to go with someone and coordinating schedules is often difficult, and partly because I find few movies need the "big screen" effect. Most movies I am quite content to wait until they come out on video and then I can Netflix them.) So now it has finally been released and I got John to sit and watch it with me.

Here's the official summary:

The product of a broken home, David Rice (Hayden Christensen) is looking for a way to escape from his abusive father -- and finds it when he discovers he can teleport himself at will. Using his powers for his own gain, David creates a new life for himself, but soon is in the middle of a war that has been raging for thousands of years between "Jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill them. Director Doug Liman's sci-fi thriller also stars Samuel L. Jackson, and Rachel Bilson.

Pretty good, overall, I think. I liked it as a stupid, fun action flick. Not too much brain power needed. Other reviews panned it, but I think there is a need for fluffy action movies with no real meaning to life. I mean, not every movie can be Pi, Citizen Cane, or Roots, nor should they all try to be. I personally am very fond of movies that you can just pop in and watch for fun.

Second point: Hayden Christensen is much more attractive here than he was in the Star Wars movies. Granted in Episode III, he was not feeling his best, what with all the evil coursing through him, and Episode II was six years ago, so he has matured a bit since then... but still! I was surprised that he had changed. Maybe it's the absence of the Jedi rat-tail that adds to a person's attractiveness. :)

I also think the movie addresses a baser part of human nature, even if in a small way. David sees no need to help people with his powers, he just makes his life comfortable. There was a breakfast scene where the television news reports on mass flooding and people in peril. I naturally thought that David would pop over, rescue the people, then pop home, but he just goes on with his day (a day that includes lunch atop the Sphinx, surfing in Fiji, and picking up girls in a London pub). At first, I wondered what was wrong with him for not saving them, but when you think about it, what would the average person do? Would they risk life and limb to help others, or would they continue as usual? David only really begins the "hero" antics when he and his loved ones are attacked. Even then, you could argue that he's still not a hero, just fighting for survival. The psych major in me was amused for a while pondering this.

End result: Solid three out of five stars. I enjoyed it; there were some good lines; great effects and fight scenes; and I got to play "where are they now" for much of the movie (LOTS of international travel. I recognized the Shibuya intersection in Tokyo; and trivia says they got permission to film in the actual Colosseum - pretty cool).

Knitters, Unite!

Even the master of suave knows how to knit. Maybe that's why he was so attractive. We knitters keep good company.

:)

L is for ...

L is for Lynchburg! When I graduated last year, I gave myself one year to figure out what I wanted to do. I've been working here at KnitWits since the fall, but now I am going to move out to Lynchburg and get on with my life. Not that I don't LOVE working in a yarn shop, but it just doesn't pay the bills. So out I go into the great, mountainous yonder (not really blue, but there are hills) that is Lynchburg.

... anyone want to hire me?

Just for reference: Lynchburg is in red, Virginia Beach in blue,
Richmond in green, Williamsburg in purple, and Arlington in yellow.

Dirty Jobs

If you haven't heard of Discovery Channel's show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, it's hysterical. Mike goes around the country interning with "the people who aren't afraid to get dirty and do the jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us." He's done cow farms, bird farms, pig farms (apparently farms are gross), engineers, sewer cleaners, fishing boats of numerous sizes, scuba cleaners, roofers, exterminators, underwater salvage units, erosion-prevention specialists, insect/ bat / snake biologists, clam shucking, and many many more.

ANYhoo... he asks for letters from viewers asking for new ideas about jobs to do, and today one young lad (age 9) wrote him asking about a previous job he had done in Alaska, "where he was wiping the birds' bottoms." Mike explains that he was swabbing the birds to test for avian flu, and it was highly scientific. Well, the boy asked where and how he went to the bathroom in the very tiny town, and being Dirty Jobs, they described it fully. Apparently, the town has an outhouse, but they burn the waste in a high-temperature kiln to eliminate everything. They bought the kiln from a man the next town over, and he called it the Turd Burner... the Turd Burner! So funny a phrase.

Well, I jut wanted to share with you the ecological importance of the Turd Burner. Back to your regularly scheduled program.


Turd Burner!

Randomness

So, it's official: my life is boring. I was trying to think of anything exciting to post about and I couldn't really come up with anything spectacular. :( Things do happen, just not bright shiny things.

Mom's been in Florida visiting family for the past week, so I've been here by my lonesome, just me and the furries. Frank has been especially fussy because he only has me to fuss at. Normally, his fussing would be divided between two people, but this week he just has me. Poor cat. (The hammie is blissfully unaware as usual.) Since I'm here by myself, and since I don't live by myself well, I picked up a few extra days working at the store so I can keep busy. And get paid. Extra pay is good when you only work part-time.

Then Saturday was the KnitWits First Anniversary Sale and Party. That was a small whirlwind in itself; people just love the sound of "__% off." We also had a Lawre's Laine trunk show, so Lawre was there with all her bag fabrics and customizing possibilities. I fell in love with some of her fabric and got a few accessory zipper-pouches (her smallest item; I love her bags, but definitely cannot afford them). I was good though! Most were for gifts, only one was for me. Though I bought lots of yarn too... bad me. But, in my defense, it was all on super sale, so normally $80 sweaters were only about $50. And when you are using really nice yarn, that makes a difference! You can justify cashmere when it's on sale. :) Well, maybe you can always justify cashmere... I know I can.

