A Beard of Bees & Two Wooden Arms: Rejuvenation

Well Spring term has come and gone once again and this time a little quicker than expected! This term has been less focused on school and more focused on my general well being. I'm still working on balancing the life of academia with happiness. Either way, this term taught me a lot other than vector calculus, aldol reactions, etc. and instead what it means to be alive again. I feel like I've been living a life of brute force and constant go, go, go motion in hopes to drown the yesterdays in the bliss of ignorance through continuous action the last two years. This term was the first time in a long time that I was actually able to breathe easy on my own two feet. I taught myself how to let thoughts slide in the woods, make a couple mean meals, give back to those less fortunate for no reason at all, and to fall in love with just the slight curve of a smile. I feel rejuvenated but still searching for something I think maybe has always been missing. No longer do I feel I am playing catch up with my own heart but rather ready to tackle the questions I've always been seeking answers for. I feel pure, strong, and independent. Ready to figure out what the fuck I've been searching for in the warmth of bed sheets, in the dead of night at 3AM, in the chaos. And the best part is, I don't think I'm going to find it. Ha! But as Whitman stated, "I am this mystery, here we stand," with a follow up from Sean Pean, "the truth is in the mystery." I like mystery. This summer will be a busy one again out of the pure necessity to make money. I'll be working both at Deschutes Brewery and Chow- a local, sustainable restaurant who grows their herbs in the side yard and only carries produce, meats, and baked goods from surrounding local farms and bakeries. Along with the work, I will be involved in designing a program for Central Oregon Locavore called Edible Adventure Club that revolves around gleaning surplus harvest from local farms, foraging in surrounding areas of Central Oregon, and holding preservation workshops. I feel so fortunate to be able to work for two businesses I have pride in along with learning something aside from hard math and science with an internship involving sustainable food systems and community outreach. With the summer, I will be carless (nearly two and half years now!) so will be commuting on my new baby, a vintage Schwinn single-speed/fixie. I'm also focused on trying to spend more time at the local rock gym and getting back into climbing routes that have long been touched. I believe this summer will be a good one. Filled with work, physical health, and a couple mountain summits with a reward of a backpacking trip around Mt. Hood at the end of the summer. The adventures of this term are pictures below. The highlight trek was up to Jawbone Flats, Oregon again where we were able to complete the entire loop and what a beautiful adventure filled with beautiful, beautiful people that was! Along with Jawbone, I really enjoyed my 10K trail running course this term and will be taking it again in the fall with a spew of other engineering courses.

Happy summer!