Schemes

I've been thinking about how I can aquire money while being a student without having to work minimum wage. Is there such a thing? I started watching this show on HBO, How To Make It In America, about these two twenty something dudes hustling in New York. Of course, some of there financial adventures are illegal, the general idea is that they have fun and are never bored. As a student am I suposed to wait out the few years of spam and used books and write it off as a part of a "coming-of-age" right of passage or can I really find a get rich quick scheme that gives me financial flexibility? If anything watch this new show because although it may be fantasy, it gets you thinking big.

Lead their lives

"When someone sees the same people everyday, they wind up becoming part of that person's life and they want that person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how others should lead their lives, but none of his or her own." -Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
I came home from Halifax in May, without most of my stuff and a lease signed for September. I thought I would be going back to Dalhousie but instead, I am going to college to become an outdoor guide in Fernie. I am not sure how I changed my life course over the summer but the ride has been a challenge because like Coelho says I do not have a clear idea of how to live my life. And i've been so angry all this time! Who's life have I been leading instead of my own?

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP!

Wow! Today I went to Calgary with my dad to pick up a chunk of my gear from MEC. We spent about 4 hours in the store shuffling from department to department. I wish they had shopping carts there because I had to buy so much stuff! I think this was the biggest shopping spree of my life. Climbing gear, paddle gear, Gortex, socks, and packs! MEC Calgary has a small but useful climbing wall to test out any harness or shoe you try on so you know what your getting into. But I did not know what I was getting into until I saw the bill. Oh lord! My gear better pay off this year. One more week and classes begin!

Beer Cart

Working at a golf course this summer has left me a lot of time to think, especially when I am driving the beer cart around holes 3-9 and 14-18. The beer cart is a noisy mammoth that guzzles gas and sends you flying when you hit the tinniest bump. It makes me wonder if a "green" beer cart would be considered an option at golf courses. Wouldn't it be a fun job to pedal bike a small cart full of refreshments around the course? You could get one of those bikes you sit and lay back in and managers could advertise the beer cart job as one that gets you fit and tanned while enjoying the golf course greens. It would make no sound, be easy to repair, and save you the cost of gas. I wish I could drive around a beer bike instead of the mammoth.

A place to live

Here is what I know, I have two male student roommates who are both twenty and we are living in a rental attached to a daycare three block away from the college.  I met them both on www.ourfernie.com, a great online resource for finding a place to live with roommates. I can't wait to have my own place to cook!

Comfort but no skill

I just returned from the beautiful Flathead River in North Western, Montana. My family and I canoed the beginner friendly river for two days. Popular with fly fishermen, this glacial clear river shimmers in the presence of burnt sticks, left over from a forest fire earlier this decade, jutting from the surrounding hills. Although we have both "paddled" the flathead before we learned quickly that our steering skills were minimal when we flipped our canoe! What a shock when we tipped into the crisp glacier water, having grown up often canoeing and never flipping, it seemed to slip our minds that you could get wet going down a river in a canoe. The flip was followed by a lot of yelling at who was to blame and eventually some tears of exasperation were shed, but we became a good paddling duo by the end. This small trip reminded me that although I am comfortable outdoors I do not have the skills that match my confidence (thus MAST program should help!). My parents never taught me to tie knots or steer a canoe on any of our outdoor trips but they did help me develop a love for outdoor recreation and nature.

Rainy Day

It was pouring rain when I left home to go to hot yoga this evening. Lightning looked like giant camera flashes. As I laid on my yoga mat looking up at the white vintage tin ceiling I began to wonder if Dalhousie was ever the right place for me. I have already completed one year of university there, but I decided to devote this year to the MAST program and stay closer to home. The rain reminded me of many days spent in my residence room alone and missing home but always curled up with an anthropology book or scientific journal reading grabbing my interest. I will miss university academia! This weather makes me wonder if Dalhousie is the best place for me to get my degree or if going back there again will make me sad like this past year.

Advice

My mom said we think too much. She said "do, be, THEN think".