So, yes, now I am poor; but the extra work days I picked up balance out most of my spendings this weekend. And have I said that I won't be buying yarn once I move out to Lynchburg? Therefore, it will also balance out in the long run. Yarn gluttony now, yarn fast later. It's the circle of life. ;)

And the final excitement of the week, was that John came to see me! Yay! I like him. :) But he was also quite handy because he fixed a technological problem we were having with some presents (which I won't describe for a few more days, because the presents haven't been delivered yet and I don't want to spoil it for the recipients). John's so nice to have around.

And that was my week. Not exceptional, but mine just the same.

Personality Quizzes

ok, ok, so maybe I got a little distracted by lara's list of personalty quizzes that she found in her own bored moment. Whatever, I don't care, I needed a post anyway. :P



Which movie nerd are you?



You're Peter Parker, the hero with a nerdy heart. Other nerds save fake worlds in video games, but you feel a responsibility to make the real world a better place. Your dedication impresses everyone around you, but your inner nerd has no self-confidence. You forget how to speak when someone hot enters the room, and you're awkward around people you admire. Since you can't flirt to save your life, only evil villains get to hear your clever comebacks.

What's your flavor?



You embody the perfect blend of sweetness and seduction. You personality is just as luscious and irresistible as chocolate ice cream. You have a flirty, melty attitude that's easygoing and delicious. You appreciate luxurious, extravagant things, like the way ultra-soft fabrics feel against your skin. Some people want to hog you all to themselves, but you find ways to make everyone feel special.

Which Indiana Jones character are you?



You're self-reliant, intelligent, and daring. You're talented, but considering how many risks you take (and how well they usually work out), you must also be pretty lucky. You love to travel and have a tremendous respect for different cultures, but you don't get caught up in myths and legends -- you're more interested in getting the facts. You care about other people, even the ones you haven't met, and often go out of your way to help strangers without expecting anything in return. For you, it's no sweat, because your ability to stay calm and focused under pressure allows you to achieve amazing things.

Which movie monster are you?



You're intelligent and thoughtful, and you see the world through big, sensitive eyes. Sometimes you feel uncoordinated, like your body doesn't fit together quite right. It's almost as if someone collected random body parts and sewed them together to make you. That would explain all your emotional scars! It's hard for you to bond with other people, but you're still hopeful that you'll meet a compatible creature and fall in love. It sucks when someone else (your parents/your boss/the mad scientist who created you) is in control of everything, and you're stuck dealing with the consequences. As monsters go, you're a misunderstood sweetheart... right up until someone makes you mad.

Which movie superhero are you?



Sometimes your rebellious attitude makes people nervous, but maybe that's a good thing when you're battling bad guys. Some superheroes smile and show their muscles as they rescue people, but you're more likely to growl and show your claws. You'd rather make your own rules than take orders from someone else. Like Wolverine, you probably have excellent reflexes and heightened senses, so you're always aware of what's happening around you. Even if you come across as a loner, your friends know they can count on you in a crisis.

What would your superpowers be?

Super Fly Dresser

When the forces of Evil are overtaking the universe, and we need to send an ambassador of peace, who are we gonna call: a Super You, dressed in the most respectable, finest, and downright fly duds in the Super Universe, or some shlub in tights? Your Super Closet could come in handy not just in fighting evil (who knows, maybe there would be some Super Armor and magic sweaters in there), but you KNOW all the other Superheroes would be lining up to borrow your stuff. And it's always good to know a couple Superheroes who owe you favor.

How much like your mom are you?

You two are definitely related.

Sometimes you and your mom finish each other's sentences, and sometimes you feel like you're speaking different languages. It's convenient when you know what she's thinking, but sometimes her advice is the last thing you want to hear. You and your mom are alike enough that you know exactly which buttons to push when you want to make her mad -- and how sweet to be when you need money. Since she knows you so well, your mom has an advantage of her own... she probably knows just how to make you feel guilty, whether or not you've done anything wrong.

What color is your personality?

Blue
You are calm and controlled. You are also very sweet and get along with others well. Sometimes others do not understand why you are so nice and think you have a hidden agenda. If you do...thats to bad, but if you don't you have nothing to worry about!

ISKF Regionals

In cleaning out the old school email inbox, I found some neat stuff. Apparently, our college karate club hosted a lot of special events this past spring, including the East Coast Collegiate Karate Union's annual Collegiate Camp. Our club shutterbug posted a lot of Camp pictures on her flikr account, as well as her stuff from the ISKF's Regional Tournament. But what I am passing on to you is a badass youtube from last year's Regionals, courtesy of Spud, one of our black belt alums (by the bye, he's with the first girl in the video... yea, I don't want to see a fight between them either :P ) I just really like the music to it; makes Julie's kata even scarier.

K is for ...

K is for knitting! You may call me lazy, since this is an openly-declared knitting blog, to use "k is for knitting;" but I say I am sticking to a theme. :) Here are a few pictures of recent projects... yes, there are a lot of hats. Most of these were made as gifts, and my camera has broken since I made my lace stole and Mom's pretty sweater. So this is what I have preexisting pictures of.

Children's Pumpkin Hat

Little Slip of a Thing

Purple Felted Cloche Hat and Keyhole Scarf

John's Custom Gloves

The Baby Tart Hat, best baby hat ever!

Cute felted baby booties! They are so tiny!

Sheep tea cozy! (not mine, but still great)